Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

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Biscuits and gravy is Sunday morning food that I’ve made for dinner more times than I’ll admit. Tall buttermilk biscuits come out of the oven, get split open while they’re still steaming, and disappear under a peppery sausage gravy thick enough to sit on top of them instead of running off the plate. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes.

Cold butter is the whole biscuit. Grating a frozen stick on a box grater spreads little butter shards evenly through the flour, and when they hit a 425°F oven they burst into steam and shove the dough up into layers. Butter that has gone soft blends into the flour before it ever reaches the oven, and you end up with a dense, flat biscuit.

The gravy is simpler than it looks. Brown the sausage, leave the drippings in the pan, stir flour into that fat, then pour the milk in slowly while you keep stirring. It thickens in about 7 minutes, right around the time the biscuits are ready to come out.

Why You’ll Love This Biscuits and Gravy Recipe

• Biscuits that rise tall. Grated frozen butter and a few quick folds build the layers that pull apart in sheets.
• Gravy with real pepper bite. A full teaspoon and a half of coarse black pepper is what separates good sausage gravy from wallpaper paste.
• Ready in 45 minutes. The gravy comes together in the skillet while the biscuits are in the oven.
• Cheap enough for a Tuesday. Flour, milk, butter, and a pound of sausage feeds eight people.

Biscuits and Gravy Ingredients

Real buttermilk is worth buying for this. The acid reacts with the baking soda for extra lift, and it tenderizes the dough in a way the milk-and-vinegar substitute never quite matches.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), grated
• 1 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 tbsp for brushing
• 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, for the gravy
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for the gravy
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt, for the gravy
• 1 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Recipe Variations

• Use sage breakfast sausage for the classic Southern flavor, or hot sausage if you want the gravy to bite back.
• Short on time? A can of refrigerated biscuits baked per the package directions gets you to the gravy in 20 minutes.
• Fold 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar and a tablespoon of chopped chives into the biscuit dough before you pat it out.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy

1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut the butter into the flour: Whisk the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the grated cold butter and toss it with your fingers until every shard is coated in flour.
3. Bring the dough together: Pour in the 1 cup cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Stop while it still looks messy; overmixing is what makes biscuits tough.
4. Fold and cut: Turn the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat and fold twice more. Pat out to 1 inch and cut 8 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Set them on the sheet with their sides touching and brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk.
5. Bake the biscuits: Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the sides have pulled apart into layers.
6. Brown the sausage: While the biscuits bake, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Leave the drippings in the pan.
7. Make the roux: Add the 2 tablespoons butter and let it melt into the drippings. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup flour over the sausage and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, until the flour has soaked into the fat and smells toasty.
8. Finish the gravy and serve the biscuits and gravy: Pour in the milk slowly, stirring the whole time and scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes if using. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Split the warm biscuits and spoon the gravy over the top.

Recipe FAQs

Why Is My Gravy Lumpy?

The milk went in too fast. Pour it in a slow stream while stirring so the flour has a chance to disperse. If lumps show up anyway, a few seconds with a whisk usually smooths them out.

My Gravy Got Too Thick. Can I Fix It?

Yes, stir in more milk a splash at a time over low heat until it’s the consistency you want. Sausage gravy also thickens a lot as it sits, so expect to loosen it before serving seconds.

Why Didn’t My Biscuits Rise?

Usually the butter got warm, or the cutter got twisted. Twisting seals the edges shut so the layers can’t push up. Press straight down and lift straight up.

Can I Use Milk Instead of Buttermilk?

In a pinch, stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it sit 5 minutes. The rise won’t be quite as high, but it works.

Can I Make Biscuits and Gravy Ahead?

Cut the biscuits and freeze them raw on a tray, then bake from frozen with about 3 extra minutes. The gravy is best fresh, though it reheats fine with a splash of milk.

Cooking Tips

• Freeze the stick of butter for 15 minutes before grating it. Cold butter shreds cleanly; room-temperature butter smears through the grater holes.
• Bake the biscuits with their sides touching. They brace each other and climb straight up instead of spreading out sideways.
• Don’t drain the sausage. Those drippings are the fat that the flour needs, and draining them means a gravy that tastes flat and pasty.

Storage and Freezing

To store: Keep leftover biscuits in a covered container at room temperature for 2 days, and refrigerate the gravy separately for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Raw cut biscuits freeze beautifully for up to 3 months and bake straight from the freezer. The gravy can be frozen for 2 months, though the milk may separate slightly and need a good stir when reheated.

To reheat: Warm biscuits in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes. Reheat the gravy in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring until smooth.

How to Serve Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and gravy is filling all by itself, though a plate of scrambled eggs and some sliced tomatoes makes it a full brunch. When we eat it for dinner, I put out a simple green salad to cut the richness. This is one of the recipes in our August collection, and more cozy from-scratch comfort food like it is on the way.

Loved This Recipe?

Biscuits and gravy is old-fashioned comfort food that costs almost nothing and makes everyone at the table go quiet for a minute.

Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.

Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and gravy made from scratch with tall buttermilk biscuits and a peppery pork sausage gravy.

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Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:25 minutes mins

Total Time:45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 1 stick, grated
• 1 cup cold buttermilk plus 1 tbsp for brushing
• 1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter for the gravy
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for the gravy
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt for the gravy
• 1 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional

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Instructions

• Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the butter into the flour: Whisk the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the grated cold butter and toss it with your fingers until every shard is coated in flour.
• Bring the dough together: Pour in the 1 cup cold buttermilk and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms. Stop while it still looks messy; overmixing is what makes biscuits tough.
• Fold and cut: Turn the dough onto a floured counter and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, then pat and fold twice more. Pat out to 1 inch and cut 8 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Set them on the sheet with their sides touching and brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk.
• Bake the biscuits: Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the sides have pulled apart into layers.
• Brown the sausage: While the biscuits bake, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Leave the drippings in the pan.
• Make the roux: Add the 2 tablespoons butter and let it melt into the drippings. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup flour over the sausage and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, until the flour has soaked into the fat and smells toasty.
• Finish the gravy and serve the biscuits and gravy: Pour in the milk slowly, stirring the whole time and scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes if using. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Split the warm biscuits and spoon the gravy over the top.

Notes

Grate frozen butter into the flour and fold the dough in thirds three times so the biscuits bake up in layers, and leave the sausage drippings in the pan so the roux has enough fat. Cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 160°F.