Biscuits and Gravy
Quick answer
- Total time
- 45 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Biscuits and gravy is a Southern American breakfast where flaky, butter-layered biscuits are split open and smothered in a thick white gravy made from pan-fried pork sausage.
Read more
The sausage is crumbled and browned in a skillet to render its fat, flour is stirred into that fat to form a roux, and milk is whisked in until the mixture thickens into a creamy, pepper-forward sauce. Keeping pea-sized pieces of cold butter in the biscuit dough is the key to achieving the signature flaky layers -- the butter steams during baking and forces the dough apart into distinct, pull-apart sheets. The just-baked biscuits absorb the warm gravy like a sponge while their crusted tops stay crisp, creating a clear contrast in a single bite. Black pepper, used generously, defines the character of the gravy as much as the sausage itself does. A simple plate by any measure, yet the combination of richness, warmth, and starchy satisfaction has kept it central to Southern home cooking for generations.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Finish
Warm the 8 baked biscuits just before serving so they are ready when the gravy finishes.
Set out the plates now, because the sauce thickens as it cools and should be spooned over the biscuits while hot.
- 2Control
Put 300 g ground pork in a dry skillet and set it over medium heat.
Break it into small crumbles with a spoon and cook for about 8 minutes, until no pink remains and the meat is browned.
- 3Heat
When fat has collected in the pan, add 20 g butter and let it melt into the pork drippings.
Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons flour and stir for 1 minute, scraping the pan so the roux cooks evenly.
- 4Step
Add the 600 ml milk in 3 additions.
Pour only a little at first and whisk quickly to loosen the roux before adding more, which prevents flour lumps from staying in the gravy.
- 5Control
After all the milk is in, simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes while stirring constantly.
When the gravy coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer, lower the heat so it does not scorch.
- 6Finish
Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, then taste while the gravy is still hot.
Split the warm biscuits, spoon plenty of gravy over the cut sides, and serve immediately before it firms up.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Biscuits and Gravy smothers flaky, layered biscuits in a thick cream sauce made from sausage.
- Finish cue
- When the gravy coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer, lower the heat so it does not scorch.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
45min, 7 ingredients
Category median
40min, 8 ingredients
Based on 168 recipes
Official cooking and safety guidance
-
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the center to 74°C.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety
Sources checked 2026-08-03
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