Chocolate Gravy Recipe

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Using pantry staples, this Southern-style chocolate gravy recipe is so quick and easy to make and tastes absolutely incredible served with homemade biscuits.

pouring chocolate gravy on biscuits.


Does a chocolate gravy recipe sound a bit odd to you?  Well, for me, a professed chocolate lover, nothing with chocolate is ever ruled out but I was intrigued as to what this recipe would taste like when I whipped it up. For me, this sweet gravy is perfect: not too rich, but has that silky smooth chocolate flavor I adore.

Chocolate gravy’s roots are in the South for sure. Anywhere from Louisiana to Tennessee has claimed its origin even dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Anything that lasted that long just has to be good!

A Little History About the Chocolate Gravy Recipe

In days of old, with flour in abundance and other resources scarce, biscuits made a great breakfast and filling snack any time of day. Sweets were not a regular occurrence, so waking up in the morning to find fresh buttermilk biscuits and a boat of chocolate gravy was a wondrous treat. It was poured over the buttered flaky biscuits, then the tender bread soaks it up and as I found out when I tried it – you are then on your way to heaven no matter what the day has in store for you.

Here is the old-fashioned chocolate gravy recipe I used. Don’t try this unless you want the flavor to linger in your mind for the rest of your life. It was purely divine. Also, scroll down to find some suggestions about what else you can do with this special biscuit and chocolate gravy recipe.

chocolate gravy ingredients

Recipe Ingredients

  • Sugar
  • Flour
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Milk
  • Butter

Add sugar, flour, and cocoa to saucepan.

Put the dry ingredients (the sugar, flour, and cocoa) in a heavy saucepan.

add milk to saucepan.

Add the milk.

stir ingredients together in saucepan.

Whisk together well.

Constantly stir gravy and bring to a boil.

It will be a little lumpy but those will cook up so don’t worry. Just keep stirring. We want to stir this constantly, over medium heat. The goal is to bring it slowly to a boil.

We need to be careful though because if you stop stirring it the milk will scorch rather easily.

Add butter to saucepan.

When it comes to a low boil, turn the heat off and continue stirring for a minute or two. This will thicken up rather suddenly to the consistency of a thin gravy.

Add butter and stir well.

chocolate gravy bowl

Pour your chocolate gravy into a gravy boat and then get ready to pour it over your warm biscuits. 

If you’re looking for a homemade biscuit recipe, here it is!

I hope you can smell this. If not, get into your kitchen and make up some quick!

Chocolate gravy is super easy, but such an indulgent taste! Scroll down to see what you can do with this delightful dessert.

Storage

Store chocolate gravy leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just reheat in the microwave before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • Use whichever cocoa powder you prefer in this gravy recipe. I like the natural unsweetened cocoa powder but if you like Dutch-process cocoa powder, go for it!
  • For more flavor, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt at the end, just before serving.

Recipe FAQs

What else can you do with this chocolate gravy recipe?

Well, I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture of this but add some custard filling in the biscuit or some vanilla ice cream for a chocolate gravy eclair or ice cream sandwich. YUM!  You could also serve it over buttermilk pancakes, vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries, or a slice of pound cake. The possibilities are endless with this beautiful creamy chocolate sauce aka gravy.

You may also like these other delicious dessert recipes:

Mama’s Custard Sauce

Grandma Pear’s Flaky Chocolate Icing

Chocolate Cobbler Recipe Food Allergy Options

Chocolate Depression Cake No Milk or Eggs!

chocolate gravy bowl

Chocolate Gravy

Using pantry staples, this Southern-style chocolate gravy recipe is so quick and easy to make and tastes absolutely incredible served with homemade biscuits.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate
Servings: 4
Calories: 91kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  • Combine everything except the butter in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
    1 cup white sugar, 2 T flour, 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/4 cups milk
  • Once boiling, cut the heat down and stir for a minute more (it will get pretty thick rather suddenly). Take off the heat and stir in the butter.
    1 tablespoon butter
  • To serve, pour over homemade biscuits. I tear my hot biscuit up in a bowl first and then pour it over.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

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167 Comments

  1. Oh yes, I love Chocolate Gravy. My mother got her recipe from a school mate in Tennessee. My brother and sister and I loved it and all the grandkids except perhaps one love it. And now the great grandchildren love it too. Before my mother passed away my sister measured all my mother put inthe bown or pan when she made this dish and we all got our own copy of our beloved chocolate gravy. The gravy part always throws people when they hear it but it is a slightly sweet and rich chocolate sauce that is put over biscuits in the morning and eaten with a spoon. We usually broke up our biscuits and put it over the pieces. One thing for sure, it took several biscuits per person. One package of biscuits for 4 is not enough. Mom, of course, made her biscuits from scratch and that was even better. Wish my sister had measured the biscuit recipe as well. I do know others who have a simialr recipe and some include vanilla but it isn’t the same and it is better with just butter on top of it. Oh delicious and I wish I had some now. You will remember it if you try it. I don’t know why I don’t make it more ofen as it is really easy. But it is one of those special things. When I go to my daughter’s and son’s homes, we sometimes have it there. My son told me he was in bed and heard the kids downstairs getting out cereals and milk and the youngest was sent up to see if they wanted them to bring them cereal in bed and he told them if they would wait just a little bit he would get up and make chocolate gravy if they would rather have that. She ran downstairs and they heard all the cupboards opening and closing again and the refrigerator being opened and closed as they wee sure waiting for Dad to fix chocolate gravy. Some of the spouses don’t like it like we do, but we have that southern heritage and a love for chocolate.

  2. My Dad’s family always made chocolate gravy and he taught my Mom, now it is a favorite with our family. We make it for a group using 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa and 3/4 cup flour, pinch of salt and about 3/4 of a medium size sauce pan. We have never measured the milk. After it boils and starts to thicken remove from heat and add a cap of vanilla or like me who doesn’t measure it, a dash of vanilla. serve over hot buttered biscuits. If you put the butter on your biscuits, then the gravy it is so good. My mom even added a touch of cinnamon once but we didn’t like that. It is great with your sausage and bacon dipped in it also. You can increase or decrease the dry ingredients depending on the size of your group, adjust milk accordingly. I get texts from family members needing me to send them the recipe as the nieces and nephews grow up.

  3. When I vist my mom I still tell her this is what I want for breakfast… I like to have both the chocolate and milk gravy for the sweet and salty combo…. I always ask my mom how to make it but she said “There is not a receipe and is just some of this and some of that!” Now I have a receipe!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!

  4. Christy, I see that you use All Purpose Flour alot. Can you use self rising flour for your recipes, thinking of the Chocolate Gravy of course.

  5. I have NEVER heard of such a thing! Where has it been all of my life? I’m sure it’s quite yummy. Can’t wait to try it. You can eliminate those little lumps, if they bother you, by mixing the cocoa into the sugar before adding the milk. I do the same thing when making fudge. it comes out smoother, I think. Thanks for such a great website. I wish my grandmother and momma were still alive to see it!

  6. We always called it Cocoa Syrup, but holy cow! No matter what you call that concoction, it IS heavenly. Mama, where are ya? I need to slap ya!

  7. How long does chocolate gravy last in the fridge? I made it Sunday for my boyfriend and there was too much for just the two of us. Any other things you can do with it or put it on?

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