How to make homemade biscuits and gravy with just a few simple ingredients and in just a few steps. It's the perfect comfort food and a recipe you'll come back to again and again.
If this is your first time making biscuits and gravy, have no fear. This recipe is so simple that even non-cooks can make it. I first learned it in 7th grade home economics which is telling you something!
Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Fun Fact: this was the first recipe I made in 7th grade Home Economics Class. Over two decades later, I'm still making this recipe regularly; it must be a good one.
Biscuits and gravy is a staple in the Hoosier diet and one I've been eating, making, and loving since I was a kid. Since I've moved out west, I have found that lots of people don't make it and in fact, they seem a little intimidated by the recipe. I am here to tell you that biscuits and gravy is one of the simplest dishes to put together. If a rowdy class of seventh graders can manage it, so can you.
Biscuits and gravy is celebratory food in our family. We make this recipe for birthday breakfasts, when friends come to stay the night, and even on Christmas morning. I'm so excited to finally be sharing with you something that is a big part of the food culture in my home.
Few things are more delicious and comforting than simple homemade sausage gravy spooned over sturdy buttery biscuits. I hope you make this recipe over and over again like we do.
How to Make Biscuits and Gravy - Tips & Tricks
- I love this biscuit recipe, and I also love this buttermilk biscuit recipe. Take a look at them both and see which you'd like to make. I make them both often. The one I have shared here is a little easier in the sense that you don't have to have buttermilk on hand to make it.
- After you add the milk to the sausage, you have to sit and stir a long while so that the milk doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. This is a great job for little helpers with some supervision.
- You can use just about any kind or flavor of breakfast sausage that you like. I love using hot or maple sausage as well as the traditional.
- Pro Tip: here's how to stretch one pound of sausage to make more gravy and feed more people. When the sausage is done browning, add a few tablespoons of butter. Let the butter melt and then double the rest of the recipe (make sure your skillet is really large!). Add 1 cup of flour and then 8 cups of milk. Double the biscuit recipe too. Still tastes great, uses less meat (that's where the expense is), and it'll feed a crowd!
How to make biscuits and sausage gravy:
- First make your biscuits -whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar.
- Add the butter into the bowl and work it in until well incorporated (I cheat and use a cheese grater you can also use a pastry blender).
- Add the milk and mix.
- Dump out the mixture, pat it together, cut the biscuit and bake them on a lined baking sheet.
- Make sausage gravy by cooking your sausage in a large pan.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the sausage and then stir well to combine.
- Whisk the milk slowly into the sausage and flour mixture.
- Cook until thickened.
- Serve the hot gravy over the hot cooked biscuits with additional salt and pepper to taste.
See! It's easy! If a bunch of middle school kids can fresh biscuits and gravy, so can you.
How do I prevent the milk from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan?
After you add the milk to the sausage, you have to sit and stir a long while so that the milk doesn’t burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. This is a great job for little helpers with some supervision.
What flavor of sausage is best for biscuits and gravy?
You can use just about any kind or flavor of breakfast sausage that you like. I love using hot or maple sausage as well as the traditional.
Is biscuits and gravy something good to feed a larger group?
I have a pro tip up my sleeve for feeding biscuits and gravy to more people and how to make one pound of sausage stretch. When the sausage is done browning, add a few tablespoons of butter. Let the butter melt and then double the rest of the recipe (make sure your skillet is really large!). Add 1 cup of flour and then 8 cups of milk. Double the biscuit recipe too. Still tastes great, uses less meat (that’s where the expense is), and it’ll feed a crowd!
More Biscuit recipes:
- Sausage and Cheese Biscuits
- Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Biscuits
- One Hour Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Breakfast Biscuit Sandwiches for a Crowd
- Homemade Chive Biscuits
- How to Make Homemade Biscuits
- The Best Buttermilk Biscuits
- Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Pumpkin Skillet Biscuits
- Maple Cornmeal Biscuits
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
Description
How to make homemade biscuits and gravy with just a few simple ingredients. I've been making this easy recipe for 20 years! It's the perfect comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup butter, frozen
- ¾ cup whole milk
For the Sausage Gravy
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean's)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk (I use 2% or whole)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar.
- Use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the bowl on the largest holes of your box grater. Stir butter into flour mixture. Stir until the butter is broken up and the mixture is well combined.
- Add the milk and stir until just combined – do not over-mix. Pat dough on a floured surface until it’s ¾ inch thick. Cut into biscuits using a biscuit cutter.
