How to Make Breakfast Gravy: Recipe & Tips

Breakfast gravy, also called white gravy or sausage gravy, is a staple in southern cooking. Not only is it hardy and delicious, but it’s also super easy to make! Once you learn how to make breakfast gravy, it may become one of your favorite early morning or brunchtime meals. 

Whether you want to make breakfast gravy from a mix, try your hand at making it for scratch, or are wondering what foods go best with this tasty dish, the following guide will tell you everything you need to know. Let’s get started! 

How to make breakfast sausage gravy from scratch

If you ask ten southern cooks how to make breakfast gravy, you’ll probably get ten different answers. While every family seems to have their own “secret” recipe, they’re all quite similar. In fact, this simple dish really only needs four ingredients: butter, flour, milk, and sausage. 

First, you’ll brown the sausage in a skillet and drain out most of the fat, leaving about a teaspoon. Then, add the butter and flour and cook for two to three minutes. Next, you’ll add the milk and whisk it until the gravy starts to thicken. Let it simmer for another minute or two, and that’s it! Your breakfast gravy is now ready to serve, and you look like a breakfast-time hero. 

How to make vegan breakfast gravy 

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you might be surprised to learn that you can still enjoy breakfast gravy. To make a vegan version of this tasty treat, you’ll use unsweetened cashew milk (unsweetened almond milk will work as well) and vegan sausage.

Start by heating oil and flour and cooking it for a few minutes. Then, add spices such as salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic, and nutmeg. Next, add your vegan sausage, stir it up until it forms a sort of “ball,” then slowly add in your cashew or almond milk. Bring it to a boil, then turn the temperature down. Not sure how to thicken the sauce? Simmer it until it thickens, stirring as needed. Serve it over vegan biscuits for the perfect breakfast treat.

How to make breakfast gravy fast

If you’re tight on time, you can always pick up premade breakfast gravy, which usually comes in a box, a jar, or a can. It’s easy to store this in your pantry, so you can enjoy it any time you want. With a little bit of planning, you can also make sure you have a frozen or refrigerated breakfast gravy on hand when you’re ready to cook this decadent meal. 

You can also easily make country breakfast gravy using a seasoning mix. While every package is different, you can typically cook these on the stovetop or in the microwave. To make it on the stovetop, you’ll combine the mix with cold water, then heat it. Once it comes to a boil, you’ll simmer for about one minute, stirring frequently. That’s it – you’re ready to enjoy your breakfast gravy! 

If you want to use the microwave, you’ll stir the mix with water, then cook it for four to six minutes until it’s thick. Make sure to stop the microwave and stir it about every minute or so. 

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Silk Protein Original Pea, Almond & Cashew Milk (64 fl oz)

Alpha Plant-based Meatless Sausage Crumble (8 oz)

Chef-Mate Country Sausage Gravy (6.56 lb)

Purnell's Old Folks Country Sausage Country Sausage Gravy (8 oz)

McCormick® Sausage Flavor Country Gravy Seasoning Mix (2.6 oz)

Food Club Buttermilk Flavored Jumbo Biscuits (10 oz)

Different ways to experiment with breakfast gravy

While most breakfast gravy is made with breakfast sausage, that’s not your only option. It’s completely fine to experiment with different types of meat. If you’ve got some leftovers you need to use up, or you just want to try something different, consider making your next batch of breakfast gravy with one of these foods instead:

• Beef sausage
• Hamburger
• Hot or mild pork sausage
• Maple pork sausage 
• Chorizo sausage 
• Andouille sausage

You can also make different versions of breakfast gravy by changing up the spices you add. Once you learn how to make breakfast sausage gravy, you can easily experiment with different flavor profiles. For example, you may want to make a sweet maple gravy or a hot and spicy gravy. Some of the spices and seasonings that can go well in breakfast gravy include:

• Cayenne pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Brown sugar
• Sage
• Thyme
• Garlic powder

You can also turn your breakfast gravy into exciting new dishes. For example, consider layering your biscuits with the gravy to make a casserole instead of serving them separately. 

What foods go best with breakfast gravy?

The traditional way to serve breakfast gravy is on top of warm buttermilk biscuits. You can buy premade biscuits in a can or make them from a mix. 

If you have a few extra minutes to spare, you may want to try making them from scratch. It only takes about 15 minutes to prepare them and 15 minutes to bake them. Mix them up and pop them in the oven while you’re making your gravy – then you’ll be able to enjoy a hot, delicious, fresh-made breakfast! 

Since traditional biscuits and gravy already contain meat and bread, they’re often served by themselves. However, if you want to do a full breakfast spread, you could serve the biscuits and gravy as a side dish along with eggs, ham, and bacon. You can also serve it as a main dish with a side of eggs and a big bowl of fresh fruit. There are plenty of possibilities, and it’s really just a matter of preference. 

Try making breakfast gravy this week

Now that you know how to make breakfast gravy and what to serve it with, you’re ready to take breakfast time or brunch to a whole new level. Instacart also makes it easy to get all your shopping done with minimal effort. Just head over to Instacart.com, create a shopping list, then wait for a professional shopper to drop off your grocery delivery. It doesn’t get any easier than that. Try it out today! 

Breakfast Gravy Recipe

Recipe by InstacartCourse: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

70

kcal

A quick and easy guide to making breakfast gravy!

Ingredients

• Breakfast sausage (1/2 lb)

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1/8 cup flour

• 2 cups milk

Directions

• Brown the sausage in a skillet.
• Drain out most of the fat, leaving about a teaspoon.
• Add the butter and flour and cook for two to three minutes.
• Add the milk and whisk it until the gravy starts to thicken.
• Let it simmer for another minute or two, and serve!

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