This 5-Minute Southern Chocolate Gravy Recipe Has Been Passed Down for Generations

Until recently, my experience with gravy has been exclusively with the brown savory variety, the type served alongside mashed potatoes or turkey. Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned about chocolate gravy. It made me question everything I knew about gravy, so of course I set out to try it myself. I was baffled by the results—how could something so simple (you can make it in just five minutes!) be so delicious? 

But First, What Is Chocolate Gravy?

Unless you grew up in the Southern United States, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of chocolate gravy. It’s an uncomplicated dessert recipe that comes together quickly and it starts with mixing sugar, flour, and cocoa powder together in a saucepan. Once that’s combined, you add milk and an egg, then set the mixture over medium heat and cook until it’s thick. The final step is adding some vanilla extract and a bit of butter. The warm, creamy, pudding-like gravy is often served over biscuits, but can also be enjoyed alongside pound cake or as a topping for pancakes or French toast. 

My Impression of Chocolate Gravy

"This was my great-grandmother's recipe handed down from generation to generation," says LBALL, the Allrecipes community member who submitted this chocolate gravy recipe. "This was always served on special occasions. It was one thing us kids looked forward to when visiting grandma's house."

I immediately had a good feeling about the gravy once I started making it. I liked that it was a dessert that could be made so quickly and with ingredients already stocked in my kitchen. And as it thickened on the stove, I began to dream about how it was going to taste on the biscuits I had in the oven. I didn’t have to wait long, because after just a few more minutes, it was ready. I split open a biscuit, covered it with gravy and some quartered strawberries and I was impressed with the results. The warm biscuit paired with the cozy chocolate gravy felt decadent, but not excessive. The gravy was smooth and rich and tasted like warm chocolate pudding, but was also reminiscent of chocolate frosting. It was as easy to eat as it was to make and I’d definitely make it again. 

Tips for Making Chocolate Gravy

When I make this again, I’ll make these adjustments:

• Stay by the stove. Once the gravy gets warm, it’ll start to thicken up fast, so stay near the stove and stir the mixture constantly. I used a flat whisk, which helped with scraping both the bottom and sides of the saucepan.
• Save it by straining. If your gravy clumps, don’t worry, you can just pass it through a sieve to remove any large pieces.
• Add some salt. To bring out the chocolate flavor, add a ¼ kosher salt to the gravy when you add the vanilla and butter.
• Store leftovers. You can save the gravy by transferring to a resealable container and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on top before covering with a lid and refrigerating. This helps prevent a layer of “skin” from forming on the top, which is edible, but doesn’t have the most favorable texture.

Get the recipe: Chocolate Gravy