Flaky, tender keto biscuits made without any cheese, smothered in thick sausage gravy that coats every bite, 4.7g net carbs and 18.4g protein per serving. I've made this for years and it keeps my whole family full until lunch.
Biscuits and gravy will always remind me of my grandpa. He loved them and either made them most mornings or talked about them quite often. When I met my husband and discovered he was equally obsessed with this hearty breakfast dish, I knew it was meant to be. This recipe is for you both.
Everything comes together in under 30 minutes, but I save this one for weekend mornings when things slow down. That way there’s time for those tender biscuits to soak up every drop of thick, peppery gravy without rushing out the door.
What makes this breakfast so satisfying is the macro balance. The combination of protein from the sausage and fat from the cream keeps you full for hours. I’ve noticed that when I start my day with something this substantial, I don’t even think about food until early afternoon. That’s the difference between a breakfast built around protein and fat versus one loaded with carbs.
One thing I started doing last year is making a double batch and freezing half. They freeze beautifully in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months, with parchment between each one so they don't stick together. When I want them, I just pop them in a 350 degree oven straight from frozen for about 8-10 minutes. The gravy keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days too. I reheat it on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of cream or broth if it thickens up too much. This has turned a weekend breakfast into something I can pull together on a busy Tuesday morning. On lighter days I go with avocado toast, but when I want something that sticks, this is it.
How to make flaky keto biscuits (no cheese)
I’ve tried the cheese biscuit route and they always end up tasting like a cheese puck, not a real biscuit. These low carb biscuits are flaky and tender because I skip the cheese entirely and rely on cold butter instead.
The secret to flaky biscuits is frozen butter, grated on a cheese grater.
I freeze my butter for at least 30 minutes before I start. The goal is to keep those butter pieces cold and small so they create steam pockets when the biscuits bake. If the butter gets soft, you lose the flaky layers.
Grating frozen butter on a cheese grater is the fastest way I’ve found to get the right size. It beats cubing and cutting with a fork by a mile, and you handle the butter less so it stays cold.
If you don’t have a cheese grater, you can cube the butter into small pieces and cut it in with a fork or pastry cutter. Just work fast. One of my readers, MK, had great results using a food processor (pulsing the butter into the dry ingredients like pie crust). That’s a solid shortcut if you have one handy.
The other key step is lamination. I fold the dough onto itself 4-5 times, pressing it back into a rectangle each time. This creates visible layers that pull apart like traditional Southern biscuits. It’s the same technique used in pastry, just simplified. If you want a cheesy version, I have sausage cheddar biscuits for that, but for real flaky layers, this no-cheese method wins.
Keto sausage gravy tips
For my low carb sausage gravy, I use breakfast sausage or plain ground pork. Both work great. I’ve also used mild Italian sausage when that’s what I have on hand.
I look for sausage that’s all-natural with no added sugars or fillers. Some ground Italian sausage brands sneak in sugar, so I always check the label. Breakfast sausage is the safest bet for keeping the carb count low.
If you want a different flavor, try making this with bacon instead. I cook the bacon, crumble it, and use the rendered bacon grease as the base for the gravy. The smoky flavor in a bacon version is incredible with these biscuits. You can also use ground turkey if you want a lighter option. I add a tablespoon of extra butter to the pan since turkey is leaner and the gravy needs that fat for body.
How to thicken keto gravy without flour
Traditional gravy uses milk and flour as a thickener. In this keto biscuits and gravy recipe, I use xanthan gum and heavy cream instead.
There are a couple steps I learned from my mama that make a smooth keto gravy every time.
First, cook the xanthan gum. After I add it to the skillet, I stir it around and let it cook for 30 seconds to a minute. This gets rid of any raw flavor and lets it coat each piece of sausage evenly.
Then I slowly whisk in the heavy cream. The slower you pour, the smoother your gravy turns out. Nobody wants lumpy gravy.
If you don’t have xanthan gum, I’ve used arrowroot powder as a backup (1 teaspoon works). I stay away from coconut flour or almond flour as thickeners because they don’t dissolve well and can make the gravy gritty.
