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Home > Meal Type > Spices and Sauces > Easy Homemade White Gravy

Easy Homemade White Gravy

Updated: Jan 27th 2020 • Published: Sep 30th 2019 • 10 Comments

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Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy pictures with text in the middle
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom
Crispy chicken and white gravy with text at the top and bottom

Learn how to make Homemade White Gravy from scratch. This simple recipe is so easy and uses just 3 staple ingredients – 5 if you count salt and pepper!

This is the perfect gravy for serving with your chicken fried steak, crispy coated chicken breasts, biscuits or over mashed potato. White gravy is a southern classic sometimes called country gravy or pepper gravy.

Forget the packet mixes! Your family is going to love this homemade gravy! 

close up on a gravy boat with white gravy in it garnished with pepper

Jump Menu

  • What is white gravy?
  • How to make white gravy from scratch
  • Help my white gravy is lumpy! 
  • Can you make white gravy with cornstarch?
  • Can you freeze white gravy?
  • What to serve with White Gravy
  • Easy Homemade White Gravy Recipe

What is white gravy?

White gravy is the classic gravy that you would serve with a chicken fried steak. It is thick and creamy with a nice hit of pepper.

It is made with butter, flour, milk, salt, and pepper. That is all you need for a rich thick creamy white gravy!

We love it served it with fried chicken and mashed potato or my personal favorite is as a dipping sauce for a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. (honestly, it is amazing!)

White gravy is also known as, cream gravy, country gravy or pepper gravy.

white gravy being poured over a chicken fried chicken piece

How to make white gravy from scratch

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan, until it is just starting to brown but isn’t burnt.
  • Add the all-purpose flour and cook for 2 minutes over low heat making sure not to burn the mixture. Your mixture will look like wet sand.
  • Add in half a cup of milk and whisk as it will start to thicken drastically.
  • Add another half cup and whisk until the mixture starts to thin.
  • Slowly whisk in the remainder of the milk.
  • Simmer the white gravy for 5-6 minutes.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • As an optional extra add in a splash of heavy cream.
  • Check your seasonings again and serve.
mashed potato, green beans and fried chicken covered in white gravy

Help my white gravy is lumpy! 

Firstly did you use the pan drippings or butter. If you used the pan drippings then the lumps could well be little bits of yummy goodness from your cooked meat of choice. Use a spoon and carefully crush one of the lumps against the side of the pan, if it is flour it should squash easily if so you can try and fix it as detailed below. If it doesn’t squash then chances are it will be bits from your pan and is adding flavor to your white gravy.

If your white gravy has flour lumps in it, don’t worry. Whisk the gravy as fast as you can to try and break down any lumps, using a wooden spoon and squashing the lumps as you go can help.

If this doesn’t work, try adding a tablespoon of iced water and whisking again as fast as you can. 

Pro Tip: If you got lumps it is usually because the liquid was added to the flour mixture too quickly. Next time add just a little milk at a time and whisk well between additions. This should help to give you lump-free country gravy. 

Can you make white gravy with cornstarch?

If you need to make a gluten-free white gravy then you can use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken your gravy. 

To do, melt the butter on the stove and then add the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Whilst this is simmering mix the cornstarch with some cold water to make a slurry. This can then be whisked into your milk mixture and it will thicken up nicely. Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes to ensure the cornstarch has been cooked out.

If you find the gravy isn’t thick enough you can repeat the addition of the cornstarch slurry. Just remember to simmer it for a further 2 minutes to make sure you can’t taste raw cornstarch.

a gravy boat of white gravy with chicken fried chicken in the background

Can you freeze white gravy?

Yes, you can freeze white gravy. I like to freeze it in individual portions (either using ziplock bags or small Tupperware containers) This makes it easy to defrost just one portion when the need for comfort food hits.

When you defrost the gravy, it may look a little runny, or too thick or even like it as split/separated. This is all good. The defrosting process will be dependent on the milk and butter you used in the original recipe. Whatever your defrosted gravy looks it is easy to fix on the stove.

Once the gravy has defrosted, add the gravy into a pan and whisk it gently over medium heat. This should bring a split gravy back. It will also help to thicken up a runny gravy. If the gravy is too thick, thin the mixture with a little milk until the desired consistency is reached.

What to serve with White Gravy

White gravy is so creamy and delicious it is the perfect addition to so many different meals.

  • Chicken Fried Steak
  • Chicken Fried Chicken
  • Crispy Southern Fried Chicken Breasts
  • Biscuits
  • Dipping sauce for grilled ham and cheese sandwich
  • Mashed Potato and Grilled Chicken
  • Grilled Pork Chops
  • Creamy Meatballs and Mash
  • Use as a sauce for pasta (with shredded chicken or fried steak)
  • Pour over vegetables (we love it over carrots and broccoli)
  • As a sauce for a grilled salmon fillet
close up on a crispy chicken breast coated in white gravy

If you love gravy then you I am sure you will love my Homemade Brown Gravy!

