White Gravy
Decadent and well-seasoned, white gravy is pure comfort food. And this simple, foolproof recipe will save the day with its simplicity. Butter, flour, milk, broth, and 15 minutes will give the most luscious gravy. Besides, it’s an awesome sauce for chicken and biscuits.
Have you ever wondered how to ramp up the flavor factor in an ordinary meal? Gravy for the win! How I love to smother my fried chicken in this decadent white gravy.
While the packets for instant gravy work in a pinch, nothing beats the incredible homemade flavor. And you can customize it to suit your palate. So ditch the packets and see how easy and tasty it is to make your own homemade white gravy.
White Gravy vs. Country Gravy vs. Sawmill Gravy
They’re all very similar: flour goes in the roux, and milk is the liquid. White gravy uses butter as the fat, but country gravy uses bacon or sausage drippings (no meat). Sawmill gravy (a staple breakfast ingredient in Appalachia for the sawmill workers) has more black pepper and can be white or light brown.
However, you can use the recipes interchangeably. While the traditional recipe doesn’t use broth, I couldn’t help Immafying it with white chicken broth for more flavor. Instructions for white chicken broth are in the recipe card notes.
How to Make White Gravy
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk continuously until the mixture has a toasty aroma and becomes lightly golden, 2-3 minutes. You don’t want to toast the flour; you just want to get rid of the raw taste. (Photos 1-2)
- Whisk in the milk, ½ cup at a time, until no lumps are left. The mixture will seize up at first, but don’t worry. Just keep adding the milk slowly and whisking constantly—it will become smooth and creamy. Next, add chicken broth and continue whisking. (Photo 3)
- Season with garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. (Photo 4)
- Simmer while whisking until it thickens to the desired consistency, 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm over biscuits, chicken-fried steak, or fried chicken!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or more milk for a meat-free version. If you want a dairy-free version, replace the butter and milk with a plant-based substitute. Unsweetened soy milk and oat milk are better choices.
- For fresh garlic and onion instead of the powder, mince and saute them to release their flavor before adding the liquid.
- Heavy cream instead of milk gives you a creamier, richer sauce.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Simply cook the gravy as instructed and let it cool. Transfer into an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag, refrigerate for 2-3 days, or freeze it for up to six months. It will thicken, so add a splash of milk when reheating.
Leftover gravy can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 4-5 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat in a saucepan on medium-low, adding milk or broth to get the desired consistency.
What Loves Pairing With White Gravy
Traditional pairings include mashed potatoes and Southern fried chicken. Homemade biscuits to mop up the extra are an added bonus. This gravy also goes great with pork chops.
More Savory Gravy Recipes to Try
- Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
- Giblet Gravy
- Brown Gravy Recipe
- Hamburger Steak and Gravy
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Watch How to Make It
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White Gravy
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter (½ stick)
- ¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (473ml) milk
- ½ cup (118ml) chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon (<1g) cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon (3g) kosher salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon (<1g) freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add flour and whisk continuously until the mixture has a toasty aroma and becomes lightly golden, 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly add the milk, ½ cup at a time, whisking each time until no lumps are left. The mixture will seize up at first, but don't worry. Just keep adding the milk slowly and whisking constantly—it will become smooth and creamy. Next, add chicken broth and continue whisking.
- Finally, add garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, continue whisking, and continue simmering until it thickens to the desired consistency, 3-5 minutes. Taste, then season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
- Serve warm over biscuits, chicken-fried steak, or fried chicken!
Tips & Notes:
- Stir the mixture constantly while cooking so you don’t end up with lumpy gravy.
- If, in spite of all effort, the gravy is lumpy, an immersion blender will take care of it and make it smooth.
- Add a splash of milk or broth if the gravy is too thick.
- For homemade white chicken broth, put raw chicken parts and bones in a large stock pot, cover completely with water, bring to a low simmer, and skim the foam that comes to the top. After about 30 minutes, when foam stops rising, add chopped carrot, celery, white onion, and a couple of cloves of smashed garlic. A couple of bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, and a teaspoon of whole peppercorns are also good. Simmer gently for 2-4 hours, strain, and allow it to cool. Store in a jar or freeze it.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
