This healthy version of Biscuits and Gravy uses healthy low-fat sausage gravy with low-fat biscuits, so you can enjoy your favorite breakfast without bypass surgery.
One biscuit (two halves) plus sausage gravy goes from 540 calories with 34 grams of fat to 213 (60% lower) with 3 grams of fat (over 90% lower)—amazing and with only a minor decrease in taste and texture.
Ingredients
Biscuit ingredients—all-purpose flour, non-fat yogurt, baking powder, baking soda, salt
Gravy ingredients—Turkey breakfast sausage, non-fat milk, seasoning salt and black pepper
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Featured Comment from Karen:
"This is an awesome recipe! My overweight husband loves biscuits and gravy, and when I make this for him, he doesn't even realize that it's a low-fat, lower-calorie recipe."
A breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits is classic American comfort food. It is an obsession with many people and one of the most missed foods for many dieters. Well, we can fix that.
You can replace a very unhealthy, calorie-dense classic with an easy-to-make healthier alternative at home.
This recipe uses turkey breakfast sausage and non-fat milk for the healthy gravy and non-fat yogurt for the almost-zero-fat biscuits, along with common pantry ingredients. It fits a healthy diet like a low-calorie or low-fat diet.
This recipe is based on my Low-fat biscuits recipe and How to Make Gravy from Scratch. I used a Pioneer Woman recipe as the model for spicing, but otherwise, her recipe is unrecognizable here.
👨🍳How to make Healthier Biscuits and Gravy
Make Low-Fat Biscuits
- Combine AP flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt–mix well. Add non-fat yogurt to the flour mixture by folding it in until all dry is incorporated.
- Make 8 drop biscuits on a PAM-sprayed baking pan.
- Bake until golden brown—about 12 minutes.
Make Healthy Gravy
- While baking the biscuits, brown turkey breakfast sausage in a large nonstick skillet.
- Whisk together flour and skim milk and slowly add the milk-flour mixture to the cooked sausage over medium heat while whisking continuously.
- Continue to mix, and the gravy will start thickening in a few minutes. Add seasoning salt and black pepper. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Server over biscuits cut in half.
This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.
Low Fat Recipes
Some of my other favorite low-fat recipes are Healthier Carrot Cake, Healthy Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Healthy Blueberry Scones, and Healthy White Chicken Chili.
🖊️Notes About the Healthy Biscuits
As I said in my Healthy Biscuits post, the texture and taste are slightly different, but not much with the biscuits. If you pay close attention, there is a slight yogurt taste, but you won't taste that through the gravy spices. And the texture is more fluffy than flakey.
I suggest standard non-fat yogurt, but you can use non-fat Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt will give a bit more yogurt twang and may need a splash of milk since it is dryer.
While I did call these biscuits "zero fat," they have little under 0.4 grams per biscuit, so they are "almost zero fat" or healthy biscuits, AKA low-fat biscuits.
🖊️Notes About the Healthy Sausage Gravy
The gravy is a touch less cream due to the less fat. But it is still very acceptable, and you will live longer with this version.
All the fat that could be eliminated was cut out. I used the lowest-fat ingredients and a slurry gravy method to make the gravy that does not require the fat needed for a roux gravy method. See How To Make Gravy at Home for more information on this method.
📋Nutrition Notes
A serving of 2 half biscuits with gravy ⅓ cup of gravy will be 216 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 477 mg of sodium. Increasing the gravy to a more generous ½ cup will add 45 calories and about 1 gram of fat.
The exact nutrition values depend entirely on the ingredients you choose. Different brands may have different nutritional values. And they may change their products over time.
I have decreased the salt in the biscuits from the original recipe. This reflects my current practice and reduces the sodium by 120 mg per serving from the original recipe.
Storage of leftovers
Store the gravy sealed in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The biscuits can be stored at room temperature in a baggie with the air squeezed out.
To Freeze: The biscuits and the gravy should be frozen separately. Both should be sealed airtight for up to 3 months.
❓FAQs
Sure. Nutrition is calculated on the lowest fat version of turkey breakfast sausage. But other ground meat may be used but will change the nutrition calculations.
Yes. The meat is not required.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional oven.
Combine 2 cups AP flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt–mix well. Add 1 ¼ cups of non-fat yogurt. Fold in until all dry is incorporated.
Make 8 drop biscuits on a PAM-sprayed baking pan.
Bake until golden brown—about 12 minutes.