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Makes 10 biscuits.
For the Sausage Gravy
- In a large cast iron skillet (or other large skillet), add the sausage and cook over medium to medium-high heat until the sausage is cooked through and no longer pink, 8-10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into small chunks as needed. Do NOT drain the grease that the sausage made while cooking.
- Use your spoon to spread the sausage out into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the sausage and then stir well to combine. Let the flour and sausage cook for 1-2 minutes, stir often.
- Whisk the milk slowly into the sausage and flour mixture. Continue whisking until the gravy starts to simmer, about 5 minutes.
- Keep stirring and let the gravy cook while at a low simmer for an additional 1-3 minutes, until it thickens.
- Serve the hot gravy over the hot cooked biscuits with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- I love this biscuit recipe, and I also love this buttermilk biscuit recipe. Take a look at them both and see which you'd like to make. I make them both often. The one I have shared here is a little easier in the sense that you don't have to have buttermilk on hand to make it.
- After you add the milk to the sausage you have to sit and stir a long while so that the milk doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. This is a great job for little helpers with some supervision.
- You can use just about any kind or flavor of breakfast sausage that you like. I love using hot or maple sausage as well as the traditional.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: biscuits and gravy, how to make biscuits and gravy, biscuits and gravy recipes, homemade biscuits and gravy, easy biscuits and gravy
Enjoy from my kitchen (and 7th grade HomeEc Class) to your kitchen.
Long live great recipes that you'll pass down to your kids and theirs. Simple delicious food at its best, indeed. I hope you find a reason to make this biscuits and gravy recipe in the very near future.
Polly
Can the gravy be portioned and frozen. I live by myself, so if I cook something that I end up having leftovers from I try to make sure it's something that can be frozen and reheated later on. And I love biscuits and gravy, but rarely make them because I don't want to waste the gravy.
Melissa
You could try it, it might separate a little but just reheat it slowly!
Jaimie Roberts Gearhart
Would I be able to make the biscuits the night before and then bake them the following morning? Or should I bake everything and just reheat? Thank you so much.
Melissa
The issue lies with how well the baking powder is going to stay reactive once you've mixed it with the wet ingredients. I haven't tried it in the fridge overnight, it could work or you could have flat biscuits. Will you let us know if you do try it?
S.
Just made the biscuits and WOW they're delicious. Mind, I'm not from the south so I'm not a connoisseur, but I'm also not a fabulous cook and these were quick and easy and turned out perfect! A little sweet, a little crispy, perfectly flaky. 😍 I'll have to try the gravy as well next time.
★★★★★
Karla
Made this recipe for the first time and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing! can't wait to try other recipes!
Kristina Case
I followed your directions to the T and, both, the biscuits and gravy came out perfectly delicious! My husband said to add it to the recipe book! I made our own recipe binder of all the dishes our family likes. You, of course, will be given credit in our little binder for years to come. Thank you! 😄 Now I'm going to try this recipe Gluten Free!
Karen Canniff
I am doubling this for a large crowd tomorrow morning. Along with other items people are bringing. Could I make it tonight and put it in the crock pot to heat up and keep warm for tomorrow?
Melissa
Yes, it reheats very well!
Mel
Made the biscuits but they failed to rise. I inadvertently added 1 cup milk instead of 3/4 cup. Everything else was per the recipe.
Melissa
Yep, that softer dough thanks to the additional milk will spread out more than get tall, still tastes great but that would have been the hiccup for you. I've done it before too.
Steve
On your biscuits, 1/2 cup of flour and 4 cups of milk can't be correct. That would be flour soup!
Melissa
You're reading them backwards, that measurement for flour and milk is for the gravy. The biscuit measurements are right above that.
Shershe
I can't wait to try your biscuit recipe. Thank you for sharing. I do have a question though...the last few times I've made the gravy, my sausage didn't have any grease. Has anyone else had this issue? I've had to use 2 Tbsps. of butter to have anything for my flour. Any ideas on what I may be doing wrong?
★★★★★
Melissa
It'll just depend on the brand of sausage and how much fat was added when processing, no issue there at all. We process our own sausage occasionally and sometimes I don't have as much fat as a typical sausage so I add a little butter too, that's a great option.
Bob
I didn't get enough ads.
Rosemary
I use white wheat flour for a bit more fiber and nutrition, and saute a chopped onion in with the sausage. Great tasting and again, a bit more nutritious.