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Recipe Index » Recipes » Grandma’s Southern Tomato Gravy

Grandma’s Southern Tomato Gravy

Published by Meaghan on May 20, 2021 | last updated on March 8, 2022.

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Grandma’s southern tomato gravy is a breakfast staple. You’ll love this savory, indulgent gravy spooned over fresh biscuits, cornbread or even grits or rice. 

a wooden spoon shown stirring tomato gravy in a black cast iron skillet

Tomato gravy is a staple in southern homes.

So many of us have fond memories of the smell of bacon grease and tomatoes simmering as our moms or grandmas made fresh biscuits on a weekend morning.

This homestyle dish will take you right back to that if you are one of those people with those memories.

And if not, what are you waiting for?

You need to try this so you can see what all the fuss is about!

What is tomato gravy?

Southern tomato gravy is not sauce.

It’s more like stewed tomatoes, but thicker and with the flavor of bacon running throughout.

Yum!

Southern tomato gravy shown in a black cast iron skillet

Ingredients

To make this southern comfort food, you’ll need:

  • Diced tomatoes– Use the unseasoned canned kind.
  • Flour– To help the gravy thicken.
  • Chicken broth– Some recipes use water but the broth adds extra flavor. No chicken broth? Sub beef broth or even veggie broth.
  • Salt and pepper
  • Bacon grease– You could also use other meat drippings from sausage or even ham.

How to Make

This dish is so simple!

To make it, pour the tomatoes into a medium sized skillet set over medium heat.

Let the tomatoes cook until hot, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour to the broth in a separate bowl, and whisk vigorously until the two are completely incorporated and the mixture’s smooth.

Then, pour in the flour/broth mixture and whisk it until it’s incorporated completely. 

Southern tomato gravy shown in a black cast iron skillet

When the flour and broth mixture is smooth and incorporated, stir in the bacon grease and bring the tomato gravy to a full boil.

Once it’s reached a boil, immediately reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes- or until the gravy’s thickened.

Season with the salt and pepper, taste and adjust if needed.

Serve the gravy hot, ladled over fresh biscuits. Enjoy!

Where do I get bacon grease from? How do I save and store bacon grease?

Anytime I make bacon, I save the grease.

Growing up, my mom and grandma would both save bacon grease in an old metal coffee can and just cover it on the counter.

Nowadays, food safety experts don’t recommend that you store bacon grease on the counter but that you keep it in a jar, covered in the fridge for no more than 3 months.

buttermilk biscuits cut in half and covered with Southern tomato gravy on a small brown plate

Tips and tricks

  • Don’t have bacon grease? Make some bacon to serve it up on the side or use drippings from ham or sausage instead.
  • Make sure you thoroughly whisk the flour/broth mixture into the tomatoes and keep whisking until it is fully incorporated. If you don’t vigorously whisk the grease, it can make your gravy lumpy and you don’t want that!
  • Don’t want to serve it with biscuits? Make it with cornbread, rice or grits.

Other Southern Recipes You’ll Love

Grandma’s southern tomato gravy is the perfect comforting breakfast!

Make it this weekend and let it become your new family favorite!

Looking for other southern recipes?

Try these:

  • Pimento Cheese
  • Instant Pot Sweet Tea
  • Grandma’s Potato Salad
  • Creamed Corn Pudding
  • Homestyle Mac & Cheese
  • Chocolate Church Cake

If you’ve tried GRANDMA’S SOUTHERN TOMATO GRAVY, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

a wooden spoon shown stirring tomato gravy in a black cast iron skillet

Grandma's Southern Tomato Gravy

Grandma's southern tomato gravy is a breakfast staple. You'll love this savory, indulgent gravy spooned over fresh biscuits, cornbread or even grits or rice. 
4.64 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Gravy
Cuisine: American, Southern
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 63kcal
Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2-3 tbsp bacon grease or other meat drippings, such as sausage or ham
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Pour the tomatoes into a medium sized skillet set over medium heat.
  • Let the tomatoes cook until hot, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the flour to the broth, and whisk vigorously until the two are completely incorporated and the mixture's smooth.
  • Pour in the flour/broth mixture, whisking constantly until it's incorporated completely. Don't skip this step! You don't want any lumps or odd bits of mini dumplings in your tomato gravy.
  • Stir in the bacon grease, and bring the tomato gravy to a full boil. Once it's reached a boil, immediately reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes- or until the gravy's thickened.
  • Season with the salt and pepper, taste and adjust if needed.
  • Serve the gravy hot, ladled over fresh biscuits.

Notes

  • Don't have chicken broth? You can sub beef broth, or even vegetable broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 538mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

recipe adapted from Biscuits & Burlap

 

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Hi! I’m Meaghan

Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas. I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot. Read more...

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Comments

  1. Baltisraul says

    October 27, 2021 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    I have also served this over meatloaf and Swiss steak. Taste before serving, a pinch of sugar may be helpful to some.

    Reply
  2. James Murray says

    October 1, 2022 at 8:53 am

    5 stars
    Couldn’t be any better. Taste kike my mother use to make back in the early 50’s.

    Reply
  3. James Murray says

    October 1, 2022 at 8:53 am

    5 stars
    Couldn’t be any better. Taste like my mother use to make back in the early 50’s.

    Reply
  4. chris adams says

    December 25, 2022 at 11:43 am

    4 stars
    thanks for posting, i came here to find a missing family recipe and noticed some differences from how our family has been making it; there was enough here to jog my memory so thanks for that! consider as an alternative method: make 1/2lb bacon crispy, remove bacon and grease from pan, add back about 3tbs grease, sauté half an onion, add 3-4 tbs spoon flour and stir until browned, add cup of water, deglaze pan, add tomatoes, add bacon crumbled, salt and pepper to taste, heat until warm and serve over homemade biscuits.

    Reply

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Welcome to 4 Sons ‘R’ Us

Hi! I’m Meaghan. Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas.

I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot.

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