This is my classic, old-fashioned homemade sausage gravy recipe (also often known as “sawmill gravy”)! Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes and you can have this classic breakfast staple on your table. Pairs perfectly with my 5-star foolproof homemade biscuits!
The Best Sausage Gravy Recipe
When the chilly weather starts to roll around, the first thing I do around here is break out my sausage gravy recipe.
That’s not entirely true, I have it more-than memorized by now, but the skillet comes out, the biscuits go in the oven, and we start getting serious about comfort food. Sweater weather means homemade sausage gravy and biscuits and buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and my best chili recipe and potato soup on weekly dinner rotation.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Super simple to make — beginners & experts will enjoy this recipe, and find equal success with it!
- Ready in under 15 minutes
- It’s a satisfying, filling, and hearty breakfast gravy
- Full of authentic flavor; you won’t find a sausage gravy this tasty on any shelf or even your favorite breakfast spot.
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need 🧂
Simple ingredients, spectacular results. Here’s what you need for my homemade sausage gravy recipe:
- Sausage. Search for pork breakfast sausage, which is typically sold in a log as shown above. If you can find a sage variety, grab it, it will make your gravy even more flavorful.
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour for this recipe, it serves as the thickener that keeps the gravy from becoming too loose/watery. Some readers have reported success using a 1:1 gluten free flour in place of wheat flour, but I have not personally tried this myself yet.
- Milk. Whole milk is best for the proper consistency. Using a lower-fat milk will result in a thinner sausage gravy.
- Seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste, and, if you’d like, just a pinch of crushed red pepper. If the flavor of the gravy tastes anything less than amazing once it’s finished cooking, you most likely just need a few more shakes of salt!
This is just an overview of the ingredients we’re using today. For the full list of amounts and all recipe details, please scroll down to the printable recipe.
How to Make It
- Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium/high heat, crumbling with a spoon or spatula as you cook.
- Cook until the sausage is thoroughly browned and well broken up. No need to drain the meat!
- Sprinkle flour over the sausage and stir until the flour is absorbed, then cook a few seconds longer!
- While stirring, slowly drizzle in the milk and cook until it’s absorbed. Add crushed red pepper, if using. Let the mixture thicken (stir occasionally) and add salt and pepper to taste!
SAM’S TIP: Use your spoon, spatula or even a whisk to break up any flour clumps after adding to your sausage but before you add the milk. This will keep you from having any flour lumps in your breakfast gravy!
The technique is simple and I have no doubt you’ll find success with this sausage gravy recipe (hundreds already have!), but if you’re more of a visual learner, be sure to check out my how-to video tutorial in the recipe card!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this recipe is a great make-ahead breakfast option! Keep refrigerated in an airtight container and simply reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat the next morning. The gravy will have thickened quite a bit overnight, so add a splash of milk and stir well when you first add it to the skillet and cook until the gravy is heated through.
My sausage gravy recipe is thickened by the flour that the recipe calls for. When you first add the milk, it will likely seem very runny, but as you continue to cook the mixture, the gravy will thicken. If you like an even thicker gravy than seen here in photos, don’t add more flour, just continue to cook until your desired consistency is reached. As the milk cooks out, it will become thicker!
The primary difference is that country gravy is typically prepared without meat (quite unlike today’s recipe)! The base is usually built on a base of butter rather than sausage grease. While it’s certainly tasty when done right, it simply doesn’t smother biscuits quite as satisfyingly, if you ask me (though I’d say they both fall slightly short of chocolate gravy 😉!).
Warm, hearty, and just simply delicious, I hope this homemade sausage gravy recipe will be a new staple in your household cold-weather breakfast rotation. If you try it, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Let’s cook together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube!
Homemade Sausage Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork breakfast sausage I recommend using sage flavored (455g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose (plain) flour (31g)
- 2 ½ cups whole milk (590ml)
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place sausage in a skillet over medium/high heat.
- Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up and crumble sausage as it cooks, cooking until completely browned and no pink remains. Do not drain your skillet.
- Sprinkle flour evenly over the sausage crumbles. Stir frequently until flour is absorbed (about 1 minute).
- Slowly drizzle the milk into your skillet, stirring as you pour. Add crushed red pepper, if using.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened and desired consistency is reached.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm over homemade biscuits!
Notes
Storing/Making in Advance
Sausage gravy can be made the night before you plan to serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, add to a skillet over medium/low heat. Gravy will likely be thickened, so add a splash of milk to it and stir well until mixture is heated through.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
More Great Recipes to Try
I originally published my sausage gravy recipe in October of 2018. The recipe remains unchanged, but I’ve since updated the post to be more informative and helpful.
