Are you ready to indulge in a delicious homemade biscuits and gravy breakfast? My foolproof recipe creates the fluffiest biscuits smothered in rich, creamy gravy.
Recipe Science
- Baking powder in biscuits releases carbon dioxide when heated, creating air pockets that make the biscuits light and fluffy.
- The roux for the gravy, made from flour and fat, thickens the mixture by absorbing liquid and expanding, creating a smooth, rich sauce.
- Slow cooking the sausage in the gravy allows its flavors to meld with the sauce, enhancing the overall taste and creating a deeper flavor profile.
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Why It Works
This homemade biscuits and gravy recipe is the ultimate comfort food! You’ll be surprised just how easy it is to put this savory dish together. It’s a perfect meal for breakfast or brunch with your loved ones. Plus, it’s easy to make ahead and reheat, saving you time on the day of serving.
I use my go-to buttermilk biscuit recipe as the base. It yields tall and tender pieces with crisp exteriors and a soft crumb. For a hearty meal, a creamy sausage gravy is poured on top. It comes together quickly by browning the meat, then making a roux to thicken the sauce.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Biscuit Dough: A traditional mixture of all-purpose flour, cold unsalted butter, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and buttermilk for tanginess.
- Gravy: Flour and butter make a roux to thicken the gravy. Chopped onions, minced garlic, and thyme add aromatics to the sauce. Whole milk adds creaminess to the gravy.
- Sausage: You’ll need 1 pound of raw pork sausage. I typically use mild Italian sausage or spicy for a kick of heat. Raw breakfast sausage can be used for a sweeter taste.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
Now you know how to make the best biscuits and gravy recipe! Here are delicious ways to switch up the flavor:
- Meat Selection: Use sweet, mild, or spicy Italian sausage. Try hot kielbasa for a lingering heat. Try smaller breakfast sausage links that are removed from the casing. Use chicken or turkey sausage instead of pork. Crumbled firm tofu is a great vegetarian option.
- Herbs: To the gravy or biscuits, add fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, tarragon, chives, green onions, or sage.
- Spices: Make the gravy spicy with red pepper flakes and chili powder, or add some of my cajun seasoning. Add dried garlic powder or onion powder for a roasted allium flavor or roasted garlic. Stir in smoked paprika for a charred taste.
- Cheese: Make the gravy cheesy with shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, gruyere, or grated parmesan.
- Dairy: For an even creamier sauce, use half-and-half, or add a portion of heavy whipping cream for some of the whole milk.
How to Make Biscuits and Gravy
Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients
To ensure an even rise, whisk together the dry ingredients first to disperse the fine particles of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Break the cold butter into the flour for tender biscuits until the mixture is mealy, like wet cornmeal. This process disperses the fat into the flour, creating more pockets of butter. If you prefer a flakier biscuit, you can break the butter into larger pea-sized pieces.
Step 2: Add the Buttermilk
Gradually whisk in the store-bought or homemade buttermilk to hydrate the flour mixture. You may need to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of the liquid. The dough should not feel soggy!
Step 3: Knead and Roll
Knead the dough just until it creates a cohesive mass. Don’t overmix; this will make the biscuits tough. Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out until 3/4-inch thick. If you like layers in your biscuits, try the stacking and rolling technique from my homemade biscuits.
Step 4: Cut the Dough
Use about a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to make a round shape. Press straight down and pull up so the biscuits have the best rise. It’s best to chill the shapes for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes to allow the gluten in the dough to rest for a soft texture and the butter to chill for a tall rise.
Step 5: Bake the Biscuits
Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Set the heat to 450°F (232°C). Place the chilled biscuits on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, at least 1 inch apart. I like to brush them with melted butter for flavor and better browning. Sprinkle salt on top for a nice crunchy crust.
The baking temperature will make the bottoms golden and crisp without causing the surface to become too dark. The baking process only takes 10 minutes. While they cool, make the gravy.
Step 6: Cook the Sausage
My sausage gravy recipe is the perfect accompaniment for these buttery biscuits. The first step is to cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, browning the meat’s surface while releasing flavorful fat into the pan.
