A classic Southern-style American dish and a diner staple, homemade sausage gravy is creamy, salty, and the ultimate in breakfast comfort foods. Serve sausage gravy with your favorite biscuits for a filling and satisfying breakfast, perfect for a special occasion or just a lazy weekend.
If I see biscuits and gravy on a restaurant menu, you better bet that I’ll be ordering that! Up until recently I thought it was a fancy and difficult dish to make and I really appreciated being able to get it in breakfast restaurants, but now I’ve learned the secret of how simple it is to make! I can make homemade sausage gravy at home in just about 20 minutes with some basic ingredients from my kitchen.
If you love comfort food as much as I do, you should try my Broccoli Mac and Cheese and Chicken Cacciatore next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients. Pick up some sausage on your next shopping trip. You probably already have the rest of the ingredients at home.
- Quick and Easy. For some reason, this gravy tastes like it was cooked all day long, but really it only takes about 20 minutes.
- Delicious for all Occasions. You can serve sausage gravy with buttermilk biscuits for a family breakfast or adjust it to serve a larger crowd for brunch. Everyone loves this recipe!
Ingredients in Sausage Gravy
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pork Sausage – You want to use a breakfast style pork sausage for this recipe. This can usually be found in the meat coolers of your grocery store. Some stores sell bulk breakfast sausage, or buy a packaged sausage like Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean. If you want a spicy sausage gravy, choose a spicy breakfast sausage. Avoid any maple flavored sausage for this particular recipe. I don’t think the flavor works well.
- Butter – We will use the fat from the sausage as well as a bit of butter to create our gravy base.
- Flour – All purpose flour blends with the oils to create a light roux to thicken the gravy.
- Milk – for a creamy sausage gravy, use milk to thin it out. Any type of milk will work, 2% or whole would be my preference.
- Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper. These simple seasonings work well with just about anything. In this recipe, much of the flavor is coming from the sausage, so no fancy spices are needed.
How to Make Sausage Gravy
This recipe is really very simple. Follow these steps to make the perfect sausage gravy for biscuits.
- Brown the Sausage: In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it up as you cook it until it’s no longer pink and evenly brown. Don’t drain the fat from the pan, we’ll be using it.
- Make the Gravy: Add butter to the pan and allow it to melt, then sprinkle flour over the cooked sausage. Stir, cooking the flour for 2 minutes. Then slowly add the milk, stirring constantly as you pour to avoid clumps.
- Thicken Gravy: Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sausage gravy is thickened.
- Season: Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Taste before adding salt, some sausages are saltier than others and may not need additional salt added.
- Serve: Serve sausage gravy immediately after cooking, over biscuits.
Tips for Perfect Homemade Sausage Gravy
Seasonings – Start with already seasoned pork sausage. Plain ground pork won’t give enough flavor to the gravy. Other than this, you don’t need much to create a deliciously flavorful gravy.
Serve Warm – Keep your gravy warm until ready to serve it. Cold sausage gravy is not quite as appetizing. If you want to make the gravy ahead of time, simply reheat it on the stove on low heat when it’s time to serve.
Keep it simple – Allow the sausage gravy to be the star of the show. Serve it with starches like toast, biscuits, or potatoes so you can really enjoy the flavor of the gravy.
Use a Cast Iron Pan – I love using cast iron because it browns the meat nicely and creates an even heating surface. That said, you can make this in a regular pan if you don’t have cast iron, I just think it’s easier (and more authentic) in cast iron.
Make it Gluten Free – Skip the flour and thicken the sausage gravy with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Add a splash of your morning coffee – You may have not heard of this one before, but it’s great as it adds a great depth of flavor to your sausage gravy and a less pallid color. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the coffee!
What to Serve with Sausage Gravy?
Aside from the obvious sausage and biscuits pairing, this gravy is equally delicious with a variety of other foods. Enjoy it on anything you’d put gravy on, such as hash browns, fried eggs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, or even air fryer roasted potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sausage Gravy
Thin gravy is likely due to a measuring mix up, with too much milk added or not enough flour. To thicken your thin sausage gravy, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Whisk in slowly and continue to cook until thickened.
If your gravy has thickened too much, it’s really simple to fix. Simply add more milk, whisking it in a little at a time until the gravy is the consistency you want.
There are two easy ways to make spicy sausage gravy. One is to start with a spicy seasoned sausage. The other is just to add a bit of hot sauce to the finished gravy. Tabasco or Louisiana sauce is perfect for this. If you’re cooking for a crowd, serve the hot sauce on the side so everyone can make their plate as spicy as they like.
You can use this recipe to make gravy using any type of sausage, however, poultry sausage is low in fat, so you won’t get enough from cooking the meat to create the gravy. Add more butter to make up for it. You could also use bacon fat saved from another recipe.
I can’t wait until you are a pro at making homemade sausage gravy, and I bet your family can’t wait either! Make sure to pin this recipe so everyone can see it.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Sausage Gravy
Equipment
- Cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork sausage
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup (30g) all purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage breaking it up as you cook until it’s no longer pink. Do not drain the fat.
- Melt the butter, and sprinkle the flour over the cooked sausage. Cook the flour for 2 minutes, then slowly add milk and stir constantly as you pour it in to avoid clumps.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it’s thickened.
- Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Taste before adding salt, some sausages are saltier than others and may not need additional salt added.
- Serve immediately after cooking over split biscuits.
Notes:
- To thicken a thin sausage gravy, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Whisk in slowly and continue to cook until thickened.
- To thin out a thick gravy, simply add more milk, whisking it in a little at a time until the gravy is the consistency you want.
- To make spicy sausage gravy. Start with a spicy seasoned sausage or add a bit of hot sauce to the finished gravy. Tabasco or Louisiana sauce is perfect for this. If you’re cooking for a crowd, serve the hot sauce on the side so everyone can make their plate as spicy as they like.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Roxanne Bumble says
Can you make pot pie with this and freeze it Sounds delish
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I haven’t tried that exactly, but I think that you could! Let me know how your pot pie turns out!