Go Back

Sausage Gravy Recipe

This creamy sausage gravy is loaded with savory breakfast sausage, thickened just right, and perfectly seasoned with black pepper. It comes together in one skillet with simple pantry ingredients and tastes just like classic diner-style biscuits and gravy at home.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 400
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound mild breakfast sausage
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter optional, use if sausage is very lean
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk at room temperature or slightly warmed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder optional
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder optional
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes optional, for a little heat

Method
 

  1. Brown the sausage
  2. Place a large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add the breakfast sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
  4. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink and nicely browned, 7–10 minutes. Do not drain the fat unless there is more than about 3 tablespoons in the pan.
  5. Add butter if needed
  6. If the sausage has rendered very little fat, add the unsalted butter to the pan.
  7. Stir until the butter is melted and coats the sausage.
  8. Make the roux
  9. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the cooked sausage.
  10. Stir constantly, cooking the flour with the fat and sausage for 2–3 minutes. The mixture will look thick and pasty; this step removes the raw flour taste.
  11. Add the milk
  12. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
  13. Keep stirring until everything is well combined and the mixture starts to look smooth.
  14. Simmer and thicken
  15. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
  16. As it simmers, the gravy will thicken, 5–8 minutes.
  17. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of extra milk, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
  18. Season the gravy
  19. Stir in the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes (if using).
  20. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Sausage and biscuits both soak up a lot of seasoning, so don’t be afraid of the pepper.
  21. Serve
  22. Remove from heat.
  23. Serve the sausage gravy hot over warm split biscuits, toast, or hash browns.