How to Make Gravy with Bacon Grease (2024)

This bacon grease gravy recipe is a classic southern comfort food that’s quick, easy, creamy, and full of rich flavor. Perfect for your next Sunday morning breakfast!

Try my Sausage Gravy next!

Highlights

• Made in about 20 minutes
• Only need 3 ingredients
• Homemade, not packaged
• Kid and family friendly

This creamy bacon gravy is a kind of country gravy popular in the southern United States. It's a great way to use leftover bacon fat with other pantry staples like flour and milk.

Bacon grease gravy is simply a white gravy made with rendered bacon fat from slices of bacon. It is the best gravy to smoother your biscuits, mashed potatoes, and these homemade steak fries.

The key ingredient in this dish is bacon grease. So how do you get it? That's simple: just fry up some chopped bacon until crisp, remove the bacon, and you’ll have your bacon drippings ready for you in the pan.

To make your bacon grease gravy thick, you just add flour and milk until the mixture becomes a smooth paste but still has some texture.

When you cook bacon and then use the grease afterward to make gravy, it is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. You can even add bacon pieces for extra flavor!

Recipe profile

Super easy - this bacon grease gravy couldn't be easy to make. You only need three simple ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and one pan!

Kid-friendly - kids typically love to eat bacon, so they are definitely going to enjoy this warm and flavorful bacon grease gravy.

Versatile- of course, this bacon grease gravy will go perfect atop a heap of warm homemade biscuits, but you can eat it with anything. Mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, pork chops, tater crowns, and fried chicken are all time favorites.

Key ingredients

Bacon grease- this is the main ingredient. When you make gravy, you always need fat, and bacon grease is the most flavorful fat you can use. I used regular slices, but thick cut bacon can also be used. Reserve cooked bacon to add back into the gravy, if desired.

All purpose flour- flour is super important in this recipe because it's what will thicken your gravy. Using the right fat to flour ratio is very important to get the correct consistency.

Milk-I use whole milk in this recipe, because that is how traditional gravy is made. But you can try it with 2% or even 1%. Your gravy may not be as thick and creamy, but it will still taste great!

Salt and black pepper - to taste

Instructions

This is an overview of how to make bacon grease gravy with step-by-step photos. Scroll to the bottom of the post for precise amounts and printable recipe card.

Step One: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. You should have about ¼ cup drippings left in the pan.

Step Two: Gradually add flour to the pan stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir until no lumps remain. Then slowly add one cup milk, continuing to whisk until gravy has thickened.

Step Three: Whisk in additional milk until desired consistency is achieved. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve over biscuits and top with bacon.

Top tips

• Freeze bacon for 15 minutes to make cutting easier.
• For easier cutting, use kitchen shears to chop your bacon.
• Be sure bacon doesn't burn! Keep a close eye on it while it cooks.
• Make it as thick or thin as you like by adjusting the amount of milk you use.
• Crumble bacon and add it to the gravy when it's done.
• For best results use whole milk, but 2% or 1% will work too.
• Try unsweetened almond or oat milk if dairy isn't well tolerated.
• Going keto: try almond flour in place of wheat flour.

Storage and reheating

Make bacon grease gravy ahead of time and reheat as needed.

To store in the refrigerator: Put your leftover gravy in an airtight container, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Unfortunately, since this is a milk gravy, it does not freeze well.

To reheat on the stovetop: spoon bacon gravy into a skillet. Heat the gravy on medium-low heat and reheat it slowly. Stir your gravy until it is simmering. Turn it to low and let it simmer while stirring until heated through. Add a tablespoon at a time of milk to thin, if necessary.

To reheat in the microwave: take the gravy out of the fridge and give it a good stir. Transfer your gravy to a microwave-safe container, cover, and heat for about 1 minute. Stir and test the temperature. Add 30 more seconds if not quite warm enough.

Most asked questions

More gravy recipes

• Gravy with Onion and Guinness Stout Beer
• Hawaiian Brown Gravy
• Cajun Red Gravy
• Southern White Gravy
• How to Freeze Gravy

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