Biscuits and Gravy Calories: Homemade vs Restaurant | Dietfit

Biscuits and gravy is a Southern breakfast of split buttermilk biscuits covered in creamy white sausage gravy. One biscuit with gravy has about 493 calories, according to USDA data. A typical plate of two biscuits and 1 cup of sausage gravy comes to about 750 calories made at home and about 950 with restaurant biscuits.

With Dietfit, one photo of your plate is enough: Deep Scan splits the biscuits, the gravy and any sides, and gives each its own calories.

Key takeaways

• One biscuit with gravy has about 493 calories and 14 g of protein.

• The gravy is about half the calories: 1/2 cup of sausage gravy has about 216.

• Restaurant biscuits are bigger and richer: about 259 calories each, against 158 for a homemade biscuit.

• A two-biscuit restaurant plate has about 30 g of saturated fat and 2,380 mg of sodium, more than a full day's limit of each.

• One biscuit with 1/4 cup of gravy keeps the dish near 270 calories.

How many calories are in biscuits and gravy?

One biscuit with gravy has about 493 calories in USDA data, and a full plate runs from about 375 to 950 calories. The size of the biscuits and the amount of gravy decide where your plate lands.

Source: USDA FoodData Central; Cracker Barrel nutrition guide (March 2024). The homemade and restaurant plates are built from USDA values for each part.

Saturated fat is the number to watch. A homemade two-biscuit plate has about 21 g, slightly over the 20 g Daily Value, and a restaurant plate has about 30 g. The restaurant plate also passes the 2,300 mg Daily Value for sodium.

biscuits-and-gravy-calories-by-plate.webp · Alt: Biscuits and gravy calories by serving, from 266 for one biscuit with 1/4 cup gravy to 950 for a restaurant plate

Biscuit vs gravy: where the calories come from

The gravy usually adds more calories than the biscuit under it. Here is what each part adds, from USDA data:

A restaurant biscuit has about 64% more calories than a homemade one, because it is bigger and made with more butter or shortening. The gravy is rich even without meat: white gravy is milk thickened with flour and fat, so 1/2 cup still has 173 calories. Sausage adds protein, but also most of the fat in the gravy.

biscuit-vs-gravy-calories.webp · Alt: Biscuit vs gravy calories: homemade biscuit 158, restaurant biscuit 259, 1/2 cup sausage gravy 216

Is biscuits and gravy OK for weight loss?

Yes, as an occasional breakfast with a set portion. One homemade biscuit with 1/4 cup of sausage gravy has about 266 calories, which fits into a calorie deficit like any other breakfast. Add a fried egg (100 calories) and the plate is still under 370 calories, with about 14 g of protein.

The problem is the full plate. Two restaurant biscuits under a cup of gravy come to about 950 calories, close to half of a 2,000-calorie day, before hash browns or bacon.

To make it lighter:

• Eat it open-faced. Split one biscuit and top both halves, instead of two biscuits.

• Measure the gravy. A 1/4 cup ladle has about 108 calories; a full cup has about 432.

• Use turkey sausage. A turkey patty has 68 calories against 114 for pork, and a third of the saturated fat.

• Pick a smaller biscuit. A homemade or refrigerated-dough biscuit saves about 100 calories over a restaurant one.

• Add a side that fills you up. Eggs add protein; fruit or sautéed greens add fiber for few calories.

Ordering at a diner or breakfast chain? Our tips on eating out while losing weight work for the rest of the menu.

Gravy is hard to measure once it covers the plate. With an AI calorie tracker like Dietfit, you snap one photo and Deep Scan outlines the biscuits and the gravy separately, then Meal Score, a health score for each meal, shows whether the plate fits your goal.

In the example below, Deep Scan read a plate of two large biscuits under sausage gravy as 1,031 calories: 612 for the biscuits and 419 for the gravy. That is about half of a 2,000-calorie day in one meal.

dietfit-deep-scan-biscuits-and-gravy.webp · Alt: Dietfit Deep Scan on biscuits and gravy: biscuits 612, sausage gravy 419, total 1,031 calories

What to eat after biscuits and gravy

One heavy plate does not undo your day; the next meal is where you balance it. The Deep Scan plate was logged as lunch: 1,031 calories, 25 g of protein and 66 g of fat, with a Meal Score of 38.

Asked what to eat for dinner, AI Coach Sara suggested steamed chicken breast with rice and greens: about 420 calories, 45 g of protein and 6 g of fat. Lunch and dinner together come to about 1,451 calories and 70 g of protein, with the lean dinner making up for the protein the biscuits lacked.

dietfit-ai-coach-after-biscuits-and-gravy.webp · Alt: AI Coach Sara suggesting a 420-calorie chicken, rice and greens dinner after a 1,031-calorie biscuits and gravy lunch

FAQ

How many calories are in 1 biscuit with gravy?

One biscuit with gravy has about 493 calories for a 7.8 oz (220 g) serving, according to USDA. A smaller homemade serving of one biscuit with 1/2 cup of sausage gravy has about 374 calories.

How many calories are in sausage gravy?

Sausage gravy has about 108 calories per 1/4 cup, 216 per 1/2 cup and 432 per cup. White gravy without sausage has about 173 calories per 1/2 cup.

Is biscuits and gravy healthy?

Biscuits and gravy is a comfort food, not an everyday breakfast. A restaurant plate of two biscuits and 1 cup of gravy has about 30 g of saturated fat and 2,380 mg of sodium, more than a full day's limit of each. One biscuit with a measured 1/4 cup of gravy is a much lighter way to enjoy it.

How much protein is in biscuits and gravy?

Biscuits and gravy has about 14 g of protein per biscuit with gravy, and about 23 to 26 g in a two-biscuit plate. Most of it comes from the sausage and the milk in the gravy.

How many carbs are in biscuits and gravy?

One biscuit with gravy has about 37 g of carbs, mostly from the flour in the biscuit and the gravy, with less than 2 g of fiber.

Is white gravy lower in calories than sausage gravy?

White gravy is a little lighter: about 173 calories per 1/2 cup, against 216 for sausage gravy. Sausage gravy has more protein, so the difference is mostly fat.

References

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708744/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Biscuit with gravy", FDC ID 2708744

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706406/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Sausage gravy", FDC ID 2706406

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2705703/nutrients, FoodData Central, "White sauce or gravy", FDC ID 2705703

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707804/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Biscuit, home recipe", FDC ID 2707804

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707802/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Biscuit, from refrigerated dough", FDC ID 2707802

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707803/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Biscuit, from fast food / restaurant", FDC ID 2707803

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706191/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Pork sausage", FDC ID 2706191

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706200/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Turkey or chicken sausage", FDC ID 2706200

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707159/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Egg, whole, fried with butter", FDC ID 2707159

• https://www.crackerbarrel.com/-/media/Project/cb-brandsite/brandsite/pdfs/Nutrition-Guide.pdf, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, "Nutritional Facts n' Figures", March 2024

• https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels"