Name: Southern Cream Gravy
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup oil (, bacon or sausage grease, butter or vegetable oil); ¼ cup flour (, all-purpose); 1½ cups milk (, 2% or whole); salt and pepper (, to taste)

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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 cream 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

Homemade gravy is one of those things you learn over time; it's all about the balance between the ingredients.

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

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
Continue to cook 4-minutes adding more milk along the way
Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper

Expert tips for making perfect Southern Cream Gravy

Always start with equal amounts of fat and flour
Add milk in 1/2 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
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
Cream will make the gravy slightly sweeter than 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 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 gravy:

Too salty - yes, this happens frequently; the best way to remedy over-salted gravy is to add more milk and flour. Do this by adding 1/2 cup milk first, whisk, then add 1/4 cup flour; keep adding milk and flour until the flavor is balanced and the consistency is right
Too thick - add more milk
Too thin- add more flour
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

Related recipes:

Cream gravy being spooned over chicken fried steak

Southern Cream Gravy

White cream gravy made with fat, flour and milk. A Southern favorite!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 0 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: cup

Calories: 832kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

Cast iron skillet
Wire whisk

Ingredients

¼ cup oil , bacon or sausage grease, butter or vegetable oil
¼ cup flour , all-purpose
1½ cups milk , 2% or whole
salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

Heat skillet on medium
Add oil and wait till it gets warm (about 1 minute)
Sprinkle in flour; whisk for 30-seconds
Add milk in ½ cup increments while continually whisking
Taste for seasonings; add salt & pepper; serve

Video

Notes

Can I use heavy cream instead of milk?

You can substitute milk with half-n-half, light cream or heavy cream
Cream will make the gravy slightly sweeter than milk

Troubleshooting homemade gravy:

Too salty - yes, this happens frequently; the best way to remedy over-salted gravy is to add more milk and flour. Do this by adding 1/2 cup milk first, whisk, then add 1/4 cup flour; keep adding milk and flour until the flavor is balanced and the consistency is right
Too thick - add more milk
Too thin- add more flour
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

Nutrition

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