Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

4.95 from 38 votes

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Make the Best Homemade Biscuits and Gravy with just a few simple ingredients and in just a few steps. It’s the ultimate comfort food and a classic recipe you’ll come back to again and again.

cast iron skillet with sausage gravy and a white plate with a biscuit and gravy.

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. This was the first recipe I made in 7th grade Home Economics Class. Over two decades later, I’m still making it regularly. If a rowdy class of seventh graders can manage it, so can you!

Biscuits and gravy are a staple in the Hoosier diet, and I’ve been eating, making, and loving them since I was a kid. Since I’ve moved out west, I have found that lots of people don’t make them, and in fact, they seem a little intimidated by the recipe. I am here to tell you that biscuits and gravy are one of the easiest dishes to put together, and I’m sharing my simple recipe for this hearty dish of hot biscuits and the best sausage gravy!

cast iron skillet with sausage gravy and a white plate with a biscuit and gravy.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Biscuits and Gravy Recipe

  • Few things are more delicious and comforting than simple homemade creamy sausage gravy spooned over sturdy buttery biscuits. I hope you make this recipe over and over again like we do.
  • Biscuits and gravy are celebratory food in our family. We make this recipe for birthday breakfasts when friends come to stay the night and even on Christmas morning, along with my favorite Homemade Cinnamon Rolls! I’m so excited to finally share with you something that is a big part of the food culture in my home.
  • I love these fluffy biscuits, as well as this Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe and this yummy Sourdough Biscuit Recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour – all-purpose
  • Baking powder
  • Sugar
  • Cream of tartar
  • Butter
  • Milk – whole

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Plate of biscuits and gravy with the words "homemade biscuits and gravy" written at the top.

How to Make Biscuits and Gravy

  1. Make your biscuits by whisking the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Add the butter and milk and mix.
  2. Pat the mixture together, cut the biscuits and bake
  3. Make sausage gravy by cooking sausage, then sprinkling flour over it and stirring.
  4. Whisk the milk slowly into the cooked sausage and flour mixture and cook over medium heat until thickened.

Recipe FAQs

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 for 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.

Is biscuits and gravy something good to feed a larger group?

Yes. 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 huge!). 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 is a very hearty breakfast to feed a crowd!

What flavor of sausage is best for biscuits and gravy?

You can use just about any kind or flavor of breakfast sausage. I love using hot or maple sausage as well as traditional sausage.

cast iron skillet with sausage gravy and a white plate with a biscuit and gravy.

Expert Tips

  • 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.
  • Do not drain the grease that the sausage made while cooking. This is what you will use to make your gravy.
  • Gradually add milk while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Whole milk is ideal for a rich and creamy gravy.
Hand holding a buttermilk biscuit.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat it in a pan on the stove over low heat until warm, adding a splash of milk if needed to thin out the gravy.

Store leftover biscuits in plastic wrap or a ziptop bag either at room temperature or in the fridge. Reheat in the oven until warm.

More Breakfast Recipes to Consider

4.95 from 38 votes

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

How to make 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.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

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
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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 or use a pastry cutter. 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 baking 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

  • This recipe makes the best biscuits! And you need to try this buttermilk biscuit recipe, too. 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 because 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 for 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.
  • I like to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe, and I also think whole milk makes the gravy rich and creamy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 6 servings, Calories: 696kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 42g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 118mg, Sodium: 1347mg, Potassium: 581mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 843IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 414mg, Iron: 4mg
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About Melissa

4.95 from 38 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




73 Comments

  1. Clare Johnson says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe!! Walmart Great Value breakfast sausage is my favorite. Just peel off the casings and fry the sausage meat.

  2. LindaKaye Brown says:

    5 stars
    Canโ€™t wait to try

  3. Lauren says:

    I love the tips to involve the littles! I’ll be attempting this tomorrow morning. First biscuits ever. Wish me luck!

  4. Pastor Ron Von Fricken says:

    5 stars
    If you donโ€™t want the sugar use a little honey
    Start with a tablespoon and increase or decrease
    Honey biscuits are great

  5. KG says:

    Way too much sugar in the biscuits

  6. Tracie Jenaye Brothers says:

    5 stars
    I have tried so many different biscuit recipes searching for the best tasting, and this is where the search stopped! I LOVE these biscuits! They bake up nice and tall and they are so soft on the inside!

  7. Ann Cline says:

    3 stars
    Too much sugar

  8. Marc T says:

    5 stars
    Been making this for my girls on regular rotation on the weekends and it is always a hit. I always do the fluffy buttermilk biscuit recipe and am in love with how they turn out! Thank you so much for this authentic, delicious biscuits and gravy recipe.

  9. Lynn says:

    Could you use buttermilk in this recipe? I can’t wait to try it either way!

    1. Melissa says:

      In the biscuits yes, I haven’t tried it in the gravy before.