Best Spices for Turkey Gravy

Most of a turkey gravy’s seasoning goes in before the flour does. Both tested recipes below simmer the turkey’s neck and giblets in broth with onion, thyme and a bay leaf, then strain it and build the gravy on that broth plus the roasting-pan drippings. Thyme is the one herb they agree on; sage, rosemary and parsley are optional extras, and sage needs a light hand. Garlic and celery, often listed as essentials, aren’t in either recipe.

At a glance

Seasoning	Job	In the recipes below
Onion (or leek or shallot)	Sweet, savory base for the broth	Both¹²
Thyme	The main herb; savory, warm	Both¹²
Bay leaf	Background herbal note	Both, one leaf each¹²
Sage, rosemary, parsley	Optional herbs alongside thyme	One, “and/or”²
Black pepper and salt	Seasoning to taste	One²
Worcestershire sauce	A dash of savory depth	One²
Poultry seasoning	Thyme, sage and more in one jar	Neither; a common shortcut
Garlic, celery	Optional	Neither

Two recipes side by side

	America’s Test Kitchen, Make-Ahead Giblet Gravy¹	Food Network Kitchen, Classic Turkey Gravy²
Yield	About 6 cups (serves 10 to 12)	8 cups
Broth	4 cups low-sodium chicken broth plus 2 cups water	8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Turkey parts	Neck and giblets, liver left out	Neck and giblets, liver discarded
Onion	1, chopped	1 medium onion or leek, or 2 shallots
Herbs	4 sprigs fresh thyme (dried allowed); 1 bay leaf	3 sprigs thyme, parsley, rosemary and/or sage; 1 bay leaf
Thickener	4 tbsp butter, 6 tbsp flour	Pan drippings, 1/2 cup flour
Finish		Dash of Worcestershire; kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

These are the publishers’ recipes, not a house standard. Both leave out the liver; America’s Test Kitchen found its strong flavor overpowered the gravy.¹

The core seasonings and what each one does

Thyme: the constant

Thyme is the one herb both recipes agree on: four fresh sprigs in America’s Test Kitchen’s version, three sprigs of thyme and/or other herbs in Food Network’s. Thyme is a hearty herb that goes in early.³ Food Network’s broth simmers about two hours while the turkey roasts.² Dried thyme is fine instead of fresh, says America’s Test Kitchen.¹ As a general rule, the University of Delaware’s extension guide swaps 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of dried crumbled herb for 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh.⁴ See fresh vs. dried thyme and too much thyme.

Bay leaf: one, in the broth

Both recipes drop a single bay leaf into the simmering broth,² and America’s Test Kitchen strains the broth and tosses the solids before making the gravy.¹ J. Kenji López-Alt told The Splendid Table that bay leaves bring out the meaty flavors of beef and chicken. That’s a cook’s observation, not a measured effect. Strain it out, though: López-Alt compares eating one to eating a fish bone.⁵ See cooking with bay leaves and too much bay leaf.

Sage: optional, and strong

Only Food Network’s recipe mentions sage, as one of the herbs that can make up the three sprigs.² Go easy: the Delaware guide warns that sage can taste “extremely objectionable” if you use too much.⁴ Following Food Network’s “and/or,” one sprig among the three is a sensible place to start. See fresh vs. dried sage and too much sage.

Rosemary: optional

Rosemary is another of Food Network’s optional sprigs.² One sprig is a sensible start for a pot of broth. See rosemary vs. sage and too much rosemary.

Parsley

Parsley is the third optional herb in Food Network’s broth.² It’s one of the delicate herbs that lose flavor with long cooking and are best added at the end,⁶ so you could stir chopped fresh parsley into the finished gravy instead.

Onion

Both recipes cook an onion with the giblets for the broth, and Food Network lets you use a leek or two shallots instead. No time for a broth? Onion powder can stand in, though neither recipe uses it.

Black pepper, salt and Worcestershire

Food Network finishes with a dash of Worcestershire sauce plus kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.² Both recipes start with low-sodium broth, and Taste of Home’s gravy guide says unsalted broth is the best place to start.⁷ Salt at the end. Overdid it? See how to fix salty gravy.

Poultry seasoning: the shortcut

Neither recipe uses it, but a pinch of poultry seasoning gets thyme and sage into a gravy in one go. There’s no single formula. McCormick Culinary’s blend lists thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg,⁸ and Bell’s, the New England brand, lists rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme and pepper.⁹ See poultry seasoning and poultry seasoning substitutes.

Allspice: an old gravy spice

Whole allspice berries go into meat broth and gravies. A couple of berries in the simmering broth is a variation you could try; it’s not in either recipe here. See allspice.

Garlic and celery

Neither recipe uses garlic or celery. Both are reasonable in the broth if you like them, garlic in moderation. See garlic powder and celery salt.

Food safety: reheat to a boil

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says to reheat sauces, soups and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil.¹⁰ Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours. They keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.¹⁰

“Make-Ahead Giblet Turkey Gravy”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2011. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷
“Classic Turkey Gravy”, Food Network Kitchen, Food Network. foodnetwork.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³
Liz Bomze, “Our Guide to Fresh Herbs”, America’s Test Kitchen, 2019. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩
“Using Herbs and Spices”, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, revised 2025. udel.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩²
David Leite with J. Kenji López-Alt, “Bay leaves are an optional ingredient”, The Splendid Table, 2014. splendidtable.org · Publication ↩
“Flavorful Herbs”, LSU AgCenter. lsuagcenter.com · Reference work ↩
Lindsay D. Mattison, “How to Fix Gravy”, Taste of Home, 2023. tasteofhome.com · Publication ↩
“Poultry Seasoning, 12 oz”, McCormick Culinary. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩
Aimee Tucker, “Bell’s Seasoning: A New England Thanksgiving Classic”, Yankee Magazine, 2021. newengland.com · Publication ↩
“Leftovers and Food Safety”, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, 2020. fsis.usda.gov · Regulator ↩ ↩²

Also drawn on

Pimenta dioica (PROSEA), D. Sulistiarini, Plant Resources of South-East Asia, via Pl@ntUse. uses.plantnet-project.org

Turkey Gravy Spices: Thyme, Bay Leaf and the Herbs That Go Into the Broth