Variations for keto sausage gravy
The recipe here is my standard version, but I switch it up depending on my mood. Here’s what I’ve tried and liked:
Red pepper flakes (I add about 1/4 teaspoon for a little heat)
Dried sage (classic sausage gravy flavor, about 1/2 teaspoon)
Fresh garlic, minced (2 cloves, added with the onion)
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce drizzle for a spicy kick
Jalapenos, diced (I add them with the onion and let them soften)
For a dairy-free version, I’ve swapped the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk. The gravy comes out slightly thinner, so I add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. The biscuits are harder to make dairy-free since they rely on butter and sour cream, but I’ve seen readers have success using coconut oil (frozen and grated just like the butter) and coconut cream as substitutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2
Grate butter
Grate frozen butter into the bowl of dry ingredients using a cheese grater. Gently stir in grated butter. Do not overmix. It may cause your butter to soften or melt, which will not yield a flaky biscuit.
3
Add wet ingredients
Stir in the whipping cream and sour cream. Combine until just incorporated.
4
Shape dough
Gently shape the dough into a rectangle that is 1 inch tall on top a piece of parchment paper.
5
Create layers
Folding hamburger style, fold one half of the dough onto itself. Again, press into a rectangle shape that is 1 inch tall. Continue to fold and mold into a rectangle shape four more times. The dough should look smooth and layered after the final fold. This will create flaky layers in the biscuit.
6
Cut biscuits and bake
Cut the biscuits into six squares using a knife. Brush each biscuit on the top and sides with melted butter. Place each biscuit on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
7
Cool
Remove from oven, and let sit on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. These biscuits will be very delicate when they first come out of the oven, but will firm up once they cool. Using a spatula, gently transfer each biscuit to a wire rack to finish cooling. For a firmer biscuit, let sit overnight.
8
Brown sausage
Meanwhile, while the biscuits are cooking and cooling, start the sausage gravy. Melt butter in a large preheated skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to break up the meat into smaller chunks.
9
Sauté onions
Add the onion and cook until softened.
10
Make it creamy
Stir in the xanthan gum and cook until absorbed completely, about 30 seconds. Gradually, whisk in the heavy cream. Mixture should start to thicken. Then whisk in broth. While whisking, let simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper (I use about 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but add more if you like it peppery).
11
Assemble keto biscuits and gravy
Assemble by placing a biscuit on a plate or shallow bowl. Pour gravy over the top. Enjoy.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 biscuit
Calories
640
Fat
60g
Protein
18.4g
Total carbs
10.4g
Net carbs
4.7g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ground turkey instead of sausage?
I've made this with ground turkey and it works, but the gravy needs a little help. Turkey is leaner, so I add an extra tablespoon of butter to the pan before whisking in the cream. The flavor is milder too, so I bump up the black pepper and add a pinch of dried sage to get closer to that sausage gravy taste. Since turkey is poultry, cook it to 165 degrees before the cream goes in.
Is there a substitute for psyllium husk?
I haven't found a perfect 1:1 substitute for psyllium husk in these biscuits. It helps with binding and texture in a way that's hard to replicate. If psyllium is an issue for you, I'd suggest trying my keto egg loaf as a base for the gravy instead. It has a different texture but soaks up gravy beautifully.
Can I make these in an air fryer?
I've tested this and you need to drop the temperature to 325 degrees, not the 400 I use in the oven. The circulating air browns the tops way faster than a regular oven, so the layers don't have time to set at higher temps. I check mine at 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them since every air fryer runs a little different, but 325 for 10-12 minutes has been my sweet spot.
Sunday mornings run smoother now that I brown the sausage the night before. The gravy comes together fast and the biscuits are the only thing that need actual morning effort, which is fine because folding that dough is weirdly satisfying. Six batches in, four stars, the biscuits are the stronger half.
Confession: I almost skipped the gravy entirely. I figured any keto version would be that watery, thin stuff that doesn’t cling to anything, so I planned to just make the biscuits and call it good. Went ahead with the full recipe and I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. The sausage fat and heavy cream get thick in a way that almond flour thickeners never managed for me. And the biscuits are nothing like the dense, gummy versions I’d given up on. The folding step looked like overkill on paper but it’s the reason these have actual layers. Double batch of gravy next weekend.
Does psyllium husk actually make pull-apart layers? I wasn’t convinced. Growing up, biscuits and gravy meant the diner two towns over, drop biscuits so thick the gravy pooled into every crevice, filling you until dinner. I made this expecting something passable and got something that hit that memory so hard I put my fork down for a second. The texture isn’t the same, but the experience is, and that’s what I thought I’d lost.
The folding technique had me convinced this dough was just going to fall apart, but actual flaky layers came out of the oven. Not the biscuits I grew up on, but close enough, 4 stars for a first attempt. Better to store the biscuits and gravy separately, or do they reheat okay together?
