Sausage Gravy Recipe
Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making Sausage Gravy from scratch. Just a few simple ingredients are all you’ll need to prepare a delicious breakfast of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. This quick and easy pan gravy is sure to please all the family.
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Sausage Gravy Recipe:
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NOTE: This recipe originally appeared here on Taste of Southern on January 28, 2013. Cooler weather has started to return to the heart of North Carolina and this is a great way to start your day. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. When you do, be sure to leave us a comment or two in the section at the bottom of this page and let me know how it turns out for you. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
Are you looking for something quick and easy to fix for breakfast for the family? I think you’ll really enjoy topping some, fresh out of the oven, hot biscuits, with our Sausage Gravy Recipe. It’s really quick and easy to make and, you can do it all right in one skillet.
When you need something to warm you up on a cool winter morning or, something fast on a warm summer morning, this will surely become one of your favorite things to make. Of course, if you’re like me, sometimes breakfast-for-supper is just as good. Either way, I do hope you’ll give our Sausage Gravy recipe a try.
If you don’t make your own biscuits from scratch, there are some pretty good ready-made biscuits in the refrigerator case of your favorite grocery store. They’ll work just about as good and, if you don’t tell…I’m not going to tell.
I can only imagine what a big old pan of hot biscuits must have smelled and tasted like after being pulled from an old fashioned wood stove oven. I’ve had some delicious brick oven pizza that was fired with wood and, it just gives a little smokey taste to that…so….imagine what a pan of biscuits would have tasted like baked in a wood stove oven. It’s my dream one day, when I have the room for it, to have a wood stove of my very own. My family had one in the early days of my youth but I really don’t have any memory of it. Of course, daddy made his own sausage too.
You just need a pound of sausage and a few other items to stir up a big old pan of hot Sausage Gravy. Open up a biscuit or two, ladle on a great big spoonful of gravy and….you’re in for a real treat. You can buy all the gravy mixes you want but, go ahead and learn how to make your own, you’ll never be disappointed. Ready to give it a go? Then….Let’s Get Cooking!!!
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Sausage Gravy Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients. Simple huh?
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Open up your package of sausage and place it in a skillet set to medium heat. As it begins to brown, use a spatula or spoon and, start to break up the meat. Spread it around in the pan so it can cook evenly.
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Continue to stir the sausage around and crumble it as it cooks. You’ll need to let it brown just to the point of where it’s fully cooked.
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Once the sausage is cooked, use a slotted spoon and remove it from the pan. Place it in a small bowl and set aside.
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You’ll need to remove most of the excess fat from the pan. I used a spoon to skim it out but, you could just pour it out as well. You DO want to leave all of the brown bits and any smaller pieces of sausage that might be in the pan. We’re going to need all the flavor from those. Don’t remove all of the fat, leave a couple of Tablespoons in the skillet. We’ll need that to begin making the roux for our gravy.
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Toss in a couple of Tablespoons of butter and stir it around as it begins to melt. The butter should melt slowly and, not start to brown or burn. Adjust the heat of your pan accordingly if it’s cooking too fast.
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We’re using 4 Tablespoons of Flour for our roux. You always want to have an equal amount of fat and flour in the pan when making a roux. So, we had a couple of Tablespoons of fat from the sausage and, we’ve added a couple of Tablespoons of butter as well. Start slowly by adding about half of the flour. Sprinkle it around the pan as opposed to just dumping it all in one spot.
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Grab a spoon and begin to stir the flour into the liquids. You’ll need to constantly stir this as you go. It shouldn’t just dry up right away and get thick. If it does, your pan is probably too hot so, reduce the heat. Let it slowly blend together as you stir.
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Add more of the flour and just keep stirring. Continue to sprinkle in the flour until it’s all in the pan.
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Keep stirring and let the mixture cook for a minute or so. You have to let it cook a little so it loses the taste of just flour. Also, the longer it cooks, the more brown it becomes and, that determines whether you have a light gravy or dark gravy in the end. If you happen to see any lumps, try breaking them up with your spoon and continue to stir them until they’re all gone.
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Gradually begin adding the milk. You will need to add just a little at a time and work it into the mix. Don’t get in a rush or you’ll be disappointed with the final results. Just let it happen…but keep stirring the whole time.
