Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

10 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy is a Southern breakfast recipe for the flakiest buttery biscuits and a rich silky chocolate sauce.

Is there anything better than warm, homemade biscuits for Breakfast? From Classic Biscuits and Gravy to fall-flavored Pumpkin Biscuits to sunny Lemon Blueberry Biscuits to these Southern Biscuits and silky chocolate gravy, we have the most amazing homemade biscuit recipes for you to make all year long!

Sabrina’s Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

These tender buttery biscuits smothered in rich, sweet chocolate gravy is one of the most decadent breakfast recipes ever! It starts with old-fashioned Southern-style buttermilk biscuits that rolled out a few times, similar to puff pastry, for the flakiest biscuit with lots of buttery layers. They are served with a silky, thick gravy made with chocolate (yes, chocolate!) that is sweet and buttery and indulgent. One bite and you may never make savory gravy for your biscuits again!

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy ingredients separated in prep bowls
Back to
Table of Contents

Ingredients

  • Flour: If you can, try measuring out the flour in grams for the best accuracy. 2 ⅛ cups of flour would be 289 grams of flour. If you don’t have a way to measure your flour, spoon the flour into the measuring up then level with a knife so you don’t pack the flour.
  • Buttermilk: You want your ¾ cup of buttermilk to be very cold to help keep the butter cold. If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to a measuring cup then add enough regular milk to equal 1 cup. Use ¾ cup homemade buttermilk after the mixture has sat for 10 minutes. You’ll also need extra milk to brush on the biscuits before baking for the perfect crisp, golden brown crust.
  • Butter: If possible, you want to use ½ cup frozen butter because cold butter is the key to extra flaky biscuits. As the dough bakes, the butter melts slowly which causes pockets of steam and those amazing buttery biscuit layers.
  • Leavening: The biscuit dough is made with a combination of 2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon baking soda for extra fluffy biscuits that are melt-in-your-mouth soft inside.
  • Chocolate Gravy: This decadent gravy starts with 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and ¼ cup of flour that are whisked together and cooked until a thick gravy forms. You finish it with a tablespoon of butter to make it extra rich and smooth plus 2 teaspoons of vanilla for flavor. You always want to add vanilla (and other extracts) at the end when making sauces otherwise it will cook off and won’t be as flavorful.
Back to
Table of Contents

Kitchen Tools & Equipment

  • Biscuit Cutter: We use a 3-inch biscuit cutter for big, fluffy biscuits. These special cutters are sharp to quickly slice the dough so you don’t pinch or seal the edges for the fluffiest biscuits.
  • Food Processor: You want to use the food processor so you don’t overmix the dough and the butter doesn’t melt or soften too much. Be sure to pulse, not blend, for the right texture.
Back to
Table of Contents

How to Make

Time needed: 45 minutes.

  1. Prep Work before Baking

    Cut your butter and pop it in the freezer the night before. Preheat your oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

  2. Make the Dough

    Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a couple times to blend. Add the butter pieces and buttermilk to the flour mixture. Pulse until a loose dough forms. Do not continuously blend, it’s important to just pulse in bursts.Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy collage preparing biscuit dough

  3. Roll the Dough

    Pour the loose dough onto a floured surface. Gently pat into a ball, without handling too much. Roll the dough until it’s 1/2-inch thick. Fold ⅓ of the dough inwards over the middle, then fold the other ⅓ of dough over the middle so you have 3 layers. Roll it out until it’s 1/2-inch thick again and repeat folding layer, then repeat the process 1 more time for a total of 3 times.Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy rolling biscuit dough

  4. Bake the Biscuits

    Cut out 10 biscuits using a 3-inch cutter and place on the parchment paper a couple inches apart. Lightly brush the biscuit rounds with the extra buttermilk. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown and fluffy.Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy collage of cutting biscuits and prepping for baking

  5. Make the Chocolate Gravy

    While the biscuits are baking, combine the milk, cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and flour in a saucepan. Whisk the ingredients well until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium. Continue to stir the mixture until it thickens to a gravy consistency.Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy collage of whisking gravy

  6. Finish and Serve

    Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Whisk the gravy until it is smooth. Serve warm over your freshly baked biscuits. Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy baked biscuits and cup of gravy in basket

Can I make Buttermilk Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy ahead of time?

