Classic Homemade Southern Sausage Gravy

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/2/21
Homemade Southern Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

The Spruce

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 22 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Sausage gravy is one of the dishes that every Southern home cook knows how to make without a recipe. Serve this classic thick Southern-style sausage gravy over hot, split, buttermilk biscuits. Biscuits and gravy make a fantastic breakfast with fresh or spiced fruit, or serve the smothered biscuits along with eggs or a breakfast casserole.

The dish also makes an excellent special brunch dish. Serve the Southern sausage gravy from a slow cooker or chafing dish and cover the split, buttered biscuits warm so that people can serve themselves. Biscuits aren't required to enjoy this gravy. It's great spooned over grits, rice, potatoes, toast points, or buttered bread.

This version uses shortening and flour to make the roux, but feel free to use another fat such as bacon drippings or butter. The recipe is easy to double or triple for a larger family or group. Use your favorite variety of breakfast sausage in this recipe or try homemade pork sausage or turkey sausage.

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Ingredients

  • 8 ounces breakfast sausage, hot, sage, or country

  • 2 tablespoons shortening, or lard

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk, or to thicken as desired

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 dash cayenne pepper, optional

  • 4 to 6 hot biscuits, split and buttered, for serving, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Homemade southern sausage gravy ingredients.
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  2. Cook the breakfast sausage in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up with a spatula.

    Cook sausage in skillet using spatula
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  3. With a slotted spoon, removed the browned crumbled sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.

    Remove cooked sausage and place on paper towel and plate
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  4. Add the shortening or lard to the drippings in the skillet. Add the flour, stirring until blended and bubbling. Continue to cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

    Add oil and flour to drippings in skillet
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  5. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups milk; continue stirring and cooking until thickened and bubbly.

    Add milk to mixture and stir
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  6. Add the crumbled sausage. If too thick, add a little more milk.

    Add sausage to mixture
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  7. Taste and add salt and pepper.

    Add salt and pepper to sausage mixture
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  8. Stir in a dash of cayenne pepper, if desired.

    Add cayenne pepper to sausage mixture
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  9. Serve over the hot split and buttered biscuits or as part of another dish.

    Serve sausage gravy over biscuits
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  10. Enjoy.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Store leftover sausage gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
  • To freeze, transfer the cooled gravy to freezer bags or airtight containers. Label with the name and date and freeze for up to two months.
  • Reheat leftover sausage gravy on the stovetop or in the microwave. The minimum safe temperature for leftovers is 165 F (USDA).

Tips

  • If your sausage is not flavorful, add dried sage and salt and pepper as needed.
  • A lot of the flavor comes from the fat in the sausage, so avoid draining the fat after cooking the sausage. If there are several tablespoons of sausage fat left in the pan, you may add less shortening or omit it altogether.

Recipe Variation

Add a burst of flavor and color with a tablespoon or two of fresh chopped parsley, chives, or thyme, or sprinkle servings with some ground sweet paprika.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
211 Calories
16g Fat
7g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 211
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 21%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 438mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 90mg 7%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 235mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)