Southern Cream Gravy

If you love Southern Cream Gravy but don't know how to make it-look no further! Learn how to make this easy Southern favorite with 3-ingredients and in 5-minutes!

There's nothing better than homemade country gravy on a warm biscuit, over chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes or on a fried pork chop. 

Why you'll love this recipe!

• Quick and easy - you can have sausage, bacon or cream gravy in about 5-minutes!
• Simple ingredients - all you need is fat, flour and milk; then season it with salt and pepper
• Flavorful - the best gravy from scratch is seasoned with bacon or sausage fat, salt and pepper; nothing fancy

Some folks call this "country gravy," "pepper gravy" or "milk gravy." No matter what you call it, it's one of those scratch recipes you learn to make over time-- it's all about the balance between the ingredients and the temperature of the stove.

The secret is the roux-a combination of equal parts fat and flour. 

What you'll need:

• Fat - which can be bacon grease, sausage grease, butter or oil; most Southerners use bacon or sausage for their gravy
• Flour - use all-purpose
• Milk - for the best flavor, us 2% or whole  
• Salt & Pepper - generally speaking, most Southern cooks add salt to taste and a generous amount of ground black pepper...that's why it's often called "pepper cream gravy."

How to make it:

• Heat a skillet on medium heat
• Add fat and let it get warm; then sprinkle in flour
• Whisk together 
• Add milk; keep whisking; if it starts to clump, turn the heat up
• Continue to cook 4-minutes adding more milk along the way
• Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper

How to make cream gravy without fat drippings:

If you don't have any fat dripping from cooked sausage or bacon, you can use butter. I recommend using unsalted butter and remember, you'll use equal parts of butter and flour. 

If you use ½ stick of butter (which is 4 tablespoons), then whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour.

Expert tips for making perfect Southern Cream Gravy

• Always start with equal amounts of fat and flour
• Start with medium heat and increase it if you need to after you've added the milk. 
• Flour thickens at low heat...so, adjust your skillet heat accordingly 
• Add milk in ½ cup increments until you get the desired consistency
• If you add too much milk at once, you run the risk of having a watery, thin gravy; in this case, you'll have to add more flour
• Use a wire whisk to remove lumps
• Keep an eye on the stove- if the heat is too high, you'll burn the flour, in which case you have to start over (don't ask me how I know this)
• Once the gravy starts to thicken, turn the heat down and add a little more milk or lift the saucepan off the heat 
• Season with a teaspoon of salt for starters; combine, taste, then add a generous amount of black pepper

Substitutions for milk:

No milk? No problem...

• Substitute milk with half-n-half, light cream or heavy cream (also known as heavy whipping cream)
• Cream will make the gravy slightly sweeter than when using straight milk
• You can also use powdered milk or a 50/50 blend of water and evaporated milk (you may have to use more flour)

Make in advance and reheating:

White cream gravy thickens as it cools. If you make it ahead of time or if you need to reheat it, you will have to add a little more milk. For best results, reheat in a saucepan, not the microwave.

Troubleshooting homemade Southern cream gravy:

• Too salty - yes, this happens frequently; the best way to remedy over-salted gravy is to add a little water or, add more milk and flour. Do this by adding ½ cup milk first, whisk, then add ¼ cup flour; keep adding milk and flour until the flavor is balanced and the consistency is right
• Too thick - add more milk and increase the heat on the stove a little
• Too thin- add more flour and decrease the heat on the stove
• Too bland - add more salt and pepper
• Clumpy - if your homemade gravy starts to look like glue, use a wire whisk and add milk - whisking constantly- and turn the heat up a little
• Flour thickens at low heat...so, adjust your skillet heat accordingly 

Serve homemade country cream gravy with chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, eggs or over warm biscuits! It also pairs well with fried chicken and pork chops!

Southern Cream Gravy is an easy recipe that takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you'll know exactly how to make perfect cream gravy every time!

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• Chicken Fried Steak
• Homemade Cream Style Corn
• Smothered Okra and Tomatoes
• Cooking Basics
• Father's Day Menu Ideas
• How to Fix Over Salted Foods
• Sausage Cream Gravy

♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!