Types of Gravy – The Complete List

Mashed potatoes, fried chicken steak, biscuits, and turkey.

What do they all have in common?

I’ll tell you.

They all taste better with a heaping helping of gravy!

While most of us love the heartwarming taste of it, what’s probably less well known is that there are many types of gravy you can try.

Gravy has a long history in the United States, and around the world, and the passage of time has created some wonderful and delicious variations, each of them carrying a bit of local charm in the recipe.

We’ve scoured the country from coast to coast and uncovered all the most popular kinds, so get your ladles ready and dig in to our big list of gravy!

Brown Gravy

Brown gravy is probably the most recognizable and common example of gravy. While there are many ways to make it, the basic ingredients for it usually include beef broth, flour (or cornstarch), and fat.

The fat for the gravy comes from the drippings of cooked meat or roasted meats, but when meat or fowl isn’t used, butter, heavy cream or vegetable oil can be used as a substitute.

Ingredient	Description
Beef Broth	The base liquid for the brown gravy
Flour/Cornstarch	Thickening agent for the brown gravy
Fat	Adds flavor and richness to the brown gravy
Drippings from cooked meat/roasted meats	Common source of fat for brown gravy, but can be substituted with
Butter, Heavy Cream, Vegetable Oil	Substitute for fat if no meat is used

Chili Gravy

Chili gravy is a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine and if you’ve ever enjoyed a plate of enchiladas, you’ve probably tasted it. Rich and spicy, it usually has a base of lard that is mixed with cornstarch or flour roux.

Most recipes for chili gravy will contain ingredients like chili powder (obviously), paprika, garlic powder, cumin, Mexican oregano and salt. Before being served, it’s often thinned with chicken broth.

Ingredient	Description
Lard	The base fat for the chili gravy
Cornstarch or flour roux	Thickening agent for the chili gravy
Chili powder	Gives the chili gravy its signature spicy flavor
Paprika	Adds color and flavor to the chili gravy
Garlic powder, Cumin, Mexican oregano	Adds flavor to the chili gravy
Salt	Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients in the chili gravy
Chicken broth	Thin the chili gravy before serving

Cream Gravy (White Gravy or Milk Gravy)

There are many variations of cream gravy, which change slightly depending on the region. No matter what part of the country you live in, chances are there’s a creamy gravy close to home!

Chicken Gravy

Chicken gravy is a tradition in certain parts of the United States, especially the South, where it served along staple foods like biscuits or fried chicken.

The gravy’s color comes from the use of milk or cream, which is added to a roux of drippings or bits of cooked meat and flour. Sometimes pepper is used to add extra seasoning.

Ingredient	Description
Milk or Cream	Adds color to the chicken gravy
Roux of Drippings or bits of cooked meat and flour	Base for the chicken gravy
Pepper	Adds extra seasoning to the chicken gravy

Cornmeal Gravy

Cornmeal gravy is another shining example of the simple deliciousness of Southern cuisine. It’s believed that cornmeal gravy came to be out of necessity, since it wasn’t always easy to come by ingredients.

The good news is that traditional cornmeal gravy doesn’t require many. In fact, most recipes call for little more than whatever drippings are available before adding buttermilk or milk and then thickening all of it with cornmeal.

Ingredient	Description
Drippings	Adds flavor to the cornmeal gravy
Buttermilk or Milk	Adds liquid and flavor to the cornmeal gravy
Cornmeal	Thickening agent for the cornmeal gravy

Milk Gravy

Milk gravy is believed to have its roots in New England, where it too was born out of necessity rather than luxury.

It’s thought that the earliest versions of milk gravy (also known as salt pork gravy), were produced using preserved pork fat that were rendered down, producing drippings.

From there, simply adding milk produced an easy and delicious gravy that is still being used today.

Ingredient	Description
Preserved pork fat	Adds flavor to the milk gravy
Milk	Produces the milk gravy

Sawmill Gravy

Early Appalachian lumberjacks earned their money the hard way laboring in remote locations in difficult terrain and sometimes brutal weather.

But despite all the trying conditions, they contributed more than just timber to the American way of life.

It’s to them we owe the creation of sawmill gravy, which food historians believe originated as sort of a “catchall” gravy recipe.

Early versions were thought to be made of drippings from whatever meat or scrapings remained at the campsite before being combined with flour and milk.

Ingredient	Description
Drippings from meat or scrapings	Adds flavor to the sawmill gravy
Flour	Thickening agent for the sawmill gravy
Milk	Adds liquid and flavor to the sawmill gravy

Egg Gravy

Egg (or rich man’s) gravy is the only one on our list that features the use of eggs as an ingredient. Traditionally, bacon drippings were used before being combined with flour.

From there, a mix of broth and milk is added and the ingredients are brought to a boil and seasoned to taste. Once the desired taste is achieved, the egg is added. Well-beaten, it’s gently added to the gravy while it’s being whisked.