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This is what it looks like when it starts getting too thick…too fast. This is where you’ll start to see lumps that you can’t stir away if you aren’t careful. I stepped away for a minute to adjust the camera and almost messed up. Fortunately, I was able to stir it out and continued to add the milk until I had it all incorporated into the skillet. Whew.
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Just keep stirring to avoid any lumps as it begins to thicken.
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Add the remaining milk as you stir. Then, add a little salt. Start out lightly with the salt though and, then you can taste it later to see if it needs more. Don’t forget there is salt in the sausage and we’re going to add that back into the pan shortly.
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Then, add some pepper. I know you’re thinking this looks like a lot but…I may like a little pepper. Of course, if you have White Pepper, all the better. White Pepper doesn’t show up as little black specks in the finished product. Reminder to self….add White Pepper to the shopping list.
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Place the cooked sausage back in the pan. Give it all a good stir.
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Let the gravy simmer on a low heat for a few minutes. Basically, we just need to warm the sausage back up but, it also helps to bring all the flavors together. Time to get those biscuits ready.
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Split open a couple of biscuits and ladle on a big spoonful or two of your Sausage Gravy. Enjoy!
The gravy can be refrigerated for a couple of days if you have any leftover. It’ll be a little thicker but still tasty. I’m sure you could even add a little more milk and heat it up in a saucepan if you had a bigger amount leftover.
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Sausage Gravy Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Sauces, Gravy
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making Sausage Gravy from scratch. Just a few simple ingredients are all you’ll need to prepare a delicious breakfast of Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. This quick and easy pan gravy is sure to please all the family.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of pork sausage
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 4 Tablespoons of flour
- 2 cups Milk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place skillet over medium heat.
- Add the pork sausage, break it up with a spoon or fork and let it brown until fully cooked.
- Use a slotted spoon and remove the meat from the pan. Set aside for now.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of butter into the skillet, let melt.
- Add the flour, one Tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly to make a roux.
- Continue to stir and let the mixture cook for a minute or two, don’t let it burn.
- Slowly stir in milk, about ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly to work it all together.
- Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Test it for flavor, as you go.
- Add the cooked sausage back into the pan, stir well.
- Let the gravy and sausage simmer for a minute or two until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Serve warm and Enjoy.
Notes
Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2-3 days as needed.
Keywords: Sausage Gravy Recipe, made from scratch, breakfast, pan gravy, gravies, southern recipes, easy
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Your Comments: Do you cringe at the thought of making gravy? Did you try it once or twice and just…give up? No denying it, making gravy of any kind can be a little frightening the first time or two around. It does get easier though the more you make it. I hope you’ll give our recipe for Sausage Gravy a try real soon. I’d love to hear all about your gravy making experiences. Have you overcome the “lumps” by now? Please take a moment or two while you’re here and share some comments and memories with me. Just remember, all of our comments are moderated. That means, I read each and every one of them before they are approved for appearing on Taste of Southern. I also try to reply to as many of your comments as possible so be sure to come back again and check out my response.
If you find our recipes of interest, be sure to help us spread the word by sharing us with your family and friends. I’d greatly appreciate that. You can also sign up for my Newsletter by entering your Email in the Subscribe box below or, at the top of this page. I’ll keep you up to date with our latest recipes each week and any other happenings around here at Taste of Southern. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
Be Blessed!!!
Steve
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Category: Breakfast, Sauces-Gravy
I do basically the same, but with no butter, I just add bacon grease if not enough fat for the rue. I also only take the browned sausage to the side of the skillet and after adding milk (I don’t measure) I do turn up the heat and add milk until I get the thickness I want. I always let it bubble while stirring for at least a minute or two to make it is as thick as it is going get. I guess by measuring you have the correct amounts for the new gravy maker.
A very good recipe that I will have to try and compare with my own.
★★★★
I don’t drain the grease. I just add the flour and let it absorb the flavor of the sausage. Then put in the milk & cook until thick.
My daily prayer to the Lord is to thank Him for one more day! Then I ask HIM to grant me one last meal of sausage gravy poured over a pile of crumbled up Biscuits ! No doubt about it – God created everything, but He especially made Sausage Gravy and Biscuits for Us Country Folk to enjoy.
