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Southern breakfast just wouldn’t be the same without a smoky Southern ham gravy to layer atop cheesy biscuits and soft scrambled eggs! This recipe takes just 15 minutes of prep and is a delicious and comforting way to enjoy leftover spiral ham from Christmas or Easter. This crowd-pleasing hearty breakfast will be a favorite with your whole family.
If you enjoy breakfast casseroles and Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you won’t want to miss out on my Cheddar Bay Breakfast Casserole!
Quick Look: Ham Gravy with Biscuits and Eggs Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- ⏲️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 1 hour
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 4 servings
- 🌽 Cuisine & Heritage: American
- 🍽️ Calories: 509 calories per serving (more nutritional info in recipe card)
- 🥦 Dietary Info:
- 🟢 Difficulty: Easy
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Stovetop
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: The slightly sweet and smoky ham is pan-cooked until crispy, then mixed into a creamy gravy and served over cheesy biscuits with eggs.
- 🔑 Top Tip: If you don’t have leftover ham, you can either use dry-aged Serrano or Iberico ham and skip the rendering, or use cubed ham.
- 🍷 Drink Pairings: A tall glass of orange juice or a smoothie, or a hot cup of coffee, is the best companion with any breakfast recipe!
- ❄️ Storage: You can store leftover ham gravy in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze it for up to 4-6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Incorporating Kansas City BBQ-Style “Burnt Ends” from Ham: Use the fatty part of leftover roasted spiral ham and cook out the fat by cooking it in a skillet. This technique lends a unique flavor that cannot be achieved using sausage or bacon, and simulates Kansas City BBQ-style ‘burnt ends’. The process is simple, and yes it takes a little while, but the end result is simply delicious!
- Perfect Way to Use up Leftover Ham: Using leftover country ham or leftover spiral glazed ham, rendered into my version of burnt ends is not only delicious, but it also uses up some of those ham leftovers from holiday celebrations.
- Southern Comfort Food Everyone Loves: One of the best dishes the South has to offer is biscuits and gravy. This is an easy recipe that your whole family will love.
“I just made this. I added a tiny bit of garlic to butter, a little parsley, and some cheese at the end and it was amazing! Thank you so much for a new way to get rid of leftover ham. This is a new favorite.“
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Leftover Ham: I am reaching for the leftovers of my Easter glazed spiral ham, which I glazed with my 3 ingredient ham glaze, and then froze for use at a later time. There is a minimal fat cap on each spiral and a bit more of a true fat cap within closer to the bone. THAT’S the part of the ham I am going for!
- Milk or Cream: Use heavy cream for a rich gravy or use whole or 2% milk for a lighter gravy.
- Eggs: Cook the eggs in whatever way you prefer! Scrambled, fried, or poached would all be delicious with these biscuits and ham gravy.
- Biscuits: I love using these mouthwatering cheesy garlic biscuits that I whip up and bake in my cast iron skillet. Use simple 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits if you prefer!
- Ham Stock (Optional): Use my recipe for easy homemade ham stock if you want to add this delicious touch to the gravy. I highly recommend using it if you can, because it adds a rich flavor that cream alone doesn’t bring.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Ham Gravy with Biscuits & Eggs
Scroll down for the full printable recipe or stick around for the step-by-step breakdown with photos to walk you through every delicious detail.
1
Cook the Leftover Ham
Place the leftover ham in a medium-sized non-stick skillet. Place over medium heat until the ham begins to sizzle, then turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the fatty parts of the ham to render, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent browning too soon.
Once the fat is fully rendered from the ham, use a slotted spoon to remove the ham onto a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
2
Make a Roux
Wipe out the skillet with a clean paper towel, then add the butter to the skillet. Melt over medium heat, then add the flour and whisk constantly until it turns a warm golden brown, about 5 minutes. The roux should smell nutty and toasted.
3
Add Milk & Thicken
Gradually add the cream or milk to the roux, whisking constantly. Whisk in additional cream or milk as needed until you reach the desired consistency you prefer. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the cayenne, Worcestershire, and black pepper.
Turn the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the ham burnt ends. Keep warm, whisking occasionally, over low heat.
4
Plate & Serve
Prepare the eggs the way you like them. (I am soft-scrambling here in the photos I show with 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter.)
