This bacon grease gravy recipe is a classic southern comfort food that’s quick, easy, and creamy. Plus, gravy made with bacon grease is full of flavor and perfect for your next breakfast!
Highlights
- Made in about 20 minutes
- Only need 3 ingredients
- Homemade, not packaged
- Kid and family friendly
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 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. It is perfect to top biscuits, mashed potatoes, and all kinds of other dishes.
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 put it on anything. Mashed potatoes, steak, or even use it as a dip for the kids’ chicken nuggets.
Need a biscuit recipe? Try my Air Fryer Biscuit recipe!
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 could use.
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, 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!
Instructions
Always start with clean hands, work area, and kitchen utensils.
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.
Add flour. Whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in milk.
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 the cooked bacon and add it to the gravy when it's done.
- 2% and 1% milk will work well in this recipe.
- Try unsweetened almond or oat milk if dairy isn't well tolerated.
- Going keto: try almond flour in place of wheat flour.
How to serve bacon grease gravy
This bacon grease gravy is perfect for a breakfast of biscuits and gravy. Make some warm homemade biscuits and top them with this bacon gravy for a hearty breakfast that everyone will love.
Use in place of sausage gravy.
Use as a topper for mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, breakfast burritos, chicken fried steak, and more.
You can also use your bacon grease gravy as a dip for french fries, and you could even make it for poutine.
Storage and reheating
To store in the refrigerator: Put your gravy in an airtight container, and it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Unfortunately, since this gravy uses milk, it does not freeze well.
To reheat on the stovetop: spoon bacon gravy into a skillet. Heat the gravy on low and reheat it slowly. Stir your gravy until it is simmering. 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
To make your bacon grease grave uncongeal, you will need to heat it and thin it out with broth, milk, or water.
If you are reheating your gravy in a pot, you can make it uncongeal without adding extra liquid as long as it warms up properly and you stir it well with a whisk.
If stored properly, food safety experts recommend storing bacon grease in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to one year. Just make sure that you keep your bacon grease in an airtight container.
What can you cook in bacon fat?
Bacon fat is a saturated fat that’s very versatile, and you can use it for cooking many foods. You can replace other cooking oils and fats with bacon grease to give your food more flavor. One great idea would be to sauté some brussels sprouts in bacon grease. Bacon and brussels sprouts flavors mix together really well.
You may also want to add some bacon grease to brown rice to give it a better flavor. Bacon grease is also fantastic for making scrambled eggs. It really ties in those delicious favorite breakfast flavors.
More breakfast recipes
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📖 Recipe
How to make bacon grease gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 slices regular bacon 6 slices thick cut, chopped (you’ll need ¼ cup grease)
- ¼ cup flour all purpose
- 1 to 2 cups whole milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 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.
- 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. Whisk in additional milk until desired consistency is achieved.
- Serve over biscuits and top with bacon.
Kathy3882
I've been making and eating this gravy for many years. As a child, my Mom, Aunt and a Grandma used to make it, so I learned how to make it at a young age. You can also make sausage gravy, but I think bacon 🥓 gravy is by far the best 🏆
Connie
I have made my gravy like this since cooking for myself. My mom and grandma and great grandma made it this way. I do however cook my flour with the bacon or sausage grease, salt and pepper till it turns a medium brown color and then add my milk. As you said any milk will do as I always use 1%. I have never come across anyone who makes their gravy like this. It truly is the best tasting gravy and glad to see it on here.
Nikole
Awesome comment-thank you!
Tosha Pudder
What type of flour are you using? All purpose or self rising?
Nikole
This is made with all purpose flour.
Danny
Been making this recipe for years but, not so much for breakfast. Rather, it’s our breakfast for dinner and we have it almost every week. However, I brown the flour and grease mixture a bit before adding my 2% milk and I only make it in an iron skillet. I also season to taste with salt and pepper. This recipe was passed down from my grandma to my mom to me and my siblings but we never measure anything we just sort of eyeball it. I drain about 1/2 the grease from a pound bacon. and add flour a little at a time until you have a pasty mix which is usually about 2/3 cup of flour.
Nikole
Thank you for sharing Danny!