Bonnie
Hubby wanted biscuits and gravy this morning.. so of course I got on Pinterest… it was amazing! I added garlic powder instead of chili flakes ( hubby doesn’t do spicy very well). Thanks for the recipe!!
Kris Marie
This was AMAZING!! I paired it with your delicious homemade biscuits! A definite keeper and will make this again and again! Thank you, Sam!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kris! I LOVE biscuits and gravy in the morning. 🙂
Ray Jones
I am 85 years young, grew up in Alabama, And I have been enjoying this for all those years, and still enjoy it. Thanks for spreading it.
Myrle
So easy and very tasty
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Myrle! 🙂
Josie
I know this might be a common sense question, but to double this recipe, use 1/2 cup of flour? I just felt like it was a lot so I wanted to ask before I tried it. It was delicious!
Sam
Hi Josie! Yes you need to double the flour as well. 🙂
Jackie
I’ve made this gravy a few times and it is absolutely delicious and so simple! I’ve made it both ways-draining and not draining the grease-it is definitely much better without draining AND easier-has to add additional flour to thicken. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jackie! 🙂
Debra
My daddy made this every Sunday morning sans chili he made homemade biscuits scrambled eggs, potatoes and oj. I make it now in his honor for my family. But he taught me to hear the milk it cooks faster
Brit067
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It goes great with homemade biscuits, or topped with your eggs! It was very easy to make and definitely a new family favorite!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Connie
Do you have to use whole milk? What else could I use?
Sam
Hi Connie! I’m not sure how something else would work. I think half and half may work but it would probably be really rich. A lower fat milk may work but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure.
Connie
We usually have 1% milk and I was just curious if that would make a difference or not.
Sam
Hi Connie! Honestly I am not 100% sure. It could work but the gravy may be a little thinner. 🙂
Laura
Just made it with 2%. It came out perfectly. Looks thin at the starts but as noted above it thickens the more you cook it. Yum!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Laura! 🙂
Joanna
I swapped out the whole milk for almond milk and it was amazing! So there are definitely alternatives especially for those who cannot eat dairy 🤗
Stacey
Thank you for this recipe. My boys love it, and whenever we have ground pork to use, this is what they ask for. Hey, can you suggest some good veggies for the side? I’m not sure what would go well, and be light enough to not upset the stomach afterward.
Sam
Hi Stacey! I typically just eat it with hash browns… which isn’t exactly healthy. Maybe some breakfast fruits would work on the side?
Amanda
Just curious, since this is basically how my family made sausage gravy growing up, why add the flour straight to the hot pan? It mixes smoothly with cold, so why not do something similar to brown gravy and mix the flour in cold milk before adding to the hot pan? That’s what I do and don’t get any clumping, but wondered if there were any reasoning for it? Thank you.
Sam
Hi Amanda! Honestly this is the best way I have found to prevent clumping. It also toasts the flour, which adds a little bit of flavor when making the roux. 🙂
maddy
does this need to be made in a skillet??
Sam
Hi Maddy! You could really make it in whatever kind of pan you prefer. 🙂
Vanessa
Awesome! Was quick and delicious will make again.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Vanessa! 🙂
Lorena
Finger licking good!!!! Paired this with your homemade biscuit recipe for my oldest birthday meal. All five family members enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that is was hot with your family, Lorena! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Susan
I tried a similar recipe and didn’t drain sausage after browning. It came out terrible. I couldn’t eat it. Should I drain sausage in this recipe? If not, won’t there be too much grease? I love sausage gravy and have been trying to learn how to cook it.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Susan! I am sorry that you had a bad experience making a similar recipe previously. I include a video within my post that shares my process so you can follow along or use it as a reference if needed. You do NOT want to drain your sausage after browning. I add in flour that soaks up a lot of the grease but helps keep the flavor. I hope that you have success with this recipe if you do decide to try it. 🙂
John Pohl
Always drain the fat off.
Sugar Spun Run
That is a preference. I find that it helps keeps the flavor. 🙂
Haley
Hi! Could I use almond milk with this recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Haley! I have not tried almond milk with this recipe so I am not certain how it will do. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turned out for you. 🙂
Bubba
Easy recipe. I used almond milk and it still worked well. Everyone ate it up.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear how much everyone enjoyed it, Bubba! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Carmen
Thank you! Was just searching the comments to see if almond milk works!
Kris
Do you think this recipe could be made ahead of time and frozen for later use?
Thanks!
Sam
I’ve never frozen it myself but I think it would freeze fine, Kris. You may need to add a bit more milk when reheating it.