This keto sausage gravy recipe is simply amazing. Why? Because it tastes better than a traditional sausage gravy recipe and is custom built for people who are on the low carb diet or keto diet. Each serving has just 2.5g net carbs… and is packed full of flavor! If you love this traditionally southern dish, let’s walk through how to make it in your own kitchen.
This recipe is: Low Carb, Keto and Gluten Free
Table of Contents
9 Reasons to love this Keto Sausage Gravy recipe
- A keto sausage gravy that tastes better than the traditional recipe
- Easy to make and even easier to enjoy!
- The perfect breakfast or brunch recipe in the colder months
- It is an absolute comfort food for so many people, including me!
- Thick, creamy, and delicious: it has the perfect consistency
- It is great for meal prep as it stores and freezes well.
- A completely low carb sausage gravy recipe
- This is the definition of a “stick to your ribs” recipe
- It smells amazing while it is cooking!
Is this Keto Breakfast Gravy low carb?
A traditional southern sausage gravy or country gravy recipe uses flour for thickening and the bulk breakfast sausage typically has added sugars, all increasing the overall carb load to 11-12g net carbs per serving.
This recipe for keto sausage gravy is true to it’s name, using all low carb ingredients like sugar-free breakfast sausage, cream, stock and butter. The carb load is just 2.5g net carbs per serving! This is perfect for anyone on the low carb diet or the ketogenic diet.
Keto Sausage Gravy Ingredient List
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage, no sugar added
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup beef stock, low sodium or homemade
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1.5 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon sage, ground
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, ground
¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Ingredient Substitutions
- Breakfast sausage: you could try my Sage Sausage or Sweet Fennel Sausage recipes as a stand-in for purchasing bulk sausage at the store.
- Beef stock: using chicken stock or broth is fine for this recipe, it will just be slightly less-rich tasting.
- Arrowroot powder: using xanthan gum works. Start by adding in ½ teaspoon and moving up from there. It is a very powerful thickening agent.
- Garlic powder: using granulated garlic works just fine in a 1:1 ratio.
- Ground sage: use dried sage or omit from the recipe.
- Balsamic vinegar: this is used as an acidic component to brighten the flavors. Substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice, lime juice or apple cider vinegar.
Additional Ingredients
- Heat: adding in ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes will add a nice kick to this keto breakfast gravy. Use sparingly if you are averse to spice!
- Smoke: I like a bit of smokey flavor in my low carb breakfast gravy, so sometimes I add in ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika or even some ground chipotle.
- Freshness: adding a fresh herb garnish always elevates the flavor of the low carb sausage gravy. My favorites are chopped green onion or chives.
- Cheese: For me, sausage gravy needs to be topped with shredded cheddar cheese. I like the additional flavor it adds, and it reminds me of my childhood, which makes this a must-have additional ingredient.
- Mustard: Adding ¼ to ½ teaspoons of Dijon mustard adds a tangy flavor that only this type of mustard has. This can be added in addition to the vinegar or as a complete substitution.
NOTE: These ingredients are not part of the original recipe- use them to enhance or customize the recipe to your liking.
Cooking Tools
To make this keto sausage gravy recipe, you will need the following cooking tools (these are either exactly what I use or very similar!):
How to make Low Carb Sausage Gravy: The Complete Cooking Guide
Making keto sausage gravy in your kitchen is a very straightforward process when broken down into these easy steps. Let’s walk through them all together.
Cooking Method:
- Sautee
Preparation Steps:
- Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until warm.
- While the skillet heats, chop the onion and set it aside. Make sure all ingredients are measured and ready to go.
Cooking Steps
- Once the skillet is hot, add the breakfast sausage along with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to break it apart. Continue cooking and breaking it up for about 5-7 minutes; it doesn't need to be fully cooked at this stage.
- Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the sausage is fully cooked.
- Incorporate the butter, allowing it to melt and mix thoroughly with the sausage and onions. Next, sprinkle the arrowroot powder over the mixture and stir to combine well. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually pour in half of the stock while stirring continuously, ensuring the heat remains high enough to activate the arrowroot powder. As the mixture thickens, add the remaining stock and bring it to a simmer.