★★★★★
Hi Gary, I like your way of thinking. Smile. God is good for sure. I appreciate your comments and I hope you’ll get to enjoy many more plates of Sausage and Gravy Biscuits. Thanks for your visit. Be sure to visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I use a high brand commercial sausage so it leaves me little pork fat but enough for flavor and with adding equal amount of butter or margerine works out well. I have made sausage gravy for decades just like this since this is the basics recipe anyway. My secrete for beginners to make it lump free first try is I always in my cast iron, ( have to have a CI..lol)I use my slotted nylon spatula/pancake flipper and once you start add the milk use spatula and smash down and swirl all around the edge of skillet, and and go around the outter edges and repeat then scrap bottom in the middle well and repeat smashing around the edges and swirl, smash and swirl and scrap middle of skillet. Repeat as you add milk and it will be lump free. A whisk or spoon just seems to never get all the lumps out.
Tennessee pride I’ve found to work the best
Hello Steve,
My husband was in Arkansas and got to experience biscuits and gravy. He instantly fell in love. I was happy to find your recipe. My roux turned out perfectly, thanks to your instructions. And my husband was extremely happy that I’d found a tasty biscuits and gravy recipe. We’ll be enjoying them for dinner tonight with our grandsons. Thanks, Steve! (Oh, and God bless you too) Carol
This is one of the best sausage gravy recipes I have used. It’s unfortunate that many cooks and restaurants north of the mason-dixon serve up a grey goop and call it sausage gravy. This recipe is exactly as I like it. Wonderful flavor, consistency and color!
Great recipe ! Just for fun I ground my own pork butt and seasoned it with sage and ground fennel seed. I also added a few chile flakes for a little kick. It was really nice that you explained, in detail, the steps needed to turn out a good gravy.A lot of recipes gloss over the techniques that have to be followed for success.
Thanks , Very southern !
Hi Steve,
Although I printed this off in the summer, I just got around to making it this past weekend, and, as my dad enjoyed it, it’s definitely something I’ll be making again. I hadn’t had any gravy and biscuits since my time down at Bethany College (years ago), although I had made straight sour cream gravy after cooking up sausage. I used some local Mennonite sausage they made up for me with 50% less sodium, and the results were delicious (esp. the leftovers). Thanks once again. R
I haven’t read all comments so forgive me if someone already brought this up. A roux is made from equal parts fat & flour BY WEIGHT, not volume. With your 4 TBS of fat you should add 6-7 TBS of flour for best results.
1st time making sausage gravy! Recipe was so simple and the hubby so enjoyed it!!
First time making homemade gravy and it came out perfect. Thanks for the recipe and pictures!!
I started making this, but noticed that I was working with a leaner package of sausage. Would adding butter to the sausage as it browns help bring more of that sausage flavor out into the left over grease? There was essentially no grease left over in the pan after I browned it. Aside from that, desired consistency and not extremely salty (when I used to make it with just cream of mushroom soup and sausage).
Hi Nathan, Butter makes just about anything better. Right? Adding a little should help, or perhaps some bacon fat if you have that. Thank you for the question, and please let me know how it turns out for you. I’m happy you’ve found Taste of Southern, and do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Steve, Simple is often best. The KISS(keep it simple stupid)is what sold me on my wife. She was the last girl I kissed in the bar on New Years Eve and she came home with me late that evening. She moved in the next day and we got married within the year. When I came home from work on Jan 1st, Sausage Gravy and Home-made Biscuits were waiting for me. All I had in the house for heat was a wood fired kitchen stove and a Ben Franklin in the living room. She had split, stacked cords and brought in enough for the wood boxes in the house. Amazing as that was, the smell of biscuits from a wood fired oven and sausage gravy was heavenly, and your recipe brought back all the love and memories from that humble beginning of my life with my true love. She is no longer of this world but your gravy brought her back again for me for a little while. Thank-you for the joy of simply sweet and savory times past brought to life again. Stanley
Thats is such an awsome story on the beginings of your life with your wonderful wife! I FEEL your loss!
Thanks for sharing your story.
I wanted to say thank you. This is amazing! My husband wants me to make this all the time. And, for him to love it, you know it’s good. And, I absolutely love your website. There are so many great recipes. Thank you, again!
Sir:
I followed your recipe to the letter. I used skim milk and substituted a third cup of 1/2 and 1/2 for the additional fat. The Roux was perfect and no lumps if we follow your instruction. My sausage was bland and I added a bit of Sage and of course the salt and pepper. I did bake a ready made from the paper container biscuits. This recipe resides in my food folder.