Separate, Dana. The biscuits get soggy fast once the gravy soaks in. I keep them in different containers and reheat the biscuits in the oven at 325 for about 5 minutes, then warm the gravy on the stovetop.
I’ve gone through at least four keto biscuit and gravy versions over the years. The fathead dough ones hold together fine but they’re too dense, and the cheese flavor doesn’t disappear the way a regular biscuit does once the gravy hits it. This one finally got the texture right. Grating the frozen butter is what I think makes the difference. They actually soak it up the way they should instead of just sitting underneath it.
The cheese thing is what killed every fathead version for me too. You can pile on gravy and it just sits there smelling like mozzarella. Psyllium is what lets the crumb actually open up and take it in.
Sixth batch and I finally locked in the technique: grate the butter frozen solid, work fast, and keep the dough cold the whole time. The difference in flakiness compared to my early attempts is freaking unreal. I’ll never go back to softened butter in any biscuit recipe.
Warm hands will undo all of that in about 60 seconds. The grating creates smaller shards than chopping. More steam pockets, more flakiness. Six batches and you’ve got it.
My husband took one bite and asked if I snuck real flour in. He’s been avoiding keto biscuits since the rubbery mozzarella ones, so that reaction was everything. Four stars mostly because the gravy tightens up a lot as it sits.
That husband reaction is the one. The gravy does tighten up as it sits, totally normal. Just add a splash of cream when you reheat it and it loosens right back.
Every other keto biscuits and gravy I tried came out like dense hockey pucks. These actually pulled apart when I broke one open, and the gravy is thick enough to coat instead of running off the sides. This is the one.
Wrote off keto biscuits and gravy after two failed attempts (dense, gummy, nowhere close). The frozen butter trick actually makes flaky layers happen, and the gravy coated without going thick and pasty. Four stars until I get the sausage ratio right. First version worth finishing, though.
The sausage ratio really does make a difference. I go pretty heavy, closer to a full pound per batch of gravy, so every bite has some in it. Once you nail that part the whole thing comes together.
Didn’t have sour cream so I used full-fat Greek yogurt instead. Dough got a little stickier than described but baked up just as flaky. Did not think that was going to work. Keeping the swap since that’s what I usually have on hand anyway.
Brought a big batch to a Sunday brunch at my brother’s place, not telling anyone it was keto. Six people at the table, three of them not low-carb at all, and the biscuits were gone before the eggs. One of my sister-in-laws kept picking them apart trying to figure out what was in them, asking if I had used buttermilk because she could not place the texture. I told her after, and she genuinely did not believe me until I showed her the recipe on my phone. The gravy had that thick, coats-the-back-of-a-spoon consistency that people kept going back to, which I wasn’t totally expecting from something without regular flour. Doing a double batch next time and keeping half at home.
The buttermilk question gets asked a lot. I think it is the psyllium husk, it does something to the layers that people cannot quite place. A double batch barely lasts in my house anyway.
Making this for my brother’s birthday brunch this weekend and there’ll be about 12 of us so I’m planning to double it. Does the gravy scale pretty straight across, or is there anything finicky about doubling the biscuit dough (I’m thinking the psyllium husk especially)?
Gravy scales straight across, that part’s easy. Biscuit dough – double everything but keep the psyllium husk at 3.5 tablespoons instead of 4. Four full tablespoons in a big batch makes them gummy. Mix it in two separate batches if you can, the dough handles better.
My oven’s been acting up so I’ve been using my air fryer for everything. Would these work at 400, or do I need to tweak the temp/time? Worried the direct heat might kill those layers.
Yeah, 400 will kill those layers. Drop it to 325 and check at 10 minutes. The circulating air browns way faster than a regular oven so keep an eye on the tops.
This biscuit recipe was the best low carb one I’ve ever tried. I used a food processor like I do when I make an all-butter pie crust. No over-mixing is key like always and it worked really well for this recipe. I made some other changes. I added 1/4 c of buttermilk powder and a teaspoon of salt. I used my dough scraper to help fold the sticky dough. This made 8 rectangular biscuits for me. I baked them for ten minutes realizing I forgot to brush with butter. I took them out, brushed the butter and baked for an additional 5 minutes. So very good!
I haven’t tried anything else to substitute it with. You could try making biscuits with my 90 second bread recipe. Those have good flavor and are delicious with the gravy.