Immediately break up the raw meat into smaller chunks with a spoon. The sausage is cooked when it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Step 7: Cook the Aromatics
Melt the butter, then saute the onions, garlic, and thyme to add a natural, sweet, and herbaceous note to the sauce. Blooming the herbs in the hot fat extracts more fat-soluble flavors.
Step 8: Add the Flour
I use a traditional roux of butter and flour to thicken the gravy. Add the flour, salt, and black pepper, cooking for a few minutes to remove the raw taste from the wheat.
Step 9: Add the Milk
For a creamy sauce, use whole milk. Slowly stir it in, then heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Bringing the mixture to a boil helps the starches in the flour swell, thickening the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, also called nappe.
Step 10: Ready to Serve
The goal is for the sauce to cling to the warm biscuits. Taste it and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
Now, serve the biscuits sliced in half or two on a plate with a generous amount of the sausage gravy poured on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegetable shortening or lard can give a flaky texture similar to butter, but it will lack flavor. The milk solids in the butter add a toasted and rich flavor. Margarine has coloring agents and flavoring to taste more similar to butter. Solidified coconut oil can also be used, but it will have a nutty flavor and a less browned hue.
Store-bought biscuit mix or premade dough in cans are convenient options if you are short on time. However, canned products tend to have hydrogenated palm oil instead of butter, like my recipe. This will yield a less flavorful product, but they tend to be very light and airy in texture.
Yes, the biscuits and sausage gravy can be made ahead. Store at room temperature for 5 days or freeze for a month. Reheat at 350 degrees until warm. Cool the gravy down entirely and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat and add more milk to thin out the texture.
I recommend using gluten-free baking flour like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Baking Company products to substitute the all-purpose wheat flour. These products use a proprietary blend of xanthan gum, cellulose, and flours like rice, sorghum, and tapioca, as well as starches like potato or tapioca. These provide structure to the biscuits without the gluten from the wheat. For the gravy, use arrowroot powder or make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
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Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more for topping
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons
Sausage Gravy
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound pork sausage, casings removed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons chopped thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 cups whole milk
Instructions
Biscuits
- Mix Dry Ingredients – In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut 1 cup of butter into 1⁄8-inch thick pieces. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until it looks mealy in texture.
- Add Buttermilk – Gradually add 1 cup buttermilk into the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until incorporated. If needed, add an extra 1 to 2 tablespoons so most of the flour is hydrated and can be kneaded into the dough.
- Knead and Roll – Knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a mass, about 5 to 6 times. Lightly dust a working surface with the flour. Place the biscuit dough onto the floured surface. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough ¾-inch thick.
- Cut the Dough – Using a 2 1⁄2-inch floured biscuit cutter, press straight down into the dough without turning. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined sheet pan and repeat with the remaining dough. Use the scraps to roll and cut more biscuits. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes before baking.
- Bake – Set the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 450°F (232°C). Transfer the biscuits to a parchment paper–lined sheet pan at least 1 inch apart. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, then brush the tops of each biscuit and sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 11 minutes. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with the gravy.
Sausage Gravy
- Cook the Sausage – Heat a large nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the pork sausage and break it into smaller pieces using a spoon. Cook until no longer pink and lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Cook the Aromatics – Melt the butter in the pan. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook until fragrant and onions are tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cook the Flour – Sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over the sausage mixture. Stir and cook until the flour is absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- Add the Milk – Slowly stir in the milk, then turn up the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cook, and stir occasionally until the gravy is thick and can coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- To Serve – Serve with biscuits split in half or kept whole with sausage gravy on top.
Notes
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit with gravy
- Storing: Store biscuits in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Refrigerate the gravy for up to 5 days.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour for the biscuits. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. For the gravy, substitute the flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of water. Mix into the simmering milk, stirring until thickened.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Nancy says
I love your recipes, but must say we’re not on the same page on this one . I’ve been making biscuits for over 50 years with self rising flour and lard, and until you try that, you don’t know what a delicious biscuit really is. The gravy, however, sounds perfect.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Nancy- I’ll definitely have to try the biscuit recipe that you mentioned. There are various styles, so it’s nice to have options. Can’t wait to hear what you think about the gravy!