Thank You
Good Morning Steve….blessings to you! I am going to try your recipe for sausage gravy I have been looking for one and yours grabbed my attention, I come from a long line of great cooks, but you never stop learning especially when you cook from a loving soul. When I make this I will get back to you with my results. I love the way you not only give the things you need for the recipe but the step by step instructions…bless you!
Steve, thanks for the awesome website! All my grandparents had southern roots, but never passed along their great cooking tradition. A couple of years ago I decided to dive in, starting with gravy. It was always a lumpy mess until I started using a whisk. Now I will make sure to add butter–great idea!
Steve, I hope you see this and answer very soon. I promised my co-workers that I would bring in sausage gravy and biscuits for an early morning staff meeting/brunch. I would rather not cook it in the morning before work. I sweat a LOT when I cook and that hot, sweaty look just is not appropriate for work so I was thinking of making the gravy the night before and keeping it in a crock pot on low until I bring it to work. Would this work?
(I was lucky enough that a co-worker promised to make biscuits for me!)
Hi Tina, My apologies for the late reply. I would suggest just making it, refrigerate it overnight, then heat it up the next morning. You might need to add a little water to get the right consistency. I would think it would just cook down too much in the crock pot overnight, then again… it just might be okay. Good luck. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve,
So cool that you have a recipe for Sausage Gravy for making biscuits and gravy. I am the official maker of biscuits and gravy at our house and have made if en-mass for many. The most recent was for a family reunion breakfast!!! 4 batches! I actually came to your site in search of pickle recipes and am going to make the bread and butter today and then looked more at your site and thought you surely must have a recipe for B&G. I’ve not tried the butter and the roux step. I was taught to add the flour after the sausage browns and then add the liquid. I use a sage recipe for the sausage and also add just a touch of onion, use 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 water for the liquid. I’m going to try yours and compare!
Thank you for your great website and tutorials, they are wonderful!
Cheers from up North!
~Cathy
Just wanted to say Thank you, I love this recipe 🙂
That is the best sausage gravy I have ever made thanks for the recipe.
Just found your site Steve, look forward to trying your recipes, as I am just learning to cook.
Small steps first.
Hi David, I’m thankful you found Taste of Southern, and happy to hear that you’ll be trying some of our recipes. I do hope you get to try the Sausage Gravy, and that it turns out well for you. Cooking can sometimes seem to be a daunting task, but hang in there, you can do it. You know the old saying, “Practice makes Perfect.” Don’t give up, keep trying and you’ll be cooking all kinds of great things in not time at all. Best wishes on your cooking adventures. Keep me informed.
I appreciate your visits, and do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
one of my favorite sausage and gravy recipes i have used. as long as you don’t get in a hurry it is very easy to make. thank you for the help
Well, hubby says for a first attempt it went pretty well. It was too thick but by reviewing the pics I see my pan was too hot. Gotta try it again!
Ack! Have NEVER made gravy from scratch. Will be trying this for my hubby tomorrow morning….wish me luck!
Hi Steve,
First off, I want to say I’m very new at any dough making recipes. My mother never made things from scratch if it had flour. But everything else was always so good! I have been trying different recipes and brands of ingredients. And I never can get my dough to rise. I’m assuming I’m overworking my dough. But I’m always afraid of not mixing it enough. I grew up in Alabama and everyone knows how to make buttermilk biscuits. So naturally coming to New York, I want everyone to taste some rich southern food. I will try this recipe again and see how I do. My biscuits came out tough and the dough wasn’t cooked good inside.. Let’s see how it comes out next time.
This is the same way I have been making sausage gravy since my Grandmother taught me on her old wood stove in the mountains of Tennessee when I was 7 years old except we always used canned evaporated milk for a richer flavor and a couple good shakes of Texas Pete hot sauce to spiced it up a bit!
This sounds like an awesome variation! I was thinking that something richer than regular milk would really push it over the top. I did add a bit of crushed red pepper flake (like I add to almost everything). Next time I’ll definitely try it with canned milk and some hot sauce!!
I add one clove of diced up garlic..along with the red pepper and canned milk diluted with water half and half of each.
I have tried just about every store bought mix or pre-made gravy brands and none of them taste one bit good. I have also made the sausage gravy at home three times with it just not hitting the right southern taste bud. Most recipes are the same, but what I liked about your recipe was the whole article on the process of making the sausage gravy. I will be trying this recipe and process tomorrow morning, so I hope I can make my forth time hit the southern taste bud. By the way I was born in Texas and grew up from there to Alabama, but am in Colorado now and they just put green chili on everything.