Prepare two plates with 2 biscuits each, sliced in half, and heated. Top the bottom halves of the biscuits with the eggs. Next, ladle the gravy, distributing evenly between all of the biscuits. Replace the biscuit tops and serve hot. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
A creamy white gravy is the typical choice for serving with ham. All you need to do is make a simple butter and flour roux, cook it until brown, then whisk in the milk and/or cream and cook until thickened. Season to taste with cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. If you like creamy gravy like this, you’ll also love onion gravy with meatloaf and creamy gravy with chicken-fried chicken.
You’ve heard of sausage gravy over biscuits (like in my Bob Evans Sausage Gravy & Biscuit Casserole), but have you heard of ham gravy over biscuits? One of THE BEST and more memorable breakfast biscuits I have eaten was served with a southern pan gravy made with what the chef referred to as “smoked ham burnt ends.” When I inquired as to ‘how traditional’ this was to use ham in place of sausage, he replied that his gravy was really a spin-off of a dish he’d grown up eating all of his life on the bayou near the Louisiana Mississippi line, Creamed Ham.
Chef’s biscuits were tricked out to include everything from a fried green tomato, lump crabmeat, and a poached egg atop the sultry ham gravy which he whisked from a well toasted roux and heavy cream.
Today, and because I am showcasing my interpretation of chef’s ham gravy, I am simplifying my big old breakfast to include my Cheesy Garlic Biscuits, some scrambled eggs, and this savory and delicious ham gravy. If you are always looking for ways to use up that leftover Easter or Christmas ham, this is a great recipe to save!
Avoid seasoning the gravy with salt until after adding the ham. Add it a ¼ teaspoon at a time, tasting between each addition.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this succulent ham gravy with these 3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits or Cheesy Garlic Biscuits for a delicious breakfast! Round out your meal with something light, like a dish of blueberry compote and Greek yogurt (or these apple yogurt parfaits).
Looking for some not-so-typical recipes to help use ALL of those ham leftovers? Try my Endive Gratin with Ham and Gruyere, Fresh Asparagus, Herb, and Ham Frittata, and this Creamy Plantation Potato and Ham Soup.
Expert Tips
- I recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe for easy cooking and cleanup.
- Don’t want to use cream in the gravy? Substitute with whole or 2% milk.
- If you have no leftover ham, look for a package of dry-aged Serrano ham or a dry-cured Iberico ham and chop the slices into small pieces. There is no need to render these types of ham. Omit the Worcestershire sauce.
- Cubed ham may also be used, however it has a lot of water added to it, so the sweet, smoky flavor profile will not be there the same as it would in a previously cooked, leftover, or dry ham.
Other Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
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Creamy Grits and Goat Cheese Breakfast Soufflés
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Ham and Swiss Croissant Breakfast Casserole
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Perfected Southern Oatmeal Waffles
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Southern Ham Gravy with Biscuits and Eggs
Equipment
- medium non-stick skillet
Ingredients
For Serving
- 2 cups leftover ham, roughly chopped, with fat
- 4 large eggs, scrambled or cooked any way you like
- 4 hot, fresh biscuits sliced in half, such as my Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
For the Gravy
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 pinch cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ to 2 cups cream, may substitute whole or 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup ham stock, optional
Instructions
Cooking the Ham
- To a medium-sized non-stick skillet, add the chopped ham. Warm the pan over medium heat until the ham begins to sizzle. Reduce the heat slightly to medium-low and allow the fatty parts of the ham to render, about 20 minutes. Stir around the pan to prevent browning too soon. If necessary, add 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter to the hot pan to keep the ham moist and further reduce heat.
- Once the fat is fully rendered from the ham, use a slotted spoon to remove the ham onto a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Making the Gravy
- Wipe out the skillet with a clean paper towel. Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to foam before adding the flour. Whisk together quickly, incorporating very well. Allow the roux to go from the pale yellow it will begin as, to a warm golden brown, whisking constantly, about 5 minutes. The roux should smell nutty and toasted.
- If you're using the ham stock, add ¼ cup to roux now and whisk until silky. Reduce the cream to 1½ to 1¾ cups. Slowly begin adding the cream (or milk), whisking constantly. Mixture will thicken quickly. increase heat and whisk in additional cream (or milk) as needed until you reach the desired consistency you prefer.
