The Best Simple Homemade Sausage Gravy

THE BEST SIMPLE HOMEMADE SAUSAGE GRAVY

There’s something warm and cozy about starting the day with the best sausage gravy recipe paired with homemade buttermilk biscuits. Whether it’s a lazy Saturday sitting around the breakfast table, or a rushed school morning, simple sausage gravy is the ultimate comfort food. 

It’s also the perfect hearty breakfast that will be certain to stick with you throughout the morning. 

This simple homemade sausage gravy paired with copycat Cracker Barrel buttermilk biscuits, is the perfect meal for Christmas morning, special occasions, or truly any time. In our house, this is a regular Saturday morning go-to. 

Come along, and I will walk you through the easy steps of this simple homemade sausage gravy recipe. 

​Simple Ingredients

• 1 pound of pork sausage – we love to use Tennessee Pride sausage
• ​1 tablespoon of butter
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• ​dash of paprika
• 3 cups of milk (whole milk or 2%)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Kitchen Tools

• large skillet
• meat chopper or wooden spoon
• measuring cup
• liquid measuring cup

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make sausage gravy that tastes like it came straight out of Grandma’s kitchen:

Brown Sausage
First, place sausage in a large skillet and on medium heat and cook sausage. Chop with a meat chopper or wooden spoon, stirring often, until it’s browned and cooked through. Don’t drain the fat—that’s where the magic happens!

*If you’re working with lean turkey sausage, there might not be enough fat to keep it from burning. If this is the case add a tablespoon of butter or oil to the pan while cooking. (this is an addition to the butter that is mentioned below.)

Add the butter
Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter until it’s fully melted. The butter adds richness and helps create a flavorful sausage gravy.

Add in flour
Next, sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the cooked sausage and stir well. Then, let it cook for a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour taste and start the thickening process. This step is key to getting a creamy gravy.

Pour in the milk
Slowly add 3 cups of milk to the skillet, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. This is where the mixture starts to look like gravy! Next, bring it to a gentle boil, which helps it to thicken, stirring continuously to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. This will probably take 3-5 minutes. 

Season to taste
Finally, add black pepper, salt, and a dash (or two) of paprika. Taste as you go—you can always add more seasoning, but you can’t take it out. If you’re feeling adventurous, toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic.

Serve it up
Once your gravy is thickened to your liking, it’s ready to serve. Ladle it generously over fresh biscuits, toast, eggs, or even a pile of hash browns.

Whatever you’ve got will work—this gravy doesn’t play favorites. It’s simply amazing. Mama’s favorite way to eat her simple sausage gravy is over eggs or her favorite biscuits: Cracker Barrel Buttermilk Biscuits: The Best Copy Cat Recipe.

Recipe Card

Variations

• You can add a dash or two of Cheyenne pepper instead of paprika. It tastes good like this as well.
• To add more flavor add in a pinch of red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• You can always add more milk for thinner gravy, or only use 2 cups of milk to thicken it.

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Leave A Comment Below

Let me know your thoughts on this easy sausage gravy recipe. What’s your favorite way to eat it? Over eggs or with copycat Cracker Barrel biscuits like Mama, or another way?