The Easiest Way To Make Instant Pot Gravy

Last Updated on October 14, 2024

This Instant Pot Gravy is the easiest way to make gravy after you make a turkey in the instant pot.

When you make an Instant Pot turkey or whole chicken, you just work with the juices left behind in the pot after you’ve removed the other ingredients to make this delicious gravy. It’s convenient because you don’t have to dirty another pan and it leaves more room on the stove for the other things you’re cooking.

Since one of the reasons I love my Instant Pot is that it makes true one-pot meals easy, it gets put to good use around here at Thanksgiving.

My Thanksgiving philosophy is to keep my focus on my family and friends. When I fret over the details of the feast, that focus is threatened.

I use this Thanksgiving Checklist to help me stay on top of details. And as much as possible, I try to stick with simple recipes that dirty the fewest dishes possible, like this Instant Pot gravy.

Jump to:

• How to Thicken Gravy in an Instant Pot?
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
• 🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Gravy
• 👩‍🍳 Pro Tips
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe
• Pro Tips
• Recipe FAQs

How to Thicken Gravy in an Instant Pot?

Since making gravy is like thickening a sauce, you might wonder how you can make gravy in an instant pot without getting the burn notice.

In this recipe, you’ll use the sauté function on your Instant Pot, because it works just like a burner on your stove. It heats the inner pot from the bottom up, which allows you to simmer sauces to reduce them into a gravy.

Plus, the sauté function usually has several settings, from low to high, so you can adjust the heat. If your Instant Pot doesn’t have that function, you can turn it off for a few minutes to bring down the heat. Then, you can turn it back on once it’s cooled down enough.

Besides making sure the heat is right for making your gravy, it’s important to stir it constantly as you add the slurry. This will keep it from burning, and as an added bonus, it also keeps the gravy from getting lumpy.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Still not sure about making gravy in the instant pot? These reasons might convince you:

• Ready in under 30 minutes: In fact, this recipe will be ready in just 15 minutes. With all of the all-day cooking that needs to be done on Thanksgiving, it will be nice to have a recipe that can be made quickly.
• Convenient: Once the turkey is done cooking in the Instant Pot, while it’s resting, just use this same pot to make the gravy. You don’t need to wash it first, it’s all ready for you to use.
• Easy to make: All you have to do is add some drippings and broth, boil it, make a slurry, whisk it in along with some seasonings, and heat it up.

If you like recipes with gravy, once Thanksgiving is over you should try making Instant Pot cube steak with gravy.

🥘 Ingredients

You don’t need very many ingredients to make this recipe, and you probably already have them in your pantry. Plus, the main ingredient (the turkey juices) will already be in the pot if you made your turkey in your IP.

• Chicken broth: You’ll need 4 cups of liquid to start with, so if the strained turkey juices don’t equal that, add some chicken broth to equal that amount.
• Cornstarch: This will be combined with water to make the slurry, which will make the liquid thicken to become a gravy.
• Salt and pepper: Add as much or as little as you prefer. It’s always best to start off with less, especially if the chicken broth isn’t low sodium, and then you can always test the gravy before serving it to see if you need to add any more.

See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

In case you want a more flavorful gravy, here are some ideas.

• Herb-Infused gravy: Add fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, or parsley after the gravy thickens. Let it simmer on the “Sauté” setting for a minute or two to infuse the flavors.
• Garlic or onion gravy: After straining the pan juices, use the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot to cook chopped garlic or onions, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Mushroom gravy: Sauté mushrooms using the “Sauté” function before adding the strained pan juices, then proceed with the recipe.

For a recipe made using beef broth, instead of chicken broth, try these meatballs and gravy.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

You only need a few things to make this recipe:

• Instant Pot: This is where you’ll cook everything for this recipe.
• Small mixing bowl: The cornstarch and water will be mixed in here to make the slurry.
• Whisk: Use the whisk constantly as you stir in the slurry and thicken the gravy.
• Gravy boat: You don’t have to use a gravy boat to serve your gravy in, but there are some really cute ones that would add a special touch to your Thanksgiving table.

🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Gravy

If you’ve made gravy before, making it in your Instant Pot isn’t much different. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Prepare the Liquid

Spoon off as much fat as you can from the top of the leftover turkey juices. If you want to be really precise, you can use a fat separator (but it will be an extra dirty dish you have to wash).

Add chicken broth to the leftover juices so you have a total of 4 cups of liquid.

Step 2: Bring Liquid to a Boil

Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté mode and heat the turkey drippings and juices until they come to a boil. Use a whisk to gently scrape any bits that might have stuck to the bottom or sides.

Press “Cancel” and then choose “Sauté” again and “Adjust” to set the temperature to medium.

Step 3: Prepare the Thickener

Next, we need to get the thickening agent ready. In a small bowl, combine cold water and cornstarch.

It’s really important to mix the cornstarch and water thoroughly so that the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Otherwise, you’ll end up with lumpy gravy.

Once the two are combined, whisk the mixture into the boiling liquid in the pot.

Step 4: Season

Now you can add salt and pepper until your gravy tastes just the way you like it. Continue whisking and cooking on medium heat until the gravy reaches your desired thickness.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

That’s it! You can keep your gravy warm in the pot (cancel Sauté and choose Warm) until you’re ready to serve.

Then, just transfer to a serving bowl or gravy boat.

👩‍🍳 Pro Tips

Here are some ways to make this turkey gravy like a pro:

• After cooking the turkey or meat, deglaze the Instant Pot to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom—these bits are full of flavor!
• Strain the pan juices using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove solids like herbs, fat, and bits of meat. This ensures a smooth gravy base.
• After straining the juices, let them sit for a few minutes so the fat rises to the top, then skim it off with a spoon.
• Always mix cornstarch or flour with cold water to form a slurry before adding it to the hot juices. This prevents clumping.
• Whisk continuously after adding your slurry (cornstarch or flour mixture) to prevent lumps and ensure even thickening.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Instant Pot Gravy:

Ready to get cooking? Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.

📋 Recipe