Homemade Biscuits and Gravy Recipe

This Homemade Biscuits and Gravy recipe is made with flaky buttermilk biscuits and a comforting sausage gravy that is made from scratch! A lot easier than you think!

If you’re making this for a crowd, consider adding my soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls or brioche french toast to the table.

Recipe Details

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy is a southern staple that has really grown on my family and me over the years. Whenever we get together for brunch, this recipe is a must.

• TASTE: This is a hearty dish that has plenty of savory flavor and a rich, buttery taste.
• TEXTURE: The biscuits are so fluffy and flaky, they’re hard to resist. When paired with the thick sausage gravy, the combination is outstanding.
• TIME: This dish will take a total of 1 hour 45 minutes.
• EASE: The biscuits are incredibly easy to make and you can even make the dough the night before and bake them in the morning. 

Ingredient Notes

• Butter- Cold butter is the secret ingredient for perfectly flaky biscuits. Use unsalted and keep it cold until you’re ready to use it.
• Buttermilk- This ingredient adds moisture and a tangy flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own with 1 cup of milk + 1 tbsp. of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it stand for 5 minutes before using.
• Sausage- Pork sausage can be bought already ground into patties or you can use actual sausages with the casing removed. This add tons of savory flavor to your gravy.
• Chicken stock- This will thin out the gravy as needed.
• All-purpose flour- You’ll need this for the biscuits, of course, but also to make the roux that will thicken your gravy.
• Milk– Use whole milk here for a richer flavor and thicker gravy.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Make them gluten-free- It’s possible to make these without gluten by substituting a gluten-free all-purpose flour in the biscuits and brown rice flour when making the gravy.
• Substitute another meat- You can make these Biscuits and Gravy with ground beef or turkey as well. Just season it as it cooks so you get as full a flavor as you do with sausage.
• Add bacon- Cooked bacon bits add delicious flavor to your gravy and can be mixed into your biscuit dough as well. Bacon grease also can be used.
• Make them dairy-free- Plant-based butters and milks can be subbed in for the dairy in this recipe. Look for butter that mimics regular butter so it isn’t too soft and holds its shape for flakier layers.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy

• Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Start off by combining all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then add in the cold cubed butter and begin cutting it into the flour with a pastry cutter.
• Add buttermilk. Now you can add the buttermilk. Make sure everything is nice and cold, especially the butter.

• Cut and layer the dough. Once your dough has taken shape, form it into a rectangle, then cut it in half and stack it. Repeat this about 3-4 times.

Pro Tip: If your butter gets too warm while you’re working the dough, place the dough in the fridge before continuing. The cold pieces of butter are essential in creating those flaky layers of the biscuit.

• Cut out the biscuits. Then roll out the dough to about 3/4 inch thick on a floured surface and cut out circles using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Roll out the scraps and cut out as many biscuits as you possibly can.
• Freeze and bake them. Place the biscuits onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Now bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

• Cook the sausage. Place the breakfast sausage patties in a hot skillet over high heat. Once the meat is almost fully cooked and well broken up, add in the butter, flour, and broth.

• Add milk and season. After you cook out the flour slightly, stir in the milk. Then season according to your tastebuds.

Recipe Tips

• Use a pastry cutter– This little tool does an amazing job of cutting the butter into the flour so your dough has chunks that make the biscuits flaky. Other methods aren’t as effective.
• Freeze the dough before baking- Do not skip this step! It cools the butter so when it bakes, those flaky layers form that makes biscuits so wonderfully textured.
• Melt the butter before adding the flour- When making the gravy, let the butter melt before adding the flour to avoid any clumps from forming.
• Season to taste- Always season with salt and pepper at the very end because every sausage patty brand varies in saltiness.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Although this dish alone is a meal in itself, sometimes it’s nice to add more options on the table if you are hosting brunch. Here are some delicious serving ideas.

• Proteins: Pair this dish with some protein, like this Spinach Mushroom Frittata, Quiche Lorraine, Poached eggs, Crispy Air Fryer Bacon, or Bacon Hash Brown Quiche.
• Sweet treats: Serve this with some Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (VIDEO), Brioche French Toast, Old Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts, or Caramelized Peach French Toast.
• Pancakes: Enjoy this dish with Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, Dutch Baby Pancakes, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes, or Cottage Cheese Pancakes.
• Light breakfast dishes: Balance this hearty breakfast with Yogurt Parfaits, Blueberry Smoothie Bowls, Muesli Yogurt Parfait with Berries (VIDEO), or Mandarin Banana Smoothies.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: Once you’ve got them on your baking sheet, cover them and pop them in the refrigerator and bake them the next morning. You can cook the sausage gravy in a skillet the night before, then place it in the fridge and reheat on the cooktop the following day. 

Storing: Once the Biscuits and Gravy have cooled, just wrap them up separately in an airtight container or plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. 

Freeze: The gravy doesn’t freeze well, but you can freeze the biscuits. Place them in a freezer ziplock bag once cooled for up to 4 months.

Watch Video Recipe Here

More Tasty Breakfast Dishes!

Full Recipe Instructions

Biscuits and Gravy Recipe

This homemade biscuits and gravy recipe is made with flakey buttermilk biscuits and a delicious (from scratch) sausage gravy! It's also super easy to make!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chill dough: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 574kcal

Author: Dina

Ingredients

Ingredients for the biscuit dough

• ▢ 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 5 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk cold

Ingredients for the sausage gravy

• ▢ 1 lb ground pork sausage
• ▢ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock
• ▢ 2 cups Milk
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ Salt (to taste, if needed)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the biscuits

• In a bowl, sift the 2 1/3 cup flour, 5 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp sugar.
• Slice 3/4 cup cold butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter. Continue cutting until the butter is the size of peas.
• Whisk in 1 cup of buttermilk into the flour/butter mixture. Careful not to over-mix.
• Place the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Then cut it in half and stack one half over the other. Then shape it into a rectangle again and cut it in half again. You will want to repeat this about 3-4 times. If your butter gets too warm, place the dough in the fridge before continuing. The cold pieces of butter are essential in creating those flakey layers of the biscuit.
• Now roll the dough out to a circle that's about 3/4 inch thick. Then use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut as many biscuits as you can. Gather the scraps together and roll it out to 3/4 inch thick again. Cut as many biscuits as possible once more.
• Place the biscuits onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes (do not skip this step). Now bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the sausage gravy

• Meanwhile, place the 1 lb pork sausage in a skillet and begin breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Keep the meat over medium-high heat until fully cooked. (No grease is needed in this step).
• Add 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter and stir until melted. Then mix in 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth and 2 cups of milk. Stir over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.
• Season with salt (optional). I prefer not to add salt since the sausage I used was salty enough.

Notes

Make ahead biscuits and gravy

For the biscuits

• You can place the chilled and wrapped the dough in the fridge overnight and roll it out in the morning.
• Or you can even cut the biscuits out, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover them with plastic wrap. Then refrigerate and bake in the morning.

For the gravy

• You can cook the sausage gravy in a skillet that night before, then place it in the fridge and reheat on the cooktop the following day. 

How to store biscuits and gravy

Once the gravy and biscuits are done and you have leftovers, just wrap them up separately in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 608mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 811IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 3mg

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram @simplyhomecooked or use the hashtag #simplyhomecooked so I can see it and feature it!

This recipe was originally posted on Oct 24, 2016, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow me

Dina

Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Follow me

Latest posts by Dina (see all)

• Braised Beef - December 2, 2024
• Amaretti Cookies (VIDEO) - November 18, 2024
• Double Chocolate Cookies (VIDEO) - November 16, 2024