Homemade Biscuits and Gravy
on Oct 28, 2022, Updated Feb 24, 2023
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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
- 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
- Maple Cornmeal Biscuits
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup butter, frozen
- 3/4 cup whole milk
For the Sausage Gravy
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage, (such as Jimmy Dean's)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk, (I use 2% or whole)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 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 3/4 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
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.
Followed the instructions and the meal came out AMAZING ! First time attempting this as well. Good job and thank you for sharing. 10/10
made both the gravy and biscuits. delicious! i “tasted a smidge of a biscuit” to make sure it was ready…. by the time i dished plates i ate an entire biscuit. yum!!!
thanks, I was contemplating using reserved bacon grease to reheat leftover sausage patties. I’ll give that a try this morning.
I just use the canned biscuits and add about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp sugar. My family loves it.
My mom mostly used canned biscuits when I was a kid, no shame! It’s still delicious.
What sausage did you use? Was it just ground pork without flavor? There’s gotta be something off on your end.. forget the salt?
Biscuits are in the oven right now, but everything tastes absolutely great so far.
I was just wondering what size biscuit cutter you used because I only got five biscuits from this recipe.
Mines a 2.5 or 3 inch, yours must have been very thick, just roll them a little thinner next time.
I’m new to “from scratch” cooking and this recipe is easy and delicious! I use breakfast turkey sausage and add a bit more pepper. So good!
Welcome to the “From scratch” club! Your additions sound wonderful, thank you for sharing!
First time making this..it was delicious and very easy to put together
I used my own biscuit recipe. I’ve made sausage gravy before but always used a packaged mix. My granddaughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor 8 months ago, long hospital stay, surgeries, radiation and chemo. She’s here on weekends. I asked what would taste good for dinner, she wanted breakfast for dinner. She then said, Grand, can you make me biscuits and gravy? I used this recipe – it was a hit! She said it was the best thing she’s eaten since she got sick. Served with scrambled eggs.
This is a simple recipe – I’m so happy to have found it and is now a go-to.
Thank you.
God bless you and your granddaughter. I’m holding both of you in my heart. I hope she heals very quickly with no lasting effects. I’m so glad food could bring you together and thank you for taking the time to share!
Try Browning your sausage in a half a cup of bacon grease it makes a lot better of a sausage gravy..
So good! Made for breakfast this morning. It was a hit! Thanks!
I opted to make the buttermilk biscuit recipe because I had some buttermilk that needed to be used. Those were also amazing and so easy. Thanks for the great recipes!