Published February 2, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious homemade sausage gravy is a rich, savory sauce that comes together in no time and is the perfect topping for biscuits. You will love how simple this is to make.
Using a tasty sauce is a fantastic way to accompany so many different foods. I highly recommend checking out my Hollandaise or Chimichurri to help take the flavor of your food over the top.
Sausage Gravy
Sausage gravy is a sauce consisting of cooked sausage in roux-thickened milk. This southern staple is commonly served over biscuits or with Chicken Fried Steak. Sausage gravy was created in the late 19th century by lumber factory workers in Appalachia, and it was originally known as sawmill gravy.
This simple-to-make gravy has few ingredients and is an excellent topping that is loaded with protein and richness. Be sure to see how I serve it in my biscuit recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sausage – Any pork breakfast sausage will work in this recipe.
- Milk – Whole milk is best to use in sausage gravy. However, for more fat and flavor, you could use whipping cream or half and half. If you want less fat, try using 1%, 2% or skim milk.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is what’s needed. You can also use bread flour if that’s all that’s available.
How to Make Sausage Gravy from Scratch
Add the sausage to a large frying or cast-iron pan over low to medium heat to help lightly brown and render the fat.
Continually stir the sausage to help break it up into smaller bitesize pieces until browned and cooked throughout. This takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove the sausage and set it to the side on a plate.
Add the butter to the pan and wait for it to melt over low to medium heat.
Once melted, whisk in the flour until combed to form a roux.
Next, pour in the milk while whisking to combine the roux with the milk, and turn the heat to high to bring the mixture to a boil. It should become very thick, like an alfredo sauce.
Turn the heat down to low and cook while occasionally whisking until the starch flour taste is gone, which takes 4 to 5 minutes.
Add back in the cooked sausage and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Serve with optional garnishes of chopped fresh sage, thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 2 days ahead for freshness. Keep cool until ready to use.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze this, but the sauce may break, and you will need to rethicken it.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of sausage gravy to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. You may need to rethicken it with a small amount of roux or thin it with a few tablespoons of milk.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Additional ingredients you can add to the sausage gravy would be fresh or dry sage, thyme, or red pepper flakes.
- The roux is activated in the milk once it comes to a boil.
More Sauce Recipes
Homemade Sausage Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Add the sausage to a large frying or cast-iron pan over low to medium heat to help lightly brown and render the fat.
- Continually stir the sausage to help break it up into smaller bitesize pieces until browned and cooked throughout. This takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the sausage and set it to the side on a plate.
- Add the butter to the pan and wait for it to melt over low to medium heat.
- Once melted, whisk in the flour until combed to form a roux.
- Next, pour in the milk while whisking to combine the roux with the milk, and turn the heat to high to bring the mixture to a boil. It should become very thick, like an alfredo sauce.
- Turn the heat down to low and cook while occasionally whisking until the starch flour taste is gone, which takes 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add back in the cooked sausage and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
- Serve with optional garnishes of chopped fresh sage, thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Homemade Sausage Gravy Recipe