Southern-Style Bacon Tomato Gravy

A Rich and Savory Southern Tradition

There are few culinary secrets quite as comforting as a homemade Southern-style gravy built on a foundation of authentic bacon grease. This savory Bacon Tomato Gravy combines smoky bacon drippings, a rich browned flour roux, and sweet petite diced tomatoes to create a rustic, deeply flavorful sauce. Whether spooned generously over hot buttermilk biscuits, grits, or mashed potatoes, it delivers an irresistible taste of down-home comfort.

Making this gravy relies on time-tested techniques, from baking the bacon to avoid messy stovetop splatters to building a flavorful roux using the savory bits left in the pan. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, you can bring this classic Southern staple to your kitchen table in no time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Authentic Flavor: Built entirely on genuine bacon grease and browned roux for that true Southern taste.
Mess-Free Method: Baking the bacon in the oven keeps your stovetop clean and splatter-free.
Wonderful Versatility: Pairs brilliantly with biscuits, grits, or fried potatoes for breakfast or dinner.
Simple Ingredients: Uses basic pantry staples like flour, canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients

Bacon grease (from cooking bacon)
1–2 cans petite diced tomatoes
2–3 tablespoons drippings
Flour (for thickening)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook the Bacon

Line a sided baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange your bacon. Bake at 375°F to your desired crispness (though you can also fry it in a skillet if you prefer). Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, making sure to reserve your precious bacon grease.

Step 2: Heat the Grease and Make the Roux

Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings into your skillet, ensuring you get some of the flavorful bits from the pan. Heat the grease to medium-high. Use a sifter to add flour to the hot drippings, stir with a fork, and let it start to brown until it almost reaches a burn.

Step 3: Add Tomatoes and Simmer

Turn the heat down to medium-low and very quickly add the liquid from the canned petite diced tomatoes. Once the liquid simmers down, add all of the tomatoes while stirring constantly, adding more tomatoes as needed.

Step 4: Season and Serve

Season your gravy with salt and pepper to taste, stirring well until hot and bubbling, then serve immediately.

Expert Cooking Tips

Save the Grease: Real bacon grease is the absolute key to this recipe; substituting other fats won’t give you the correct traditional flavor.
Oven Method for Bacon: Baking bacon on aluminum foil at 375°F is a clean, easy way to render large amounts of grease without stovetop splatters.
Stir Constantly: When adding the tomatoes to your hot browned roux, stir continuously to ensure a smooth, well-blended gravy texture.

Variations to Try

Spicy Kick: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for an extra layer of heat.
Garlic and Onion: Sauté a small amount of minced onion or garlic in the bacon drippings before adding the flour for deeper aromatics.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerator

Store leftover bacon tomato gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or broth to thin out the gravy if it thickens too much in the fridge.