Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

4.50 from 14 votes

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Is there anything better than Biscuits and Sausage Gravy on a cold and gloomy day? I submit that there is not. This classic recipe is creamy, savory, and oh-so comforting! Along with Deviled Eggs and Shrimp and Grits, make room at your southern-style table for some fluffy Biscuits and Gravy! This recipe creates light, buttery homemade biscuits and a creamy sausage gravy, using simple ingredients. 

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The Best Southern-Style Comfort Food

The steps are easy but do take some time. So, if you’re in a rush, save this biscuits and gravy recipe for another day. This is ultimate breakfast comfort food that I knew I had to perfect it, especially with Fall (and winter… grumble grumble) knocking at our door.

A Few Tips for Success with Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

For the Biscuit Recipe

For the biscuits, I made the dough in a food processor, but it can totally be made by hand in a bowl. You’ll just be using a pastry blender to break apart the butter. Also, the biggest tip for making tender and flaky homemade biscuits is to not work the dough too much once you add the milk. Once the liquid goes in and you start mixing, gluten starts to form. Too much gluten, and you’ll have a chewy mess. For pizza dough, you want to knead it for that chew…not so much if you want the best biscuits.

For the best Sausage Gravy

For the sausage gravy, it can be made with either my homemade breakfast sausage recipe or a ground breakfast sausage from the grocery store (such as Jimmy Dean or Bob Evans). Any flavor of sausage you choose will work well for this gravy.

If Making Homemade Breakfast Sausage

In a large bowl, place ground pork in the bowl. Add nutmeg, cayenne, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjorambrown sugar, salt and pepper to the bowl. I also added some McCormick Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple Seasoning…totally optional, but I just love the flavor it brings to the sausage.

You might like these recipes that are similar to this biscuits and sausage gravy recipe: Biscuits with Sweet Maple Sausage Gravy, Gluten-Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Light & Fluffy Angel Biscuits, Butter Drop Biscuits.

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How to Make Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

For full recipe details including ingredients and measurements needed are listed below in the printable recipe card. Here’s step by step what you expect when making this recipe:

Preheat + Prep Baking Sheet

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

Make the Biscuits

In a bowl of a food processor, measure out all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and pulse a few time to mix. Cut cold butter into the dry ingredients until it’s the size of small peas. Pour in the whole milk all at once and pulse until just incorporated. Pulse 5 more times, then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Form dough into a ball, ensuring it is well mixed, sprinkling with flour as needed.

Roll Out + Cut into Biscuits

Roll the dough out to 1 1/4-inch thick, then use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit or pastry cutter to make 8 biscuits, re-kneading and re-rolling the scraps as necessary. 

Bake

Place biscuits on a baking sheet and bake 12-14 minutes until lightly golden brown. Set aside.

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Make the Sausage Gravy

In a large skillet over medium heat to medium-high heat, add pork sausage and break it apart while it browns and no more pink is visible. Sprinkle all-purpose flour over cooked sausage and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in whole milk and bring to a simmer to thicken the gravy. Stir in maple syrup (optional) and taste. Adjust salt and black pepper as necessary.

Pro Tip: Once you add in the milk to create that thick gravy, you’ll want to increase the heat to get it bubbling but then reduce it right away to keep it at a light simmer. This is to prevent the milk from curdling. Chunky gravy is not delicious, in case you were wondering.

Serve

Cut warm biscuits in half and spoon creamy gravy overtop. Serve.

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What to Serve with Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

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Storing Leftovers + Making Ahead

Store biscuits and gravy separately in airtight containers, in the fridge for up 3-4 days until you’re ready to heat them up again. You may need to add a splash of milk to the gravy when reheating, to thin it out again.

Make Ahead- I would suggest making the gravy up to two days in advance, and storing in an airtight container in the fridge. To serve, simply reheat over the stove or in the microwave.

The biscuits, however, taste their best when baked fresh. You can make the biscuit dough up to 24 hours in advance, storing it covered in the refrigerator, but be sure to bake them off right before serving for the best-finished product.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my own breakfast sausage?

Absolutely! I love making my own sausage because it incorporates all the flavors I love. However, feel free to get a store-bought pre-seasoned breakfast sausage. Most brands offer some kind of ‘original’ breakfast sausage, maple sausage, and/or sage breakfast sausage. Any kind you like would work well in this simple recipe. Here is my homemade breakfast sausage recipe.

Can I use Italian Sausage in the gravy?

While it’s not traditional, you definitely can! Any kind of sausage you like would work well in this recipe. Even a spicy sausage would be good.

Can I Make Biscuits and Gravy in Advance?

You can definitely make parts of this biscuits and gravy recipe ahead, just at different times, for the best finished product.
I would suggest making the gravy up to two days in advance, and storing in an airtight container in the fridge. To serve, simply reheat over the stove or in the microwave.
The biscuits, however, taste their best when baked fresh. You can make the biscuit dough up to 24 hours in advance, storing it covered in the refrigerator, but be sure to bake them off right before serving for the best results.

Can I freeze biscuits and gravy?

