This sausage gravy is an easy 4-ingredient recipe that comes together in minutes.

Sausage is browned and then simmered in a creamy white gravy that’s so good you’ll be making it on repeat.

Serve this southern favorite over buttermilk biscuits for a delicious meal.

Sausage Gravy in a pan

Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Sausage Gravy

  • Flavor: This sausage gravy recipe is rich and creamy with a slightly peppery sage flavor from the sausage. It’s very comforting.
  • Difficulty: This recipe is easy, making it perfect for beginners. It needs just one skillet.
  • Swaps: Use your favorite sausage flavor to change the gravy flavor.
  • Budget Tip: Stretch the meal further by adding extra flour, milk, and seasonings.

What You’ll Need To Make Sausage Gravy

Sausage: I use raw breakfast sausage because it has lots of flavor. I prefer pork sausage and usually buy it in the freezer case. Any variety of sausage, including sausage, can be used. If using sausage links, remove the casings.

Butter: Butter is added to the sausage drippings to create a roux with the flour. You can replace the butter with bacon fat if you have it.

Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the gravy.

Seasoning: This sausage gravy recipe is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. You can add a pinch of sage or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Adding milk to sausage gravy

How to Make Sausage Gravy

  1. Brown the sausage in a large skillet (recipe below).
  2. Add butter or bacon grease to the cooked sausage. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in milk slowly until thickened. Season with salt and black pepper.

This homemade sausage gravy recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Spoon it over buttermilk biscuits or fried chicken, or serve it with waffles or eggs.

a skillet of sausage gravy with a wooden spoon

Tips For The Best Gravy

  • Use a seasoned sausage or add seasonings, including sage, salt, and pepper.
  • To make a good sausage gravy, you need fat, so don’t drain the sausage. Add in butter and/or bacon fat for great flavor.
  • Add the milk slowly over medium heat while stirring.

Serving Suggestions

Sausage gravy is the perfect pairing with biscuits and more.

Did you enjoy this Sauage Gravy Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.

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a skillet of sausage gravy on a wood board
4.98 from 118 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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The Best Sausage Gravy Recipe

Sausage gravy is the ultimate comfort food. Rich and creamy, this is perfect for spooning over morning biscuits, fries, and so much more.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter or bacon fat
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2⅓ cups whole milk
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no pink remains. Do not drain the fat.
  • Add the butter or bacon fat and stir until melted. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes more.
  • Add milk a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition.
  • Bring to a boil while stirring, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened and bubbly.
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

You can use more or less milk to reach the desired consistency.
We love the flavor of pork sausage, but you can substitute turkey sausage in this recipe. You may need to add extra butter or bacon grease if using a lean sausage.
Store leftover sausage gravy in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
 
4.98 from 118 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 485 | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 469mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 405IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dip, Sauce, Side Dish
Cuisine American
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rustic and hearty Sausage Gravy with writing
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4 ingredients Sausage Gravy in a pan and close up photo with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. Since I am 88 years old as of last week, I probably will not or should not eat that much gravy in 4 days how do you think it would fare if I froze part of it for later use? Thank you for not publishing email info. Ron

    1. Happy Belated Birthday! I haven’t tried freezing this, some readers have successfully frozen it. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat over medium heat on the stove.

  2. I had not made sausage milk gravy in a long time so I pulled this recipe up. It was terrific! My sausage produced less than a tablespoon of fat (which I used) so I had to add another two TBSP of butter. I used skim milk to make it a little more heart healthy and didn’t even notice the difference. Toward the end I ran out of milk so I just used warm water, again didn’t notice a difference.
    I had to leave the salt out for health reasons so I was liberal with the pepper. Barely missed it!
    The only thing I would add to the recipe is that you might want to temper the milk to avoid lumps. I warmed my milk up just a little in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Never heat milk to boiling as it will curdle!
    I didnt want to mess with making biscuits from scratch so I used Mary B’s frozen Buttermilk Biscuits that I bought at Target. They taste homemade!
    Great recipe! Southern approved! 10/10! I will look for more recipes from this author.5 stars

  3. Awesome recipe. I am almost 60 years old and I could never make gravy until today! This is so good! Thx for sharing!5 stars

  4. Ok, thank you. I thought it was a breakfast pork sausage that you use, I will give it a go. I really miss my mum’s biscuits and gravy! Thank you for the breakfast sausage recipe as well.

  5. Hello, I was wondering if you have a good recipe for breakfast sausage? I live in Australia but am originally from the US. We don’t have breakfast sausage here, so I have to make it from scratch.

  6. Can’t really give a taste comment. I tried several recipes for sausage gravy, but can’t find one that tastes all that great. Love Bob Evans flavor and have tried several “copy cat” recipes—-no flavor. Any suggestions. I’d be happy to try yours, but I want one worth going to the effort.

    1. I haven’t tried the bob evans sausage gravy so I can’t say for sure how ours compares. But I enjoy the flavors and make it often!

    2. I’ve never tried Bob evans. But it could be whatever type of sausage they’re using instead of extra spices. IE maple flavored or spicy sausage. That will tremendously change the fate.

    3. Those commercial ones have a lot of salt in them so if you want it to taste like them don’t skip on the salt, unless you have heath issues.

  7. I just have a quick question, can I make the sausage gravy today and then the buttermilk biscuit tomorrow morning?

    Thank you for all your recipes I love them

    Kim

    1. I have never tried this recipe with almond milk or evaporated milk but think they would work. I would love to hear how it turns out!

  8. I actually use Original Everglades Seasoning rather than salt and pepper and it’s perfection. I add extra pepper sometimes for an additional kick.5 stars

  9. Had to adjust the recipe since I only have 2/3 lbs sausage left but I put bacon grease and 1 tbsp butter. Added cayenne pepper for a southern touch. Amazing5 stars

  10. I make sausage gravy all the time. I read your recipe and I really don’t understand why you would need butter, or bacon grease. The sausage produces a sufficient amount.

    1. We add the butter or bacon grease to create enough liquid to mix the flour into and thicken the gravy. If you find your sausage produced enough you can leave it out if you prefer.