Discover how to make the best homemade sausage gravy using a few basic ingredients! For the ultimate comfort food, serve this with my homemade buttermilk biscuits!
To be adding this to my (delicious) collection of gravy recipes makes me pretty happy. If you've ever had sausage gravy, the thought of making it at home is probably making you do backflips.
Every part of me wanted to experiment when I first started making this by adding various ingredients. But I ultimately chose to keep it traditional and straightforward. And right now, I don't see any other way I could possibly succeed. Let’s get to it.
How to Make Sausage Gravy From Scratch
Cook the sausage and break it up. Add flour to the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes or until the flour smell is gone.
Add the milk and half-and-half gradually, a little at a time. The pan's bottom can be "cleaned" using a silicone spatula.
We add seasonings. Before simmering, the sauce needs to be gently brought to a boil.
As it simmers, give the mixture a gentle stir to remove any leftovers. It will keep getting thicker and thicker. Remove from heat when the desired thickness has been achieved.
After tasting, season with more salt or pepper if desired.
Optional: For a silky, velvety finish, melt 2 Tablespoons of cold butter at the very end. Chefs use a method known as "monster au beurre" for this.
The Spices
Simple spices that work well with the other ingredients are used to make sausage gravy. We'll use black pepper, ground sage, garlic salt, and seasoning salt.
A nice (optional) addition is Red Pepper Flakes.
Make-Ahead Method
- This dish can be made a day or two in advance. Let it cool before putting it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- Reheat it in a skillet over the stove, and be ready to thin it out if necessary by adding a splash or two of milk.
Pro Tips
- This recipe can be made with any type of sausage, but I personally prefer sweet breakfast sausage.
- Add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to the seasonings for an extra kick.
- The sausage may also be sautéed with onions or garlic.
- Add a small amount of milk if the gravy gets too thick. This could be especially useful when reheating food from a cold state.
What To Serve with Sausage Gravy
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes
- Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
- Hashbrown Casserole
- Skillet Potatoes
Storage
For up to 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer, store in an airtight container. This doesn't reheat from a frozen state as well as the majority of gravies.
Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground sausage
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter, optional
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the sausage over medium-high heat until there is just a small amount of pink left. Decrease heat to low and let it finish cooking, (this gives us a little bit more drippings).
- Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir to incorporate. Increase heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes, until you can no longer smell flour.
- Gradually add the half and half and milk, a little bit at a time. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan.
- Add the seasonings. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil for one minute, then reduce to a simmer.
- Gently stir and loosen any remnants on the bottom of the pan as it simmers. It will continue to thicken more and more. Once your desired thickness is obtained, remove from heat.
- Taste, and add any additional salt/pepper if desired.
- Optional: Melt 2 Tablespoons cold butter at the end for a silky, velvety finish. This is a technique that chefs use called “monter au beurre”.
Notes
- Note 1- I love using sweet breakfast sausage, but any variety will work well!
- Note 2- All whole milk or all half and half can be used if needed.
More PRO Tips:
- Onions/Garlic can be sautéed with the sausage as well.
- If the gravy becomes too thick, add a splash of milk. This may be particularly helpful if reheating from a cold state.
- This recipe makes approximately 36 ounces, which is equal to about 4 ½ cups. The nutrition information is per ounce and includes the optional addition of butter at the end.
Make-Ahead Method
- This recipe can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Reheat it in a skillet on the stove top and be prepared to add a splash or two of milk if you need to thin it out.
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