Creamy Homemade Sausage Gravy Recipe

Peppery country sausage gravy is perfect comfort food over biscuits for breakfast or brunch.

What Is Sausage Gravy?

Sausage gravy is a variation of country milk gravy, but with the addition of sausage. My Creamy Bacon Gravy and Southern Egg Gravy recipes are also made in similar ways.

This homemade gravy recipe is made with uncooked, bulk breakfast sausage (sausage not in the casing), a butter and flour roux for thickening the gravy, milk, and lots of black pepper. Half-and-half or even heavy cream can also be used, but whole milk is the standard.

You’ll find bulk breakfast sausage where the bacon and specialty brand sausages are typically sold in the grocery store, packaged as tubes or flats. You can also make your own breakfast sausage using this seasoning blend and this pork sausage recipe.

And if you want another great recipe that uses bulk sausage meat, try this Easy Sausage Dip. You only need three ingredients and it’s so delicious.

How To Make Sausage Gravy

If you want to serve biscuits with this gravy, get those in the oven first because the sausage gravy doesn’t take long to make. 

First, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and then add the bulk sausage, breaking up any large clumps into small crumbles as it cooks. This can take a little bit of time, but as the sausage cooks, the crumbles will become easier to create. I like to use the side of a wooden spoon to do this, but sometimes a masher tool like this can help, too. Continue to cook the sausage until well browned, which will contribute most of the flavor to the gravy.

Once the sausage crumbles are caramelized, sprinkle the flour as evenly as possible over the sausage. Immediately stir to incorporate the flour, and keep stirring for about a minute which will cook the “raw” taste out of the flour.

Pour all of the milk into the pan at once, along with the black pepper. Continue stirring until everything is well mixed. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat so the milk is just simmering. The gravy will begin to thicken at this point, and ready for tasting.

Bulk breakfast sausage will most likely always have salt, so you may not need the optional salt called for in the recipe. Give the gravy a taste, and if needed, add that last bit of salt. 

How To Serve Homemade Sausage Gravy

The traditional way to serve Southern sausage gravy is to cut a biscuit in half and place on a plate or into a shallow bowl, and then spoon the sausage gravy over the biscuits. It’s such a wonderful and hearty breakfast option. The gravy can also be topped with cheddar cheese, fresh sage or parsley, and more black pepper, too. Tell me how you serve biscuits and gravy in the comments! 

You could also serve the gravy over hash browns or roasted potatoes. And if you love this homemade sausage gravy recipe, try my Biscuits and Gravy Casserole too. It’s perfect for serving a crowd.

Leftovers

If you have leftover sausage gravy, you can store it in the fridge for up to five days. You can also prepare in advance and freeze the gravy up to a month.

If it’s too thick when reheating, add a splash of milk to thin it back out. I think it’s best to warm it back up in a skillet on the stove, but you could also do short bursts in the microwave and stir in between until heated through.