This Classic Sausage Gravy recipe is creamy, peppery, made from scratch, and just the perfect comfort food! Made in just 20 minutes, and just great for slathering over some biscuits.
This is one of my Breakfast recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Just a couple of days ago, I posted our amazing Buttermilk Biscuits recipe and what goes better with biscuits than gravy? Sausage gravy to be exact!
This recipe has been on the website for years (since 2015), but I wanted to give it the attention and recognition it deserves; as well as diving deeper into the recipe and giving you all the information you need to make the most amazing sausage gravy ever!
Biscuits and gravy are a classic combination for a reason… they’re utterly delicious. This Southern-style breakfast combo is family-friendly, and always a crowd-pleaser.
How to make sausage gravy?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Brown sausage. Using a potato masher or other chopping tool will help crumble it as it cooks. If you don’t have one, a wooden spoon will work just fine.
- Add flour. Sprinkle the flour right over the sausage and stir to coat. Let cook about 2 minutes to make sure the raw flour taste is gone.
- Add milk. Add in milk, about a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Simmer. Continue cooking, stirring often, until gravy has thickened to your liking.
- Season. Add seasoning and stir.
Helpful Tip!
After browning and crumbling the sausage, don’t clean out the skillet. You’ll need some fat for the flour to bond with to make the roux (this is what thickens the gravy), so we just use the fat from the sausage. If your sausage was particularly lean and you don’t have much, or any, fat, add 2-3 Tbsp of unsalted butter to the skillet and let it melt.
Variations of this recipe
- Sausage links – this recipe uses bulk sausage which is sold like ground beef in packages or rolls, but if what you have on hand is sausage links (with casings or without), you can use those. Just remove the casings by slicing down the length of a link and peeling the casing away. Then just cook and break into crumbles as they cook.
- Other milk types – I found that whole milk had the best richness and thickened well, but 2% will also work. It may take a little longer to thicken. I’ve not tested this recipe with 1%, skim, or any non-dairy milk products.
- Texture – We prefer our sausage in this gravy to be finely crumbled, but you can make yours as textured as you want! Just break up the sausage as it cooks, into whatever size you’d like.
- Seasonings – I like to keep it simple with seasoned salt, pepper, and thyme, but if you want to add your own flair, you absolutely should. Paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, sage, rosemary, etc, would all be lovely additions.
- Fresh herbs – if you want to add any fresh herbs to this recipe, I find it’s best to add them towards the end of cooking, so they retain that fresh flavor.
FAQ’s
From what I can tell, they’re similar, but not the same (at least traditionally). Sawmill gravy was made with cornmeal, not flour, and resulted in a somewhat gritty gravy. It was served as a hearty and inexpensive meal to the men who worked in sawmills. In today’s modern world, it seems the terms sawmill gravy and sausage gravy are thought to be interchangeable, however traditionally, they’re not.
This is likely because the flour wasn’t cooked long enough. After the flour is added to the cooked sausage, it needs to be cooked for 1-2 minutes. This gives the flour a chance to cook and eliminates the raw flour taste.
Our favorite use for this recipe is to make biscuits and gravy, using our buttermilk biscuit recipe. Sausage gravy is also fabulous drizzled over breakfast tacos, in breakfast burritos, alongside breakfast potatoes or a breakfast casserole.
Making sausage gravy ahead of time
Sausage gravy can absolutely be made ahead of time, although I personally find it tastes best when made fresh.
If you do what to make it ahead of time, just reheat it gently on the stovetop. You may want to add an additional splash of milk or water to loosen it up, since the gravy will thicken during refrigeration.
Freezing
You can technically freeze sausage gravy, however since it contains dairy, the freezing/thawing process can change the consistency and texture.
I recommend using evaporated milk if you plan to freeze this gravy, since it tends to hold up to the freezing process a bit better.
Make sure the sausage gravy has cooled completely, then transfer to freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop, adding a bit more milk or water as needed.
Storage
Sausage gravy should be refrigerated in an airtight container and eaten within 3-4 days.
Other Breakfast Recipes:
My Favorite Way to Crumble Ground Meat!
This little tool may not look like much, but it will crumble ground meat like a champ! And I love how inexpensive it is (just $7!).
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 lb bulk sausage (I use the kind that comes in a roll, and use the country original or sage variety)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 – 4 cups whole milk (amount depends on how thick you like your gravy)
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1/4 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat, crumbling as it browns.
- Leave the grease in the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low. (If you don't have much grease from your sausage, add 2 Tbsp unsalted butter to the skillet). Add in the flour, stirring to combine. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Cook, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens to your desired consistency.
- Add seasoned salt, ground thyme and black pepper and stir to combine.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Crumble sausage as finely as you’d like, or leave in larger pieces. It’s up to you.
- Recipe has been tested using whole milk and 2%. Both will work well, but we preferred using whole. Other milk types and non-dairy milks have not been tested.
- Make sure to cook the sausage and flour mixture for at least 1-2 minutes. This ensures your gravy won’t taste like flour.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Melodie says
Deliciousl as written!
Made it other times with almond milk and oat milk. Works beautifully!
Catherine Vosler says
Fantastic!
Amanda says
So Good! Probably the best. Made with your buttermilk biscuits. Ever since making your breakfast potatoes, I’ve been going ham on your website! I need to catch up with reviews.
Thank you for your easy to follow and super delicious recipes! This one will be added to the weekly weeknight rotation.
Keri says
Great and simple. We like to add our favorite spice blend and its wonderful
Fayette Long says
Instructions are not clear: “leave grease in skillet.” Do I also leave the sausage in the skillet?
How long should it take for the milk to cook down and thicken up?
The Chunky Chef says
It stays in the skillet, as depicted in the handy step by step photos shared. The exact amount of time for the milk to thicken up will vary from person to person, since someone may be cooking on an electric stovetop vs gas, have a thinner-bottomed pan vs heavy-bottomed, and what type of milk was used. People also have their own preferences about how thick the gravy should be, which is why I say to thicken to desired consistency. The longer you simmer, the thicker it will be.
Janet Wagner says
I have to use 1% milk in my house. The gravy still tastes amazing, and it’s still nice and thick! My husband loves it!!
CarolAnn says
approx. how much gravy per biscuit?
The Chunky Chef says
However much you want 🙂
Cati says
Absolutely delicious! Super easy too! We’re planning to make this again on Christmas morning for extended family!
Ryan khetlyr says
This is great! Sooooo great!
Morgan says
We’re from Southern Kansas and we love this gravy recipe! And, we’ve had our fair share of gravy over the years. This one is excellent! Many thanks.
Roger says
This recipe is clearly superior from being made with bulk sausage.
Christy says
Such a great recipe we use every time we make biscuits and gravy. Substituted diluted heavy cream for the milk and was super delicious. Thank you for the recipe Amanda!!
Renata De La Loza says
Grandkids loved this gravy with my fluffy homemade biscuits.
Sandra says
I’m definitely making it again! I love how comforting it is!
Cathy says
This is the BEST sausage gravy!
Beth says
This gravy looks so delicious! Perfect for biscuits and gravy! Definitely making this tomorrow morning!
Catalina says
I love sausage gravy! It’s so great to make it at home with your easy recipe!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
I know for sure this Sausage Gravy would be a huge hit in my house!
Jo says
We love it! So simple and tasty sausage gravy!
Me says
Why would anyone recommend using a potato masher to cook sausage?
Amanda says
It actually breaks up the meat really well when you’re browning it…
Jen says
The grease really did make a difference when it comes to the taste. My husband’s already asking when we’re making it again.