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This creamy ham gravy is incredibly rich and flavorful! Made with just four ingredients, this side dish couldn’t be any easier to make. Finish off your plate of ham and mashed potatoes with a generous pour of this delicious ham gravy.

Sliced ham with ham gravy being poured over the top.

What Makes This Gravy So Good

  • It only takes four ingredients! FOUR! The next time you bake a ham, make sure to hold onto those delicious ham drippings, since they’re the star of the show. Add them to a saucepan with butter, flour, and milk and in just a few minutes you’ll have an incredible homemade ham gravy.
  • It’ll take that plate of ham, mashed potatoes, and fixings to a whole new level! This gravy is loaded with flavor and will make your already delicious meal totally irresistible.
  • Ham gravy is a fun twist on traditional turkey or chicken gravy. If you’re like me and feel strongly that turkey gravy is one of the best parts of every holiday, then you’ll go crazy for this ham gravy! It’s just as rich and creamy as any other gravy, but with a slightly smokey flavor that you’ll just drool over.

Key Ingredients

Ham Drippings – The juices released from your ham when you cook it contain so much flavor! Next time you make a ham, whatever you do, do not toss the ham drippings. They give the ham gravy all its flavor! If you want to make this ham gravy without having to bake an entire ham, then you can use one cup of rendered bacon fat instead.

Whole Milk – This is where your gravy gets its super rich and creamy consistency. Whole milk makes this gravy perfectly thick, but still pourable. No whole milk on hand? You can use chicken broth instead.

Chef’s Tips

  • The butter and flour can burn pretty easy, so be careful of your temperature. I recommend starting out at low-medium heat, then working up to medium heat depending on how hot your stove gets.
  • Feel free to season this recipe however you’d like! Personally, I find that the ham drippings have enough flavor that I don’t even need to add any salt or pepper. After the final step, though, give your gravy a taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
  • Don’t walk away! The entire recipe takes just 5 minutes and the ham gravy will thicken really quickly. Continue whisking your gravy without stopping until it’s thick. If it gets too thick, add a tiny bit more milk to achieve the consistency you’d like.
Ham gravy poured over mashed potatoes with sliced ham on the side.

More Delicious Gravy Recipes

Recipe By: Sam Guarnieri
5 from 18 votes

Ham Gravy

Prep 5 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Total 10 minutes
This creamy ham gravy is incredibly rich and flavorful! Made with just four ingredients, this side dish couldn't be any easier to make. Finish off your plate of ham and mashed potatoes with a generous pour of this delicious ham gravy.
12 servings

Equipment

  • Small saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ham drippings see Notes
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk see Notes

Instructions

  • Add the ham drippings and butter to a saucepan over medium heat and whisk until butter has melted.
    Ham-Gravy-Process-Photo-1
  • Add in the flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes.
    Ham-Gravy-Process-Photo-2
  • Pour in the milk and continue to whisk constantly for 2 minutes or until thick.
  • Ham Drippings: Ham drippings are the juices released by a ham while it bakes, they can be found at the bottom of the pan you baked your ham in. If you don’t have ham drippings, you can use rendered bacon fat instead.
  • Whole Milk: You can use chicken broth or 2% milk instead.

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 241calProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 142mgPotassium: 8mgTotal Carbs: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gErythritol: 0gSugar Alcohols: 0gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 118IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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33 Comments

  1. I grew up on this gravy and nobody I talk to knows about it. Our family always poured in 1 can of evaporated milk. This is good stuff!! Thanks for the recipe

  2. I ended up using bacon grease as suggested. My vivid imagination led me to use white Lily flour because to me that makes a lighter gravy. (I can eat more!) some cream and admittedly a very small amount of cheddar cheese. Heavily peppered.. I just love this gravy. Thank you.5 stars

  3. This sounds really good! I am making spiral ham tonight and purchased pork gravy against my better judgment. I’m going to make this gravy instead. It’s beautiful looking.5 stars

  4. I’m not an expert cook and needed a gravy I could master to go with my Easter ham and mashed potatoes. This recipe was DELICIOUS and best of all within the skill set of this novice gravy maker! Thank you.5 stars

  5. I love ham gravy. It’s so rich & tasty & easy make. This is a great recipe & it’s my family’s favourite gravy!5 stars

    1. It’s such a great go-to! So glad you and your family love it. Thanks for sharing, Kathy! 😊

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