Southern food doesn’t get more comforting than a ladle full of Homemade Country Gravy. Making it from scratch requires only a few ingredients and 10 minutes in the kitchen. Time to put away the packets, folks — Country Gravy is ions better from scratch and you will absolutely taste the difference.
It’s rich and creamy, perfectly seasoned with a consistency made for both smothering and dipping. Serve it over Chicken Fried Steak, Homemade Biscuits or Creamy Mashed Potatoes or on the side for dipping Chicken Fingers, Steak Fingers and more!
Today, in addition to a fail-proof recipe for Homemade Country Gravy, we’ll also discuss:
- The three ingredients you’ll want to have on hand (as well as substitutions if needed).
- How to take the intimidation factor out of making a roux.
- A fail-proof trick for making the creamiest, smoothest gravy ever!
- How to tell when your Country Gravy is thick enough.
WHAT’S IN HOMEMADE COUNTRY GRAVY
Homemade Country Gravy begins with a simple roux. Don’t let that word scare you off. A roux is just a combination of fat and flour cooked together on the stovetop. In the case of this Southern-style gravy, that fat is butter.
FLOUR
Standard all-purpose flour is all you need for a superb homemade gravy. Different types of flours have different levels of protein and will, therefore, work differently with other ingredients. For example, if you were to use self-rising flour in your gravy, you would essentially be adding baking powder to the ingredient list.
BUTTER
As far as the butter goes, unsalted butter will give you more control when it comes to seasoning. However, if you only have salted butter in the refrigerator, you can sub that in and follow the guidelines for adding seasoning mentioned below.
WANT TO MAKE GRAVY WITH BACON GREASE?
If you’d like to use bacon drippings in the place of butter, you can do so with this Country Gravy recipe. Use 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the place of the butter. Again, you will need to adjust the seasoning if using bacon drippings as they will have a higher salt content than unsalted butter.
You can also make Country Gravy with breakfast sausage (e.g. Sawmill Gravy), a popular topping for Biscuits and Gravy.
MILK
You’ll also need milk. You can use either whole or 2% milk for making Country Gravy.
SEASONING
And lastly, for the seasoning, you will need only Kosher salt and pepper. If you do not have Kosher salt, you can sub in standard table salt, however, you’ll need to cut back on the quantity. Table salt is sharper in flavor than Kosher salt, so it would be wise to add no more than a scant 1/4 teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE COUNTRY GRAVY WITH FLOUR
- Melt the butter, sprinkle over the flour, and stir for about 1 minute.
- Add the milk one big splash at a time, whisking after each addition.
- Simmer until thickened, 4-6 minutes, season, and serve!
1. MAKE THE ROUX
To make Homemade Country Gravy from scratch, you’ll start with melting butter on the stovetop in a large pan. Watch closely as it is melting and do not allow the butter to blacken or burn. As soon as the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir to combine.
At this point, you’ll stir the mixture together, allowing it to bubble. This will help to cook out any raw flour taste.
2. SLOWLY ADD THE MILK
The next step will be to add the milk. Rather than adding it in one steady stream, add the milk one great big splash at a time and whisk well after each addition. This method ensures there are no lumps in your Homemade Country Gravy.
As soon as the mixture begins to resemble that of pudding, it is safe to add the remaining milk all at once and whisk to combine.
3. SIMMER
Allow the gravy to come to a simmer over the heat, reducing the temperature if necessary to keep it from boiling. Stir the mixture often, and as soon as you see it has thickened, kill the heat.
HOW TO TELL WHEN GRAVY IS READY
If you aren’t sure if your gravy is thick enough, you can dip a wooden spoon in the gravy and use your finger to make a line down the back of the spoon. If the line remains and does not bleed back together, your gravy is ready. If it does, continue simmering until thickened more.
Once your Homemade Country Gravy has reached proper consistency, season it, and serve!
A recipe for simple, Homemade Country Gravy, perfectly seasoned with a just-right consistency and ready in less than 10 minutes!
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
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In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, but do not allow to brown.
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Add milk a generous splash at a time, whisking after each addition until all of the milk has been incorporated.
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Allow the sauce to bubble for 5-7 minutes, just until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Makes about 2 cups.
Sources: Food Network | Flour 101
Amanda
March 24, 2019 at 6:10 pmThis gravy sounds amazing! I love the idea of making it with bacon grease. I can imagine how flavorful it would be. I can’t wait to make this — maybe with some chicken fried steak. Thanks for sharing!
Anita @ Daily Cooking Quest
April 2, 2019 at 6:11 pmI must have been missing out since I have never actually paired fried chicken with gravy before. This gravy recipe is so simple that I simply must remember to make it when I fry some chicken next time. 🙂
Kelly Anthony
April 2, 2019 at 11:51 pmIt’s a pretty regular occurrence down here in the South 😉 Ha! Thanks so much, Anita!
Pam
April 2, 2019 at 8:04 pmI have never tried making gravy with butter, but this sounds excellent. Other than the bacon grease it would be awesome with any kind of pan drippings from meat – chicken, beef or pork would be delicious too!
Tisha
April 2, 2019 at 9:30 pmI love making homemade country gravy, so good! Perfect comfort food
Luci
April 2, 2019 at 9:53 pmThis looks so dang good. I can almost taste the gravy through my screen.
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
April 2, 2019 at 10:49 pmI LOVE a good gravy, and this recipe is my favourite. Delicious with so many things 🙂
Kelly Anthony
April 2, 2019 at 11:50 pmThank you, Alexandra!
Danielle Wolter
April 17, 2019 at 3:48 pmThis totally brings me back. I absolutely love country gravy – I’m a bacon grease girl all the way! I am totally drooling over this, can’t wait to make it.
