Bacon Gravy
This Southern Bacon Gravy is rich, creamy, and full of smokey bacon flavor. It’s a classic Southern comfort food staple served drizzled over biscuits for breakfast and brunch or mashed potatoes and fried chicken for supper.
Easy Bacon Gravy Recipe
This easy Bacon Gravy is sometimes referred to as country gravy, milk gravy or cream gravy. It’s rich and flavorful made from rendered bacon fat, flour, and milk. It starts by cooking bacon until it’s crispy, then removing it from the pan and leaving the rendered fat behind. Flour is then whisked into the fat to create a roux, which thickens the gravy. Milk is slowly added while continuously whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Traditionally, bacon gravy is seasoned simply with salt and black pepper. You can mix half of the bacon back into the gravy just before serving then add the rest on top. For breakfast, it’s commonly served over biscuits but you can absolutely enjoy it over mashed potatoes, cooked white rice, fried chicken or pork chops adding a deliciously indulgent touch to any meal. How do you make bacon gravy: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)
- Cook Bacon – In a 12-inch skillet cook the bacon in over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or just until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
- Make the Roux – Reserve 1/3 cup drippings in the skillet. To the skillet add the all purpose flour. Whisk continually add the flour gradually until all of the drippings are absorbed.
- Add Liquid – Gradually add the milk 1 cup at a time whisking to combine after each addition. Add 5 cups reserving one cup for thinning, if needed. Add salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Simmer to Thicken – Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly then reduce the heat. Simmer for 5-8 minutes to reduce slightly and thicken.
- Serve immediately drizzled over biscuits topped with cooked bacon and chives, if desired.
How Do You Make the BEST Bacon Gravy Recipe
- Key ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Bacon Gravy: One pound bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces, all purpose flour, whole milk, salt, black pepper, chives for garnishing (optional) and Southern Buttermilk Biscuits for serving.
- Kitchen tools you’ll need: Large 12 inch skillet, whisk, measuring cups and spoons, slotted spoon.
- Cutting the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces will allow it to cook more quickly. If you prefer whole slices of bacon, that’s perfectly fine as well. You can chop the bacon after cooking, if preferred.
- Bacon gravy is a creamy gravy that doesn’t have a particular depth of color like sausage gravy. You can add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce to enhance the color and flavor, if desired.
- The amounts of salt and black pepper can both be adjusted to your taste.
- Serve this gravy drizzled over a batch of Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits.
- Don’t be tempted to over thicken the gravy. You can remove it from the heat and as it cools, it will continue to thicken.
- Store leftover Bacon Gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- When gravy is chilled due to the flour it will solidify. This is normal. To reheat, place it into a skillet or heavy bottomed saucepan and reheat over medium low, adding more milk to thin.
- You can also freeze gravy for up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat adding more liquid to thin.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes to Make
- These Breakfast Sliders are stuffed with scrambled eggs, sausage and cheese.
- This Sheet Pan Frittata is a fabulous option for meal prep.
- Add these Homemade Hash Browns to your brunch side dish menu.
- Cream Cheese Sausage Balls are a holiday must-make.
- Mini Pancakes a.k.a. silver dollar pancakes are so fun to make.
- These Cream Cheese Danish are a cinch to make using frozen puff pastry.
- Breakfast Egg Muffins made in a muffin pan.
- Air Fryer French Toast from Dizzy, Busy and Hungry.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Bacon Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 5-6 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- chives for garnishing (optional)
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook the bacon in over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or just until crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
- Reserve 1/3 cup drippings in the skillet. To the skillet add the all purpose flour. Whisking continually add the flour gradually until all of the drippings are absorbed.
- Add the milk 1 cup at a time whisking to combine after each addition. Add 5 cups reserving one cup for thinning, if needed. Add salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly then reduce the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly and thicken.
- Stir half of the bacon into the gravy then serve immediately drizzled over biscuits topped with remaining bacon and chives, if desired.
Notes
- You can add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet Browning sauce to enhance the flavor, if desired.
- Thin the gravy further adding additional milk. The gravy will thicken as it cools.
- Thicken the gravy further by adding 1-2 Tbsp all purpose flour dissolved in cold milk. Whisk into the gravy to thicken to your taste.
I ate bacon gravy years before I ever heard of sausage gravy…I come from a long line of hill folk. The only thing I would change is instead of all milk, use a can of evaporated milk first then finish it off with milk. Makes a world of difference in the flavor.
Do you think you could freeze this?
You can freeze gravy. Thaw in the fridge then expect to thin it when reheating.