- Remove from the heat. Whisk in cayenne, Worcestershire, and black pepper. Replace the gravy to the heat over the lowest setting and stir in the ham burnt ends. Keep warm, whisking occasionally.
Plating
- Prepare the eggs the way you like them. I soft-scrambled them with 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter.
- Prepare two plates with 2 biscuits each, sliced in half, and heated. Top the bottom halves of the biscuits with the eggs. Next, ladle the gravy distributing evenly between all of the biscuits. Replace the biscuit tops and serve hot.
Notes
- I recommend using a non-stick skillet for this recipe for easy cooking and cleanup.
- If you have no leftover ham, look for a package of dry-aged Serrano ham or a dry-cured Iberico ham and chop the slices into small pieces. There is no need to render these types of ham. Omit the Worcestershire sauce.
- Cubed ham may also be used, however it has a lot of water added to it, so the sweet, smoky flavor profile will not be there the same as it would in a previously cooked, leftover, or dry ham.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
One small addition. Instead of ham stock substitute a 1/4 cup of Coca-Cola (not diet). It gives this dish a new meaning! A favorite of small diners across the Deep South.
Baltisraul, I read about Nathalie Dupree’s method for Ham with Coca-Cola Redeye Gravy about a year ago now, and you just reminded me that I have to try it! The substitution you reference would absolutely work. I feel like this is a dare – is this a dare?? 😉 Jenny
Yes, lets call it a dare. haha
Uh oh, now you KNOW I’m gonna have to do this, right? Country ham or sugar ham? I want to do it right 🙂
Flip a coin, you can’t go wrong with either. The majority of the time it would be Country.
🙂
I believe my hubby and granddaughter would all be in for breakfast with you. I believe what I will do is make it for supper on the new menu. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow this will be a great comfort food meal on a cold evening.
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Hoping I read this wrong! After rendering the ham you throw away the crease and drippings that are left in the pan from the ham!? I’m from down south as well and learned from an early age that you never ever throw away the drippings that is the basis for your gravy! I’m going to try this recipe but use the renderings and drippings in my gravy.
Di, thanks for the comment, and yeah, I’ve been waaaaay called out on this before. But here’s the thing. There is absolutely more than just one way of doing just about everything.
In this method, and given the recipe is already chock full of butter, flour, and heavy cream, I’d have been called out from the other side for leaving unnecessary grease. And yes, I said ‘unnecessary.’ The flavor imparted from the ham burnt ends are superlative to any tinge of flavor the grease might offer. Also, you’ll notice there is not much of it once you’re done crisping the burnt ends. This isn’t sausage gravy, it’s breakfast gravy yes, but it requires so much less seasoning than sausage gravy.
It’s your choice to leave it or wipe the skillet clean, but in no way does the grease make or break this recipe.
Circle back and let’s compare notes once you’ve made it. I’d love to know your feedback AFTER you’ve assembled and tasted it. 🙂 Jenny
thanks for the recipe!
These pictures have my mouth watering!
Thanks Lauren. It’s ‘posh nosh’ for sure!
I just made this. I added a tiny bit of garlic to butter, a little parsley, and some cheese at the end and it was amazing! Thank you so much for a new way to get rid of leftover ham. This is a new favorite
Amanda, finding recipes for using up ham leftovers is my ongoing mission! Am I right about the Christmas ham??? I’m tickled that you tried this, and even more tickled that you took the time to experiment and really make it yours with the addition of the garlic and parsley – it sounds like it really turned out AMAZING! Thanks for taking the time to drop me a note and let me know 🙂 Jenny
I can’t wait to try this! I always have leftover ham in the freezer so I am all set to go!
Lana, you’ve made my morning! And I absolutely know you will love this gravy. I am REALLY trying hard to create uses for leftover ham, as sooooo many of us have it after the holidays. I have recently developed a Smoked Ham & Belgian Endive Gratin which I will be posting in the next month or so. It gets smoked Gruyere cheese and is AMAZING. Also, Creamed Ham. I am still playing with this one, but hope to have it nailed down before the end of May so I can photograph it. Please let me know if you do enjoy this ham gravy. I am still a baby blogger, so YOUR opinion matters to me and to Google 🙂