Chocolate Gravy Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated March 14, 2025
20130108-236245-chocolate-gravy.jpg
Photographs: Joshua Bousel

After experiencing chocolate gravy for the first time while in Alabama, I've exalted its greatness to all who will listen. It's probably the words "chocolate" and "gravy" combined, but my New York friends oddly seem to react to this with more confusion and disgust than smiles.

So, I'm on a mission to change the tides and make this something everyone knows and rightfully loves.

This "gravy" is really more akin to a warm, slightly thin chocolate pudding. To get that super fine, thick texture, the gravy doesn't start off with a roux—instead, it gets whisked together with sugar, cocoa, flour, and milk that's simmered until thickened. Then right at the end, a few pats of butter and vanilla are added for extra richness.

The resulting sauce is a decadently sweet and creamy gravy. It reminded me of those youthful years when everything on the morning table had to be sugar loaded.

Recipe Details

Chocolate Gravy Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 10 mins
Total 15 mins
Makes 2 cups
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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup white sugar

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder

  • 1/4 cup flour

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 4 tablespoons butter, sliced into 1 tablespoon pieces

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Whisk together sugar, cocoa, and flour in a medium saucepan until completely smooth.

  2. Place saucepan over medium heat and whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until gravy is thickened to a consistency a little thinner than pudding, about 3 minutes, whisking frequently.

  3. Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1513 Calories
65g Fat
213g Carbs
24g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 1513
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 65g 83%
Saturated Fat 38g 192%
Cholesterol 171mg 57%
Sodium 892mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 213g 78%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 175g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 572mg 44%
Iron 11mg 62%
Potassium 697mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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