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!
Table of contents
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!
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.
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.
How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Nutritional Facts
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.
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.
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
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
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