This sausage gravy recipe is the creamy, peppery Southern breakfast gravy I make for biscuits and gravy at home. A little maple syrup gives it a touch of sweetness, just like the best version I ever had in the South.
You'll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
Sausage Gravy at a Glance
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Best For: Weekend breakfast, biscuits and gravy, or feeding a crowd
The first time I had sausage gravy, I was in college (UNCA) of all places, and it came from the school cafeteria. Shout out to colleges in the South, they have some great cafe food.
Over the years, I've had sausage gravy at many places, and the best I ever had was just outside Atlanta, GA. That gravy had a little maple syrup in it to sweeten it up, and that's what I recreate in this recipe. It's still savory and peppery. The maple just sits in the background, but it is so good!
This one is pretty easy to make, and it is delicious smothered over fresh-baked biscuits.
Happy Cooking,
Tanya
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A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Pork sausage: I use a plain pork breakfast sausage roll. The fat that cooks out of the sausage is part of the gravy, so don't drain it.
- Unsalted butter: Sausage alone doesn't give off enough fat to cook the flour, and the butter makes up the difference. Unsalted keeps you in charge of the salt.
- All-purpose flour: This is what thickens the gravy.
- Milk: I use whole milk for this recipe, but 2% has also worked fine for me.
- Maple syrup: Just one tablespoon for a hint of sweetness. Leave it out if you want a more savory gravy.
- Fresh sage: Chop it fine so it spreads through the gravy. Fresh sage is best in this recipe, as it'll be potent but good.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and a little crushed red pepper flakes for some warmth.
How to Make Southern Sausage Gravy
Please see the recipe card below for the full printable recipe, ingredients, and instructions. Here you will find step-by-step photos of how to make this recipe.
I make this in my cast iron skillet. Any large, heavy-bottomed skillet works. A thin pan heats unevenly, making it easier to scorch the milk.
Step 1: Brown the sausage. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the sausage and cook until it's completely browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Smaller crumbles mean more sausage in every bite of gravy.
Step 2: Add the butter, flour, and seasonings. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter. When it melts, sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir until the flour soaks up all the fat and you don't see any dry white spots. Then stir in the salt, black pepper, sage, and crushed red pepper flakes so they cook in the fat for a minute before the milk goes in.
Step 3: Pour in the milk slowly. Add the milk a little at a time while you stir constantly. Going slow is what keeps lumps from forming. It will look thin at this point, and that's okay.
Step 4: Simmer until thick. Bring the gravy to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens. Keep stirring along the bottom of the pan so the milk doesn't scorch. The gravy keeps thickening as it sits, so it's fine to pull it off the heat when it's just a little looser than you want.
Step 5: Stir in the maple syrup. Add the maple syrup and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring now and then. Taste it and add more salt or pepper if it needs it.
Step 6: Serve it warm. Split your biscuits open and spoon the gravy right over the top.
How to Fix Sausage Gravy That's Too Thick
This recipe already has plenty of milk, but if your gravy gets thicker than you like, thin it out with a little hot water or more milk. Just make sure whatever you add is hot. Add a splash at a time and stir it in before adding more.
Some people call this country gravy or white gravy with sausage. Whatever you call it, it's the gravy you want on a plate of biscuits.
How to Serve Sausage Gravy
Biscuits are the classic. My mayonnaise biscuits are my shortcut when I want homemade biscuits fast, and my air fryer biscuits work great too.
Make Ahead and Storage
Fridge: Let the gravy cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheating: The gravy thickens a lot as it sits in the fridge. When you reheat it, stir in a little hot water to loosen it back up. You may need to adjust the seasoning after you thin it out.
Can You Freeze Sausage Gravy?
I don't recommend freezing this gravy. The milk can separate, and the texture won't be the same when it thaws. It's best made fresh or kept in the fridge for a day or two.
Tanya's Top Tips
- Use a heavy-bottom skillet. It helps keep the milk from scorching.
- Pour the milk in slowly and keep stirring so you don't get lumps.
- Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and stop when it's just a little loose. It keeps thickening off the heat.
- If it gets too thick, thin it with hot water or hot milk, never cold.
- Leave out the maple syrup if you want a more savory gravy.
Sausage Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pork sausage and cook until completely browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the flour until it combines fully with the sausage fat. Stir in the salt, black pepper, sage, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
- Stir in the maple syrup and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve warm over biscuits.
Nutrition
Notes
- A heavy-bottom skillet helps prevent the milk from scorching.
- Leave out the maple syrup for a more savory gravy.
- If the gravy gets too thick, thin it with a little hot water or hot milk.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The gravy thickens as it sits, so stir in a little hot water when reheating and adjust the seasoning.
- Freezing is not recommended because the milk can separate.
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