This southern-style vegan biscuits and gravy recipe has flaky, buttery, dairy-free buttermilk biscuits and an insanely creamy, savory, and hearty white pepper breakfast sausage gravy.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Biscuits & Gravy
- Easy Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits: only 6 ingredients and a few steps are needed to make these buttery, fluffy, and flaky biscuits.
- Hearty & Flavorful Plant-based Vegan Sausage Gravy: use your favorite plant-based sausage to make a flavor-packed vegan country gravy for the biscuits.
- Perfect for Breakfast, Brunch, or Dinner: packed with plant-based protein, this vegan buttermilk biscuits with gravy recipe makes a filling and cozy meal any time of the day.
Ingredients
Today we’re using simple ingredients to make the vegan buttermilk biscuits and the dairy free breakfast sausage gravy. If you would like to use self rising flour for the biscuits, you can follow this recipe for Homemade Biscuits without Baking Powder.
This biscuit recipe is adapted from my mom’s non-vegan recipe. A few simple swaps for dairy based butter and milk and we have a vegan version of buttermilk biscuits that are just as good as her non-vegan ones!
For the Flaky Vegan Biscuits
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegan Butter or shortening
- Dairy Free Buttermilk (vinegar + plant milk)
For the Vegan Country Gravy with Breakfast Sausage
- Vegan Butter
- Onion + Garlic
- Vegan Breakfast Sausage, like Beyond Meat or Field Roast
- All Purpose Flour
- Vegetable Broth
- Dairy Free Milk, like oat milk or soy milk
- White Pepper
Substitutions & Add-ins
- All Purpose Flour: the all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt can be substituted for White Lily Self Rising Flour.
- Vegan Butter: the vegan butter in the biscuits can be substituted for shortening, and the vegan butter in the gravy can be swapped for olive oil.
- Red Pepper Flakes: add a sprinkle of red pepper to the gravy for a little spicy kick.
- Onion: the whole onion can be swapped for 1 tsp of onion powder.
- White Pepper: this can be subbed for freshly ground black pepper
- Vinegar: I typically use apple cider vinegar in my non-dairy buttermilk, however, white vinegar can be used instead.
- Nutritional Yeast: add in a sprinkle of nooch for extra flavor in the vegan gravy.
The Best Plant-Based Milk
I’ve found the best options for non-dairy milk for this recipe are:
- Almond Milk
- Oat Milk
- Soy Milk
Try not to use sweetened or very flavorful dairy-free milk like coconut milk. It’s best to use one that has a more neutral flavor.
Helpful Equipment
- Saucepan
- Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Sheet
Step-by-step Instructions
🎥 *Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card Below!*
To Make the Homemade Vegan Biscuits
STEP 1: Put a baking pan or cast iron skillet with about 1 tbsp of vegan butter in the preheating oven to heat up. (This helps make the crust on the bottom of the biscuits). Remove the preheated, buttered pan from the oven after about 5 minutes.
📌 TIP: This can also be done on the stovetop if using a cast iron pan.
STEP 2: In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt with a fork. Whisk well so there are no lumps of baking powder in the dry ingredients.
STEP 3: Then, add the room temp. vegan butter or shortening and blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
STEP 4: Mix the dairy free milk and vinegar in a measuring cup. Let the mixture curdle for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of the vegan buttermilk. If the mixture looks too dry and isn’t coming together, continue adding the remaining buttermilk until the dough comes together nicely.
📌 TIP: Weather, room temperature and elevation can all affect how flour absorbs liquid when baking. If the mixture needs more liquid slowly add the remaining ¼ cup until the dough forms.
Shaping the Biscuits
STEP 5: Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly just until it forms a nice disc to roll. Press it into a rough rectangle and fold the dough 4 or 5 times onto itself. This helps make the flaky layers.
STEP 6: Press the dough into a rectangle, about ¾” thick.
STEP 7: Using a biscuit cutter or a circular glass, cut the dough into 6-8 biscuits, about 2-3” in diameter.
📌 TIP: Don’t twist the cutter as you cut. (Twisting the cutter or glass will make the biscuits rise unevenly.)
STEP 8: Place the biscuits in the preheated skillet or pan (5-6 on outside 1 in the middle). Brush the tops with melted vegan butter and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
STEP 7: Bake at 475° for 10 minutes then decrease the heat to 450° and bake for 5-6 more minutes. They will be light golden brown and should rise to 1 1/2 -2 inches high. Cool on rack or serve warm.
To Make the Meatless Sausage Gravy
STEP 1: While the biscuits bake, in a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat.
STEP 2: Add the onion, garlic, and sausage and saute for 7-10 minutes over medium-high heat until tender and the onions have begun to brown.
📌 TIP: I used vegan sausage links that I diced up, but you can use vegan sausage crumbles for a finer texture in the gravy!
STEP 3: Sprinkle on the flour. Then, mix to evenly coat the veggies. Cook for 1 minute.
STEP 4: Pour in the dairy free milk, ½ a cup at a time, stirring continuously. Then, pour the veggie broth in, ½ a cup at a time.
STEP 5: Add the white pepper, salt, fresh thyme or sage to taste and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat to thicken the gravy. The gravy should be a creamy and thick yet pourable consistency. To thin the gravy, add ¼ cup of dairy free milk or veggie broth as needed.
Serving Ideas
To serve, spoon the sausage gravy onto a plate or shallow bowl. Add the warm biscuits on top and spoon more gravy over the biscuits.
Topped with fresh sage and thyme, this cozy plant-based biscuits and gravy recipe makes a delicious breakfast, hearty brunch or filling dinner.
