• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Edible Times
  • About
    • Hire
  • Recipes
    • By Diet
      • GAPS
      • Gluten Free
      • Keto
      • Paleo
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
  • Just Cook
  • Macarons
  • Start Here
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • How To
  • French Macarons
  • About
  • Hire
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Biscuits and Homemade Sausage Gravy

    Last Updated: Feb 13, 2023 By: Chef Christina

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Biscuits and sausage gravy are a traditional Southern breakfast and brunch dish. Southern chefs and home cooks alike smother tender, lofty buttermilk biscuits in a spicy, sausage-laden cream sauce. The cooking and baking methods for homemade biscuits and gravy are rooted in classical French cooking. And are entirely approachable and familiar, even if you've never stepped foot in the South.

    A plate full of biscuits and sausage gravy with biscuits and the pan of gravy in the background.

    Jump to:
    • The Story
    • The Ingredients
    • The Methods
    • How to Make Biscuits
    • On Gravy
    • The Steps
    • Storage & Reheating
    • Chef's Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Edible Epilogue
    • 📖 Recipe
    • More Breakfast Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • 💬 Reviews

    The Story

    Sending your fork through tender, flaky biscuits smothered in creamy, sausage gravy is an indulgent, soul-warming, and extremely Southen way to break the fast. Across the South, the traditional dish is enjoyed any time of day, for special occasions, and on holidays (hailing from New Orleans, we like to revel in the dish during Mardi Gras season).

    Looking down on a plate of biscuits and sausage gravy garnished with sliced chives.

    Depending on where you look, biscuits and gravy recipes vary in complexity and flavor. And while most Southern biscuits are nearly identical in ingredients, the method depends on the individual. And you can certainly take help from the store on biscuits if baking ain't yo' thang.

    By way of occupational hazard (as a chef), I approach biscuits and gravy with a cupful of tradition and a few spoonfuls of professional technique. Which makes for a plate of biscuits and gravy that tastes as delicious as it looks.


    The Ingredients

    The ingredients for homemade sausage gravy in bowls on a counter next to a pan of homemade biscuits.
    • Buttermilk biscuits. Whether Southern biscuits from scratch or help from the store, fresh-baked are best.
    • Ground sausage, spicy or mild. For moderately spicy gravy, use half mild and half spicy. Ground chorizo is a fun choice for a spicier, Spanish-inspired gravy.
    • Garlic. Minced fresh cloves offer the freshest, most garlicky flavor. Use the type of garlic you like to buy or have on hand.
    • Trinity (optional). This is a New Orleans term for an aromatic trio of diced onion, celery, and green pepper. A signature staple in Creole and Cajun cooking, the vegetables bring loads of flavor to any dish.
    • Butter. Unsalted is the standard, salted works great, too.
    • All-purpose flour. For gluten-free gravy, you can substitute cornstarch in half the amount.
    • Whole milk. Reduced fat is fine to use, but I'd advise against skim milk or any plant-based alternative unless an allergy is at hand.
    • Worcestershire sauce. A classic seasoning in the South adds umami and richness.
    • Ground mustard, paprika, and other spices. A variety of ground spices play nicely with sausage gravy including my favorite, ground mustard. Celery seed, onion powder, garlic powder, ground paprika, chili powder, and ground cayenne pepper all take gravy from bland to grand.
    • Salt. A chef's workhorse salt is coarse kosher. Sea salts are fun and widely available. If using table salt, use half the suggested amount.

    For Homemade Biscuits

    Quick and easy homemade biscuits require only five ingredients. The less protein in your flour, the lighter and more tender the biscuits. White Lily or pastry flour are both lower in gluten. And as long as you handle the dough as little as possible, all-purpose flour makes great biscuits. Most gluten-free flour blends work just fine, the texture will be quite different, of course.

    Ingredients for making homemade biscuits on a marble countertop.
    • Soft wheat or all-purpose flour
    • Baking powder and/or baking soda
    • Salt
    • Butter
    • Buttermilk (or milk)

    The Methods

    To make homemade biscuits, you use the rubbed dough method. And that simply means rubbing cold fat into the flour with your hands, a tool, or pulsing it all briefly in a food processor. Then you add the milk to form a thick dough which you cut and bake.

