This Southern chocolate gravy recipe is a sweet gravy that history suggests was born in the southern United States. The decadent gravy has a texture similar to a thick chocolate fudge sauce and it’s often served over hot biscuits.
If you have a sweet tooth, this gravy is an easy way (and inexpensive way!) to fulfill your craving. It’s a special treat that you can quickly make for a Sunday breakfast that will have the whole family clamoring to get to the table.
The next time you need a creamy, chocolatey sauce to drizzle over other desserts, fruit, or biscuits, turn to this easy recipe. And if it’s your first time making it, I bet it won’t be your last!
Common Questions about Southern Chocolate Gravy
What is Southern chocolate gravy?
Southern chocolate gravy is a thick, creamy chocolate sauce most often served over homemade biscuits for breakfast, though it can be used in a variety of other ways.
What are the ingredients in southern chocolate gravy?
The basic ingredients in southern chocolate gravy are butter, sugar, cocoa powder, flour, milk, and vanilla extract. However, there are variations of southern chocolate gravy that may include other ingredients like eggs, coffee, or whiskey.
What can I serve southern chocolate gravy with?
Southern chocolate gravy is most commonly served over biscuits for breakfast. It can also be served over pancakes, waffles, or toast or it can be used as a dessert sauce for ice cream, cake, or pudding.
Storage
You can easily store chocolate gravy in the fridge or freezer.
Refrigerator – Store chocolate gravy in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer – Freeze chocolate gravy for up to 3 months.
Tips
There’s a handful of ways to make sure you make the best Southern chocolate gravy.
- For a richer gravy, substitute some of the milk for heavy cream.
- Stir constantly to prevent lumps or scorching.
- Use high-quality cocoa powder for the best results.
- Use whole milk so that it is creamy — avoid substituting low-fat versions.
- Precisely measure to avoid adding too much flour or too much milk to make sure to get just the right consistency.
Ingredients
These basic ingredients will yield the most delicious dessert. Most are pantry staples but you can easily find them at the grocery store, too.
- Granulated sugar
- Cocoa powder
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Milk
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need
A medium saucepan and a whisk are the only supplies needed to whip up this sweet treat.
How to Make Southern-style Chocolate Gravy
This delicious gravy doesn’t take a long time but it does require your attention throughout the cooking process.
- Add the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt to a medium-sized saucepan.
- Stir the dry ingredients together until the chocolate mixture it’s not clumpy.
- Add the milk to the mixture and turn the heat on
- Continue to stir as the mixture as heats and begins to resemble hot chocolate.
- Turn up the heat, continuing to stir while bringing the mixture to a boil
- Allow the sauce to thicken as you continue to stir.
- Once the sauce is the consistency of gravy, remove it from the heat.
- Add the butter and vanilla extract and mix until the butter has melted.
- Serve the warm gravy immediately over fluffy biscuits.
What to Serve With This Smooth Chocolate Gravy
While the classic pairing is warm biscuits, there are so many ways to dress things up with this chocolate gravy.
- Fruit – Drizzle over fresh fruit or a fruit salad (or serve as a fruit dip).
- Waffles and pancakes – Spoon over other breakfast classics.
- Ice cream – Use as a topping for a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or your favorite flavor.
- Cake – Fancy up your pound cake or angel food cake with this delicious sauce.
Why You Should Make Southern Chocolate Gravy
If you’re a chocolate-lover you’re going to want to make this gravy.
- Delicious – Who can say no to warm, chocolatey goodness?
- Easy – While it does require your attention while cooking, overall it’s a fairly simple recipe.
- Versatile – It can be served with any meal from breakfast to dessert.
Variations and Add-ins
Try these ideas to change up the classic.
- Nuts – Add crushed nuts for texture and flavor.
- Chocolate chips – Change up the flavor profile with some chocolate chips in the variety you prefer.
- Dried fruit – Stir in your favorite dried fruit.
- Dairy – Instead of milk, experiment with alternatives like coconut milk or almond milk.
- Extract – Substitute a little bit of almond extract for the vanilla extract for a nutty flavor.
If you love this easy Southern Chocolate Gravy recipe, you’re going to love these other dessert dips and sauces too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Other Sweet Sauces
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Southern Chocolate Gravy
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saucepan or pot combine the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, and salt. Whisk together until most clumps are gone.
- Stir in the milk and turn the heat over medium.
- Whisk the mixture as it heats. It will begin to look like hot chocolate.
- Continue to whisk over medium heat and bring it to a boil, and allow the sauce to thicken.
- Stir for about 5-8 minutes or until the chocolate mixture has become similar to the consistency of gravy.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla extract, mixing until the butter is melted.
- Served with fruit, biscuits, pancakes, and waffles.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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