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This Biscuits and Gravy recipe brings classic Southern comfort food to your table easily and quickly. There’s nothing quite like the smell of warm, flaky biscuits smothered in a rich, creamy sausage gravy!
A Southern Comfort Classic
Around here, homemade biscuits and gravy aren’t just breakfast – they’re a tradition. Soft, flaky biscuits loaded with rich sausage gravy? Yes, please! It’s my go-to for hearty weekend breakfasts, holiday brunches, and those “let’s have breakfast for dinner” kind of nights. My kids even ask for it on their birthdays!
Whether you’re a biscuits-and-gravy pro or making it for the first time, this step-by-step recipe will walk you through exactly how to make the best sausage gravy right in your own kitchen. Serve it over our homemade buttermilk biscuits (my favorite way!) or if your short on time, store bought biscuit dough works great.
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
This recipe is so simple, and I bet you’ve got most of the ingredients already in your kitchen!
- For the Biscuits: You can either make my homemade Buttermilk Biscuits (which I highly recommend) or use store-bought biscuit dough if you’re short on time.
- Pork Sausage: I usually use an uncooked breakfast sausage like Jimmy Dean pork sausage. but you can totally mix it up. Try spicy sausage for a little extra kick, or even sweet or sage sausage for a milder flavor. One reader prefers maple sausage in this recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour: For thickening the sausage gravy.
- Whole Milk: For a creamy, dreamy gravy. If you prefer a thinner gravy, use 2% milk. I you prefer a thicker gravy, use half-and-half.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning.
- Cayenne or Red Pepper Flakes: Spice it up!
- Optional Garnish: Fresh parsley adds a nice pop of color.
How to Make Biscuits and Gravy
- Make gravy from scratch by browning sausage in a skillet until no longer pink and sausage drippings coat the pan. Remove from pan and pat off the excess grease with a paper towel.
- Return the sausage to the pan and sprinkle the flour over the cooked sausage to create a roux. Stir until sausage is evenly coated.
- Continue to cook over medium heat and slowly add milk, stirring or whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Split biscuits in half. Ladle sausage gravy over warm biscuits. Serve immediately with a generous ladle of gravy.
Tips and Variations
- Spicy gravy: Use spicy sausage or increase the amount of cayenne or red pepper flakes for added heat.
- Turkey sausage gravy: Swap ground turkey for the pork and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Vegetarian gravy: Use a plant based-sausage substitute or sautéed mushrooms in olive oil instead of pork.
- Dairy-free gravy: Make sausage gravy without milk by substituting a milk alternative like almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
A high quality pork breakfast sausage works best. Look for a country-style or sage-seasoned sausage for extra flavor. You can also use spicy sausage for extra heat or turkey sausage for a lighter option.
If your gravy is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of milk until smooth. Slowly whisk it into the gravy. Continue simmering and stirring the gravy until it thickens.
Stir in some milk, just a tablespoon at a time, until the gravy reaches desired consistency.
Yes! You can make it a day or two in advance. Keep the gravy refrigerated and then reheat when ready to use. The gravy will be thick after being in the fridge. Add a little extra milk if needed.
You can freeze the biscuits and gravy separately. Wrap the biscuits in plastic wrap and keep in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. Cool the gravy then freeze in a freezer-safe container. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat biscuits and gravy in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Homemade Breakfast Recipes
Now that you know how to make the best biscuits and sausage gravy, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Did you stick with classic pork sausage or try one of the variations? Please leave a comment below and rate this recipe – and be sure to check out our other homemade breakfast recipes!
Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
- 6 biscuits homemade or pre-made (Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe)
- 1 pound sausage uncooked
- 1/2 cup flour I like to use Wondra Flour
- 3 to 4 cups milk
- salt and pepper
- cayenne powder optional
- red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Cook sausage in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink. Remove from pan and pat off excess grease with a paper towel.
- Return the sausage to the pan and add flour, stir to coat the sausage in the flour.
- Gradually add milk to the sausage and flour mixture while cooking on medium heat. Cook and add milk until sauce mixture is desired thickness.
- Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and or red pepper flakes to taste.
Video
Notes
Cooking Tips
- You can make homemade biscuits if you like, or use a biscuit mix like Bisquik. I usually pop them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven while whisking together the gravy. But if you want to keep it even more simple (and save a mixing bowl), open a can of refrigerated biscuit dough and call it good. I like the golden brown, flaky layered biscuits, but any kind will work perfectly.
