Make thick, creamy Southern BACON Gravy for biscuits- from scratch! Easy to make, and tastes absolutely DELICIOUS!
I grew up loving biscuits and gravy! It was always a big treat when my Mom (a Texas girl) made us Southern Bacon Gravy For Biscuits. Can there be anything better than fresh, fluffy biscuits smothered in a thick gravy made with BACON?
Now I will concede that biscuits and gravy will probably not help you get that girlish figure you’ve always wanted, but sometimes you simply want a hearty breakfast that fills you up!
I’ve made biscuits and gravy so many times over the course of my almost 40-year marriage I can’t even count them. My hubby LOVES it when I make biscuits and gravy for breakfast (must be HIS Southern heritage, too)!
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Prepare the Bacon
Here’s how I make the gravy each and every time: First, cook the bacon you are using in a large skillet until it is very crispy.
Once the bacon is done, remove it from pan to a paper towel to drain off any remaining grease. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces and set the pieces aside.
Do not wipe out the skillet you cooked the bacon in. Discard MOST of the bacon grease (I save mine in a jar in the freezer) BUT KEEP ABOUT 2 TABLESPOONS IN THE SKILLET.
My Mom calls these leftover pan drippings “Liquid Gold” – ha ha. See all those little bitty bacon bits on the bottom of the skillet? Those, plus the bacon grease will incorporate LOTS of additional flavor into your gravy!
Making And Thickening The Gravy
In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together milk, flour, pepper and salt until this mixture becomes lump free.
Put the bacon crumbles and the milk and flour mixture back into the skillet. Heat on medium, stirring constantly until the liquid comes to a boil.
Reduce the heat a bit, continuing to stir while the southern bacon gravy thickens. Give the gravy a taste, to check for adequate seasoning.
I always add a lot of pepper, and usually more salt to get it to taste just right because that is the way my Mom made it!
Once the gravy has thickened, add a chunk of cold butter. Stir until the butter has melted and incorporated into gravy.
The gravy is thickened when done and because of that it should coat the back of a spoon.
Get Hot Biscuits Ready
Once the bacon gravy is heated through and seasoned to taste, etc. get your hot baked biscuits ready! Split the biscuits in half and place them on each serving plate, cut side up.
I use my recipe for homemade Southern Buttermilk Biscuits every time I make this. They’re flaky, nicely layered and tall, but any store-bought biscuits will do just fine!
Serve The Southern Bacon Gravy
Spoon the hot bacon gravy over each biscuit half. Smother them good! Top the gravy with additional bacon crumbles or a small piece of bacon, if desired.
That’s IT! Grab a fork and dive on in! Biscuits n’ Bacon Gravy may not be so good for your HIPS, but oh my goodness… they sure taste good on the LIPS!
I suggest taking a long walk after breakfast because it’s all about balance, right? Ha Ha! I really think you’re going to LOVE this gravy! Bacon really DOES make everything BETTER!
The gravy can be refrigerated if you have leftovers. Cover it well, and it will keep for a couple days. Reheat (you might need to add a touch of milk), stir it well, and it will be ready to eat again!
I see biscuits and gravy on the menu at lots of restaurants that serve breakfast, but honestly, I’d rather have my homemade version. It’s DELICIOUS (and inexpensive too!).
Perhaps you will give this bacon gravy a try on biscuits. I think you and those you love will LOVE it!
Looking For More BREAKFAST Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of breakfast recipes to choose from, including:
- Homemade Blueberry Pancakes
- Triple Berry French Toast Cups
- Florentine Eggs and Bacon
- Cranberry Orange Bagels
- Hearty Oatmeal Bowl
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Recipe Source: My Mom
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 pieces bacon , cooked until crisp (RESERVE 2 Tablespoons bacon grease in skillet)
- 1-2 Tablespoons cold butter
- 8 warm biscuits (pre-cooked, or bake them while cooking bacon)
- Cook bacon in large skillet until crispy. Remove cooked bacon to paper towels to absorb grease. When cool, crumble bacon into small pieces. Set aside.
- Do NOT clean skillet. Leave 2 Tablespoons bacon grease in skillet. Discard the rest.
- In separate bowl or container, whisk together milk, flour, salt and pepper, until lump-free. Pour the milk/flour mixture into skillet with remaining bacon grease. Add crumbled bacon pieces. Heat mixture on medium (whisking/stirring constantly) until it comes to a boil; reduce heat a bit, and continue cooking and stirring, until gravy has thickened (5-6 minutes). Give it a taste test.
- Add additional salt and pepper, to taste (I ALWAYS add more). Once gravy has thickened, add 1-2 Tablespoons cold butter. Stir until butter is melted, incorporated into gravy, and mixture is heated through.
- Slice warm biscuits in half horizontally. Place biscuit halves onto serving plate. Spoon hot gravy over each half. Serve and enjoy!
In the words of my Mom... "you can't have enough pepper in this gravy!". Don't be afraid to season this gravy well! Taste, taste, taste, and add salt and pepper until it tastes exactly the way you want it to. *Caloric calculation is for gravy only.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
I add sautéed onions, red pepper flakes, and a dash of Tobasco to my gravy which is otherwise identical to this.
This was great and easy; I’ll definitely be making this again! We had a flavored bacon (cinnamon toast crunch ) so it had a sweeter flavor, but not bad! LOL My man said it was delish! I’m glad I found it; thanks for sharing❣️
So glad you enjoyed it! Wow… cinnamon toast crunch bacon!? That sounds amazing! Have a great day.
I have been making this gravy since I found your recipe 2 years ago. I just realized I had never left a comment on here. This is a no-fail recipe for perfect gravy! I’ve made it with and without the crumbled bacon, and I’ve even made it with sausage crumbles. My family and I love it and it’s so easy to prepare! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
One thing I do differently is add Tony’s Cajun seasoning instead of the amount of salt and pepper called for in the recipe. I add salt and pepper at the end and just measure with my heart. Haha
Thanks for writing, Marissa! Glad you enjoy this gravy, and I think the extra seasoning would be delicious, as well. Have a GREAT day!
What sets this apart from all the other bacon gravy recipes out there is the last minute addition of the butter. Anyone who has finished a pan sauce with that final dollop of butter at the end knows this is the secret to taking it to the next level. This recipe is perfect.
I grew up in Washington State during the 60’s and 70’s. My best friend and Neighbors were from Arkansas. Mrs Hubbard every morning would cook biscuits and a southern gravy. I’ve searched for over 40 years for a bacon gravy that tasted the same. And this morning I finally found it! So thank you for all my childhood memories rushing through my mind. Now if I could only find a recipe of those small, hard little biscuits that she made.
This is delicious! I’ve never been able to make gravy before this. I love how you mix the flour and milk, salt and pepper first! This is the first time I’ve had gravy to turn out and it tastes so good! Thank you so much! This is my go to from now on!
Awesome! So glad you had success and enjoyed it, Spring! Have a great day.
So easy & so tasty. My late mother-in-law made a gravy like this and served it for breakfast with fried green tomatoes, toasted English muffins, and scrambled eggs on the side. We called it heart attack on a plate :-).
It’s been better than twenty years since we’ve had it- actually had forgotten all about it until I saw your bacon gravy recipe. This brought back some wonderful memories.
Great gravy! And I say this even having forgotten to add the cold butter. It’s the easiest and best bacon gravy recipe I’ve ever tried. I won’t need to try another now. This one is it. And you don’t have to make a roux!!!!!!
I don’t know why I never thought to make bacon gravy! This was absolutely delicious! Mine didn’t come out as thick but I’m okay with that. Hubby thought it was the best gravy he’s ever had! We will definitely be making this again! Thanks for the easy to follow recipe 🙂
THIS is southern gravy. I’ve lived in the south all my life and this is the gravy I grew up with. Never saw sausage gravy until the 80s. Country ham gravy, yes. Red-eye gravy, yes. Sausage gravy is fine, but bacon gravy has the best flavor.
I’m going to try to make this gravy in the morning !🥰
In my 45 years of eating biscuits and gravy I have never seen this method of mixing the flour with the milk … BUT I’M SO GLAD I DID!!! It was perfect!! I’ll never make it any other way!
This was amazing. I made the biscuits Australian style, we call them scones. But this gravy was just perfect. Thanks
Looks good. The only difference between yours and mine is keeping crumbled bacon out and adding the flour to the grease. Browning it a bit then pouring the milk or cream and stirring till right thickness. I might try yours and compare. Thanks 🥰
Hope you enjoy it, Karen. It’s fun to see all the ways people make a good gravy, right? Have a great day.
I agree with the pepper comment! Moms are never wrong! I really enjoy adding a pinch of red pepper for that extra bite. Recipe was perfect for our buttermilk biscuits. Thanks for sharing!
Good morning, Bill. Thank you for taking time to write. Yes… can always use a bit more pepper in the gravy, as my mom used to tell me. LOVE the idea of adding a pinch of red pepper for a little extra kick. Have a great weekend.
OMG!! wow, this gravy turned out perfect! Although i forgot the butter..it did not disappoint! I have always struggled making homemade gravy and now this will ALWAYS be my go-to recipe! Thank you for sharing!
This was very easy and my family loved it! My first crack at homemade gravy and I am never going back! Thank you!!
Hi, Staci… glad you enjoyed the gravy. We just had the same thing (biscuits and gravy) this past weekend… it really IS good! Thanks for writing, and take care.
I make scrambled eggs with this. I serve them on the biscuits and smother it all with the gravy! My husband loves it!
Hi, Debbie! That sounds really good! Never have thought to try that. Glad your hubby enjoys it! Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks for taking the time to write!
Would plain almond milk do okay as a substitute for whole milk in this recipe?
Hi, Julia. Thanks for writing! You know… I’ve never tried using almond milk for this recipe… ever. But using plain, unsweetened almond milk might be worth trying. I can’t vouch that it will taste exactly the same, but might be close. I would love to hear your experience making this with almond milk, if you decide to give it a shot. Have a great evening!
Easy and delicious! Creamy gravy perfect for biscuits early in the morning. Mmmmm!
Hi, Debbie! Thanks for writing, and I’m glad you enjoyed the gravy! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Love this gravy…absolutely delicious and so easy to make!!For whatever reason I have never been able to make gravy and get it just right, was always too clumpy or way too thin and couldn’t get it right for years. This is the ONLY gravy recipe that Iv actually been able to do. Thank you so much
Glad you enjoy this gravy, Hollie! Thank you for taking a moment to let me know your experience. Take care, and have a great day.