Southern Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
Buttery, flaky biscuits get smothered in a peppery sausage gravy made from scratch — a classic Southern breakfast that's really just a good roux away.
By Amanda DavisSEP 9, 20267 MIN
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Cut the cold butter into the biscuit mix with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Add the cold buttermilk and stir just until the dough comes together — it will look shaggy. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface, pat into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, and cut into rounds. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden on top.
- While the biscuits bake, brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Do not drain the fat — it's the base of the gravy.
- Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and fat, stirring constantly for about 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste.
- Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often, until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes.
- Season with black pepper, red pepper flakes if using, and salt to taste. If the gravy gets too thick, thin it with a splash more milk.
- Split the warm biscuits and ladle the gravy generously over the top. Serve immediately.
Some breakfasts don't need reinventing — they just need to be made properly. Southern Sausage Gravy and Biscuits is one of them: buttery biscuits split open and buried under a rich, black-pepper-forward sausage gravy with a little kick from red pepper flakes. It looks intimidating if you've never made gravy from scratch, but it comes down to one skill: a roux.
The Two Parts, and Why the Order Matters
This recipe is really two components — biscuits and gravy — and timing them so both are hot at the same time is the only tricky part. Get the biscuit dough into the oven first, since biscuits hold their heat better than gravy does; the gravy comes together fast on the stovetop while the biscuits finish baking, so it's ready right as they come out.
What You'll Need
For the biscuits:
- 2½ cups buttermilk biscuit mix, such as Bisquick
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ⅔ cup cold buttermilk
For the gravy:
- 1 pound breakfast sausage, uncooked
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Biscuit Technique That Actually Makes a Difference
Starting from a biscuit mix instead of measuring out flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt separately saves time without changing the technique — you still cut in cold butter and add cold buttermilk by hand.
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter and cold buttermilk are what create steam pockets in the oven, which is what makes biscuits flaky. If the butter softens while you're working, the biscuits will bake up denser and flatter.
- Don't overwork the dough. Mix just until it comes together. Overworking develops gluten, which makes biscuits tough instead of tender.
- Cut straight down when cutting rounds. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and can prevent biscuits from rising as tall.
How to Make the Gravy
- Brown the sausage — Cook over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains. Leave the fat in the pan.
- Build the roux — Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and fat, stirring constantly for about a minute. This cooks out the raw flour taste and is what will thicken the gravy.
- Add the milk slowly — Pour it in gradually while whisking. Adding it too fast is the most common reason gravy turns out lumpy.
- Simmer until thickened — Let it bubble gently, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes.
- Season generously — Black pepper is what defines this gravy's flavor, with a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little extra kick if you like; don't be shy with either.
Troubleshooting
My gravy is lumpy. This happens when the milk gets added too quickly, or too much at once. If it does happen, whisking vigorously usually breaks up small lumps; for bigger ones, straining the gravy through a fine-mesh sieve will save it.
My gravy is too thin, even after simmering. Make a small slurry of 1 teaspoon flour whisked into 1 tablespoon cold milk, then stir it in and simmer another minute or two.
My gravy is too thick or gluey. Whisk in more milk, a splash at a time, until it loosens back up — this is easy to fix and very normal.
My biscuits didn't rise much. Check that your baking powder is fresh (it loses potency after about 6 months open) and make sure the butter was cold going into the oven.
A Note on Storage and Reheating
Gravy made with a flour roux doesn't reheat as smoothly as it comes together fresh — it tends to thicken further and can separate slightly in the fridge. If you have leftovers, store the gravy in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, whisking in a splash of milk to loosen it back to a pourable consistency. Biscuits keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or freeze unglazed for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
This is a hearty, filling breakfast on its own, but it also pairs well with a side of scrambled eggs or Crispy Diner-Style Hash Browns. If you'd rather make the sausage completely from scratch instead of using store-bought, our Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties seasoning blend works well crumbled into the gravy too.