Warm and savory, this homemade sausage gravy recipe is perfectly matched for a biscuits and gravy meal. It is sure to be a staple in your family’s breakfast rotation with browned breakfast sausage, flour, milk, seasonings, and my secret ingredient of vegetable broth.
Biscuits and gravy are the best comfort food and are a staple in many households for breakfast (and dinner) meal planning. In our house, I generally only make this sausage gravy recipe on the weekends or for a weeknight dinner when we’re craving something warm and filling.
This is the best sausage gravy recipe and it hits all of the nostalgia notes for me. Waking up late on Saturday mornings to the scent of warm, buttery biscuits in the oven and savory gravy cooking on the stove. Even now, when my mom invites us over for a brunch, my request is her biscuits and gravy.
Though it only has five simple ingredients, this simple recipe does deviate from my mom’s a bit in that I brown the sausage really well and deglaze the pan with a secret ingredient: vegetable broth. I simply love the additional savory notes it adds and I find the meat’s browning flavor is more intense by conserving that fond.
Fun fact about browning meat
The distinctive flavor of browned meat can be explained by the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is actually a chemical reaction that intensifies the flavor of browned meat. If you are interested in learning more about the science behind this reaction, I love The Flying Butcher’s explanation.
I hope you make this gravy and enjoy it as much as our family does! At the end of this post, I’ll even reveal how we prevent the leftovers from going to waste (or straight to the chickens!).
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I do not recommend any products I have not purchased and used myself. Read my full disclosure here.
Tips for the BEST sausage gravy
If you like smaller chunks of sausage in your gravy (or spaghetti sauce, tacos, etc.), then I would suggest investing in a meat chopper. I love this one as it has a wider handle for easier grip. Our meat chopper is in the top three of most-used kitchen tools at our house!
Each time you add milk to the gravy to either balance flavor or thin it out, you will need to taste test and adjust seasonings!
I don’t include salt in the ingredient list because I don’t think this recipe needs it. That said, adjust seasonings to your taste. I add a healthy amount of pepper because our family enjoys it, but I have been told it’s a little spicy by others. Use this recipe as a guide, not a hard and fast rule. That’s where the fun and creativity in cooking comes from!
This recipe card is written using whole milk. If you are not using whole milk, you may need to adjust the amount of milk needed. You can also use half milk and half and half or heavy whipping cream. It will add thickness and richness!
This sausage gravy recipe is also freezer-friendly! Make this gravy days ahead and/or freeze for quick and easy meal prep!
What if I add too much of a seasoning (like pepper)?
The great news about gravy is you can just thin it out with more milk! This will spread out the taste of seasonings. You can also use butter or heavy whipping cream or half and half, but remember that this will add additional flavors as well (especially if your butter is salted).
To be transparent, I actually added too much black pepper the day I wrote out this recipe and took pictures. I corrected this by using an additional 3/4 cup of milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salted butter. This is deviating from the standard recipe below, but did add a delicious depth to the richness and flavor of the gravy! I might even make this great recipe with the butter first thing next time!
Ingredients
Your favorite breakfast sausage
Vegetable broth: You could substitute for chicken broth, but I make my own vegetable broth with lots of onion peels and I love the flavor it adds to the dish. I only use enough broth to deglaze the pan (less than 1/4 cup worth on average). The rest I use instead of water to make rice in the Instant Pot.
All-purpose flour: What thickens your sauce into a gravy
Milk: I use whole milk and sometimes use a combination of milk and heavy whipping cream or half and half. Use whatever sounds good to you (or what’s on hand!)
Seasonings: I only use black pepper in my sausage gravy, but you could also add (seasoned) salt, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or whatever else suits your taste!
Your favorite biscuits if serving immediately
Tools you may need:
Measuring cup and tablespoon
Wooden spoon to stir
How to Make Flavorful Sausage Gravy
In a large, deep skillet, cook sausage until there is a nice browning over medium-high heat. You may have to lower to medium heat depending how hot your burners run. See above note in “Tips” about the Maillard Reaction to understand why this is a necessary step and how it enhances the flavor of your meat!
Deglaze the pan with vegetable broth and turn down heat to low or medium low. Wait until there is minimal liquid in the bottom of the skillet, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
To soak up the grease from the meat and any leftover vegetable broth, add and stir flour and cook before adding the milk and seasonings (another minute or two).
Stir in whole milk one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You will likely use at least two cups of milk. Keep warm until ready to serve. Note: You may have to add more milk before serving to thin if not serving right away.
How to serve
For now, I use store-bought honey butter biscuits. I love the sweet notes it adds to the dish and I am not yet comfortable with my bread-making skills and time management to consistently make biscuits from scratch. Simply place hot biscuits on a plate sunny side up and top with the gravy or serve as I did in a bowl. My husband prefers a plate of biscuits with this white sausage gravy on top while my kids love flaky biscuits torn up and topped with gravy in a bowl, so we do both in this household! Either way, this is an easy sausage gravy that makes the perfect breakfast food!
If you are looking for a great homemade biscuit recipe, I highly recommend the one from Scratch Pantry found here. They are delicious!
Uses for leftover sausage gravy
The two most popular ways I use leftover gravy without making additional biscuits is by adding to scrambled eggs or using in breakfast burritos.
I make my scrambled eggs the way I detail in my post “Easy Kid-Approved Scrambled Eggs & Sausage” but omit the scrambled eggs. Instead, I will top the scrambled eggs with this warmed gravy!
Another way to make another meal out of this creamy gravy recipe is to use it in breakfast burritos. My go-to recipe can be found in my post “Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burrito Recipe.” Instead of putting cheese and ham, I will make scrambled eggs, mix in the gravy, and roll into the tortilla before cooking in the oven at 425° for a few minutes.
This is a good recipe to batch cook and freeze. Feel free to make large batches of this gravy and freeze in an airtight container until ready to use on special occasions or simply when you want the ultimate comfort food! Let thaw a day or two in the fridge before using.
Check out more of our family’s favorite recipes:
Creamy Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe
Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Burrito Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it five stars! Tag me on Instagram @cityfolkhomestead
The BEST Sausage Gravy
Warm and savory, this sausage gravy recipe is perfectly matched for a biscuits and gravy meal. It is made browned breakfast sausage, flour, milk, seasonings, and Paige's secret ingredient of vegetable broth.
Ingredients
- 1-2 lbs of breakfast sausage
- Vegetable broth to deglaze the pan (around 1/4 cup or as needed)
- 3-4 heaping tablespoons of flour
- 2 3/4 cup whole milk (and need more to thin)
- Seasonings to taste (I use pepper only)
Instructions
- In a deep skillet, cook sausage until there is a nice browning.
- Deglaze the pan with vegetable broth and turn down heat to low or medium low. Wait until there is minimal liquid in the bottom of the skillet, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- To soak up the grease from the meat and any leftover vegetable broth, add the flour and cook before adding the milk and seasonings (another minute or two).
- Stir in whole milk one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, add on top of warm biscuits for a biscuits and gravy meal.
Notes
Use a meat chopper for smaller chunks of sausage and to make gravy feed more people.
Adjust seasonings every time milk is added! You will also have to leave on heat to warm the added milk.
This recipe is written using whole milk, but it can also be made with a combination of milk and heavy whipping cream or butter or half and half.
Adding more liquid will also provide more servings and can help adjust taste if you accidentally add too much of a seasoning.
You may need to add more milk before serving to thin.
This recipe can be made ahead and is great for leftovers! Top scrambled eggs, add in an omelette, or include in breakfast burritos!
This gravy is also freezer friendly, so feel free to make in large batches for quick and easy meal prep!
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