Easy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

My homemade sausage gravy is the kind of Southern breakfast I crave on slow weekend mornings. I brown savory breakfast sausage, then whisk it into a creamy peppered gravy that tastes just like the biscuits and gravy I grew up eating. It’s easy, fast, and pure comfort food.

Ingredients · Servings 12

1 pound bulk pork sausage ((ground breakfast sausage))
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Method · 17 min

Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Brown the sausage, stirring and breaking it into smaller pieces.
Once the sausage is cooked through, add the flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well to coat the sausage in flour, letting it absorb the grease. Stir and cook another 2 minutes.
Pour in 3 cups of milk. Stir and simmer to thicken the gravy. Once it is very thick and smooth, turn off the heat. If the gravy gets too thick, add another ½ cup of milk.
Serve over warm homemade biscuits, English muffins, or toast.

We Love Easy Sausage Gravy

Is there anything more southern than biscuits and gravy? No deep-south breakfast is complete without a basket of hot fluffy biscuits (like my cathead biscuit recipe) and a skillet full of thick sausage gravy.

If you’ve never tried making biscuits and gravy before, you might not realize just how easy they both are to prepare. In less than an hour, you can surprise your family with massive, buttery, homemade biscuits, and the creamiest sausage gravy you’ve ever tasted!

Contrary to popular belief, sausage gravy is just about the easiest sauce you will ever make! It’s a rich topping, side dish, and protein all rolled into one. The three key ingredients necessary to make this sausage gravy recipe are ground breakfast sausage, flour, and milk… Everything else is just gravy. However, I do like to add a couple of other pantry items to the skillet to give my gravy the very best flavor.

Ground pork sausage – Usually labeled “bulk” breakfast sausage, or mild Italian sausage. Chicken or turkey sausage can be substituted. Or make my homemade breakfast sausage recipe!
All-purpose flour – This acts as the thickening agent in the gravy. You can also use a gluten-free baking mix if needed.
Whole milk – You can use any kind of milk (even nut milks) but whole dairy milk is preferable for taste and texture.
Thyme – This spice rack favorite adds that little extra something to round out the flavor. You can use dried or fresh thyme leaves.
Garlic powder – The second add-in to enhance the overall flavor of the gravy. A little goes a long way.
Salt and pepper – No gravy is finished without a generous sprinkling of ground pepper!

Pro Tip: If you want to make a spicy sausage gravy you can either buy spicy sausage to add to the gravy, or throw in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes!

How To Make Sausage Gravy

Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. The sausage should be fully cooked before moving on. (Do not drain off the fat; we’re using the pan drippings in place of butter to make a roux.)

Once the sausage is cooked through, add the flour, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well to coat the sausage in flour, letting it absorb the grease. Move the sausage around the pan so the flour has time to cook.

Pour in the milk. Stir and simmer the gravy until it’s thick and smooth. If the gravy gets too thick, add another splash of milk to thin it out.

You can serve this Easy Gravy Recipe over any kind of biscuits, even canned biscuits. However, we like it best over our favorite Southern Cathead Biscuits to make classic biscuits and gravy!

This recipe is most commonly served over hot fluffy biscuits. Although it’s usually thought of as breakfast fare, Biscuits and Gravy makes a marvelous low-country dinner as well, served with skillet potatoes and fried apples.

However, you can also serve this gravy on toast, English muffins, chicken fried steak, or fried pork chops.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits is a fabulous holiday breakfast (or brunch) option. I like to prep my biscuits the night before and place them in the refrigerator to keep the dough cold. Then in the morning, I pop the biscuits in the oven and start the gravy.

In about 30 minutes, I’ve got a fresh decadent southern meal the whole family is excited about!

Get The Full (Printable) How T o Make Sausage Gravy and Biscuits Below. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

A spicy sausage gravy recipe is easy to make with spicy pork sausage, or simply add a dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper!
To make a lighter version, you can use chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or even mushrooms! If using mushrooms, make sure to add about 2 tablespoons of butter to allow the flour to cook. A mushroom gravy will alter the flavor more, but it would still be a delicious vegetarian option!
Stir frequently! Stir the biscuit gravy very frequently to ensure that it does not burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. Milk can get scorched easily, so you want it at a low simmer while stirring.

Can I Make Sausage Gravy and Biscuits Ahead of Time?

Yes! You can make and refrigerate this gravy up to 4 days in advance. Rewarm it on the stovetop and add an extra splash of milk to thin it out.

For the biscuits, I would personally not bake them ahead of time. Biscuits are always the best fresh! However, you can make the dough and cut the biscuits out a day before baking. Then refrigerate them overnight, so they are ready to bake in the morning.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

Well… You can freeze anything. Yet I wouldn’t personally freeze gravy. It’s better to make it and use it up within a few days.

Can I Make Gluten-Free Sausage Gravy and Biscuits?

Yes. Make sure the sausage you buy is also gluten-free. Then substitute gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix for the all-purpose flour. For the biscuits, we like this gluten-free biscuit recipe.