How to Make Gravy With Bacon Grease
Bacon gravy is an indulgent and delicious dish that any home cook can easily prepare. Serve with biscuits, fried chicken or mashed potatoes for a memorable meal.
One of my husband’s favorite foods that I’ve really never gotten on board with is biscuits and gravy. It’s just too rich and not really my thing.
Nonetheless, I actually enjoy MAKING it for him, because making gravy is fun! I’ll make gravy from scratch pretty much any chance I get simply because watching a roux magically thicken liquid as I whisk is entertaining to me.
Sometimes I get bored making sausage gravy for him, and I change it up with this bacon gravy recipe. It’s easy to make while I have a vegetarian quiche in the oven for MY weekend brunch.
You can make it with the bacon grease left over on the pan after making bacon in the oven, or you can start with a fresh batch of bacon that you cook in a skillet first, and then use to make the gravy. I’ll explain it all below!
Why you’ll love this Bacon Gravy
- It’s not just for breakfast! Serve it over mashed potatoes or fried chicken for any meal of the day.
- It’s easy to make ahead of time. You can even freeze it in portions and simply reheat a bit of it whenever gravy is needed.
Bacon Gravy Recipe Ingredients
- bacon grease – you will need 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to make this gravy. You can use grease you have left over after making another meal, OR you can start by cooking 6 slices of bacon, chopped, in a skillet. More on this below.
- bacon – if you don’t have bacon grease left over from another meal, you will need 6 slices of high-quality bacon for this recipe.
- onion – a little bit of chopped white onion adds a sweet and savory flavor to this recipe that complements the smokiness of the bacon.
- flour – all-purpose flour binds with the bacon grease to form a roux, which is the thickening agent in the gravy.
- milk – I use whole milk so that the gravy is nice and creamy and rich. If you use low-fat or skim milk, your gravy won’t be as creamy.
- lemon juice – this ingredient is NOT found in most recipes for bacon gravy that I’ve come across, but it’s what sets this one apart in the best way. A little squeeze of lemon juice adds some tangy acidity, which balances all of the rich and savory flavors in this gravy.
- salt and pepper – an essential part of any gravy is the seasoning.
- cayenne pepper – a pinch of cayenne adds a little bit of heat without being overwhelmingly hot. This can be omitted if you prefer.
How to Make Gravy From Bacon Grease
1. BACON. Cook bacon and onion in large skillet until bacon is crisp. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons fat.
2. FLOUR. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. MILK. While stirring, slow add milk until all milk is incorporated.
4. THICKEN. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally.
5. SEASON. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir until well combined.
Bacon Gravy Recipe Home Chef Tips
- The flavor of your bacon will directly impact the taste of your gravy, so use the highest quality bacon you can. You’re looking for strips with plenty of meat on them.
- Once you’ve mastered the base recipe, experiment with different liquids. In culinary school, we sometimes swapped out some of the milk for beer for a unique and flavorful twist.
You can make bacon grease gravy with leftover bacon grease, or start by cooking bacon first.
If you have bacon grease in your fridge that you saved from another meal like colcannon soup, great! You’ll need 2 tablespoons of it. It’s up to you whether you ALSO want to have chopped bacon in the gravy.
You don’t necessarily NEED the chopped bacon in the gravy. You can simply put your bacon grease in a skillet and start the recipe card below at Step 3. You’ll use the bacon grease and the flour to make a roux, and then add the milk and seasonings to finish your gravy.
Without the chopped bacon, you will end up with nice, smooth gravy that would actually be perfect for mashed potatoes.
Now, if you don’t have bacon grease left over from another meal, or you want gravy with chunks of bacon IN IT, then you should follow the recipe card below, where you cook chopped bacon in a skillet and proceed with the gravy from there.
Adjust the consistency of the gravy to your liking.
While the ratio of fat to flour to liquid in the recipe below is a starting point that should yield a good bacon gravy each time, the truth is that every single time you make gravy, the roux is going to thicken slightly differently.
The thickening properties of the roux can depend on exactly how long you cook it before adding the milk, or even something like the freshness of your flour! And of course, the temperature of your stove and the size of your pan matters, too.
Whatever the reason, it’s easy to adjust the consistency of bacon grease gravy. Use the recipe below as a starting point, but then use your cook’s intuition to adjust it to your liking.
Gravy a little too thick? No worries – just add a dash of milk a little bit at at time, while whisking, until the gravy is thinned out enough for your liking.
Gravy too thin? Not a big deal. Just simmer over medium heat until it reduces down and thickens a little. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And if you over-reduce and it thickens too much? You guessed it – add milk!
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The best way to serve Bacon Grease Gravy
Probably the most popular way to serve bacon gravy is over warm, flaky biscuits. The gravy will get into all of the biscuit’s nooks and crannies, making it such a satisfying brunch or breakfast-for-dinner.
Jeff is the designated biscuit baker at our house and he swears by this biscuit recipe. It’s perfect for biscuits and bacon gravy.
Other serving ideas for bacon gravy:
- fried chicken – yes, it’s probably the most indulgent meal on earth, but lots of people believe that bacon gravy is truly the perfect accompaniment to fried chicken.
- roasted vegetables – something on the lighter side, if Brussels sprouts smothered in this bacon gravy recipe can be considered light? Ok, maybe not as light as lemon Brussel sprouts, but just as tasty!
- mashed potatoes – can confirm, my Greek yogurt mashed potatoes are tangy enough to pair perfectly with this rich bacon grease gravy.
How to store Gravy from Bacon Grease
Leftover gravy should be cooled to room temperature, then transferred to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to freeze Gravy with Bacon Grease
This bacon gravy recipe freezes well for months if kept in a sealed container. Thaw the gravy overnight before rewarming over medium-low heat on the stove.
One thing to beware of is that when you’re re-warming frozen gravy, you WILL need to thin it out. Somehow, reheated frozen gravy always seems to be about twice as thick as when it went into the freezer.
Simply whisk in milk or water to thin the gravy out when reheating it.
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Gravy With Bacon Grease
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk plus additional if needed
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place bacon and onion in large skillet over medium heat. Cook 10 to 12 minutes or until bacon is crisp, stirring frequently.
- Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet and discard or save for another use (there may not be too much extra to spoon off).
- Add flour to skillet and cook over medium heat 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- While whisking, slowly stream in milk until all milk is incorporated.
- Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until gravy is thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Add lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne and stir until well combined. If necessary, thin gravy to desired consistency with a bit more milk, if you like a thinner gravy. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The flavor of your bacon will directly impact the taste of your gravy, so use the highest quality bacon you can. You’re looking for strips with plenty of meat on them.
- Once you’ve mastered the base recipe, experiment with different liquids. In culinary school, we sometimes swapped out some of the milk for beer for a unique and flavorful twist.
