Old Fashioned Tomato Gravy – A Tomato Gravy Recipe With Milk (With Pictures)

Old Fashioned Tomato Gravy is an Amish recipe that gets served over toast, biscuits, crackers or fried potatoes. This Tomato Gravy Recipe calls for tomato juice, cream, milk and sugar.

Tomato Gravy: Full of Flavor

I’ve heard of tomato gravy off and on over the years but never had the opportunity to try it myself.  Then one day, I was perusing my Amish Cook Book, and I spotted a very simple tomato gravy recipe.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what to expect when making old fashioned tomato gravy.

It actually tastes like a cream-based tomato soup. In my house, that’s a homerun because all three of my kiddos love tomato soup. So any meal that is reminiscent of tomato soup is sure to be a favorite among my family.

Tomato Gravy with Milk Recipe

This Amish Tomato Gravy recipe using tomato juice is a brunch or breakfast staple. I had just gotten through making Tasty Green Beans, and so I had some extra tomato juice sitting in the refrigerator ready to be used up.  Then, I realized all the other ingredients were already in my pantry and refrigerator.

There are many versions of old fashioned tomato gravy recipes out there which means this recipe is truly very versatile. Instead of tomato juice, try using a can of diced tomatoes (undrained) or five to six fresh tomatoes that have been diced.

Also, this tomato soup gravy calls for sugar as an optional ingredient. In my book, I think you should add it every time since tomatoes are very acidic and sugar helps to cut the acid. This is a trick I use in almost any recipe (including this awesome Ground Beef Goulash) that calls for tomatoes or canned tomatoes.

If you want to get fancy, you could also try adding garlic powder, onion, ham, bacon drippings, garlic salt, bacon grease, butter, sausage, or anything else your heart desires.

Tomato Gravy Ingredients

• Tomato Juice
• Water
• Cream (heavy or half and half)
• Milk (preferable whole)
• All Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Sugar

How to Make Tomato Soup Gravy

Step By Step Instructions

1. In a small pan, skillet or saucepan, combine tomato juice and water. Heat until boiling over medium heat.
2. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Whisk in cream to flour mixture until smooth; add milk and stir well.
4. Pour cream mixture into hot tomato mixture, heat until boiling and thick, stirring constantly.
5. Serve over toast points, biscuits, crackers, grits or fried potatoes.  Fried pork chops also go great with this dish.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for tomato soup gravy, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

FAQs About Tomato Gravy with Sugar

• Tomato gravy tastes similar to a cream-based tomato soup recipe.
• Heavy cream or half and half can be used for the cream ingredient.
• Whole milk works best for a thicker southern tomato gravy recipe.  Chicken broth could be used for the water for more flavor.
• Amish Tomato Gravy typically gets served over hot buttermilk biscuits, but it can be served over toast points, bread, crackers, rice, fried potatoes, rice etc.
• Substitute a can of diced tomatoes with the juices or 5-6 fresh tomatoes for tomato juice if desired.
• Sugar is an optional ingredient, though highly recommended.
• Consider jazzing up this basic tomato gravy recipe by adding garlic powder, bacon grease, or Italian seasonings as just a few examples.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry and kitchen items.

What can you do with tomato juice?

• Tomato juice is not only a healthy drink but also a versatile ingredient for many recipes.
• Try pouring yourself a big glass of tomato juice to drink along with your breakfast, or use it in a tasty Bloody Mary cocktail.
• Leftover tomato juice is not only the base of a tasty tomato gravy, but it can also be added to any tomato based soup recipe such as chili, taco soup, or vegetable soup.
• Tomato juice can also be used in casseroles as a nutritious ingredient.  Try adding it to Ground Beef Noodle Bake or Hamburger Chili Hot Dish.
• Lastly, consider using leftover tomato juice in a stew such as Hamburger Goulash or 5 Hour Beef Stew.

What can I use instead of tomato paste in gravy?

Try substituting in a can of tomato soup or plain tomato juice (or V8). If using tomato juice which is thinner, consider staring with a roux or having flour or cornstarch as a thickener.

Old Fashioned Gravy Recipes

Easy Chipped Beef Gravy

Crock Pot Pork Roast with Gravy

Country Fried Cube Steak Recipe

Creamed Chipped Beef Gravy

Beef Chunks in Sour Cream Gravy

Creamed Asparagus on Toast