- Stir in the heavy cream and keep stirring until the gravy starts to thicken.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Lower the heat to a simmer.
- Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning as needed, letting it simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot over your keto biscuits or keto English muffins.
Step 1: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the breakfast sausage along with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Use a wooden spatula or spoon to break apart the sausage. Cook for about 5–7 minutes until partially browned.
Step 3: Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté for 3–4 minutes until the onion is translucent and the sausage is fully cooked.
Step 1: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the breakfast sausage along with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Use a wooden spatula or spoon to break apart the sausage. Cook for about 5–7 minutes until partially browned.
Step 3: Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté for 3–4 minutes until the onion is translucent and the sausage is fully cooked.
Step 4: Incorporate the butter, allowing it to melt completely and mix with the sausage and onions.
Step 5: Sprinkle arrowroot powder evenly over the mixture and stir well. Let it cook for 1–2 minutes to remove any raw flavor.
Step 6: Gradually add half the chicken stock while stirring continuously to activate the thickening agent. Once it begins to thicken, add the remaining stock and bring to a simmer.
Step 7: Pour in the heavy cream and stir thoroughly, allowing the gravy to thicken further.
Step 8: Add any remaining spices or seasoning, ensuring the mixture is fully incorporated.
Step 9: Simmer the gravy for 5–10 minutes until it reaches your desired thickness. Adjust seasoning as needed before serving.
💡 My Pro Tip
When it comes to making any type of sausage into crumbled sausage, the key is to really break up the sausage while it is cooking. I like to use a wooden spatula or a bamboo spatula to help because that blade is thin and has enough structure to continuously break up the sausage. If you are using a plastic or silicone spatula, I find that it bends too much leading to a bit of sausage-crumbling fatigue.
As the sausage browns, just find the larger lumps and stab at it with the wooden spatula. Within minutes, you will have a really nice, crumbled sausage that has just the right texture for sausage gravy.
⏲️ Time-Saving Tips
- Cook the sausage ahead of time. You can easily brown and crumble the sausage up to five days ahead of time. Once it is cooked, cool it to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the low carb sausage gravy.
- Make the entire recipe ahead of time. Yes, this recipe reheats incredibly well. This allows for it to be made ahead of time and simply reheated. Once you have made the sausage gravy, allow it to cool to room temperature and store it in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat according to the reheating instructions below.
- Double the batch. I find that if I am going to go to the trouble of browning the pork sausage and crumbling it, that I am going to make a double batch of the sausage gravy recipe. It freezes very well, particularly if you portion it into single serving sizes. I ladle 1 cup of the sausage gravy into individual plastic bags once it has cooled to room temperature. I then freeze the individual servings for up to six months. Doubling the batch allows me to enjoy the recipe today with my family and again in the future whenever I have a craving for this delicious easy keto sausage gravy.
What to serve with Keto Sausage Gravy:
Each of these recipes pairs well with the sausage gravy:
- Keto Biscuits: There’s nothing more satisfying than keto sausage gravy and biscuits. I’ve perfected the fluffy keto biscuits recipe, and it is better than you’d ever expect.
- Keto Coffee: If you’re looking to get your daily fat content macro covered, serve some keto coffee with this low carb sausage gravy.
- Broccoli with Scrambled Eggs: Surprisingly, broccoli and scrambled eggs smothered in sausage gravy is absolutely delicious. Give it a try!
- Bacon Cheese Frittata: If you make this yummy bacon egg frittata and then ladle on some of the sausage gravy, you’re in for a really filling and delicious breakfast treat.
Storage and Reheating
Although it doesn’t happen very often, sometimes we do have some leftover sausage gravy after I make a batch. Let’s take a look at how to store leftover sausage gravy, reheat it and freeze it for future breakfasts.
Storing Leftover Sausage Gravy
- First, be sure to allow the low carb sausage gravy to cool to room temperature, then toss it into an appropriately sized airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Since this is a cream-based recipe, anything after a week should be tossed out.
Reheating Tips:
- To reheat this recipe, I always use a non-stick skillet. Place the leftover sausage gravy into the skillet over medium-low heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until heated through. You could also microwave this recipe on medium heat until warmed through.
