These Southern-style drop biscuits and sausage gravy are easy to make, hearty, filling, and completely delicious!
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is one of my favorites, not only because it tastes so good, but because of how fast and easy it is. It uses a simple drop biscuit recipe (no rolling out dough!!) and this 3 ingredient sausage gravy recipe can be made in the time it takes for the biscuits to bake.
We have tips for a few simple, healthy swaps if you’re looking for a healthy version of biscuits and sausage gravy. Either way, I think you’re going to love this classic Southern breakfast.
Ingredient Notes:
- Butter. Butter in the biscuits gives these easy biscuits great flavor and makes them tender. The butter should be room temperature, not melted.
- Flour. Flour in the biscuits gives them structure and helps thicken the gravy.
- Baking Powder. Baking powder is our leavening agent of choice in the biscuits and helps them rise and have a fluffy texture.
- Milk. Milk helps bind our biscuits together, but also is the base of our sausage gravy, making it creamy and delicious.
- Sugar. Just a little sugar in the biscuits adds a touch of sweetness and helps keep them tender.
- Salt & Pepper. We add salt to the biscuits for and salt and pepper to the sausage gravy for a flavor boost.
- Sausage. I typically like a pork sausage for this recipe, but you can use turkey sausage for a lighter and healthier version of biscuits and gravy.
How to Make This Recipe
- Mix the dry ingredients. Start by mixing your dry ingredients—flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder—together. Then make sure your oven is preheating to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Work the butter in. Take your room temperature butter and using your hands or a fork, work it into the dry ingredients until the butter is crumbled into small pea-sized pieces. It’s important that you don’t use melted butter so you can get these little chunks of butter in your dough. Those little bursts of butter will add a ton of flavor and help give the drop biscuits their signature tender and flaky texture.
- Add the milk. Add your milk in and stir it in until you have soft dough. The dough will look like image 3b.
- Drop and top. Scoop about ¼ cup of dough and drop it onto a greased and lined baking sheet. You can do this using 2 spoons or using a large cookie scoop/ice cream scoop. Brush a little melted butter on top of the biscuits before baking.
- Bake. Bake the biscuits at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes. While the biscuits are cooking, make the sausage gravy.
- Cook the sausage. In a large skillet place your uncooked sausage. Using a large spoon or spatula breakup the sausage as it cooks (like you would ground beef).
- Add the flour. Once the sausage is completely cooked, do NOT drain the fat off. Add the flour to the skillet and stir it around, letting it absorb all the fat and brown slightly. If you would like more gravy simply double the amount of flour and milk added to this gravy.
- Add the Milk. Add the milk to the flour and sausage and stir it around.
- Let Thicken. Let the gravy cook for a few minutes, stirring all the while, until it is nice and thick. If you find your gravy is too thick add a little more milk to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Cut your warm biscuits in half and serve the gravy over top.
Lighten up this Recipe: Healthy Biscuits and Gravy
By healthy biscuits and gravy we mean healthier. Here are a couple easy ways to cut the calories down in this biscuits and sausage gravy recipe without losing too much flavor.
For the Biscuits. Drop biscuits with NO MILK! Replace the 1 cup of milk in the biscuit dough with ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt (you can use fat free) mixed with half a cup of water. This mixture is very similar to buttermilk and will still result in a very tender biscuit while also cutting down on calories, fat, and adding protein.
For the Sausage Gravy. Instead of pork sausage use turkey sausage. I think you’ll be surprised at how flavorful turkey sausage can be! This will up the protein and cut down the fat and calories in this recipe significantly. The second thing you can do is instead of using whole milk in the gravy, use skim milk. You may need cook the turkey sausage gravy a little longer to help thicken it up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why won’t my sausage gravy thicken?
If your sausage gravy won’t thicken it might be a couple of things—you haven’t cooked it long enough or you don’t have enough flour in the gravy. If your sausage has more fat that my sausage did, it will release more fat, meaning you may need more flour.
We have easy solutions for either problem. Start by cooking your gravy for 2-3 minutes longer than you think you do. If it still hasn’t thickened add a tablespoon of flour and cook a little longer. If needed you can continue doing this—add a tablespoon of flour and cook a little longer—until the gravy is thick
If you still seem to be having problems, try adding some cornstarch—start with a teaspoon. Cornstarch is a much stronger thickener than flour but it can leave an odd after taste to the gravy if you add too much.
Sausage gravy is a creamy white gravy with sausage bits. When the sausage is cooked it releases fat, the fat is browned together with flour to make a roux which helps thicken and flavor the sausage gravy once the milk is added.
While very similar, the main difference between the two is that country gravy has no meat and sausage gravy contains, well, sausage.
What’s the difference between rolled biscuits and dropped biscuits? Why do they call them drop biscuits?
The difference between rolled biscuits and drop or dropped biscuits is right there in the name. Rolled biscuits are rolled out into a thick layer and cut out into a circular shape with a biscuit or cookie cutter. Drop biscuit dough is simply dropped on the pan in a mound and baked.
A prime and delicious example of rolled biscuits are our Buttermilk Parmesan Apricot Bacon Biscuits.
Biscuits and gravy were born in the American South. Some claim they can be traced as far back as the Revolutionary War, but it is more likely they started in the late 1800s.
Biscuits and gravy were a staple of the working class because they were inexpensive and filling. But now we eat them just because they are delicious!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
The biscuits and sausage gravy are best eaten within 3 days of being made. The sausage gravy should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and the biscuits should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
To reheat the biscuits, heat your oven to 300 degrees and bake for 5-10 minutes until warm. The sausage gravy can be reheated in the microwave, you may need to add a little more milk to thin it out.
Can you freeze sausage gravy made with milk?
Yes, you can! To freeze the gravy, first cool it completely. Then pour into a freezer gallon-sized plastic bag and squeeze all the air out. Then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat after freezing, thaw in the fridge over night. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top. You may need to add a little milk if it is too thick.
Try out these other breakfast ideas!
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Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
Drop Biscuits:
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon butter softened (1 tablespoon for topping biscuits with)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
Sausage Gravy:
- 1 pound pork sausage uncooked (ground turkey sausage can be subbed here if you’re looking for a healthier options)
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk (I used whole milk)
- salt and pepper to taste (Start with a ½ teaspoon of each and add more form there)
Instructions
Drop Biscuits:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Work the butter into the dry mixture until it is broken into pea sized pieces. Add in milk and stir until you have a soft dough.
- Take about ¼ cup of dough and drop onto a greased baking sheet, spacing biscuits 1 ½ inches apart. Brush tops of biscuits with 1 tablespoon melted butter and bake for 12-14 minutes. Make gravy while biscuits are baking. Yields: 10-12 biscuits
Sausage Gravy:
- In a large frying pan place uncooked sausage. Using a large spoon or spatula break up sausage into small pieces while cooking.
- Once completely cooked, add flour to frying pan. Coat sausage in flour and cook for 2 minute until flour has completely disappeared. The flour and oil from the sausage will blend together create a roux, which will thicken and flavor the gravy.
- Add in milk and stir for 3-5 minutes until you have a thick gravy. If your gravy is too thin keep cooking it until the gravy is thick. If the gravy is too thick, you can add more milk. Season with salt and pepper. Cut biscuits in half and serve gravy over top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally published on March 17, 2019
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