Biscuits and sausage gravy is a breakfast I’ve loved since I was a kid. In the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty good at making it myself, and my kids both love it as much as I did. For a fall variation, I started making this maple sausage gravy and it’s absolutely perfect for the cold-weather season. Adding a little maple and some extra sage gives this recipe that holiday flavor that I crave this time of year. The subtle sweetness also pairs perfectly with a cup of hot coffee and the leftovers are a treat for the rest of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pork breakfast sausage
- 1-2 tablespoons additional butter
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black Pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
How to make maple sausage gravy
These are the steps to follow to make this slightly sweet take on a classic breakfast dish.
- Brown your sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. It’s important that you brown it so you get the little bits of sausage on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 6-8 minutes.
- Do not drain the sausage grease! If you feel like you need a little extra fat (you want about 3-4 tablespoons), add a tablespoon of butter and melt.
- Sprinkle in the flour and ground sage, and cook this sausage and flour mixture for 1-2 minutes until the flour just barely starts to brown.
- Pour in your milk slowly, stirring constantly.
- Drizzle in the maple syrup and stir. You can add a little more depending on your sweet tooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Dash in your cayenne if you want a little kick.
- Cook on medium-low, simmering, for about 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy.
- Serve over whatever delicious gravy vessel you choose (ideas below!)
What kind of sausage is best for sausage gravy?
I use regular Jimmy Dean pork sausage, the original. You could really spice things up by going with the sage sausage or even the maple sausage, but I like to be able to control my flavors a bit (plus, I’m just an average, plain person) so I stick to what I know and get the original.
I have seen other recipes use sweet Italian sausage or even hot sausage and truly, this recipe would be delicious with any sausage. It’s meat and gravy, y’all. You can’t go wrong.
What can you serve with maple sausage gravy?
Biscuits, of course! I’m a biscuits-from-a-can girl because that’s just who I am as a person, but this gravy is heavenly on a couple of fresh-baked biscuits. Go ahead and make them from scratch (I love this recipe from Sugar Spun Run) if you want to! I respect it. But I also live for shortcuts in this season of life so if you’re a can popper too, I get it. While this gravy screams to slather biscuits, you can also try it a few different ways.
- Pour it over texas toast with an over-easy egg on top
- Drizzle it over crispy hash browns or home fries
- It’s amazing on fluffy waffles (or even toaster waffles)
- Slather some chicken fried steak
- And lastly, try it over a bowl full of cheesy, cheddar grits
Maple Sausage Gravy
This maple sausage gravy has a subtle sweetness from real maple syrup. The ground sage gives it the perfect fall holiday flavor.
- 1 lb breakfast sausage
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
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Brown your sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes.
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Do not drain the sausage grease. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter so you have at least 3 tablespoons of fat.
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Sprinkle in 1/3 cup flour and ground sage.
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Cook for 1-2 minutes until the fat and flour create a thick paste.
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Pour in your milk slowly, stirring constantly.
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Drizzle in the maple syrup and stir.
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Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Add in the cayenne if you want a little kick.
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Cook on medium-low, simmering, for about 8-10 minutes until thick and creamy.