    Southern-style gravy is really an offshoot of béchemel, one of the five mother sauces in classical French cooking. A barebones béchemel is a moderately thick, roux-based white sauce flavored with garlic, bay leaves, and nutmeg. American sausage gravy for biscuits calls for browned ground sausage and traditional Southern spices and seasonings.


    How to Make Biscuits

    For the flakiest biscuits use very cold butter. Handle the dough gently and avoid using a rolling pin for the fluffiest batch possible.

    1. Preheat and prepare. Pop the stick of butter in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and the buttermilk into a measuring glass. Put the measured buttermilk back in the refrigerator until you need it.
    2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    3. Grate or rub in the butter. Cut the butter into tiny pieces or grate it with a box grater. Rub the butter gently into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand with pea-sized pieces. Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients in a food processor, add the butter, and pulse to the same consistency.
    4. Add the milk. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the milk. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the dough just comes together (or drizzle it into the processor and pulse until it's barely cohesive. Then turn it out onto a floured surface.
    A whisk resting in a bowl of dry ingredients for biscuits.
    combine the dry ingredients
    Butter rubbed into flour for making biscuits.
    rub in the butter
    A hand pouring milk into a bowl of flour and butter.
    add the milk and gently mix
    1. Shape the dough and cut the biscuits. Shape the dough into a rectangle or circle that's between one-half and one inch thick with your hands. Avoid using a rolling pin, or use it sparingly. Cut individual biscuits with a two-inch cutter or a knife. Make Paul Hollywood proud and aim for same-sized biscuits however you cut them. Flour your cutting tool well before each cut.
    2. Brush and bake. Place the cut biscuits on a parchment-lined baking pan half an inch apart. Brush the tops lightly with buttermilk or milk and bake at 400° F to 450° F until golden brown.
    A hand with a biscuit cutter cutting raw biscuits from a round of dough.
    shape the dough
    Round biscuits cut and separated from the larger dough.
    cut the biscuits with a floured cutter or knife
    Six raw biscuits on a baking pan brushed with milk.
    brush with milk
    Six round biscuits on a baking pan that are golden brown.
    bake until golden

    On Gravy

    Bland sausage gravy is sadly all too common. So choose a flavorful sausage and add plenty of ground spices, aromatic vegetables, fresh herbs, or all three. You can certainly make a four-ingredient gravy with only sausage, butter, flour, and milk. But be sure to taste and season it well with salt to avoid a sauce that falls flat on flavor. A little bit of ground spice goes a long way, even if you skip adding garlic and the trinity.

    Minced onions, celery, and green pepper on a counter next to a bottle of worcestershire sauce.

    The Steps

    1. Brown the sausage. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
    2. Add aromatics (optional). Add any minced onions, celery, and green pepper to the pan and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
    Browning sausage in a dutch oven breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
    Adding the Creole trinity of vegetables to browned sausage in a pot.
    1. Make the roux. Melt the butter in and then sprinkle the flour all over. Cook for about three minutes stirring frequently. The flour will absorb the fat from the sausage and butter to form a roux. If the mixture is still somewhat shiny, sprinkle in another teaspoon of flour. Sausages vary in fat content. And the more fat that cooks out the more flour you'll need for a thick but pourable gravy.
    2. Whisk in the milk. Add the milk slowly while stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf, if using, and bring the gravy to a simmer stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. Reduce the heat to low and cook it for at least ten minutes and up to twenty. The longer a gravy or sauce simmers, the richer the flavors. And simmering for at least 15 minutes allows the raw starch flavor from the flour to cook away.
    A pat of butter melting over browned sausage for sausage gravy.
    Flour sprinkled all over sausage in a pot
    Milk pouring from a measuring glass into a pot.
    A fresh bay leaf floating on top of sausage gravy that is cooking in a pot.
    1. Season and taste. Once the gravy is thickened, stir in a few pinches of salt and your spices and seasonings and taste the gravy. Add more salt and seasonings until you are happy with the flavors. Garnish with sliced chives, or chopped fresh parsley or thyme leaves.
    2. Serve warm. Serve the gravy poured over freshly-baked or warm biscuits.
    Ground spices sitting on top of thickened sausage gravy in a ceramic dutch oven.
    Homemade sausage gravy on the end of a wooden spoon.
    Fresh, sliced chives sprinkled on top of sausage gravy.
    A square biscuit cut in half drizzled with sausage gravy on a gray plate.