- Opt for whole milk for this recipe. You’ll want to keep things as creamy and rich as possible, and I find that using whole milk helps to make the most decadent biscuits and gravy ever.
- Save the grease from browning the sausage for the gravy. It adds a real depth of flavor that just can’t be beat!
Nutrition Information
What to Serve with Biscuits and Gravy
Since Biscuits and Gravy is rich and hearty, it’s nice to pair it with something light and refreshing. Here are a few ideas:
Fresh Fruit: Strawberries, melon, or citrus fruits are a great way to balance out the richness.
Smoothies: A fruit smoothie is a great way to add some vitamins and color to your breakfast!
Potatoes: If you’re in the mood for something savory, try serving it with hash browns, roasted potatoes with peppers, or a potato skillet.
how can I save this to my computer
Go to the recipe and use the print button to print. Then, instead of printing, save it as a pdf to your computer. Please let me know if that doesn’t work. I can also email the recipe to you.
Just clique the “print” button on the recipe, and then save it as a PDF (.pdf), and then it will ask where you would like to save it, on your hard drive, and then just clique “save” on your computer.
On a Windows PC
Open: the document you want to convert to a PDF in any application that supports printing.
Go to: File > Print.
Select: “Microsoft Print to PDF” from the list of available printers in the print dialog box.
Click: Print.
Choose: a name and location for your new PDF file and click Save.
On a Mac
Open: the document you wish to save.
Go to: File > Print.
Click: the PDF button (or the dropdown arrow) in the lower-left corner of the print dialog box.
Select: Save as PDF from the menu that appears.
Choose: a file name and location for the PDF and click Save.
This sounds ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! I can’t wait to try them. Thank you for sharing
Can I add a chopped onion
Of course! I would sauté the onion and then add the sausage to cook in with it once the onions are transparent. It will be delicious!
Thanks for this Craving a hearty breakfast!
Wow this is amazing just looking at the pictures!!
I make this once a week for my nurse . She loves it . I use maple flavored sausage in mine .
Something good to try!
You say to use the sausage drippings to make the gravy, but you drain and pat the sausage in your video. Which is done?
You can do it either way! Patting the grease off makes it a little lighter, and keeping the drippings makes the gravy more rich.
what kinda flour do ya use?
All-purpose or Wondra flour work great!
Yum, this sounds and looks so good. I have sausage and bisquick, dinner is on its way!
Great recipe and Good instructions. My hubby LOVES biscuits and sausage and he gave this the thumbs up!
Nothing like homemade gravy this breakfast is comforting and a southern favorite loved it!
This looks beyond delicious! My perfect comfort food <3
One of the best biscuits recipes I’ve seen lately. Definitely the recipe to keep handy – such a quick fix, too!
I love that you use bisquick to make your biscuits. The gravy looks so good and perfect atop the biscuits. Yummy!
Hi I’m from England . Would like to no what bisquick is . Or what is as near to it as possible here in England . Thank you
It is like an instant pancake mix. You can use a recipe for homemade biscuits (not the cookie biscuit like in England but the American “biscuit” haha, ok now I am even confusing myself).
Lucy, it’s like your Scottish scones are made.
Lucy, make up some Crumpets. Pour the gravy over them. You’ll come back and thank me.
It’s even better if you fry bacon first and then make the sausage in that same pan
Love the biscuits and gravy recipe
I kick it up and ad a pound of bacon doen this for years and my family loves it so much i cant make it antother way
Do you mix the sausage and bacon together for the gravy?
Yes, the sausage is mixed in with the gravy.
How many people does this serve??
About 4 to 6, depending on serving size.
When I make sausage gravy everyone is tempted to lick their plate clean! I kick it up by adding dried sage (rubbed), basil, garlic powder, & crushed red pepper. Grind these with salt & freshly ground pepper (I use a motar and pestle) and add to the sausage right just before it’s finished browning (helps the spices to bloom). I also a splash (about 1 Tblsp.) of worchestire sauce to the sauce before it’s finished and I prefer to use a little half & half along with whole milk, making the sauce super creamy. Good stuff!
I add a bit of cayenne to the sausage gravy. Yes, we like a bit of heat.
This looks sooo good. A great comforting breakfast to serve over the holidays
that looks very yummy. I am not patient enough to make my own bread. I am going to try this because that looks entirely to yummy. Thanks for sharing.