You can absolutely make both the Buttermilk Biscuits and the Chocolate Gravy ahead of time! You can prep the dough and cut out the biscuits up to a day ahead of time and the gravy will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge. Simply pop the biscuits straight from the fridge and bake then reheat your gravy on the stove top. Both the biscuits and the gravy are freezer friendly for up to 3 months too! Check out our How to Store Section below for freezing & reheating instructions.

Back to
Table of Contents

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts
Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy
Amount Per Serving
Calories 372 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Trans Fat 0.4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 59mg20%
Sodium 382mg17%
Potassium 153mg4%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 738IU15%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 124mg12%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Back to
Table of Contents

Tips & Tricks for Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

Cold Butter is Key

To get those delicious flaky layers, you need to fold and roll the biscuit dough a couple times which means you want your butter as cold as possible so it doesn’t melt with all the rolling. Frozen butter is best, and to keep your butter pieces from sticking, spread them out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, the cubes to a freezer safe bag and store if not using right away.

How to Cut Biscuit Dough

The best way to cut biscuits is to use a biscuit cutter that is tall enough and thick enough to quickly slice through the dough without needing to twist and turn. You want to avoid twisting which seals the dough edges and the biscuits won’t rise properly, just stamp the dough and pull straight up. If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can use a large glass cup that is 3 inches wide at the top. Spray the rim of the glass lightly with cooking spray to help lessen the possibility of the dough getting stuck inside the cup or needing to twist. 

Back to
Table of Contents

How to Store

How to Store Biscuits & Chocolate Gravy

It’s best to store your biscuits and gravy separately. You can keep the biscuits in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The gravy needs to be refrigerated and will last for 4-5 days, but is best in the first couple days.

How to Reheat Chocolate Gravy

It’s best to reheat Chocolate Gravy on the stove top, but it can be done in 15-20 second bursts in the microwave. On the stove, reheat over low heat, stirring frequently until it is warmed through. Add milk or cream, a splash at a time, to thin it out if needed.

How to Reheat Buttermilk Biscuits

Reheat thawed biscuits in the oven at 350 degrees for a couple minutes. You can also reheat the biscuits from frozen, they will just need about 10-12 minutes of heating time.

How to Freeze Buttermilk Biscuits

Once the biscuits have completely cooled, wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag. They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer and can be reheated from frozen or thawed in the fridge overnight first.

How to Freeze Chocolate Gravy

Let the Chocolate Gravy cool to room temperature then transfer to a freezer safe, airtight container. Place a piece of plastic wrap over top and press into the top of the gravy before adding the lid to prevent ice crystals. Store for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Back to
Table of Contents

How to Serve

Biscuits: Add another layer of flavor by spreading some Strawberry Jam, cream cheese, or Creme Fraiche in the middle of the baked biscuits before adding the gravy. For a sweet and savory combo, try it with some crispy bacon slices in the middle too.

Chocolate Gravy: The silky, decadent chocolate gravy would taste amazing with your favorite Pancake and Waffle Recipes too! Try it with our easy Banana Pancakes for a delicious flavor combination!

Recipe Card

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy is a Southern breakfast recipe for the flakiest buttery biscuits and a rich silky chocolate sauce.
Yield 10 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

Buttermilk Biscuits:

  • 2 1/8 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter , cubed (even better if frozen)
  • 3/4 cup cold buttermilk , plus a bit more for brushing

Chocolate Gravy:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Buttermilk Biscuits:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse two to three times until combined.
  • Add in the butter and buttermilk and pulse until combined.
  • Put the mixture onto a floured surface and pat into a ball then roll it out ½ inch thick.
  • Fold dough over on one side, then the other so you have three layers. Roll it out gently, then fold it over three ways and roll gently again. Repeat folding once more and roll it out.
  • Using a 3 inch cutter stamp out 10 biscuits.
  • Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet, brush with remaining buttermilk and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Chocolate Gravy:

  • Add milk, heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder and flour to a medium saucepan.
  • Whisk well until flour and cocoa powder are fully mixed in.
  • Turn the heat onto medium, bring to a simmer.
  • Keep stirring and cook for 6-7 minutes until thickened to a gravy consistency.
  • Turn off heat, add in butter and vanilla extract.
  • Whisk well until smooth and use over buttermilk biscuits.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 382mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 738IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 2mg
Keyword: buttermilk biscuits, Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy, Chocolate Gravy

Related Recipes

More Easy Homemade Biscuit Recipes

Buttermilk Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy pouring gravy over split biscuit on plate, stack of biscuits also on plate, recipe title across bottom

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.