    Fixing the Consistency

    If your gravy is thin or you see droplets of fat coming to the surface, stir in a teaspoon or two more of flour. Always bring the gravy to a strong simmer after adding more flour to activate its thickening properties. If the gravy is too thick, stir in milk a little at a time until you reach a pourable consistency.

    Sausage gravy naturally thickens upon cooling. If it's too thick for your liking, add water as necessary when you reheat it. Water evaporation is likely what caused the gravy to thicken upon cooling, especially if you let it cool in the pot.


    Storage & Reheating

    Store sausage gravy in the refrigerator for up to a week. And the same goes for biscuits. To reheat gravy without it separating, warm it in a pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. A lower-heat oven is the best way to reheat biscuits.


    Chef's Tips

    • On the roux. A traditional roux is equal parts flour and butter or fat. But since sausage gives off fat when you cook it, the formula doesn't apply to sausage gravy. Recipes that don't account for the rendered sausage fat may not thicken as well. Or turn out as smooth. And you can end up with a greasy consistency. Use your eyes and if the mixture looks shiny after you've added all the flour the recipe calls for, sprinkle in a teaspoon or two more flour. Different types of sausage contain varying amounts of fat.
    • Don't be shy with the salt. Sauces with milk, cream, and starch absorb a lot of salt. So always taste before you serve. Even with a flavorful sausage, you need to add enough salt to season the milk, too. Use salt measurements in any recipe as a guideline, not a hard and fast amount.
    • Simmer low and slow, stirring fairly often. Sausage gravy is a play on classical French béchemel (which I cooked over and over again in culinary school). And the best flour-thickened white sauces are ones that are allowed to simmer at length over low heat with aromatic vegetables. Time spent simmering releases flavors into the gravy. And helps eliminate any residual starchy taste from the raw flour. Be suspicious of advice that claims great sausage gravy only takes ten minutes.
    Looking down on sausage gravy in a high-sided skillet..

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can you freeze sausage gravy?

    Absolutely! And those biscuits, too. I like to pour any leftover gravy into a gallon-size food storage bag and seal it using water displacement (dip the bag in a large bowl of water up to the zipper, then seal). After sealing you can lay the bag flat in the freezer and the gravy freezes in a space-saving shape. To freeze biscuits, seal them the same way in an airtight food storage bag or container.

    How do you thicken sausage gravy?

    Traditional sausage gravy is thickened with a roux made with all-purpose wheat flour and butter or oil. But you can use cornstarch in place of wheat flour for a gluten-free gravy. To thicken one cup of milk for gravy, you need one and a half teaspoons of cornstarch. The best way to add cornstarch to the pot for thickening is to stir it in a small dish with the same amount of water or milk until smooth (this is making a slurry). Then whisk or stir it into the sauce or gravy.


    Edible Epilogue

    There are some weekends when I wake up and I absolutely crave what we called "sausage biscuits and gravy" growing up. Don't ask me why we said it all in that order. It's entirely incorrect (there's no sausage in the actual biscuits). And our fellow Southerners say "biscuits and sausage gravy".

    A half eaten plate of biscuits and homemade sausage gravy.

    Maybe it's because my dad slides a sausage patty in between his biscuit halves.  Or because by the time it's on the plate all hot, spicy, and creamy, it doesn't really matter what you call it. It's sinful and divine at the same time. And one of those breakfasts that send you back to bed. So be sure to drink a few homemade, cheaper-than-the-coffeehouse espressos to stave off the inevitable food coma.


    Print

    📖 Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    A plate full of biscuits and sausage gravy with biscuits and the pan of gravy in the background.

    Biscuits and Homemade Sausage Gravy

    ★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
    • Author: Christina
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 6 to 8 Servings 1x
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Southern
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    A classic Southern breakfast, and an incredibly flavorful yet simple gravy recipe. Take help from the store or make Southern-style biscuits from scratch. The vegetables, herbs, and spices in the gravy recipe are optional. But the more you're willing to add in, the more savory and satisfying the gravy will be. 