Yes you can! I recommend freezing the leftover biscuits separate from the leftover gravy. Allow to cool to room temperature before freezing. Store both in an airtight, freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge.

Other Hearty Breakfast Recipes to Try!

There you have it! A good, southern breakfast classic that is good for the soul. The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends! 🙂

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

Two biscuits and gravy topped with creamy sauce and garnished with fresh parsley are served on a white speckled plate, with a beige cloth napkin and a sprig of parsley beside them.
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4.50 from 14 votes

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

A reliable, classic recipe for Biscuits and Sausage Gravy. Creamy, savory and oh so comforting this is a staple breakfast recipe!
servings 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

For the sausage gravy:

  • 1 pound ground pork Jimmy Dean or Bob Evans breaksfast sausage
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more as needed
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup optional
  • parsley fresh, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  • To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. 
  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda, pulsing a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until it’s the size of small peas. Pour in the milk, pulsing, until incorporated. Pulse 5 more times, then transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Form dough into a ball, ensuring it is well mixed, sprinkling with flour as needed. Roll the dough out to 1 1/4-inch thick, then use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to make 8 biscuits, re-kneading and re-rolling the scraps as necessary. 
    A ball of dough rests on a floured surface next to a sprig of parsley and a small container of red liquid.
  • Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.
    A tray of unbaked, round biscuit dough pieces on parchment paper.
  • Meanwhile, make the sausage gravy: In a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork mixture and cook, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium-high to bubble, and thicken the gravy. Reduce heat immediately to bring to a gentle simmer, whisking to smooth any lumps, until completely thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more flour as needed to achieve desired consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup.
    A pot of creamy white sauce with chunks and a drizzle of oil, stirred with a wooden spoon. A sprig of fresh parsley is placed beside the pot.
  • Split the biscuits and arrange on plates. Spoon the gravy on top, garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve.
    A plate of biscuits topped with white sausage gravy and garnished with chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 948mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 213mg | Iron: 3.1mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Southern
Keyword: biscuits and gravy
4.50 from 14 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




35 Responses
  1. Pat

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe, thanks! I’ve made it several times. I love the addition of the maple syrup! It is such a great pop of flavor with the sausage.

  2. Cecille

    3 stars
    Your biscuits are spot on! But your gravy is completely different from what I grew up on in SW Virginia. After browning our sausage, (no onion ever) we added the flour, milk, salt and pepper. That’s all. I may try your recipe for a dinner dish but not for breakfast. May I ask what part of the US you were raised in? I’ve never seen gravy with maple syrup in it.

  3. Annelle Wells

    I have made biscuits & gravy for my family all my life. I have never put sausage in the gravy. I always put crumbled up bacon or bacon bits (not the hard kind) in it. If you try it you will never use sausage again.
    Thanks.

    1. George

      As much as I love Bacon gravy can be made in a lot of ways but Sausage for me is the only way for breakfast gravy. Love this recipe. Give it a try all you doubters.

  4. Leyla Nuritova

    5 stars
    This turned out fantastic. Thank you for the recipe. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the maple syrup and it turned out very tasty. Everyone enjoyed. I will make this again!

  5. Mike Konen

    Took forever to get to the recipe. I would never waste good maple syrup in sausage gravy. That is reserved for good home made french toast! The rest of the spices sound ok, though I would double the amount of sage. Chili powder would be a good substitute for the cayenne pepper and up it it 1 tsp.

  6. Lorraine

    I love Biscuits and Gravy very much. I will have to use chicken sausage, beef, turkey sausage. I have High BP along with a couple of other health issuses. I might make my 7 UP Biscuits to try with recipe 😄😄. Will let you know how it taste.

  7. Ann

    This is not true country gravy, To make real down home gravy you crumble and fry sausage and the add flour salt and pepper, the longer you brown flour the darker your gravy is, I like it med brown where my daughter likes it close to white. Set the mixture off heat for about 10 minutes to cool, I use cream milk and some water, stir in the liquid and simmer stirring often until desired thickness, if you happen to get lumps just use a whisk to remove, them spoon over your biscuits and enjoy.

    1. Farmer Me A

      Agree! A true Southern cook would never add these unnecessary ingredients to their gravy for biscuits! Sausage, milk, flour, salt and pepper are the only ingredient in real Southern sausage gravy!

  8. food recipes

    5 stars
    I just made these, i had everything in the kitchen/fridge except sausage. But i did have a 1b of ground pork. It turned out great, Sausage gravy and biscuits turned out great

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    […] ranging from Cassie’s Sweet Potato & Maple Sausage Breakfast Skillet, to Lauren’s biscuits and gravy, Jenny’s Bacon Pesto Mac & Cheese, and so many […]

  10. Jenny @ BAKE

    I was kicking myself when I came back from the States and hadn’t tried biscuits and gravy (or chicken and waffles) I was holding out until my next holiday to try it but this looks so delicious I might just have to give it a go at home!

    1. Janet Balcomb

      I have never heard of putting onions in sausage gravy. I for one do not like onions, but seems no matter what someone is making there is always onions; Am I the only one who does not want onions in everything that is cooked??

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