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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Southern Country Gravy Recipe

    Published: Oct 18, 2022 by Kelsey Smith

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    Southern country gravy is a white gravy with bacon grease, flour, whole milk, salt, and black pepper, perfect for biscuits and fried chicken.

    Southern country gravy goes by many names, including white gravy, country-style gravy, peppered white gravy, and Cracker Barrel sawmill gravy.

    Homemade country gravy starts with a simple roux made from bacon grease (or other meat drippings, see notes below), all-purpose flour, milk, salt, and pepper.

    Serve this gravy recipe over homemade biscuits, pork chops, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and chicken and waffles.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Southern Country Gravy over fried chicken

    Recipe highlights

    • Easy recipe: White gravy is a simple recipe that comes together in less than 10 minutes.
    • Customizable: Make with bacon drippings, sausage drippings, poultry drippings, or butter.
    • Simple comfort food: This Southern staple is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.
    Jump to:
    • Recipe highlights
    • Ingredients
    • Bacon grease
    • Instructions
    • What to serve with white gravy
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • FAQ
    • More breakfast recipes to love
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Food safety
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    Southern country gravy ingredients
    • bacon grease - or unsalted butter, see variations below
    • flour - all-purpose flour
    • milk - whole or 2%
    • salt - for flavor, add more to taste
    • black pepper - coarse ground black pepper

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Bacon grease

    This bacon gravy recipe starts with ¼ cup bacon grease. You can render bacon fat fresh by frying 5 to 8 slices of bacon, though the quantity will vary widely depending on the cut and fat content of the bacon selected.

    You can make the gravy in the same large skillet that you fried the bacon in for extra flavor. The cooked bacon bits in the bottom of the pan will add flavor.

    Alternatively, bacon grease can be filtered and stored in an airtight container (such as a wide-mouth mason jar) in the refrigerator for up to three months. Strain the grease with a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter to remove the bacon bits. Many Southerners store bacon grease on the counter, but food safety experts recommend against this practice.

    Instructions

    Bacon grease heated in saucepan

    Heat the bacon grease in a saucepan on medium-low heat.

    Flour whisked into bacon grease until smooth

    When the bacon grease is hot, whisk in the flour one tablespoon at a time to prevent lumps from forming, stirring constantly. Cook the flour mixture for about 1 to 2 minutes.

    Tip: Cooking the flour mixture for a couple of minutes eliminates the taste of flour from the finished gravy. Follow this tip for best results.

    Milk slowly pouring into flour-grease mixture.

    Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, quickly whisking to combine until smooth.

    Adding salt and pepper to white gravy mixture.

    Stir in the salt and pepper now or at the end. Increase to medium heat.

    Heat the mixture, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. It will take about 5 minutes for the gravy to come to a low simmer and thicken.

    Thick southern country gravy dripping from a spoon

    Tip: The gravy is ready when it drizzles off a wooden spoon in a thick, consistent stream. There should be no lumps. The gravy will thicken more as it cools. If the gravy becomes too thick, add a splash of milk.

    Once the gravy is thick, remove it from the heat. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

    Pouring southern white gravy over fried chicken

    What to serve with white gravy

    Southern country gravy is incredibly versatile. Try one of these tasty dishes.

    • Crispy fried chicken or chicken tenders
    • Chicken-fried steak and gravy
    • Homemade buttermilk biscuits and gravy
    • Breakfast casserole
    • Fried pork chops
    • Turkey
    • Breakfast potatoes

    Substitutions

    • Other drippings - Bacon grease can be substituted with other pan drippings (such as sausage or poultry drippings) in a 1:1 ratio.
    • Butter - Bacon grease can be substituted with butter in a 1:1 ratio. I recommend ¼ cup unsalted butter so you can control the salt content at the end. You can also partially substitute bacon fat with butter if desired. Melt the butter, then add the flour to the melted butter and continue the recipe as written.
    • Milk - This recipe is best with whole milk or 2% milk for a rich gravy, though you can make this with low-fat milk or dairy-free milk if desired.

    Variations

    Use this simple white gravy as a base recipe, or add a twist to make it your own.

    • Sausage gravy - Make Southern-style sausage gravy with pork sausage. Brown the breakfast sausage until cooked. Add the flour directly to the sausage crumbles, then follow the remaining recipe instructions. Try this homemade sausage gravy recipe.
    • Spicy - Add ¼ cayenne pepper for a little kick.
    Southern Country Gravy

    Equipment

    • Frying pan or saucepan
    • Whisk

    Storage

    Store leftover homemade gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw fully before reheating.

    FAQ

    How long does gravy last?

    Gravy can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

    What is Southern gravy made of?

    Southern gravy is a white country gravy made with pan drippings (usually bacon, sausage, or poultry) or butter, flour, whole milk, salt, and pepper.

    More breakfast recipes to love

    • Bisquick pancakes
    • Avocado toast with honey
    • Brioche French toast casserole

    📖 Recipe

    Southern Country Gravy over fried chicken
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    Southern Country Gravy

    Southern country gravy is a white gravy with bacon grease, flour, whole milk, salt, and black pepper, perfect for biscuits and fried chicken.
    5 from 3 votes
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 5 minutes
    Cook time: 7 minutes
    Total time: 12 minutes
    Servings: 4 ½-cup servings

    Equipment

    • Medium saucepan
    • Whisk

    Ingredients
      

    • ¼ cup bacon grease or unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper coarse ground

    Instructions
     

    • Heat the bacon grease in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
    • When the bacon grease is hot, whisk in the flour one tablespoon at a time to prevent lumps from forming, stirring constantly. Cook the flour mixture for about 1 to 2 minutes.
    • Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, quickly whisking to combine until smooth.
    • Stir in the salt and pepper. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. It will take about 5 minutes for the gravy to come to a low simmer and thicken.
    • Once the gravy is thick, remove from the heat. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

    Video

    Notes

    Tips
    • Cooking the flour mixture for 2 minutes eliminates the taste of flour from the finished gravy.
    • The gravy is ready when it drizzles off a wooden spoon in a thick, consistent stream. There should be no lumps. The gravy will thicken more as it cools.
    • Bacon grease can be substituted with other pan drippings (such as sausage or poultry drippings) or unsalted butter in a 1:1 ratio. 
    Storage
    Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw fully before reheating.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 359mgPotassium: 195mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 199IUCalcium: 153mgIron: 0.4mg
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: breakfast, Southern recipes
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!

    Food safety

    • After opening, raw bacon should be used within 7 days or frozen.
    • According to the USDA, it is difficult to cook bacon to a precise temperature, but if the bacon is cooked crisp it is considered safe.
    • It is best practice to store leftover bacon grease in the refrigerator.

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    Southern country gravy over fried chickenSouthern country gravy over fried chicken

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    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working on college textbooks, you might find me here, sharing recipes, social media tutorials, and more.

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    1. CHARLETNEWTON says

      November 24, 2022 at 3:28 pm

      5 stars
      IT'S ONE AMAZING RECIPE, FULL OF INCREDIBLE PREPARED WITH CARE, AND A MUST HAVE, DELICIOUS JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EVERYTHING, THANK YOU, YOUR THE BEST.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

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