Storage
The flaky biscuits are best enjoyed the same day when warm, but they are still very tasty the second day! The leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
The vegan sausage gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
📌 TIP: the biscuits should be stored separately from the vegan country gravy, so that they don’t get soggy!
Pro Tips
- Preheat the Skillet with Butter: placing the biscuit dough in a hot pan helps create a crispy bottom crust on the cooked biscuits!
- Fold the Biscuit Dough On Top of Itself: this creates the best flaky layers!
- Season the Vegan White Gravy To Taste: add more white pepper, salt, garlic powder or herbs to taste. The flavorings will need to be tweaked based on what type of plant based sausage you use.
FAQ
I recommend using a plant-based breakfast sausage in the gravy. A few of my favorites are Beyond Meat’s Breakfast Sausage Links and Field Roast’s Apple Maple Breakfast Sausage. You can dice up vegan sausage links or use plant based sausage crumbles.
How do I make dairy free biscuits?
To make dairy free buttermilk biscuits, use vegan butter or shortening to replace dairy based butter. You can make homemade dairy free buttermilk by mixing 1 tbsp of vinegar with 3/4 cup of dairy free milk. My favorite vegan butter brands to make biscuits with are Country Crock Plant Butter and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes:
- Just Egg Quiche
- Vegan French Toast Casserole
- Vegan French Toast with Just Egg
- Dairy Free Pumpkin Biscuits with Whipped Maple ‘Butter’
Did you make these vegan buttermilk biscuits with country sausage gravy?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Video Tutorial
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Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
This southern-style vegan biscuits and gravy recipe has flaky, buttery, dairy-free buttermilk biscuits and an insanely creamy, savory, and hearty white pepper breakfast sausage gravy.
This recipe makes 6 biscuits.
Ingredients
Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, spooned from the bag and leveled off
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup room temperature salted vegan butter, I used Country Crock Plant Butter
- ¾ cup dairy free buttermilk, (1 tbsp vinegar + 3/4 cup almond milk, oat or soy milk)
- 2-3 tbsp vegan butter for baking & topping, (or 1 tbsp maple syrup mixed with 1 tbsp plant milk for an egg wash)
Simple Vegan Sausage Gravy
- 5 tbsp vegan butter, I prefer Country Crock Plant Butter
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion, about 1/2 of a small onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or sub ½ tsp garlic powder)
- 1 cup finely diced vegan breakfast sausage, like Beyond Meat or Field Roast Apple Maple Vegan Sausage (or use meatless sausage crumbles)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened & unflavored soy, oat or almond milk
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- Salt, ground white pepper, fresh sage- to taste
Instructions
To Make the Vegan Biscuits:
- Preheat the oven to 475° Fahrenheit.
- Put a baking pan or a 10 or 12" cast iron skillet with about 1 tbsp of vegan butter in the preheating oven to heat up. This helps make the crust on the bottom of the biscuits. Remove the preheated, buttered pan from the oven after about 5 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt with a fork. Whisk well so there are no lumps of baking powder in the dry ingredients.
- Add the room temp. vegan butter or shortening and blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix the dairy free milk and vinegar in a measuring cup. Let the mixture curdle for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of the vegan buttermilk. If the mixture looks too dry and isn't coming together, continue adding the remaining buttermilk until the dough comes together nicely.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly and press the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold the dough 4 or 5 times onto itself. This helps make the flaky layers.
- Press or gently roll the dough into a rectangle, about ¾” thick.
- Using a biscuit cutter or a circular glass, cut the dough into 6-8 biscuits, about 2-3” in diameter.
- Place the biscuits in the preheated skillet or pan (6 on outside 1 in the middle). Brush the tops with vegan butter (or the maple syrup & plant milk wash) and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
- Bake at 475° Fahrenheit for 10 minutes then decrease the heat to 450° Fahrenheit and bake for 5-6 more minutes. They will be light golden brown and should rise to 1 1/2 -2 inches high. Cool on rack or serve warm.
Gravy Instructions:
- In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, and diced sausage and sauté for 7-10 minutes until tender and the onions have begun to brown. (Finely dice/mince the sausage or use veggie crumbles for a finer texture in the gravy)
- Sprinkle on the flour. Then, mix to evenly coat the veggies and sausage. Cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the dairy free milk, ½ a cup at a time, stirring continuously. Then, pour the veggie broth in, ½ a cup at a time.
- Add in white pepper, salt, and fresh thyme or sage to taste and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat to thicken the gravy. The gravy should be a creamy and thick, yet pourable consistency.
- To thin the gravy: add ¼ cup of dairy free milk or veggie broth as needed. To thicken the gravy: simmer for 2-3 more minutes, or whisk in 1 tbsp of flour at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Serving Instructions:
- Spoon the gravy onto a plate and add the freshly baked biscuits. Spoon more gravy on top.
- Garnish with fresh sage and thyme.
Notes
- Liquid for the Biscuits: Weather, room temperature and elevation can all affect how flour absorbs liquid when baking. If the mixture needs more liquid slowly add the remaining ¼ cup until the dough forms.
- Cutting Out the Biscuits: Try not to twist the biscuit cutter as you cut. (Twisting the cutter will make the biscuits rise unevenly.)
- Season the Gravy to Taste: depending on the type of vegan breakfast sausage you use, the gravy may need more salt, pepper, or garlic powder.
- Finely dice the sausage links or use veggie sausage crumbles for a finer texture in the gravy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 675Carbohydrates: 25gFiber: 4gProtein: 14g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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This looks great! I think I’ll try to add some mushrooms to the gravy! And maybe some white wine🤔
It looks so comforting!! ❤️ thank you ❤️
Hi Tammi- Mushrooms and white wine sound like great additions to the gravy!