Chocolate Gravy Recipe
A classic Southern stovetop gravy made with cocoa, flour, and milk, cooked until glossy and thickened, then finished with butter and vanilla for warm biscuits.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan, then whisk until the dry mixture is evenly blended. Add the milk gradually while whisking until the mixture looks smooth and no dry flour remains around the pan edges.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, whisking continuously and scraping across the bottom and into the corners of the saucepan. The gravy will move from thin and foamy to darker, thicker, and glossy, with large slow bubbles beginning to break at the surface.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until the butter melts completely. The finished gravy should coat the back of a spoon and offer gentle resistance as the whisk moves through it.
Notes
Texture tip: Whisk the cocoa, flour, sugar, and salt together until evenly blended before adding milk to prevent stubborn dry flour pockets from forming in the hot pan.
Heat control: Whisk continuously over medium heat and scrape the corners of the saucepan. Pull the pan from the heat as soon as large, slow bubbles break the surface to avoid scorching the milk.
Storage and reheating: Store chilled leftovers in a covered airtight container. Reheat slowly over low heat on the stovetop or in brief microwave bursts, whisking in a small splash of milk to restore a pourable consistency.
Nutrition information is an estimate based on common ingredients and serving sizes. Values may vary depending on brands, portions, and substitutions.