The Best Old Fashioned Southern Tomato Gravy Recipe is a ridiculously good sauce for all kinds of wonderful southern recipe s. It’s so creamy, tasty, smooth and it smells heavenly! It’s basically impossible not to like it.
Southern Tomato Gravy
No, I did not grow up eating homemade tomato gravy. I sure wish that I had though. It is an extremely addicting forever favorite of most southern homes. I dare you to tell me otherwise after the first time you’ve tried it.
This awesome southern comfort food is a breakfast staple but can be used on
- homemade biscuits,
- steaks,
- pork chops,
- Country Ham
- eggs,
- asparagus
- a piece of rubber.
Seriously, Tomato Gravy is that good! and is southern food of the best kind!
I showed you how to make my famous Sausage Gravy some time ago and it’s time for another gravy recipe. Now we also have Sawmill Gravy! Yum!
Why This Recipe Works
- You can use canned tomatoes and therefore, it’s good all year long.
- If you have fresh tomatoes, that works too.
- Its simple and comes together in minutes.
Here's What You'll Need
- Oil - Butter and Bacon Fat (from pan drippings)
- Tomato - Canned Diced Tomatoes
- Spices - salt, pepper, garlic, brown sugar,
- Dairy - Parmesan Cheese and Heavy Cream
Here's How It's Done
Where Did Tomato Gravy Come From
Since I first posted this recipe back in 2015, many readers have written in to tell me that their relatives made this recipe because of an overabundance of summer tomatoes that needed to be used.
Makes sense to me!
I’ve also read that tomato gravy dates back to the early 1800’s and was made with tomato sauce or tomato juice, chicken broth, a little all purpose flour, black pepper and heated over medium heat and then served over hot biscuits.
How Do You Use Tomato Gravy
Tomato gravy is good on EVERYTHING!
I have tried Tomato Gravy as a sauce for a steak, to go with green beans, over creamy grits, accompanying asparagus, on top of eggs and simply slathered on a good old fashioned Buttermilk Biscuit!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Is Tomato Gravy and Red Gravy the Same Thing
Nope, tomato gravy is made from tomatoes and red gravy is also called red eye gravy and is made from coffee. They are completely different.
How Can I Change Up Tomato Gravy
Tomato gravy works perfectly with…
- Bacon crumbled up in it.
- Served over rice.
- A little extra milk added for more creaminess
- Make it using Rotel tomatoes for extra spice
- Leave off the onions if you want
- Serve over pasta!
- Yummy over shrimp and grits!
- Eat with chicken or sausage!
- How about a meatball?
- Serve with fried chicken
- Serve over homemade buttermilk biscuits
Can I Freeze Tomato Gravy?
Leftover Tomato gravy can be frozen, but the when you thaw it the consistency is quite different and is unappetizing so I don’t recommend it.
Much better to take a few minutes and make some fresh.
How Long is Tomato Gravy Good For
Tomato gravy can stay out on the counter for about 2 hours.
The cooled gravy needs to be wrappped up tightly or place in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It will be good for reheating for about 5 days.
How Can I Reheat My Tomato Gravy
Just pour it into a saucepan or a frying pan, add a little milk, cream, stock or water and gently stir and heat until it is heated through.
How Can I Thicken Tomato Gravy
You thicken your tomato gravy just like you would thicken any gravy.
In a separate cup whisk together 1 Tbs corn starch with 1 Tbs cold water. It will begin to look like milk.
Add this to your hot gravy and stir and then wait for 2 minutes because it takes a minute for the thickener to develop. Repeat until your gravy is as thick as you like.
You can also add a few tablespoons of flour to the mix and let it cook down and thicken.
How Do I Make Restaurant Quality Tomato Gravy
The secret to tomato gravy that is just like a fancy restaurant is during step three, stop before adding the cheese and final butter and press through a small kitchen sieve (or even through a slotted spoon) to remove the bits of tomato, shallot and garlic that remain and THEN add the butter and parmesan.
However, I LIKE little chunks of tomato, shallot and garlic.
I mean I REALLY LIKE those. Besides, it seems a waste to throw those out when they taste so good. So, I left them in. In your kitchen, you be the boss. Try it both ways and see what you think.
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe for Southern Tomato gravy is pretty loose, for example, you can sub out ½ an saute onion for the shallot. You could use another type of diced tomato from plain to another flavored one.
- Be careful taste testing because it is EASY to burn your tongue. Ask me how I know. 🙂
- When you add salt and taste, make sure to stir the gravy and cook for a little bit to allow the salt time to melt.
- You'll want to make this recipe is a large skillet just not a cast iron skillet because the acidity of the tomatoes can take the seasoning off the skillet.
- You can substitute olive oil for vegetable oil or butter.
- Thin with a little water or chicken stock if needed.
- If you need more sauce but don't need to double the recipe, simply add a little tomato paste and heat over medium-high heat.
- Thicken with cornstarch or a flour mixture.
- The fire roasted diced tomatoes ads a smoky flavor
- Enjoy some garlic powder to give some extra flavor
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Can Ya'll Help Me Out?
Please leave me a 5 star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 comment below in the comment section, all right? I would LOVE to know if you made this recipe or even if you are planning to! Of course, head on over to Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram and tag me with some photos of your creation!
I LOVE to hear from you and will respond to any comment left as soon as humanly possible!
I can't wait!
Ya'll know I love your comments!! ❤
Southern Tomato Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs sweet cream unsalted butter divided
- 1 tbs bacon grease
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt divided
- 1 Tbs all purpose flour
- 1 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with garlic
- ¼ Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup grated fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a stainless steel frying pan melt 1 Tbs butter on the stove top over medium heat and add the 1 Tbs bacon grease. When melted add the shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant and starting to brown (about 3 minutes or so).
- Add ½ teaspoon salt to the frying pan. Add 1 Tbs flour to the pan and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes (this allows the raw flour taste to cook out of the flour).
- Add the can of tomatoes all at once with the water from the can. Use a potato masher and smash and crush the tomatoes some until the sauce is the desired "lumpiness" that you will like. Stir and heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the cream. Add brown sugar and return to bubble. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the burner and add the other tbs of butter as well as the grated cheese. Stir to melt. As soon as melted, serve. Garnish with fresh cracked black pepper.
Notes
- If using fresh tomato, smash the tomatoes and then strain off the seeds.
- Use the best canned tomatoes you can for this recipe, it really makes a difference.
- It is fine to substitute a ½ onion for the shallot.
- Use milk if you need to instead of cream.
- It is ok to use chicken stock instead of milk or cream if you do not want creamy tomato gravy
- Always use real butter
- For restaurant quality tomato gravy, strain the gravy through a fine sieve kitchen strainer before adding the final butter and cream. This will remove any tiny bits of tomato and shallot, etc. and leave a thin fine liquid for your gravy.
- If you want to thicken your gravy more,in a separate cup whisk together 1 Tbs corn starch with 1 Tbs cold water. It will begin to look like milk. Add this to your hot gravy and stir. Repeat until your gravy is as thick as you like.
Nutrition
***This post has been revamped to add more information from it's original post on 12/29/15***
A VERSE TO SHARE
How will you know the antichr*** when he appears on the scene?
Revelations 13:5
And the beast was given the power of speech, uttering boastful and blasphemous words, and he was given freedom to exert his authority and to exercise his will during forty-two months (three and a half years)
Pam Williams says
I love all of your recipes. I never knew what cornstarch was until you told me. Love reading everything and the pictures help out so much. Love it all and give you a five star. Thank you, Pam Williams from Laurel, Mississippi
Wendi Spraker says
Pam, that's so sweet. I'm glad you enjoy this website. I love having you as a reader! 🙂
Elayna Bird says
This southern tomato gravy is absolutely to die for! So yummy! I love the fire roasted tomatoes! It give such a flavor kick!
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Elayna!
I'm super glad that you enjoyed the tomato gravy! I agree, the fire roasted tomatoes DO give it a little extra flavor kick! Have a wonderful weekend!
Sherman Hofacker says
What y'all call tomato gravy is referred to as tomato sauce in my neck of the woods. Served over rice or pasta most of the time.
Summer breakfast frequently had " plain gravy " (bechamel sauce made with bacon grease) over fresh slices of tomato. Great flavor combination.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Sherman! Thanks for sharing your version of tomato sauce and your favorites! Love hearing about other traditions too! 🙂
Gwyn says
Haven’t tried this yet but it’s next on my list! I can think of so many things this gravy would be good on. I also saw you have a recipe for red eyed gravy. Brings back so many memories of my Grandma. She would always call me when she made it and I would drop everything to go eat her gravy! Thank you for your recipes. They all sound great!
Wendi Spraker says
Gwyn, Thanks so much for leaving a comment! I LOVE to hear stories about peoples food memories and how it brings back sweet memories of grandmas and special dishes they made. I believe we honor their memory by keeping these recipes alive. Blessings and have a wonderful weekend!
Jeanmarie says
I grew up in Tennessee and north Florida but never heard of tomato gravy until my father reminisced about the tomato gravy his Hungarian mother would make when he was a child in Illinois! I learned to make it and it’s now my favorite comfort food when served with mashed potatoes. I’ve enjoyed reading about the various ways of making it in the comments!
Wendi Spraker says
Thanks Jeanmarie for leaving a comment! I’m so glad you enjoy tomato gravy.
Paula Johnston says
First, let me say how glad I am to have found you and your wonderful web site.
Second, this amazing Southern recipe is exactly like my mother made when I was young, and let me tell you - even the President doesn't eat this well. (Unless he has tomato gravy and hot homemade biscuits.)
Third, I think you are hilarious. Your recipe commentaries are 'almost' as great as your recipes.
Thank you so much for both!
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Paula! I’m so glad you found my website too! I 100% agree that there is no way the president eats this good! Thank you for your kind comments!!!!
Blueskies says
Thank you for this double great recipe. My mother use to make this when I was little and I thought it was the best gravy I had ever had. She would add raw onions to the gravy as a filler and simmer them. I have been looking for this recipe for a while and now I can can make it for my husband.
Again Thank You and I will give you TEN STARS
Wendi Spraker says
Awwwww. You are a doll! :). Enjoy. We love it and I hope you will too!!
David says
I am a southern boy and I love me some tomato gravy. I thought I would share the base of mine with you. I fry one sliced latge tomato in the bacon grease left from breakfast till it is falling apart. That is the base of my roux. It makes amazing gravy.
Wendi Spraker says
Thanks David! Sounds great! 🙂 have an excellent day!
Marie says
You spelled y’all wrong. It’s a combination of you all, so since the “ou” from you is being dropped the apostrophe goes after the “Y”.
I grew up on the gulf coast of Alabama, both my maternal grandparents were from farming families so I’m sure they had an abundance of over ripe tomatoes growing up. Everyone knew it was Sunday when my Granny pulled out a jar of her canned tomatoes to make tomato gravy and her famous buttermilk biscuits.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Marie, I bet you had a wonderful time at your grandparents. I'm sure the missing apostrophe was an oversight.
JimmyP says
Tomato Gravy - GUD Stuff ,, Mom use to make us Stewed Tomatoes an white rice oh my it was good !! We always had like a 1/4 acre garden , everything got either canned or frozen at the end of the season. We had hogs , chicken s , rabbits , a cow , all kinds fruit trees , homemade plum jam , mulberry cobbler pie , blackberry, that garden use to kick my butt !!
Wendi Spraker says
Gardens are hard hard work! I would show you a photo of my pathetic garden but it makes me so sad I can’t even look at it! Sounds like you lived the good life to me Jimmy. 🙂
Linda says
Yummy
Leonard Lechler says
My grandmother (Nuna) would make wonderful calf lever and onions . She would then simmer everything in tomato gravy . I hated liver but with her tomato gravy I could not get enough ! I would even smother my mashed potatoes & biscuits or toast. I don't know how she made it but with the exception of cheese I'll bet your recipe is close. I'm 77 now and I really miss her but some good ole tomato gravy is sure to bring her memory even closer !Thank you so much !
Wendi Spraker says
Awwww. Leonard, what a lovely tribute to your Nuna! I know she loved seeing you enjoy that gravy so much! :). Blessings to you.
Diane M says
This is so good! I may be becoming addicted. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Diane!! I'm so glad you are enjoying it! What do you eat your tomato gravy with?
Anita says
Made per recipe except i used fresh tomatoes and fired roasted in oven. I could drink this gravy. It is so awesome. Thanks Wendi
Wendi Spraker says
Awwww. Thanks Anita! I'm glad they turned out just right! 🙂
Eddie Lindsey says
I'm sure this is a good recipe, but it is not Southern. Southern is simple and not all those city ingredients. My Grandmother made tomato gravy for me a lot. She would take sliced tomatoes, roll them in seasoned flour. Then fry in butter/bacon drippings, till the tomato slices started to break up. Add milk cook till you get it as thick as you like.
Wendi Spraker says
Thanks for your opinion Eddie. It makes me a little sad that you say this recipe isn't Southern since I live in the south, my family roots in the south run deeper and longer than The Mississippi River and since I learned this recipe from a restaurant that makes the best Southern recipes I've ever tasted. Besides using canned tomatoes (great summer tomatoes aren't always available), I wouldn't think that the ingredients of bacon grease, a shallot (light onion flavor), parmigiana cheese, garlic, flour, cream, sugar and butter were too high brow and citified, in fact, that sounds like a pretty similar flavor profile to your grandmothers ingredients . Anyway, thanks for sharing, I am happy that you have those memories of your grandmother, that's the whole point of this website: to offer foods that serve up memories and help make new ones by bringing people together over the table. If you are ever over in this part of the woods, stop by and I'll fix you something to eat and we can chat. I would love to hear more about your grandma. Peace, Eddie.
Sarah Cummings says
Wendi this looks terrific! This type of food is good for the soul and belly. Thank you, can't wait to try it out.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Sarah! Thanks for your comments! I hope yours turns out perfectly!