While the biscuits are baking, brown ½ pound of turkey breakfast sausage.
Whisk together ¼ cup flour with 2 cups skim milk. I used a Tupperware shaker. Slowly add the milk-flour mixture to the sausage over medium heat while whisking or mixing continuously.
Continue to mix, and this will start thickening in a few minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper (or to taste). Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
Server over biscuits cut in half.
📖 Recipe
Healthier Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
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Ingredients
Low-Fat Biscuits
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder - Aluminum-free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup non-fat yogurt
Gravy
- ½ pound turkey breakfast sausage
- 2 cups skim milk
- ¼ cup AP flour
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt - I used Lowery's
- ½ teaspoon pepper - or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional oven.
- Combine 2 cups AP flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt–mix well. Add 1 ¼ cups of nonfat yogurt. Fold in until all dry is incorporated.
- Make eight drop biscuits on a PAM-sprayed baking pan.
- Bake until golden brown—about 12 minutes.
- While the biscuits are baking, brown ½ pound of turkey breakfast sausage.
- Whisk together ¼ cup flour with 2 cups skim milk. I used a Tupperware shaker. Slowly add the milk-flour mixture to the sausage over medium heat while whisking or mixing continuously.
- Continue to mix, and this will start thickening in a few minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper (or to taste). Simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Server over biscuits cut in half.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Use zero fat ingredients - milk and yogurt. And the lowest fat turkey sausage possible.
- Exact nutrition varies by the ingredients you use.
- You can use Greek yogurt, but there will be more of a yogurt taste and may need a bit of milk added since it is less moist.
- The serving is calculated with one biscuit cut in half and about ⅓ cup of gravy. If you want to use a more generous ½ cup, then the calories only increase by 45 calories.
- Use aluminum-free baking powder to prevent a metallic after-taste.
- Store biscuits at room temperature air-tight for 2-3 days. They are very crumbly after that. They can be frozen for 3 months.
- Store the gravy refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published March 1, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Debbie says
I grew up on biscuits and gravy and these turned out as good as I remembered, but without all the butter. Thanks for this recipe!
Made biscuits with wheat cake flour, Greek yogurt and added some milk. Not a full two cups flour because I read that when substituting wheat for white to add less. Used low-fat instead of nonfat for both because that is all I had.
Gravy was a little thick so I added more milk.
It’s just my husband and I at home so I’m looking forward to more cooking for 2!
JadaCass says
Made this meal for the first time today. We needed a change from the everyday breakfast. Loved the gravy trick with the shaker! Will definitely make this more often. The gravy sausage mix is so good, we imagined making it with rice or noodles.
Lana says
We have a bit of a dilemma at our house. We are sort if the reverse of the "Jack Sprat and his wife" type family. In the 2 years I have taken off 110 pounds, my husband has also lost and he doesn't need to! His doctor attributed it to healthier diet, but cautioned him not to lose any more. I still need to lose about 30, and that will take me to about where he started! So, I can eat no fat, and he can eat no lean! LOL! I made this recipe and made his using pork sausage and whole milk, and mine as written. His comment was that it was some of the best biscuits and gravy he has ever eaten! I fried up and crumbled both the turkey sausage and pork sausage, and froze it to use for later. This has become a pretty regular favorite. Tonight I'm going to make the General Tsao's and put his on angel hair (sort of like Lo Mein) while mine is on steamed broccoli slaw. Thank you so much! I have every faith that the meal tonight will be just as excellent! I will rate it, too.
Stella says
I discovered you while looking for calorie content in biscuits and gravy and saw this wonderful recipe. I have recently been diagnosed with CHF. Do you have any low sodium recipes to share?
Thank you
Stella
DrDan says
Hi Stelia,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I don't specifically cook low-sodium. But since the recipes are cooked at home, you can adjust the added salt. Usually, recipes are fine with about half the added salt. But many foods contain a fair amount of salt already like dairy products.
A few hint in addition to the cutting the salt in half in recipes: If using pre-cooked beans, use low sodium and rinse. Better yet, learn to use dry beans. There are sodium free broths if you can find them. Of course, use other low sodium products.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Hannah says
Can’t wait to try this!! I was looking for a healthier busicuits and gravy and I ironically have all the ingredients already in my fridge!
DrDan says
Hi Hannah,
Welcome to the blog.
This is an interesting recipe that I really like. Comfort food without the guilt.
Thanks for the note and Happy New Years.
Dan