Enjoy x


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close up on the white gravy in a gravy boat on a wooden board
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5 from 4 votes

Easy Homemade White Gravy Recipe

Learn how to make Homemade White Gravy from scratch. This simple recipe is so easy and uses just 3 staple ingredients (5 if you count salt and pepper!) This is the perfect gravy for serving with your chicken fried steak, crispy coated chicken breasts, biscuits or over mashed potato. White gravy is a southern classic sometimes called country gravy or pepper gravy. Forget the packet mixes your family is going to love this homemade gravy!
Prep Time2 mins
Cook Time8 mins
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 156kcal
Author: Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts
For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams (if relevant)

Ingredients

US Customary – Grams
  • 2 tbsp butter – or fat from cooking your meat
  • 2 tbsp AP flour
  • 1 ½ cup milk
  • 1 tsp black pepper – see note 1
  • ½ tsp salt – see note 1
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • additional salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
  • Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes until well combined and a good golden brown.
  • Whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk, the mixture will become a very thick paste. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup more milk. Once the mixture has thinned slightly you can gradually whisk in the remaining 1 cup of milk. (see note 2)
  • Add the salt and pepper.
  • Bring to a low simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and glossy.
  • Add the heavy cream, taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

  1. Depending on your butter you might need to add additional salt (and pepper) to the recipe. Finish the gravy and then taste, add extra salt and pepper until the taste sparks on your tongue.
  2. This makes a thick gravy, if you like your white gravy thinner, then add 1/4-1/2 cup more milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 436IU | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Game Day Food, Spices and Sauces

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Comments

  1. Brenda Westenberger says

    Jan 14th 2021 at 11:31 am

    I made this for supper tonight 1/13/21. It was very good. It was easy, to make and was quick. It was just a little more pepper than I like so I will use a little less next time but I still enjoyed it. I will be making this many more times!! Thanks for posting it.
    Brenda

    Reply
    • Claire McEwen says

      Jan 14th 2021 at 10:38 pm

      Hi Brenda,
      I am so pleased you enjoyed the gravy 🙂
      Definitely a good recipe for adapting to taste with pepper. I find that depending on how courtly the pepper is ground can really affect the punch it gives!
      Glad you will be making it again.
      Cx

      Reply
  2. Sheena says

    Jan 4th 2021 at 2:45 am

    Very easy and great recipe! I did add another Tbsp of bacon grease and at the end added 2 Tbsp on half and half . Be Cautious with the pepper I’m glad I caught it before adding the entire 1 tsp. I only added about 3/4 of a tsp and that was more than enough. In fact for the future I will only use 1/2 a tsp.(I will be recreating this for years to come thank you for the recipe ) awesome !

    Reply
    • Claire McEwen says

      Jan 13th 2021 at 10:26 pm

      So pleased you enjoyed it Sheena.
      I find depending on whether you grind/crack your own pepper or buy it in a container, the volume of 1 tsp can vary so much. Glad you adapted the pepper to suit your tastes.
      Cx

      Reply
  3. Kelly says

    Nov 17th 2020 at 9:58 am

    Made it once to put over chicken fried steak and my boyfriend LOVED IT! Hes having a thanksgiving potluck at work and requested I make it again, we live in Arizona so know one out here knows southern cooking but we’re from Florida so I’m excited for his buddies to try it, thanks so much for sharing the recipe !

    Reply
    • Claire McEwen says

      Nov 24th 2020 at 7:03 am

      Oh that is awesome Kelly 🙂
      So pleased he enjoyed it, I hope his work colleagues love it too!
      Cx

      Reply
  4. Denise says

    Apr 3rd 2020 at 9:08 am

    Can I Almond Milk?

    Reply
    • Claire McEwen says

      Apr 3rd 2020 at 6:11 pm

      Hi Denise,
      I have never tried it so I can’t say for sure. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It may change the flavor a little but it will still thicken up.
      Sorry I can’t be more help
      Cx

      Reply
  5. Noemi says

    Mar 26th 2020 at 5:45 am

    5 stars
    I just made your gravy… Oh my goodness so delicious and rich. Thank you so much for sharing and taken the time to write your recipe.
    My husband ate the whole thing on one sitting!!
    I hope you are staying healthy and safe.
    Thank you!!
    Noemi Murphy

    Reply
    • Claire McEwen says

      Mar 29th 2020 at 7:29 am

      You are so welcome Noemi, thank you for trying it and for taking the time to come back and comment.
      So happy you enjoyed it! (It is one of my kids favorites too!)
      Stay safe out there.
      Cx

      Reply

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Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

I believe cooking for those you love should be stress free and simple.

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