This has the effect of cooking the egg and, when combined with beating the mixture, separates the eggs into tiny slivers or fragments.

Ingredient	Description
Bacon Drippings	Adds flavor to the egg gravy
Flour	Thickening agent for the egg gravy
Broth, Milk	Adds liquid and flavor to the egg gravy
Egg	Gives the unique texture and flavor to the egg gravy

Giblet Gravy

Giblet gravy uses the giblets from certain types of fowl – mostly chickens and turkeys.

While it’s eaten throughout the year, turkey giblet gravy is especially popular around the holidays where, besides the giblets, drippings from the fowl meat are used along with flour, broth and other spices.

Ingredient	Description
Giblets from fowl	Adds flavor to the giblet gravy
Drippings from the fowl meat	Adds flavor to the giblet gravy
Flour	Thickening agent for the giblet gravy
Broth	Adds liquid to the giblet gravy
Spices	Adds flavor to the giblet gravy

Hamburger Gravy

Hamburger gravy is a Midwestern creation that is as easy as it is delicious. Drippings from browned hamburger meat are combined with milk and flour before the addition of bouillon and steak sauce.

It makes a perfect topping for everything from mashed potatoes to pasta.

Ingredient	Description
Drippings from browned hamburger meat	Adds flavor to the hamburger gravy
Milk	Adds liquid and flavor to the hamburger gravy
Flour	Thickening agent for the hamburger gravy
Bouillon, Steak sauce	Adds flavor to the hamburger gravy

Mushroom Gravy

If you love mushrooms as much as I do, then mushroom gravy is something you need to try – and soon! What makes mushroom gravy so delicious is all the ways you can make it.

While beef broth, drippings, and flour are the most common, almost anything goes including balsamic, red wine, olive oil, rosemary and more.

Basically, if it tastes good with mushrooms, it’ll taste even better with mushroom gravy.

Ingredient	Description
Mushrooms	The main ingredient and flavor for the mushroom gravy
Beef broth	Adds liquid and flavor to the mushroom gravy
Drippings	Adds flavor to the mushroom gravy
Flour	Thickening agent for the mushroom gravy
Balsamic, Red Wine, Olive oil, Rosemary	Adds flavor to the mushroom gravy

Red Eye Gravy

Steeped in mystery, the origins of Redeye gravy (or Redeye ham gravy) are not entirely known. One of the most popular yarns about its creation tie it to American patriot and later President, Andrew Jackson.

It’s said that Jackson requested that the cook at his battle encampment prepare him a breakfast of ham and gravy, but to be sure that the red in the gravy matched the redness in the cook’s eyes. Whether that’s true, no one knows, but what is known is that Redeye gravy is beloved in the South to this day.

Made from the ham drippings, they’re added to a frying pan deglazed with coffee. Unlike other types of gravy, it doesn’t make use of a thickening agent like flour.

Ingredient	Description
Ham Drippings	Adds flavor to the Red Eye gravy
Coffee	Deglazes the pan and adds liquid and flavor to the Red Eye gravy

Shrimp Gravy

A staple industry in South Carolina is shrimp harvesting, so it only makes sense that a gravy featuring shrimp would hail from this Southeastern state.

While there are variations in the recipe, the most common uses bacon drippings, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and fresh shrimp.

The mixture produces a silky smooth brown gravy that’s commonly served with another Southern staple, grits.

Ingredient	Description
Fresh Shrimp	The main ingredient and flavor for the shrimp gravy
Bacon Drippings, Worcestershire sauce, Beef Stock	Adds flavor, liquid, and thickness to the shrimp gravy

Vegetable Gravy (Vegetarian Gravy)

For those that don’t eat meat, there’s no reason to miss out on the delicious and soul-warming flavor that only gravy can provide.

Vegetarians are a creative bunch and in order to satisfy their desire to eat gravy without compromising on their principles, they’ve had to get creative.

Most styles of vegetarian gravy make use of a vegetable stock with flour and in place of drippings, butter or oils are used.

Other ingredients typically added to vegetarian gravy are bouillon cubes, cornstarch (for thickening), and yeast extracts like Vegemite to add hints of savory flavor.

Ingredient	Description
Vegetable Stock	Adds liquid and flavor to the vegetable gravy
Flour	Thickens the vegetable gravy
Butter or oils	Replaces the meat drippings in vegetable gravy
Bouillon cubes	Adds flavor to the vegetable gravy
Cornstarch	Thickens the Vegetable gravy
Yeast Extracts (such as Vegemite)	Adds savory flavor to the Vegetable gravy

Chocolate Gravy

Oh yes, it’s hard to find an article anywhere on our website that doesn’t mention chocolate, but I bet you never thought you’d see it in an article about gravy!

While it’s called gravy, I think most of us would see it as a sauce, since it’s not at all savory but sweet and specifically made as a topping for dessert.

Most chocolate gravy recipes use cocoa, sugar, flour, and butter for fat.