Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- Biscuits: 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt, 10 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
- Gravy: 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter if needed, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage, pinch cayenne pepper if desired
- For serving: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley, optional
Do This
- 1. Heat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2. Whisk biscuit dry ingredients, cut in cold butter, then stir in cold buttermilk just until shaggy.
- 3. Fold dough 4 to 5 times, pat to 3/4-inch thick, cut into 12 biscuits, brush with buttermilk, and bake 14 to 17 minutes.
- 4. Brown sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into crumbles.
- 5. Stir flour into sausage drippings and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
- 6. Whisk in milk and cream, then simmer 6 to 8 minutes until creamy and thick; season with pepper, salt, sage, and cayenne.
- 7. Split warm biscuits, ladle gravy generously over the top, garnish if you like, and serve right away.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Classic Southern comfort: Tender, buttery biscuits meet creamy, peppery sausage gravy for a deeply satisfying breakfast.
- Homemade but still doable: The biscuits are made from scratch, but the method is simple and friendly for home cooks.
- Rich, savory gravy: Breakfast sausage, milk, cream, and plenty of black pepper create a gravy that tastes cozy and full-bodied.
- Perfect for weekends: Serve it for brunch, holidays, slow Sunday mornings, or a hearty breakfast-for-dinner meal.
Grocery List
- Meat: 1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage, mild, hot, or sage-style
- Produce: Fresh chives or parsley for garnish, optional
- Dairy: Unsalted butter, buttermilk, whole milk, heavy cream
- Pantry: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, fine salt, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, rubbed sage, cayenne pepper
Full Ingredients
For the Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting the counter
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk, for brushing the tops
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter, for brushing after baking, optional
For the Creamy Sausage Gravy
- 1 pound bulk pork breakfast sausage, mild, hot, or sage-style
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, only if the sausage does not release at least 3 tablespoons of fat
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk, warmed or at room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed or at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional
For Serving
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or parsley, optional
- Extra freshly ground black pepper, for finishing
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheet
Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. For the fluffiest biscuits, keep the butter and buttermilk cold until the moment you use them. If your kitchen is warm, place the cubed butter in the freezer for 10 minutes while you gather the rest of the ingredients.
Step 2: Mix the biscuit dry ingredients and cut in the butter
In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 1/4 teaspoons fine salt. Add the cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces of butter still visible. Those larger bits of butter help create flaky, tender layers as the biscuits bake.
Step 3: Add buttermilk and fold the biscuit dough
Pour in 1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk and stir gently with a fork or rubber spatula just until the dough looks shaggy. It should not be perfectly smooth. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together with your hands. Pat it into a rough rectangle, fold it in half, then pat it out again. Repeat this folding process 4 to 5 times. This easy folding technique builds tall, fluffy biscuit layers without overworking the dough.
Step 4: Cut and bake the biscuits
Pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Use a floured 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting. Twisting can seal the edges and keep the biscuits from rising as high. Gather scraps gently, pat them back together, and cut again. You should have about 12 biscuits. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet so the edges are just touching for softer sides, or space them 1 inch apart for crisper edges.
Brush the tops with 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk. Bake at 425°F for 14 to 17 minutes, until the biscuits are puffed, golden on top, and lightly browned on the bottom. If desired, brush the hot biscuits with 1 tablespoon melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Step 5: Brown the sausage for the gravy
While the biscuits bake, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. You want flavorful browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, but reduce the heat to medium if the sausage starts to scorch.
Step 6: Make the sausage roux
Check the amount of fat in the skillet. You need about 3 tablespoons of fat to make a smooth gravy. If the sausage is lean and the pan looks dry, stir in up to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and let it melt. Sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour evenly over the sausage. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, coating the sausage in the flour and cooking away the raw flour taste. The mixture should look pasty and lightly golden.
Step 7: Whisk in the milk and simmer the gravy
Reduce the heat to medium. Slowly pour in 3 cups whole milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and continue whisking until the gravy begins to look smooth. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it becomes thicker than you like, whisk in extra milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Step 8: Season and serve over warm biscuits
Stir in 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage, and a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want a gentle kick. Taste and adjust with more salt or pepper as needed. Split the warm biscuits in half and place 2 biscuits on each plate. Spoon hot sausage gravy generously over the biscuits, letting it spill into the flaky layers. Finish with chopped chives or parsley and extra black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately while the biscuits are warm and the gravy is creamy.
Pro Tips
- Keep biscuit ingredients cold: Cold butter creates steam in the oven, which helps lift the dough and make flaky layers.
- Do not overmix the dough: Stir only until the dough comes together. A slightly shaggy dough makes more tender biscuits than a smooth, heavily kneaded one.
- Press the cutter straight down: Twisting seals the biscuit edges and can limit the rise.
- Cook the flour briefly: Letting the flour cook with the sausage fat for 1 to 2 minutes gives the gravy a rounder flavor and prevents a raw flour taste.
- Season at the end: Breakfast sausage varies widely in saltiness, so taste the gravy after it thickens before adding more salt.
Variations
- Spicy sausage gravy: Use hot breakfast sausage and increase the cayenne to 1/8 teaspoon. Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for a bolder peppery finish.
- Herby biscuits: Stir 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or 1 tablespoon chopped parsley into the biscuit dry ingredients before adding the butter.
- Lighter gravy: Replace the heavy cream with an additional 1/2 cup whole milk. The gravy will be a little less rich but still creamy and comforting.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Storage: Store leftover biscuits and sausage gravy separately for the best texture. Keep biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Store gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat biscuits in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until warmed through. Reheat gravy gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often. Add milk 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to loosen the gravy if it has thickened in the refrigerator.
Make-ahead option: The biscuit dough can be cut, placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered, and refrigerated for up to 12 hours before baking. Bake straight from the refrigerator at 425°F, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes if needed. The gravy can be made 1 day ahead and reheated with a splash of milk.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 6 servings with 2 biscuits and about 2/3 cup sausage gravy each: 780 calories, 25 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 51 g fat, 28 g saturated fat, 2 g fiber, 7 g sugar, and 1,250 mg sodium. Nutrition will vary depending on the brand of sausage, buttermilk, and dairy used.
