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This is the best buttermilk biscuits recipe! These flavorful and fluffy homemade biscuits are ready in 25 minutes with seven ingredients. No rising needed, and you mix the dough in one bowl. They’re soft, buttery, and perfect with any meal.
Is there anything better than a warm, flaky biscuit smothered with butter next to a cozy bowl of cowboy stew or shrimp and grits this winter? I think not! These homemade buttermilk biscuits are SO easy to make and SO fluffy, buttery, and delicious. All you need are pantry staples, and they’re done in about half an hour.
About This Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
- Ready in 25 minutes. These biscuits don’t need any rising or chilling time. Just mix the dough, cut out the biscuits, and bake.
- Light, flaky layers. Buttermilk is the secret to the best biscuits! The acidity in buttermilk creates a super fluffy, airy crumb.
- Serve them with any meal. These biscuits are delicious spread with jam or butter. They’re also perfect for dunking into soups, stews, and chili, or served as a side to a saucy casserole or holiday dinner.
What Are Biscuits?
In the US, biscuits are a bit like dense, flaky dinner rolls. Since they’re (usually) made without yeast, American-style biscuits rely on baking powder and/or baking soda for leavening. This actually makes them a kind of quick bread, similar to banana bread or scones.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are notes on the key ingredients to get you started. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable recipe with the full amounts and details.
- Flour – Measure the flour using a digital kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Afterward, level the flour using the back of a knife. Don’t scoop flour directly from the bag, as this leads to overmeasuring (and very dry biscuits!).
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt – This recipe uses both leaveners, plus salt, for the best texture, color, and flavor. For your biscuits to turn out light and tender, make sure that your baking soda and baking powder aren’t expired.
- Butter – Cold from the fridge, and cut into cubes.
- Egg – Helps bind the dough, keeping the biscuits soft and tender.
- Buttermilk – You can’t make buttermilk biscuits without it! If you don’t have buttermilk in the fridge, you can make a substitute with vinegar and milk. See below.
Easy Buttermilk Substitute
You can make a homemade buttermilk substitute if you need one. Add 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup. Next, add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes so it curdles, stir, and it’s ready to use.
Use this homemade version as a 1:1 substitute in any recipe that calls for buttermilk, whether that’s biscuits, pancakes, or mashed potatoes.
Tips for the Best Biscuits
- Use cold butter. Cold butter = flaky layers. The butter melts and releases steam while the biscuits bake, creating pockets of air throughout. The same thing happens when you make a pie crust.
- Do not over-knead the dough. Similar to overmixing the batter for baked goods recipes, overworking the biscuit dough results in tough biscuits.
- If the dough is sticky while you’re cutting out the rounds, dipping the biscuit cutter in a little flour helps.
- Twist, or not to twist. I’ve heard from some bakers that twisting the biscuit cutter is a big no-no because it seals the edges of the dough, preventing the biscuits from rising. I’ve never experienced this with this recipe, but if you’re concerned about flat biscuits, you can simply press the cutter down firmly instead.
- Easy variations. With this classic biscuit recipe on hand, you can try more recipes like these savory Red Lobster-inspired Cheddar Bay biscuits and sweet blueberry biscuits.
What to Serve With Homemade Biscuits
Serve these warm biscuits spread with plum cardamom jam or strawberry jam and butter. As a side, I love serving biscuits with everything from creamy crab soup to corn chowder and our Sunday pot roast. They’re wonderful dunked in the leftover gravy at Thanksgiving dinner, too.
These quick biscuits are easy to whip up on a weeknight as a side dish to Swiss steak, these Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes, or a ready-to-bake beef pot pie.
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Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit more for dusting the counter
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- Add the butter. Combine the dry ingredients with the cold pieces of butter by rubbing the butter and flour mixture together with your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Add the wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of your breadcrumb-like mixture. Add the egg and buttermilk, then combine with a spoon until you have a rough dough.
- Knead the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and gently work it with your hands, just until it holds together. Don't over-knead it or your biscuits will be tough.
- Shape the biscuits. Pat/press the dough into a circle about 3/4 inches thick. Cut into rounds with a 2½-inch biscuit cutter. Push straight down into the dough and then twist. If your biscuit cutter is sticking to the dough, dip it in some flour.
- Finish up with the remaining dough. Roll up any scraps of dough and repeat this process until you have used it all. You can shape that last bit of dough into a biscuit by hand since there probably won't be enough to cut.
- Bake. Place the biscuits on your baking sheet, spacing them out so that they have room to rise. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve. If you’d like, brush them with a little melted salted butter right after they come out of the oven. Serve warm.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
I cut the butter into the dry ingredients by hand, but if you’d like, you could mix the dough in your food processor, just make sure not to over-blend! Now, follow the steps below, and pull a steaming tray of biscuits from the oven in 30 minutes or less.
- Prepare for baking. Start by preheating the oven to 425ºF. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk 2 cups of flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the butter. Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb.
- Add the wet ingredients. Now, make a well in the middle of your crumb and add the egg and buttermilk. Stir the ingredients together to form a rough dough.
Shape and Bake the Biscuits
- Knead the dough. Turn your dough out onto a floured countertop. Using your hands, knead the dough lightly until it holds together.
- Cut the biscuits. Press the dough into a disc about ¾” thick. Then, use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into 2½” rounds. The best technique is to push straight down on the cutter and twist. You can dip the cutter in flour if it’s sticking.
- Repeat. Roll up the dough scraps, press them into another circle, and repeat until you’ve cut out all the biscuits. I usually shape the last bit of dough into a biscuit by hand.
- Bake! Arrange the buttermilk biscuits on your prepared baking sheet, leaving space for them to rise. Bake the biscuits at 425ºF for 15-17 minutes until they’re golden brown on top.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store these buttermilk biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can serve them at room temperature or warm them up again in the microwave. I love slicing the biscuits in half to make breakfast sandwiches!
- Freeze. I recommend flash-freezing the biscuits on a baking sheet first. Then, transfer the frozen biscuits to a freezer bag. Keep them frozen for 1-2 months and thaw them at room temperature before serving.
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