Thanks for posting this! I love the pictures because they show where I have been going wrong all this time! Finally, success!
Your recipe looks so good and presented so well. Want to make sausage gravy for breakfast while on vacation in the Smoky’s and glad I found your recipe. I grew up going to my grandfather’s home in Tennessee every summer and we would have meat he smoked along with red eye (when small I called pig juice) and white gravy in the morning, fresh biscuits, fried potatoes, eggs, etc. Needless to say I gained some weight on those vacations.
Thanks again.
This looks sooooo good. I have always used those little mixes you can buy at the store for my gravy but I don’t think I’ll need them anymore with this recipe. Next time I go shopping, I’ll pick up some sausage and set out to make it. Thanks for posting this! 😀
Hi Nicole, I’m glad you found the Sausage Gravy recipe and I do hope you’ll like it. You’ll find it’s really easy to make and you can flavor it up to your own personal tastes. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks again for all your comments, I’ll be looking to hear from you again. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Thank you! Good gravy from scratch has always been a mystery to me. Most southern cooks add “a little of this and a little of that” and stir. Thank you for teaching. I made your sausage gravy this morning and it was fabulous. Everyone loved it…even those who didn’t like biscuits and gravy like it now!
Hi Mary, Thank YOU for your comments. I’m happy to hear you tried the Sausage Gravy Recipe and that you and your family enjoyed it. That’s always good to hear.
It’s my pleasure to share the recipes and I do hope you might try some of our other ones as well. Be sure to let me know if you do. I appreciate your visit and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Perfect timing for you to repost this. My husband asked a few days ago if I knew how to make this and I don’t. Remembered today to see how involved it is and I think I’ll give it a try this coming weekend. As far as the black pepper specks goes, if I ever see sausage gravy without the black specks I get disappointed. It just doesn’t look right. 😉
Also a quick question, we usually use skim milk in our household. Would that create problems in making this?
Hi Shannon, I really don’t think you’ll notice much difference by using skim milk. It might not be as rich, but it should still have a good flavor. Thanks again. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Shannon, I’m thankful you found our website and I do hope you had the chance to make the Sausage Gravy. I’ll be waiting to hear how it turned out and whether you liked it or not. Let me know! I do hope you’ll try some of our other recipes and that you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I did try it this weekend and it was delicious. I ended up using 2% milk based on recommendations of friends on facebook. I also shared it with a friend of mine and she loved it. I will definitely be making it again. Haven’t checked out any other recipes yet, but I definitely will.
Hi Shannon, I’m happy to hear you liked the Sausage Gravy. Now, you might want to check out our recipe for making Mama’s Buttermilk Biscuits to go along with it next time. Thank you again for sharing your comments and results. I appreciate it, and I hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve, It certainly seems so simple when you do it! I don’t think I’ve ever tried making gravy even though I grew up with biscuits and red-eye gravy every Christmas morning. I definitely have some good memories of sopping gravy!
I will definitely have to try this sausage gravy. I appreciate the step-by-step process – you’ve made it look delicious! Thank you!
Hi Deb, I do hope you’ll make up a big old batch of the Sausage Gravy, I think you’ll really like it. Red-eye gravy is next, I think, right after the Giblet Gravy. I really appreciate your visits and enjoy the posts on your website as well.
I hope some of our readers will check out your site at: http://www.girottifamily.typepad.com. I enjoyed the Potato Masher Basket article. I have a couple of the mashers myself. Thank you for stopping by and I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
I love your recipes and the stories that go with them!! This sausage and gravy recipe was delicious and very easy to follow. Thank you!!
Hi Jacquie, Thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad you tried the recipe and that you enjoyed the Sausage Gravy. I hope you’ll try out some of our other recipes as well. Thank you for taking the time to share your comments, stop by for another visit real soon… OK? Be Blessed!!! -Steve
This looks so good, can’t wait to try it !! Love this website !!
Hi Cathy, I do hope you’ll give it a try and, be sure to come back and let me know how it turns out for you. I could eat Sausage Gravy and Biscuits about every day. Thank you for your comments, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to leave them. I hope you’ll stop by for a visit again real soon. Be Blessed!!! –Steve