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

Biscuits and Homemade Sausage Gravy

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. 

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 to 8 Servings 1x

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.

  • Author: Christina
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Southern

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 ounces of Sausage Gravy
  • Calories: 185
  • Sugar: 5.4 g
  • Sodium: 419 mg
  • Fat: 12.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11.6 g
  • Protein: 6.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 32.6 mg

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