Freezing Tips:
- Allow the sausage mixture to cool to room temperature. You could either store it in bulk in a freezer safe container or portion into individual zip-top bags (see the Time Saving Tips for more information). Freeze and use within six to nine months. To defrost, simply place the frozen container in the refrigerator overnight until it is thawed. Follow the reheating instructions.
Recipe Conclusion
Growing up, I looked forward to the weekends for one reason only: breakfast at the local diner. Every Saturday morning we went to get breakfast at our local greasy spoon, and my order every weekend was sausage gravy over fluffy biscuits. It’s comfort food personified for me.
After adopting the low carb diet in 2017, I thought that biscuits and gravy was a thing of the past. Well, over the years I started wanting some of my old favorites, so I developed a really tasty keto biscuits recipe. Once I had that perfected, it was time to move on to make a low carb sausage gravy recipe from scratch… turns out that it is keto-friendly as well.
I’ve been making this keto biscuit and gravy recipe for a few years now and decided that it is time to share it with the world. I hope that you like it as much as I do and that it either elicits wonderful memories or you create some new ones.
Please write in the comments any questions or suggestions you may have. You can also find us on Facebook or Instagram.
Other Keto Breakfast Recipes to Try:
If you’re looking for some amazing keto breakfast recipes, here are a few to try:
- Keto Cream Cheese Pancakes: Unlike other cream cheese pancake recipes, this one actually tastes like real pancakes… thanks to a secret ingredient!
- Keto Zucchini Egg Bake: Light, fluffy and delicious egg bake that is perfect for breakfast, brunch or as a cold appetizer idea.
- Keto Crepes Recipe: Super thin and delightfully tender crepes recipe that has all the flavor of the traditional recipe without the carbs.
- Keto Waffles Recipe: True restaurant quality waffles… crunchy outside and tender inside with a hint of baking spices. Your whole family will love this recipe.
- Keto Broccoli Cheddar Frittata: Just like a quiche but without the hassle of making a crust. The classic flavors of broccoli and cheddar marry perfectly with the eggs, making this a solid non-traditional breakfast option.
FAQs
Arrowroot can thicken sausage gravy without flour. After the sausage is cooked through, add the arrowroot powder and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the stock, cream, and other liquids. The sausage gravy will thicken nicely.
No. Almond flour does not have any binding agents. For a low-carb thickener, you can use guar gum, xanthan gum or a little arrowroot powder.
Traditional sausage gravy made with flour is high in carbs, with approximately 12g net carbs per ½ cup serving. Keto sausage gravy, made with low carb ingredients, is not high in carbs with just 2.5g net carbs per serving.
Delicious Keto Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage no sugar added
- 1 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup beef stock low sodium or homemade
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream full fat
- 1.5 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sage ground
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
- ¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Place your large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and let it warm.
- While it is warming, chop the onion and set aside. Be sure to have all the ingredients measured and ready.
Cooking Steps
- Once the skillet is hot, add in the breakfast sausage, salt and pepper. Break it up with the wooden spatula or spoon. Continue cooking and breaking up the sausage for 5-7 minutes. It will not be cooked through yet, but that is not a problem.
- Add in the the chopped onion. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes or until the onion has turned translucent and the sausage is cooked through.
- Add in the butter and let it melt, ensuring it is mixed well with the sausage an onions. Now, sprinkle the arrowroot powder over the mixture and stir well to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in ½ of the stock while stirring continuously. Be sure that the heat stays high enough to activate the arrowroot powder. As it thickens, pour in the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Add in the heavy cream and stir continuously until it starts to thicken.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well. Turn down the heat to low.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, letting the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- Remove from the heat and serve hot over your keto biscuits or keto English muffins.
Notes
Nutrition
“This website provides approximate nutrition data and information for convenience and as a courtesy only.”
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2 Responses
I just wanted to let you know that my wife found this website and has been trying many recipes. She asked me to look for one that I want to eat and this is it.
Thanks
Marvin
Hi Marvin:
Thanks for writing! I think that you and I are a lot alike... this might be my favorite recipe on the entire blog. I just love it.
Let me know what you think when you make it-
Thanks- Scott