Southern Sausage Gravy
A comforting and rich sausage gravy made with pork sausage, onions, and whole milk, perfect for serving over warm biscuits.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb breakfast sausage (bulk or removed from casings)
- ½ cup sweet onion, chopped (optional) adds sweetness and depth
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups whole milk use full-fat for best texture
- ½ tsp seasoned salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground is ideal
- 1 tsp dried sage or thyme (optional) sage is more traditional
- to taste Salt start small; sausage can be salty
- Biscuits, for serving
Instructions
Cooking
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breakfast sausage and break it up with a spatula.
- If using onion, add it with the sausage and cook until the meat is browned and the onion is soft, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if there’s an extreme amount, but leave at least a tablespoon for flavor.
- Sprinkle ⅓ cup flour evenly over the browned sausage. Stir to coat the meat and cook the flour for about 2 minutes to prevent a raw flour taste.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Slowly pour in 3½ cups whole milk while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. A whisk helps create a silky texture.
- Add ½ tsp seasoned salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp dried sage or thyme if using. Continue stirring until the mixture begins to thicken.
- Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If gravy gets too thick, whisk in a little more milk. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
- Serve hot over split biscuits.
Notes
For a lighter version, use 2% milk but expect a thinner mouthfeel. Gluten-free: substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, but cook a little longer to remove raw flour flavor. Turkey sausage works but may need added fat to mimic pork sausage richness.