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close up of a split biscuit with the pieces stacked and sausage gravy on top and between.
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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

The only thing better than a mile-high Flaky Buttermilk Biscuit is one that's smothered in sausage gravy! This Homemade Biscuits and Gravy recipe will stop you in your tracks. It's comfort food like no other. The Biscuits are tender and flaky, and the creamy, savory sausage gravy is deceptively flavorful for how easy it is to put together. Perfect for a lazy weekend morning or a comforting weeknight breakfast-for-dinner.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 327kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

For the sausage gravy:

  • 1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage I like Jimmy Dean Regular
  • 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
  • 1 tablespoon roasted chicken better than bouillon
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped finely (or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley)
  • 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt use 1/2 teaspoon if you have table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper or more!
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or up to 1/2 teaspoon, if you love it spicy!
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1-2 cups additional whole milk to desired consistency
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste, optional

Instructions

  • Start my making the Biscuits: Follow my favorite recipe for Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits. If you are in a hurry, make the Drop Biscuit Recipe found in the notes.
  • Meanwhile, brown the sausage. Set a 12-inch high sided pan on a burner over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the bulk sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat, working quickly to spread it out and get a lot of surface contact with the pan. Let the sausage sit for 2-3 minutes undisturbed, until it is getting brown. Using a spatula, flip the sausage in small sections to brown the other side. (I use this method because I'm obsessed with crispy browned bits of sausage. If you stir the whole time it won't crisp as much. You do you boo, it's going to taste great no matter how you get it done.) Keep cooking until the sausage is no longer pink.
  • Once the meat is fully cooked, turn the heat down to medium.
  • Make roux: Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter and 1 tablespoon of Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon to the pan. Stir the butter and bouillon into the sausage.
  • Add dry ingredients: Use a wooden spoon to stir in 1/4 cup flour, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 1/2 teaspoon dried), 1/2 teaspoon sage, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use half the amount of table salt), 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper, and start with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cook for about 60 seconds to let the flour absorb the fat.
  • Make gravy: SLOWLY pour in 2 cups of whole milk. Seriously, do not rush this or you will end up with flour lumps in your gravy. Pour in a few tablespoons milk while stirring. Stir it in until it absorbs. Add in another few tablespoons and repeat until the full 2 cups have been added and you have a nice gravy going.
  • Add in additional milk. Continue adding milk until it is the consistency you like. I usually add anywhere from another 1 to 2 cups milk. Add it slowly in smallish increments.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings: Taste your gravy and see what you think. Add freshly ground black pepper if you want more peppery flavor. Add a pinch more cayenne pepper and/or a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.
  • Simmer: Keep the heat at medium until the gravy is as thick as you like it, then bring the temperature down to low and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes or so. Keep the gravy on the stove, on low, stirring occasionally, until you are ready to serve it with the biscuits.
  • The gravy will continue to thicken as time goes on, so if you have a wait before your biscuits are ready, you might want to stir in a bit more milk before serving.
  • Serve: Split your biscuits on a plate, and carefully spoon the gravy over the top. Eat in insanely huge bites while your eyes roll into the back of your head.
  • Storage: Store biscuits and gravy separate. Keep biscuits on the counter in a container with a sealing lid or in a ziplock bag so they don't dry out (refrigerate after 2 days.)
    Store in a tupperware in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days. I have never, ever had leftover sausage gravy last more than 2 days at my house!
  • To freeze the sausage gravy, pour it into a ziplock freezer bag, get as much air out as you can, and seal. It will be good in the freezer for 2-3 months. When you want to eat the gravy, let the bag defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Once thaw, heat the gravy on medium low in a skillet or pot on the stove, adding milk until it is the consistency you want.
    To freeze the biscuits, set them all on a baking sheet and flash freeze in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Transfer them to a ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air as possible and sealing. The biscuits will only last for about a month, as they tend to dry out quickly in the cold, dry air of the freezer. To eat the biscuits, set the ziplock bag on the counter for 2-3 hours until no longer frozen. You can warm them in the microwave, toaster oven, or if doing a whole sheet, in a 175 degree oven until warm.
    Freeze unbaked biscuits: You can make your biscuit dough a day in advance and freeze them, shaped. Put them in the oven frozen solid and increase the bake time 1-2 minutes. This is a great make ahead option!

Notes

I can't recommend my Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits enough to pair with this sausage gravy, but if you are short on time, here is quick drop biscuit recipe that I love. Instead of cutting in the butter, we are using a hack method of freezing the liquid and adding hot butter, which forms little bits of butter, almost as if we had cut in in the traditional way. 

Drop Biscuit Recipe

Makes 8 large biscuits
 
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon cold buttermilk**
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or use 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
 
Pour 1 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave until completely melted. Remove the buttermilk from the freezer and, while stirring,  slowly pour in the melted butter. The butter will seize and form itself into small pieces. Return the mixture to the freezer.
 
In a medium size mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix well til all the dry ingredients are combined. Remove the chilled buttermilk from the freezer and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients, using a spatula or a spoon to scrape all the buttermilk and butter out of the measuring cup. 
 
Use a rubber spatula to carefully stir the wet and dry ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms. Let it sit 1 minute. Flour your hands well and knead the dough on itself a few times, right in the bowl. It will be quite sticky; do your best to shape it into a homogenous mass, but don't over do it, or your biscuits will be tough.
 
Spray a 1/4 cup measuring cup with nonstick spray. Use this to scoop the biscuit dough. Form the dough into about 8 biscuits. Place each biscuit on a well-greased baking sheet* (I rub it with butter) with 2 inches of space in between each biscuit. 
 
Place the baking sheet to the freezer (or in the fridge, if you don't have freezer space) and preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Let the oven preheat and the biscuits chill for at least 15 minutes. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. Lift a biscuit and make sure they are golden on the bottom before you take them out of the oven. 
 
*You can make these biscuits as pull apart biscuits in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Grease skillet well with butter. Shape the biscuits and place them right next to each other in the skillet. Freeze as directed. Bake at 450 for about 17-18 minutes, until the tops are browned and a biscuit lifted shows that the bottoms are turning golden. (or until a thermometer inserted in the center biscuit reads at least 190 degrees F.)
 
**CHEATER BUTTERMILK: If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice OR vinegar to the 1 cup + 1 tablespoon milk called for in the recipe. Stir and let sit for a couple minutes, then proceed with the recipe. 
 
Nutrition Facts reflect info for the Sausage Gravy. See the Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits recipe for that nutrition info.  
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg