Cajun Biscuits and Sausage Gravy from Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana
If you’ve only had biscuits and gravy the classic Southern way, these Cajun biscuits and gravy are about to wake up your breakfast table. Flaky homemade biscuits get smothered in a creamy sausage gravy seasoned with Creole spice and a pinch of crushed red pepper, so every bite has a little New Orleans warmth.
This recipe comes from Cookin’ Louisiana: Flavors From the Parishes of the Pelican State by New Orleans chef and PBS host Kevin Belton. It’s simple enough for a Saturday morning and special enough for company.
What Makes These Biscuits and Gravy Cajun?
It all comes down to the seasoning. A traditional Southern sausage gravy leans on black pepper. This Louisiana version adds Creole seasoning and crushed red pepper, which give the gravy a gentle, warm heat and a deeper, savory flavor.
The gravy isn’t fiery hot. Think of it as biscuits and gravy with a little Louisiana personality. If you want more kick, add an extra pinch of crushed red pepper or a dash of hot sauce at the table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A little Louisiana kick. Creole seasoning and crushed red pepper turn a breakfast classic into something new.
- Authentic roots. It comes straight from Kevin Belton’s Cookin’ Louisiana, a love letter to the food of his home state.
- Pantry-friendly. You only need flour, milk, butter, breakfast sausage, and a few spices.
- Made from scratch in about 35 minutes. The gravy cooks while the biscuits bake.
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup cold milk
For the Cajun sausage gravy
- 1 pound pork breakfast sausage
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 tsp Creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
A Note on Creole Seasoning
Creole and Cajun seasoning blends are close cousins, and either works here. Store-bought brands like Tony Chachere’s or Zatarain’s are easy to find, or you can stir together my Homemade Cajun Seasoning.
Many store-bought blends already contain salt. Taste the gravy before adding the extra ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the biscuits
- Freeze the butter for easy grating and extra-flaky biscuits.
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in frozen butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in milk just until combined. Gently knead on a floured surface, folding the dough 5–6 times.
- Pat the dough 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a 2 ¾-inch cutter and place less than ½ inch apart on the sheet.
- Bake 10–12 minutes, until tops are golden.
Make the Cajun sausage gravy
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- Sprinkle in flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly stir in milk. Add Creole seasoning, salt, and crushed red pepper.
- Simmer, stirring, until the mixture has thickened to a creamy consistency.
Serve
Split the warm biscuits and ladle the Cajun sausage gravy over the top.
Planning a whole Louisiana-style weekend? Serve these alongside my Shrimp and Grits, save room for Red Beans and Rice at supper, or stir up a pot of Jambalaya for Sunday dinner.
Cajun Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Chill butter in the freezer for 10–20 minutes before beginning this recipe. The very cold butter makes light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Remove butter from the freezer and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk to the flour mixture and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Transfer the biscuit dough to a clean, well-floured surface, and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable.
- Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeat this step 5–6 times, taking care to not overwork the dough. Use your hands to gently flatten the dough to 1-inch thick.
- Press a 2 3/4-inch-wide biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto theprepared baking sheet. Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible, and place them less than 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet.
- Once you have cut as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently rework the dough to cut outanother biscuit or two until you have at least 7 biscuits total. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until tops arelightly golden brown.
- Prepare gravy while the biscuits are baking.
- Place sausage in a skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Cook, crumbling the sausage as it cooks, until no pink remains. Do not drain the skillet.
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sausage crumbles and cook a minute longer until the flour isabsorbed. Slowly pour the milk into skillet, stirring as you pour. Add Creole seasoning, salt, andcrushed red pepper, if using. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened.
- Once biscuits are finished baking, slice in half, and ladle gravy over biscuits.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Many store-bought Creole seasonings contain salt. Taste the gravy before adding the extra ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Cajun seasoning can replace the Creole seasoning one-for-one.
- For andouille sausage gravy, replace 8 ounces of the breakfast sausage with diced andouille and add 1 tablespoon of butter if the pan looks dry.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Tips for Success
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter makes steam in the oven, which gives you flaky layers.
- Don’t overwork the dough. A few gentle folds are all it needs. Too much handling makes tough biscuits.
- Taste before you salt. Creole seasoning brands vary a lot in saltiness.
- Adjust the thickness. Add a splash of milk if the gravy gets thicker than you like.
- Bake ahead. Freeze extra biscuits and reheat them as needed.
Storage and Reheating
Store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigerate leftover gravy in a sealed container.
To reheat, warm the biscuits in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Warm the gravy for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring in a splash of milk to bring back its creaminess.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Cajun and regular biscuits and gravy?
Regular Southern sausage gravy is usually seasoned with salt and black pepper. Cajun biscuits and gravy adds Creole or Cajun seasoning and crushed red pepper for a warm, savory heat.
What’s in Kevin Belton’s sausage gravy?
Kevin Belton’s gravy uses pork breakfast sausage, all-purpose flour, milk, Creole seasoning, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper.
Can I use Cajun seasoning instead of Creole seasoning?
Yes. The blends are similar, and either one gives the gravy that Louisiana flavor. Just taste before adding extra salt.
Is Cajun sausage gravy spicy?
It’s mildly spicy, with more warmth than heat. Use less crushed red pepper for a milder gravy, or add more for extra kick.
About the Cookbook
Kevin Belton grew up in New Orleans, learning to cook from his mother and grandmother, and has spent decades teaching classic Louisiana cuisine. Cookin’ Louisiana, his fourth cookbook, gathers 78 recipes grouped by parish, from Cajun Shrimp Bowls and Cracklin’ Cornbread to Andouille and Shrimp Lasagna Roll-Ups and Summery Peach Cake. Each chapter comes with vibrant photographs and his trademark storytelling.
These biscuits and gravy are just one reason to add the book to your collection. Look for it at your local bookstore or on Amazon.
Last Bite
If you love a hearty breakfast with a little Louisiana flair, these Cajun biscuits and gravy are the real deal! If you give them a try, let me know in the comments below how they turned out. I’d love to hear if they made your weekend breakfast rotation. And don’t forget to pin or share the recipe so you can whip it up again whenever that comfort food craving hits!
I saw you on tv for the first time today…love that you sing to your food as i do too when i know im cooking something particularly yummy. Cant wait to try the sausage gravy, will be watching you again. Funny in your comments about not finding the pastry cutter in the cluttered drawer, its like you were talking to me. 🙂
I thought I had parchment paper, but I didn’t. I used the non-shiny side of aluminum foil.
Everything went well.
This is my basic recipe but leave out creole seasoning and hot flakes . I add a little onion powder and little garlic powder not enough to actually taste just enough to give it some extra flavor.
Those changes are great for those who prefer food on the milder side. Thanks for sharing your version.