To say I love diner food is an understatement. As a teenager, the 24 hour diner was not only a relaxed atmosphere where I could hang with my friends, it was a rite of passage. Breakfast at all hours of the day or night remains one of my favorite guilty pleasures. And probably the guiltiest of them all, biscuits and gravy. This fatty carbo loaded meal was comforting and warm, the fluffy and tangy buttermilk biscuits, the savory breakfast sausage crumbled in a classic cream sauce, the insane number of calories. A totally perfect meal. Of course I had to find a way to veganize it!
To start, making vegan biscuits at home is as easy as subbing out the dairy ingredients; butter and buttermilk, in any biscuit recipe with very cold vegan butter, and any non-dairy milk alternative mixed with 1 tablespoon of acid (lemon juice or apple cider vinegar are my favorites) to make ‘buttermilk’. OR an even easier way to make vegan biscuits, simply buy them at the store. You would be surprised by how many pre-made tubes of biscuit dough are ‘accidentally’ vegan. For this recipe we used Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits, but if you’re feeling ambitious here’s a vegan buttermilk biscuits recipe I love, credit to “Sweet Simple Vegan”.
For reference next time you’re out shopping, here’s a small list of vegan Pillsbury biscuits, credit to “The Vegans Pantry”.
For the cream sauce, a combination of classic breakfast sausage herbs and spices really help to recreate that classic flavor I love. Rosemary, nutmeg, black pepper, salt, and poultry seasoning can never be wrong. And instead of using heavy cream like in the original recipe, to make this bechamel-like sauce, a simple roux is used to thicken non-dairy milk. The finished cream sauce is poured over your biscuits, along with our Sassy Birch “Not Just Jerky” in Maple flavor. While the texture of our “Not Just Jerky” is closer to pulled pork than crumbled sausage, the flavor is a perfect compliment for this pairing.
You *can* mix the “Not Just Jerky” into your cream sauce, instead of just pouring it on top, but the sauce will thicken a bit more, and the subtle flavors of the cream sauce will be overtaken a bit. It will still taste fantastic! It will just be something new and delicious instead of a recreation of the classic biscuits and gravy recipe you may remember. To make this classic diner staple for yourself at home, check out the recipe below:
Sassy Birch Biscuits and Gravy
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Sassy Birch's MAPLE "Not Just Jerky"
- 1 Cup of Water
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 2 Cups Non-Dairy Milk (warmed is best)
- Pinch of Nutmeg
- 1/2 Tbs Rosemary, Crushed
- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning (or Sage, Thyme and Majoram, whatever you have available!)
- Salt & Pepper, To Taste
- Vegan Biscuit Dough (premade, or see alternative recipe in description)
Instructions:
- Take 3oz of MAPLE "Not Just Jerky" and heat it with 1 Cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat until most of the water is reabsorbed. The fastest way to do this is to bring the water to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until done. ~ 5-10 min.
- We love the MAPLE flavor with this recipe, but if you'd like something with a bit more savory and spice, the CRACKED BLACK PEPPER "Not Just Jerky" is great substitute!
- Set aside/ keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.
- Either buy premade biscuits (a number of Pillsbury biscuits are accidentally vegan) and follow the cooking instructions on the label, or use one of the many veganized biscuit recipes on the web. We like this one: https://sweetsimplevegan.com/2019/11/vegan-buttermilk-biscuits/
- Set aside/ keep in the warm in the oven until time to serve.
- While your biscuits are cooking, melt 3 Tbs of vegan butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, add 2 Tbs of flour and whisk until thickened and bubbling, but not browned (approx. 2 minutes). Do not rush this step. It's important to cook the flour before adding your liquids to prevent the sauce from having a chalky/floury taste.
- Pour the warmed non-dairy milk in the pan and continue to whisk until sauce is thickened (approx. 3 minutes). If you don't have time to warm your milk first, quickly whisk in a very tiny bit of cold milk at a time, mixing thoroughly in between pours in order to prevent lumps.
- Add nutmeg, crushed rosemary, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low, and let the spices hang out in the warm sauce for a minute or two to bring out their flavors. Stir occasionally to prevent a film from forming on the top of the sauce. If your sauce gets too thick, just stir in a few spoonfuls of non-dairy milk to thin it out.
- Once you're happy with the flavor and thickness of your sauce, it's time to serve!
- To serve your biscuits and gravy, pour a little of the cream sauce on your plate, and then place one or two hot biscuits on top. Crumble as many pieces of your cooked "Not Just Jerky" on top of the biscuits and cream sauce as you'd like, and then top the biscuits off with more cream sauce. If you're feeling fancy garnish with some fresh parsley, and serve immediately. Enjoy :)