Veena Azmanov
April 17, 2019 at 5:56 pmAmazing recipes to making delicious dishes for a party. Have to try this special recipe this Easter for my Easter Dinner special. Looks creamy and delicious.
Dan from Platter Talk
April 18, 2019 at 1:46 pmI make gravy with any recipe that I can use it in. Your simple homemade country gravy recipe looks like it would fit the bill for anything! Thank you for sharing this, we will definitely be making this soon.
Tammy
April 19, 2019 at 1:12 amI honestly should make gravy for my dishes more often. It’s such a delicious addition! This country gravy looks fantastic with that crispy chicken ^_^
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
April 19, 2019 at 11:31 amThis looks SO good! I love how there are only a few ingredients inside as well. This gravy would work for so many recipes…. love it!
Chef Markus Mueller
April 19, 2019 at 12:28 pmGravy is one of my all time favourite comfort foods. I could eat the entire pot of it haha! I always make my own gravy as well, and use roux to thicken all my sauces. The texture is just so much better then when using cornstarch!
Linda
April 19, 2019 at 6:03 pmMy husband is a fan of country fried steak because of its gravy. So this is a recipe I need to make soon. Comfort food, here I come.
Lori
April 19, 2019 at 10:45 pmIt is soooooooooooo hard to make a killer country gravy and you NAILED it! My mouth is watering and seriously need this in my life! I know what I’m making this weekend!
Sharon
April 20, 2019 at 1:13 amI want this comfort food gravy over the chicken right now! This looks like something I could find many ways to eat it.
Lorie
April 20, 2019 at 1:31 amOh. My. Goodness! This is gonna be a huge hit at dinner with my husband–he is allll about the gravy! can’t wait to make it!
kallee
April 21, 2019 at 1:28 amThanks for all the gravy making tips. It isn’t hard, but it important to make a flavorful gravy. This looks amazing.
Julie
April 22, 2019 at 1:38 amI realize this is probably going to sound like a silly question, but being from the north, I am entirely unfamiliar with gravy. Is this a staple at meals that is used like a condiment and you just set out the gravy for dipping? Is it just served for big holiday dinners and special occasions? Do you keep a batch of it in your fridge at all times to pull out on a whim? This is such a foreign concept to me, haha — here in South Philly, “gravy” is the red tomato sauce all the Italian grandmas cook for hours every Sunday!
Kelly Anthony
April 22, 2019 at 11:08 pmHa! Julie — mind blown 😉 Gravy is a condiment, but not necessarily an “every day” condiment. There are certain dishes a Southerner wouldn’t dare serve without gravy, such as biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken. It lies somewhere between a special treat (not necessarily just for holidays) and a Southern staple. Hope that helps!
lauren
April 22, 2019 at 4:09 amOh boy, this looks so deliciously heart warming! That creamy gravy is perfect for crispy chicken, mashed potatoes, anything really! Definitely going to make this with biscuits for brunch!
Erika
May 28, 2019 at 3:28 pmThis gravy looks amazing! Who doesn’t love to smother food in a delicious gravy?!
Michelle Minnaar
May 28, 2019 at 5:47 pmLOVE fried chicken and I am always looking for a new gravy recipe. And yes, adding the milk slow is the way to go!
Renu
May 28, 2019 at 6:25 pmThe gravy is so rich and creamy and so easy to make too. I think I it will go well with some crisp potatoes too. Thanks for all the tips and tricks
Stine Mari
May 29, 2019 at 5:07 pmI love this – so simple and delicious! We call this type of sauce just for ‘white sauce’ in Norwegian, aren’t we clever? Yes, we have a brown sauce too!
Debbie
May 30, 2019 at 6:26 pmIf you haven’t had a big dollop of country gravy on biscuits you just haven’t been living right!! Kelly, Your directions are so easy I am about to run to kitchen and make some. Simple recipes like this need to be shared for all to love, thanks for sharing !!
Jenni LeBaron
May 30, 2019 at 7:38 pmWe grew up eating country gravy almost exclusively so it wasn’t until I was an adult that I ever tried brown gravy. To this day I think country gravy still reigns supreme for mashed potatoes! This recipe is simple and easy, a great one to keep filed for handy use.
Cathleen
May 31, 2019 at 12:27 pmOoh, yes! I always have those ingredients on hand!!
I am so used to the brown runny gravy I usually get for Thanksgiving that this looks completely new to me! I have GOT to try this out!!
Lisa Major
June 2, 2019 at 5:33 pmI have made this two sundays in a row. Along with fried chicken strips and biscuits. I put some of the gravy along with a chicken strip on the biscuit. Then I packaged each one separately. My husband and I ate them for breakfast during the week and and they were so delicious. The gravy held up very well in the microwave and tastes so good. So here I am again this weekend making the exact same thing. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Kelly Anthony
June 3, 2019 at 11:51 pmLisa! That is AWESOME! And so smart of you to repurpose it for breakfast! My husband would love that too 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Jacqueline Debono
June 2, 2019 at 5:56 pmIt’s interesting that your ‘country gravy’ is what we in Europe call béchamel or white sauce. Italians say besciamella. The only difference is we use nutmeg instead of pepper! It’s what in Italy we put on lasagna or pasta al forno. I’ve never thought to eat it as a sauce with fried chicken! Have to try that!
Ramona
June 2, 2019 at 10:35 pmI am definitley drooling over here seeing this recipe now. I love the gravy I love everything about this recipe – I must try it. Thanks for sharing!
April
June 6, 2019 at 11:51 amI love gravy. I try to use it as often as possible because it always makes the dish taste amazing. Can’t wait to try your recipe now!
Mimi
June 6, 2019 at 11:52 am10 minutes in the kitchen and just a few ingredients? That is what I like to hear. And there is never too much of gravy – yum!