     


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 pound of bulk, ground sausage, spicy or mild
    • ½ cup of minced yellow onion
    • ¼ cup of minced green pepper
    • 1 stalk of celery, minced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 2 tablespoons of butter
    • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups of milk
    • 1 bay leaf
    • A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (about a teaspoon)
    • 1 teaspoon of ground mustard
    • 1 teaspoon of onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon of ground paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper
    • 1 to 2 teaspoons of coarse kosher salt (less if table salt)
    • ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
    • Fresh chives, thyme, or parsley, optional
    • 6 to 8 warm buttermilk biscuits

    Instructions

    1. Brown the sausage. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
    2. Add aromatics (optional). Add any minced onions, celery, and green pepper to the pan and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
    3. Make the roux. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Then sprinkle the flour over the sausage, and cook for at least three minutes stirring frequently. If the mixture is still somewhat shiny, sprinkle in another teaspoon of flour. Sausage can vary in fat content. And the more fat that cooks out of the sausage the more flour you'll need to prevent a greasy gravy.
    4. Whisk in the milk. Add the milk slowly while stirring constantly. Add the bay leaf, if using, and bring the gravy to a simmer stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. Reduce the heat to low and cook it for at least ten minutes and up to twenty. The longer a gravy or sauce simmers, the richer the flavors. The gravy will thicken as it simmers. 
    5. Season and taste. Stir in a small pinch of salt, the Worcestershire sauce, and the ground spices. Taste the gravy and add more salt and seasonings until you are happy with the flavors. Garnish with sliced chives, or chopped fresh parsley or thyme leaves.
    6. Serve warm. Serve the gravy poured over freshly baked or warmed biscuits. 

    Notes

    On Consistency

    If your gravy is thin or you see droplets of fat coming to the surface, stir in a teaspoon or two more flour and bring it back to a simmer. If the gravy is too thick, stir in milk a little at a time until you reach a pourable consistency. Sausage gravy naturally thickens upon cooling. Add water as necessary when you reheat it.

    Storage & Reheating

    Store sausage gravy in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also seal it in an airtight bag and freeze it. And the same goes for biscuits. To reheat gravy without it separating, warm it in a pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. A lower-heat oven is the best way to reheat biscuits.

    Chef's Tips

    • On the roux. Since sausage gives off fat when you cook it, the standard roux formula of equal parts butter and flour don't apply here. And many popular recipes make this mistake. Which can result in gravy with a greasy consistency. If the sausage mixture looks shiny after you've added all the flour, sprinkle in a teaspoon or two more. Different types of sausage contain varying amounts of fat, don't be afraid to adjust accordingly.
    • Don't be shy with the salt. Sauces with milk, cream, and starch absorb a lot of salt. So always taste before you serve. Even with a flavorful sausage, you need to add enough salt to season the milk, too. 
    • Simmer low and slow, stirring fairly often. Sausage gravy is a play on classical French béchemel (which I cooked over and over again in culinary school). And the best flour-thickened white sauces are ones that are allowed to simmer at length over low heat with aromatic vegetables.

    On the Nutrition

    The amounts below are for a half-cup serving of sausage gravy. For nutrition information regarding biscuits, follow this link to my homemade biscuit recipe or check the label of your store-bought biscuits.

    Keywords: buttermilk biscuits recipe, biscuits and gravy, Southern biscuits, sausage gravy

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @edibletimes on Instagram and hashtag it #edibletimes


    More Breakfast Recipes

    • How to Make Irresistible Home Fries for All Diets
    • How to Make Japanese Soufflé Pancakes for Most Any Diet
    • How to Cook Bacon in the Oven, Classic and Candied
    • The reason French toast is called lost bread + how to make it with brioche, challah or plain ol' sandwich bread

    Subscribe

    I'm happy to tell you, this is not a "food blog". But a collection of recipes tested and published by a professionally-trained private chef. There are few, if any, product links, or annoying pop-up ads. But there are:

    • The culinary techniques and simple formulas for success
    • Recipes that work for all types of diets
    • How to save money on groceries
    • A direct line to me, Chef Christina, to ask any cooking or baking questions you have, anytime

    The first five emails will be my series: Just Cook. It's a free quick-start guide to get you cooking like a pro, without having your eyes glued to a screen. Think of it like free culinary school, with a friendly (not yelling) chef.

    Because life's too short to waste time scrolling through recipes.
    When you could be sipping wine while cooking, instead.

    Let's Cook!

