Chocolate Gravy

in Breakfast, Chocolate, Texas

Chocolate Gravy

Don’t wrinkle your nose. Just hear me out first.

I’ve actually posted this recipe for chocolate gravy before. 5 (5!) years ago, one of the very first posts on a little website that three people knew about (and we were two of them). Way back before I knew that a Point & Shoot camera came with “extra” settings. Before I knew anything about photography. And composition.

For ages, I’ve wanted to update the post, the picture, and share the recipe to an entirely new group of people who’d wrinkle their nose and look at me like I had three eyes and a single caterpillar eyebrow before asking, “Um, so what is that, exactly?” in the same half-scared half-disgusted tone that our friends used at sleepovers growing up.

While I absolutely think of chocolate gravy as a “Texas food,” I know plenty of Texans who’ve never heard of it. My great-grandmother, who came to Texas from Alabama as a baby, grew up eating it and then made it for my grandmother, who cooked it for my mom and all of her grandchildren. It’s a little funny to think that my mom grew up dipping bacon slices in chocolate decades before it was trendy 🙂

But it’s exactly what it sounds like: a lightly sweet, chocolatey sauce with the consistency of gravy. It’s made with flour, sugar, cocoa, and milk. My mom served it along side a scoop of scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon, and a biscuit. No Sunday breakfast was complete without being able to dip our biscuit halves in a small bowl of chocolate gravy.

Chocolate Gravy

Chocolate gravy - a breakfast staple in our family. Perfect for dipping biscuits, bacon, and sausage.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder (not dutch process)
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 pat of butter
  • Biscuits, for dipping

Instructions

  1. Stir the dry ingredients in a 2-qt saucepan and get rid of any cocoa lumps with the back of your spoon.
  2. Add the milk and stir.
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate gravy begins to boil.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.
  5. Serve warm with buttermilk biscuits, scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and bacon.
  6. To reheat, microwave in short intervals, stirring in between. Add a splash of milk, if necessary to get it back to the desired consistency.

Notes

Yields: 6 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 10 minutes

22 comments… add one
  • I love chocolate in anything so I can definitely see how this would work! Great picture too!

  • I remember reading this recipe the first time around 🙂 I wish I could do sweets in the morning but it sort of turns my stomach. I’d definitely love bacon and chocolate gravy at dinner time, though.

  • Holy crap. This is genius!

  • I can’t get behind the sweet bacon trend. I tried, I really did! I thought at first this would be like a mole, but as it’s basically a sweet sauce, I think I’d like to try it for waffles. Or fruit.

  • You don’t have to twist my arm, it sounds awesome!

  • Cookie

    I LOVE chocolate gravy!! I grew up in Texas eating it. It’s definitely a southern thing. 🙂 I now make it for my grandson, who LOVES it, too! Thanks for sharing this fun breakfast for others to try.

    We always ate ours on buttered toast. The toast had to be toasted in the oven with pats of butter on the bread. When the chocolate gravy mixes with the salty buttered toast, it is pure heaven.

  • Julie

    Yes, Cookie – that’s how we do it, but with homemade biscuits! I’m from Alabama and have had this my whole life. I asked for this instead on my birthday instead of cake. We have it for breakfast, sometimes dinner and sometimes on Christmas Eve!

  • Holy cow – this Texan has never heard of chocolate gravy! But I’m definitely intrigued : )

  • I heard of chocolate gravy about 5 years ago from a Texan. I did not however wrinkle my nose, instead I said, “Genius!” I never did get around to trying it though. But this will definitely be making an appearance in my house very soon

  • I mean…mole sauce is one of the most delicious things out there, so I can imagine that this must be fabulous!

  • Girrrl I am forwarding this to everyone who attended my wedding. We had a chocolate fountain and breakfast buffet at our wedding for late night snacking, so many people combined bacon & chocolate. You may now be their hero.

  • I’m a Texan born and raised and had never heard of chocolate gravy until I met my husband. He made it for me in college when he was still trying to win my heart. Ha! His grandmother used to make it for him. I’m not a big gravy person, but I do love chocolate. It’s not my favorite thing, but my husband loves it. His mom will make it for him as a special treat.

  • It’s a Kentucky food too! Although my Mammy (that’s my grandmother) makes her thicker than yours. SOOOO GOOD.

  • I’ve never heard of chocolate gravy but any type of topping made of chocolate sounds good to me!

  • Thanks Shawnda, you put a smile on my face this morning as this reminds me of my Nanny who had a recipe for chocolate gravy too–yum! I love your blog!

  • A breakfast that involves chocolate is always a winner in my book.

  • letty

    Thank you SO much! My husband grew up eating this–his uncle would make him chocolate gravy and biscuits, and would NOT share the recipe with me. I think this is a southern thing, but being from Texas myself, I never heard of it until the conversation came up from my husband. I’m planning to surprise him with this for our anniversary (next weekend) so the timing was perfect!!

  • Linda Bates

    Thank God for chocolate! My grandmother (rest her soul) made this for all 16 of her grandkids. She was from Oklahoma, we love it and still make it, a bit different though without the flour or butter, but still yummy. We all live in Calif. now. I once found chocolate gravy at a Bakers Square buffet for Easter. I was thrilled. Enjoy!!!

    • Amy

      Linda where from in Oklahoma? We lived in Oklahoma too but now in Texas. Two of my aunts are Bates. Just wondering if there’s a connection?

  • Amy

    My grandmother use to make chocolate gravy too. But we ate it on pancakes! Now my mom makes it for my kids. I love that the tradition goes on. It’s a great memory!

  • Linda

    My mother used to make this for us as a treat when she needed a quick dessert. We called it “junk”. We used to spread it on plain old white bread. The rest would go in the fridge overnight and was fudge for after school. My sister and I loved that stuff…..still do

  • Liz

    I’m from Arkansas, but live in Florida and my mom makes this for us every time we go home. It’s the best breakfast ever! It’s definitely a “try it” recipe!

Leave a Comment