Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and gravy is a Southern US breakfast of tall buttermilk biscuits split open and covered in a thick, peppery white gravy full of crumbled pork sausage. The gravy is made in the same skillet as the sausage: flour is stirred into the rendered fat, then milk is simmered in until the gravy coats a spoon. Folding the biscuit dough a few times before cutting gives flaky layers that hold up under the gravy. The gravy cooks while the biscuits bake, so the whole breakfast takes about 40 minutes.
Published
- Prep Time
- 20 mins
- Cook Time
- 20 mins
- Total Time
- 40 mins
- Servings
- 8 biscuits with gravy
How do you make Biscuits and Gravy?
Whisk 315 g flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt, cut in 115 g cold butter and stir in 250 ml buttermilk. Fold, pat 2.5 cm thick, cut 8 biscuits and bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15-18 minutes. Brown 450 g pork sausage to 71°C (160°F), stir in 35 g flour, then simmer with 600 ml milk until thick.
- Total time
- 40 mins
- Calories
- 480 per serving
- Protein
- 16 g
- Yield
- 8 biscuits with gravy
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Method
- Baking and simmering
Ingredients
Buttermilk biscuits
Sausage gravy
Equipment
Large mixing bowl · Pastry cutter or box grater · 6.5 cm (2 1/2 inch) round biscuit cutter · Baking sheet · Parchment paper · Large skillet, about 30 cm (12 inch) · Wooden spoon or whisk
Quick Directions
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the biscuit dough
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
Fold and cut the biscuits
Tip the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rectangle about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick.
Bake the biscuits
Set the biscuits on the lined sheet with their sides just touching, which helps them rise tall.
Brown the sausage
While the biscuits bake, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned with no pink left.
Make the gravy
Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir for 1-2 minutes, until no dry flour is visible.
Serve
Split the warm biscuits in half, set them on plates and spoon the hot gravy over them.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Every step for making biscuits and gravy, written out in full.
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the biscuit dough
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and work it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the pieces are the size of peas, with a few larger flakes. Pour in the 250 ml cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. A few dry bits are fine.
Fold and cut the biscuits
Tip the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rectangle about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it a quarter turn and pat it out again. Repeat the folding twice more, then pat the dough to 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Cut straight down with a floured 6.5 cm (2 1/2 inch) cutter without twisting it, then press the scraps together once and cut again, to get 8 biscuits.
Bake the biscuits
Set the biscuits on the lined sheet with their sides just touching, which helps them rise tall. Brush the tops with the extra 1 tbsp buttermilk and bake for 15-18 minutes, until risen and deep golden on top.
Brown the sausage
While the biscuits bake, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned with no pink left. Pork sausage is safe at 71°C (160°F); crumbles this small are cooked through once no pink remains. Do not drain the pan. You need about 3 tbsp of fat for the gravy, so add the butter if there is less.
Make the gravy
Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir for 1-2 minutes, until no dry flour is visible. Pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, then bring it to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with the pepper, salt and cayenne, if using. The gravy thickens as it stands, so stir in a splash more milk if it gets too thick.
Serve
Split the warm biscuits in half, set them on plates and spoon the hot gravy over them.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the butter and buttermilk cold. Cold butter melts into steam pockets in the hot oven, which is what gives the biscuits their layers. If the dough turns soft and greasy while you work, chill it for 10 minutes before cutting.
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into 250 ml (1 cup) milk and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Be generous with the black pepper. The gravy is mostly milk, so the pepper and the sausage seasoning carry its flavour.
- Choose a sausage with enough fat. Very lean sausage leaves too little fat to cook the flour, which is why the recipe includes optional butter.
Variations
- Drop biscuits: skip the folding and cutting, stir 2-3 tbsp more buttermilk into the dough and drop it in 8 mounds on the sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes.
- Spicy gravy: use hot breakfast sausage and add 1/4 tsp chili flakes with the flour.
- Sage gravy: if your sausage is lightly seasoned, add 1/2 tsp dried rubbed sage with the flour.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 480 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbs | 40 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated fat | 14 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Sodium | 1120 mg |
Estimated from the listed ingredients; values vary by brand.
Related Recipes
Storing & Reheating
- Fridge
- Refrigerate leftover gravy in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking for up to 3 days. Keep biscuits in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezer
- Freeze cut, unbaked biscuits on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 3-5 minutes. The gravy freezes for up to 2 months but can look grainy after thawing, so whisk in a splash of milk as it reheats.
- Reheat
- Reheat the gravy in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). Warm biscuits in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 5-7 minutes.
Biscuits and Gravy FAQs
What kind of sausage is best for biscuits and gravy?
Use raw pork breakfast sausage, sold in bulk or as links you can squeeze out of their casings. Sage-seasoned sausage gives the classic flavour and hot sausage adds heat. Precooked or smoked sausage does not give off enough fat to make the gravy.
Why is my sausage gravy lumpy?
Lumps form when the milk goes in too fast or the flour is not stirred into the fat first. Cook the flour with the sausage for 1-2 minutes, then add the milk a little at a time while stirring. Whisking hard off the heat smooths out most small lumps.
How do you thin or thicken sausage gravy?
To thin sausage gravy, stir in milk 2 tbsp at a time. To thicken it, simmer it a few minutes longer, stirring, since the gravy keeps thickening as it cooks and as it cools.
Can I make biscuits and gravy ahead?
Make the gravy up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate it and reheat it with a splash of milk until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). The biscuits are best baked fresh, but you can cut them ahead, freeze them unbaked and bake them from frozen for 18-23 minutes.
Why didn't my biscuits rise?
Biscuits stay flat when the butter is warm, the dough is overworked, the baking powder is old, or the cutter was twisted, which seals the edges. Keep the butter cold, stir only until the dough comes together, and press the cutter straight down.
Disclaimer
- Nutrition information is an estimate based on the listed ingredients. It changes with the brands, portion sizes and swaps you use.
- Read ingredient labels for allergens and for diet claims such as gluten-free or vegan. Products and their ingredients can change.
- Cooking times are a guide, since ovens, air fryers and slow cookers all run differently. Use a food thermometer and cook meat, poultry and fish to the safe internal temperatures in government food safety guidance.
- This recipe is general information, not medical or nutrition advice. If you have an allergy, a health condition or a special diet, check with a qualified health professional.
