We taste-tested 19 brands of turkey gravy you’re likely to find at your local supermarket. To find the very best one, we sampled each without knowing which was which. Our winners are Kinder’s Turkey Bone Broth Gravy and Kevin’s Natural Foods Turkey Gravy, but we also crowned one runner-up.
In an ideal world, you wouldn’t be eating dry turkey at Thanksgiving. But if you do find yourself with an unpleasantly tough slice of turkey breast, the easiest fix is probably a generous ladle of gravy. Though I’m deeply committed to making gravy from scratch with good homemade stock, turkey parts, and pan drippings, that may not be realistic for everyone—especially when there’s already so much to do on the T-Day prep list.
That’s where the store-bought stuff comes in. With so many mixes and prepared gravies available at the grocery store, there’s no need to stress about getting gravy on the table. But which brands are worth serving as a part of your Thanksgiving meal?
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
To find the best gravy, our editors taste-tested 19 widely available brands, sampling both dry mixes that you reconstitute with water, as well as fully prepared options, including varieties in cans, jars, and cartons. We heated them up according to package directions, and sampled contenders in both categories in random order, without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned two overall winners—one mix and one prepared—along with one runner-up.
The Criteria
Turkey gravy should have a rich poultry flavor. It should be silky smooth and thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, but just thin enough to pour from a pitcher. It should not be viscous or gluey. Aromatics, seasonings, and herbs, such as carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage are welcome, but none of them shouldbe the dominant flavor. Though gravy should be nicely savory, it should not be excessively salty. It should also not taste like flour, which is often used to thicken gravies.
Overall Winner
Gravy Mix: Kinder’s Turkey Bone Broth Gravy
Our tasters were pleasantly surprised by the depth of poultry flavor here. “Has a rich poultry flavor and some black pepper backbone without being harsh,” our editorial director, Daniel, wrote. Though our associate culinary editor, Laila, thought it was missing that “deep, savory, meaty backbone,” she liked that it was “salty, buttery, and rich,” with a “pleasant viscosity.” Our associate visuals director, Amanda, thought it was “not bad, a little salty,” and our visuals editor, Jessie, liked that it was “savory with a light tang.” Though it was slightly too thick for our associate editorial director, Megan, our other editors thought it had a nice, middle-of-the-road texture.
Prepared Gravy: Kevin’s Natural Foods Turkey Gravy
“Nicely salty and somewhat meaty,” Laila wrote. “Best of the bunch!” Daniel agreed. Megan thought it was “almost buttery,” with a “decent Goldilocks balance” in terms of texture. Jessie appreciated that it was well-seasoned; however, Amanda thought it could have had more depth of flavor. Still, our editors were fans of this gravy, and among all the brands we tasted—both prepared and from mixes—Daniel thought it came closest to homemade.
Runner-Up
Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy Mix
“It needs a touch of salt, but the flavor is more genuine poultry stock, less low-quality stock flavorings,” Daniel wrote. “Good texture, smooth, properly thick without being gloopy.” Similarly, Laila thought this had a nice viscosity. Though she thought this gravy lacked meaty depth or savoriness, she still found it decent, describing it as “vegetable- and carrot-forward, with a noticeable sweetness.” As for Megan, who noted it was “smooth, a bit viscous,” this was a “fine” option. We did not have a runner-up in the prepared gravy option.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Contenders
Gravy Mixes:
- 365 by WFM Organic Turkey Gravy Mix
- Bowl & Basket Turkey Gravy Mix
- Kinder’s Roasted Turkey Bone Broth Gravy
- Knorr Roasted Turkey Gravy Mix
- McCormick Turkey Gravy Mix
- Pioneer Roasted Turkey Gravy Mix
- Simply Organic Turkey Flavored Gravy Mix
- Stop & Shop Turkey Gravy Mix
Prepared Gravies:
- 365 Organic Turkey Gravy
- Bell’s Turkey Gravy
- Better Than Gravy Roasted Turkey Gravy
- Bowl & Basket Turkey Gravy
- Campbell’s Turkey Gravy
- Heinz HomeStyle Turkey Gravy
- Imagine Organic Roasted Turkey Flavored Gravy
- Kevin’s Natural Foods Turkey Gravy
- McCormick Turkey Gravy
- Stop & Shop Homestyle Turkey Gravy
- Trader Joe’s Turkey Flavored Gravy
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
Turkey gravy mix is a powder that’s typically made with dried turkey broth or dried chicken broth, fat, flour, and dried herbs and seasonings, such as rosemary, sage, onion, garlic, and celery. To make it, you whisk the mix and water together, then simmer on the stovetop until thickened. Prepared gravy is typically made with turkey and/or chicken broth, turkey fat and parts, dried aromatics, and a thickener, such as flour, cornstarch, or modified food starch. Many of the brands of both mix and prepared gravy we sampled contain flavor enhancers, stabilizers, and preservatives, such as disodium inosinate and guanylate, maltodextrin, sodium phosphates, and xanthan gum.
Our winning gravy mix, Kinder’s Roasted Bone Broth Gravy, is made with both dried turkey and chicken broth and has gelatin for added body. There are minimal seasonings—just salt, spices, garlic, onion, and paprika—and it is thickened with whey, xanthan gum, and dextrose.
Our winning prepared gravy, Kevin’s Natural Foods Turkey Gravy, gets its rich poultry flavor from turkey breast, turkey stock, and chicken fat. Of all the brands we tasted, it has one of the shortest ingredient lists. It’s thickened with tapioca starch, enriched with heavy cream and butter, and is flavored with cultured onion juice, spices, and dried onion and garlic. Though it is stabilized with xanthan gum and contains yeast extract as a flavor enhancer, it is one of the few brands we sampled that does not contain any preservatives or coloring.
Though our editors would be happy to reach for either of our winners in a pinch, we all agreed that we wanted more depth of flavor in the gravies we sampled. If you’re using a powdered gravy mix, look for one made with both dried broth and meat, and ideally containing chicken fat—all of which contribute body and flavor. For prepared gravies, it’s best to go with an option that contains chicken and/or turkey broth, meat, and fat. You can also bolster the gravy’s poultry flavor by whisking in chicken bouillon powder. And if you find your gravy a touch too thick, thinning it with a bit of turkey or chicken broth will fix that. Is it homemade? No, but a few tweaks can certainly improve store-bought turkey gravy so it tastes almost homemade.
Our Testing Methodology
All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.