    Always free. Your info will never be sold. Ever.

    Thanks for joining!

    Welcome to the community! Be on the lookout for my first email. And be sure to check your junk mail in case your inbox got suspicious. 

    .
    « Caramelized Shredded Brussels Sprouts
    Southern Biscuits from Scratch »

    Filed Under: Breakfast, How To, Kids, Recipes Tagged With: biscuits, buttermilk, sausage gravy, Southern biscuits, southern biscuits and gravy, Southern cooking, Southern recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Rebecca

      February 26, 2023 at 8:23 am

      I am from the South and have made gravy and biscuits for my family for breakfast (and sometimes dinner) for many years. I tried Chef Christina’s version and now this is their new favorite!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Bill H.

      February 25, 2023 at 9:13 am

      I’m from Louisiana too and this is just how my grandmother made her gravy. She always said use raw sausage because crumbling in cooked doesn’t give the same flavor. Which many people don’t realize.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Chef Christina

        February 25, 2023 at 9:16 am

        Bill, your grandmother was so right. Cooked sausage has already rendered off a good portion of its fat, which is where a lot the flavor is. Thanks for reading!

        Reply
    3. Shawna

      February 18, 2023 at 7:00 am

      You inspired me! I made your gravy this morning (cheated with a mix on the biscuits)…it was the best I’ve ever tasted, seriously! So delicious…haven’t had good biscuits and gravy since we lived in the Midwest. Always been a favorite, but never made it with such success. Thanks Christina!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Chef Christina

        February 18, 2023 at 7:38 am

        Oh, Shawna, I'm so glad to hear it! Thank you.😊 A good gravy is good for the soul. Next up: homemade biscuits.😆

        Reply
    4. Cheryl

      February 15, 2023 at 10:09 am

      This is just how my mom made sausage gravy growing up. She'd add whatever ground spices we had in the cabinet, so much better than plain white gravy!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Chef Christina

        February 15, 2023 at 10:10 am

        So fun, Cheryl! Mine, too. I rarely trust a white gravy. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Julienne

      October 04, 2014 at 11:36 am

      I was more than happy to uncover this web site.
      I need to to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!!
      I definitely loved every bit of it and I have you book marked to check out new
      things in your blog.

      Reply
      • Christina

        September 08, 2020 at 6:08 am

        Thanks, Julienne! Welcome + enjoy.

        Reply
    6. Joan W

      May 07, 2013 at 6:24 pm

      That looks amazing! I used to love to eat breakfast at my grandmother's house for that very reason.

      Reply
      • Christina

        September 08, 2020 at 6:09 am

        Ah, grandma's biscuits. Nothing beats 'em!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to
    Edible Times!

    Chef Christina Bailey, Boise Private Chef, Creator of Edible Times

    I'm Christina, a classically trained, Michelin-star restaurant alum and private chef. And more importantly, Chef Mom to two little boys.
    I'm here to empower you in the kitchen. I share way more than delicious, chef-tested recipes. I explain the professional formulas, ratios, and techniques, too. To read about me and my food philosophy, follow this.



    In Season for Spring

    • Orange-Balsamic Marinated, Grilled Asparagus Recipe
    • How to mix up a classic pico de gallo recipe with whatever's in your kitchen
    • The Beauty of Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
    • The Original Mint Julep Recipe
    • Cadbury Creme Egg French Macarons
    • How to Cook Sockeye Salmon to Perfect Doneness
    • How to Cook Asparagus
    • The best method for macarons bursting with lemon flavor

    Most Popular

    • Strawberry French Macarons Recipe & Two Fillings
    • Classic, Tender Beef Top Round Roast
    • Spiced Apple Cider from Apple Juice
    • Chef Thomas Keller's Roast Chicken of Bouchon Fame
    • Coconut Macaroons Without Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • How to Cook Sockeye Salmon to Perfect Doneness

    my foodgawker gallery

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Christina
    • Private Chef Services
    • Privacy & Disclosure
    • Nutrition Notice

    Subscribe

    Looking for free cooking, baking and macaron tips?

    Sign up!

    Recipes

    All Recipes
    Breakfast
    Dinner
    Dessert
    Macarons

    By Diet

    GAPS Diet
    Gluten-Free
    Keto
    Paleo
    Vegan

    Copyright © 2009-2023 Edible Times