A classic southern comfort food breakfast dish made with fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuits and thick and creamy sausage gravy. This easy-to-make dish will be requested over and over so get ready!
Biscuits and sausage gravy is a coveted dish in the south that we take pride in preparing from scratch. Biscuits and gravy is a must-have Christmas and Thanksgiving breakfast dish!
For more southern comfort food, check out our Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese and Cajun Smothered Chicken recipes next!
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Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- Breakfast sausage. Pork or turkey sausage works for this recipe.
- Unsalted butter. Extra fat to create the roux.
- All-purpose flour. To thicken the gravy.
- Whole milk. To create a creamy white gravy.
- Onion powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. To flavor the gravy.
- Homemade buttermilk biscuits. You will need eight biscuits. Here is my recipe for perfect homemade biscuits!
How To Make This Recipe
- Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, using a wooden spoon to break it apart as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned, add the butter and cook until melted.
- Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir with a wooden spoon to create a paste. Continue to cook the flour with the sausage for another minute. Pour the milk into the pan and stir the gravy to combine everything.
- Season the gravy with onion powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and cracked black pepper, and continue to cook the gravy for 5 to 7 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often.
- Place two warm biscuits on a plate and slice them in half. Spoon sausage gravy over the biscuits and top with fresh chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions
- Sausage gravy can be made with ground pork, chicken, turkey, or plant-based sausage.
- Get creative and try some of the following variations if you're feeling adventurous:
- Make a biscuits and gravy casserole
- Make cheddar biscuits and sausage gravy
- Make a cajun gravy by adding cajun seasonings and using andouille sausage
- Make a shrimp gravy with small peeled and deveined shrimp
How To Thicken Gravy
Flour acts as the thickening agent for this sausage gravy. ⅓ cup is the perfect amount to get a creamy, thick gravy. Do not use less.
Gradually stir the milk into the pan so that lumps do not form and continue to cook the gravy until it thickens. The longer it simmers, the more it will thicken.
Why Does My Gravy Taste Like Flour?
Gravy can have a flour-like taste when the flour is not cooked before the milk is added. This is why we cook the flour with the butter and sausage for about a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.
What To Serve with Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits and gravy is a hearty and filling dish that can stand all on its own. However, it also tastes great when served with some of the following accompaniments:
- Scrambled or poached eggs
- Omelets
- Hashbrowns
- Southern cheese grits
- Southern fried potatoes
- Pancakes
- Fresh fruit
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
The biscuit dough can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake. You can either refrigerate the dough in a disc or cut out the biscuits and refrigerate them wrapped in the pan.
The sausage gravy can be prepared a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gravy on the stovetop or in the refrigerator, adding a little water or milk if needed to thin it out.
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
More Comfort Food Recipes You Will Love!
- Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Southern Cheese Grits
- Cajun Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage
- Authentic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
📖 Recipe
Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 8 homemade buttermilk biscuits my recipe linked!
Instructions
- Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, using a wooden spoon to break it apart as it cooks. Once the sausage is browned, add the butter and cook until melted.
- Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir with a wooden spoon to create a paste. Continue to cook the flour with the sausage for another minute. Slowly pour the milk into the pan while stirring so lumps do not form.
- Season the gravy with onion powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and cracked black pepper, and continue to cook the gravy for 5 to 7 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often.
- Place two warm biscuits on a plate and slice them in half. Spoon sausage gravy over the biscuits and top with fresh chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pork or turkey sausage works for this recipe.
- Leftover biscuits and gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Meredith Allen
I have been searching for the perfect biscuits and gravy recipe and this is it!! Love the addition of paprika. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Boyd
I'm so happy that I could provide you with a great biscuits and gravy recipe! I hope you love it!
Doug di Giovanni
I like the idea of garlic powder and, red pepper flakes still I've always browned my flour. It creates the perfect color and completely eliminates any uncooked flour taste.
Ashley Boyd
Thank you! I agree that browning the flour does guarantee there will not be any raw flour taste.