Homemade White Gravy

Learning how to make white gravy is easier than you might think, and there’s no pan drippings or store-bought mixes needed! Made from a simple roux and finished with a perfect blend of seasonings, this thick and creamy white gravy is exactly what you need for mashed potatoes, biscuits, or country-fried steak.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This white gravy is so, so easy to make, and once you’ve got the recipe down, I promise you’ll want to serve gravy with everything. It’s rich and thick and creamy, with the perfect blend of spices and seasonings to bring it all together.
• Unlike a bacon gravy or chicken gravy or ham gravy or brown gravy, white gravy doesn’t start from any beef broth or meat drippings. Instead, the base is a simple roux made from melted butter and all-purpose flour. The creaminess comes from a touch of milk whisked into the roux and simmered until thick.
• You can make the gravy in advance or just make it fresh and keep the leftovers for a day or two. To reheat, warm it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and add a little milk as needed to thin it out. I don’t recommend freezing – the texture won’t be quite right when it thaws back out.

Key Ingredients

Butter – For a vegan or dairy-free white gravy, start your roux with a vegan or dairy-free butter.

Flour – Flour is the thickener in this gravy recipe. If you’re gluten free, just use a gluten-free all-purpose flour here.

Seasonings – You’re in complete control of what kind of spices and how much of each one you use. Black pepper is a staple in most white gravy recipes, but I also used dried thyme and cayenne for extra flavor. You’re welcome to stick with a simple salt and pepper gravy, though!

Chef’s Tips

• To really take your white gravy to the next level, brown some breakfast sausage in a large skillet, then add it to the gravy after adding the milk. Let everything simmer together for a few minutes, then serve it over flaky biscuits.
• Add the milk in small increments and whisk really well between each addition, to avoid lumps in the gravy. If you add all the milk at once, the roux won’t incorporate as well.
• For a white gravy with a little more spice, increase the amount of black pepper and/or cayenne pepper you add. Just be careful – too much will throw off the taste of the gravy and you can’t take the seasonings back out!
• For a thicker or thinner gravy, adjust the amount of time you let the gravy simmer. It’ll get thicker the longer it’s on the heat. Just be sure to whisk it periodically so it doesn’t stick or burn.

More Holiday Recipes I Know You’ll Love

• The Best Ever Cranberry Brie Bites
• Great Grandma’s Sausage Stuffing
• Garlic and Herb Sous Vide Turkey
• Whole30 Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs (Paleo, Vegan Option)
• Sweet Potato Soufflé
• 5 Ways to Thicken Mashed Potatoes

Recipe By: Jasmine Comer

5 from 5 votes

Homemade White Gravy

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Cook 10 minutes minutes

Total 20 minutes minutes

Learning how to make white gravy is easier than you might think, and there's no pan drippings or store-bought mixes needed! Made from a simple roux and finished with a perfect blend of seasonings, this thick and creamy white gravy is exactly what you need for mashed potatoes, biscuits, or country-fried steak.

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Equipment

• medium saucepan
• whisk

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup butter
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour see Notes
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried thyme plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 pinch cayenne pepper plus more to taste
• ▢ 2 cups milk divided, see Notes

Instructions

• Warm medium saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. When warm, add butter and heat until melted, occasionally tilting saucepan to move butter around.
  
• Once butter is melted and bubbly, slowly whisk in flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne until roux forms. Let roux cook 2 minutes.
  
• After 2 minutes, slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk. Whisk constantly until mixture is completely smooth before adding more milk. Continue adding milk in 2 tablespoon increments until full 2 cups has been incorporated.
  
• Reduce heat to low and let gravy simmer in saucepan, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until thick. Taste and season with additional seasonings as desired. Serve warm.

• Milk: Any milk will work here, but for the creamiest white gravy, use full-fat milk. If using a milk alternative, be sure it’s unflavored and unsweetened, or you’ll throw off the taste of the gravy.
• Make it Dairy Free/Vegan: Use dairy-free butter and unsweetened dairy-free milk.
• Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour.

 

Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. 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. 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 8. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 205calProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 735mgPotassium: 177mgTotal Carbs: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gNet Carbs: 11gVitamin A: 566IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 145mgIron: 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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