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In most mountain kitchens, from the Ozarks across to the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee, chocolate gravy needs no introduction. Everywhere else it sounds made up. People hear the name and picture chocolate sauce on a dinner plate, and then they taste it on a hot buttered biscuit and go quiet. It is warm, thick, not too sweet, and it eats like breakfast.
It was a poor kitchen’s treat. When the pantry held flour, sugar, a tin of cocoa and a jug of milk and not much else, a cook could still put something special on the table on a Saturday morning, and the children at that table thought they were rich. The method is the method for any milk gravy: a little flour to thicken, milk whisked in slowly, steady stirring over medium heat until it coats the spoon.
This page gives the gravy written out properly, with a simple buttermilk biscuit made with butter for the mornings when there is time. When there is not, canned biscuits are fine. The one rule that cannot be skipped: whisk the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt together dry, in the pan, before any milk goes in. That is how you get no lumps.
Why this chocolate gravy works
- Dry ingredients whisked first. Cocoa and flour clump the moment they meet liquid. Whisked with the sugar while still dry, every grain is separated and the milk blends in smooth.
- Milk added slowly. The first splash makes a thick paste, and the rest of the milk thins it a little at a time, which leaves lumps nowhere to hide.
- Medium heat, constant stirring. Milk and sugar scorch fast. Seven to ten patient minutes give a glossy gravy with no burnt taste.
- Butter and vanilla off the heat. The butter gives the shine, and the vanilla keeps its flavor, which would cook away earlier.
Ingredients
Makes about 2 cups of gravy and 8 biscuits, enough for 4 people at breakfast. US cups with grams in brackets.
For the buttermilk biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g), plus more for the counter
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (85g), cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk (180ml), plus 1 or 2 tablespoons if needed
For the chocolate gravy
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25g)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25g)
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk (480ml)
- 2 tablespoons butter (28g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Extra butter for the split biscuits
Use plain unsweetened cocoa powder, not hot cocoa mix. If you are using canned biscuits, bake them by the package and start at the gravy steps.
How to make chocolate gravy
The biscuits
- Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter cubes with your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Add another tablespoon of buttermilk only if dry flour remains in the bowl.
- On a floured counter, pat the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick, fold it in half and pat it out again. Do this 3 times, then cut 8 biscuits with a 2 1/2 inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting.
- Set the biscuits in a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet with their sides touching. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until tall and golden brown.
The chocolate gravy
- While the biscuits bake, put the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt in a cold 10-inch skillet or a medium saucepan. Whisk them together dry for a full 30 seconds, until the color is even and no lumps of cocoa remain.
- Pour in about 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk to a smooth, thick paste. Add the rest of the milk slowly, whisking the whole time.
- Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and corners, for 7 to 10 minutes. The gravy is ready when it bubbles gently and coats the back of a spoon the way gravy should.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter and the vanilla until the gravy turns glossy.
- Split the hot biscuits, put a pat of butter on each half and ladle the warm chocolate gravy over the top. Serve at once.
Tips that make the difference
- Take the gravy off the heat a little thinner than you want it. It thickens as it sits.
- If it goes too thick, a splash of milk whisked in over low heat brings it straight back.
- Use a flat whisk or a square-edged wooden spoon to reach the corners of the pan, where the gravy catches first.
- Keep the biscuit butter cold right up to the moment it goes into the flour. Cold butter is what makes the layers rise.
Variations
- Richer gravy. Replace 1/2 cup of the milk with evaporated milk for a creamier, slightly caramel flavor.
- Less sweet. Drop the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g) for a darker gravy closer to hot cocoa.
- A pinch of cinnamon. Whisk 1/4 teaspoon in with the dry ingredients for a cold morning.
- Beyond biscuits. The same gravy is very good over pancakes, toast, pound cake slices or sliced bananas.
Storage and make-ahead
Leftover gravy keeps in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It sets almost as firm as pudding when cold, which is normal.
Reheat it in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk, whisking until smooth and pourable again.
Biscuits are best the day they are baked. Keep extras in a bag for 2 days and warm them in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Frequently asked questions
What does chocolate gravy taste like?
Like warm, thick hot cocoa with the texture of a smooth milk gravy. It is less sweet than chocolate sauce and lighter than pudding, which is why it works on a salted, buttered biscuit.
Why is my chocolate gravy lumpy?
The milk met the cocoa and flour before they were mixed with the sugar. Always whisk the dry ingredients together in the pan first. If lumps do appear, pour the finished gravy through a sieve.
Is chocolate gravy the same as chocolate pudding?
No. Pudding is thickened with cornstarch or eggs and sets firm. Chocolate gravy is thickened with a little flour, like any gravy, and is served hot and pourable.
Can I make it without a skillet?
Yes. A heavy medium saucepan works just as well and is a little easier to whisk in.
If you grew up on it, you were smiling before you got to the ingredient list. If you did not, make it once on a Saturday morning and watch the table go quiet.
Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits (Old Appalachian Breakfast)
Old-fashioned chocolate gravy made in a skillet with cocoa, sugar, flour and milk, ladled over hot buttermilk biscuits made with butter. The dry-whisk rule that prevents lumps, with cups and grams.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g), plus more for the counter
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (85g), cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk (180ml), plus 1 or 2 tablespoons if needed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- A pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Extra butter for the split biscuits
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter cubes with your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Add another tablespoon of buttermilk only if dry flour remains in the bowl.
- On a floured counter, pat the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick, fold it in half and pat it out again. Do this 3 times, then cut 8 biscuits with a 2 1/2 inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting.
- Set the biscuits in a cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet with their sides touching. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until tall and golden brown.
- While the biscuits bake, put the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt in a cold 10-inch skillet or a medium saucepan. Whisk them together dry for a full 30 seconds, until the color is even and no lumps of cocoa remain.
- Pour in about 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk to a smooth, thick paste. Add the rest of the milk slowly, whisking the whole time.
- Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and corners, for 7 to 10 minutes. The gravy is ready when it bubbles gently and coats the back of a spoon the way gravy should.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter and the vanilla until the gravy turns glossy.
- Split the hot biscuits, put a pat of butter on each half and ladle the warm chocolate gravy over the top. Serve at once.
