Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Homemade buttermilk biscuits with flaky, buttery layers are a staple at our house, and so easy to make! All you need to make these biscuits is one bowl, 6 ingredients and 30 minutes. What are you waiting for?
When I hear about people using store-bought biscuits from a cardboard tube, it makes me cringe. Don’t they know how easy it is to make soft, flaky and flavorful biscuits from scratch??
I’ve been baking these biscuits for more than 10 years and I’m here to tell you that they are the VERY BEST. This is the only biscuit recipe you’ll ever need. And if you’re not sure homemade biscuits are something you can make yourself, I’m here to tell you that you can! And you should. Like, right now.
Table of Contents
- Buttermilk biscuit ingredients
- Equipment you'll need
- How to make tall flaky biscuits
- More tips for making perfect homemade biscuits
- How to make biscuits in advance
- Ways to serve these biscuits
- More biscuit recipes
- Get the recipe
Buttermilk biscuit ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients to make these biscuits, and you probably have most of them already in your kitchen!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cold butter
- Cold buttermilk
baking tip:Substitutes for buttermilk
Buttermilk is one of my favorite ingredients for baking and it’s always in my fridge, but I get it, not everyone’s like me! Don’t worry, you can make your own buttermilk in a pinch.
- Milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to a liquid measuring glass. Fill with 2% milk to make 1 cup. Wait 5 minutes, then stir and use.
- Plain yogurt or sour cream and water. Whisk together 1/2 cup full-fat plain yogurt or sour cream and 1/2 cup water. Use immedately.
Equipment you’ll need
- Mixing bowl
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Spatula
- Pastry blender— this is the most crucial tool you’ll need to make the biscuits! If you don’t have one, you can use two knives.
- Round cutter— the rim of a glass will work too.
How to make tall flaky biscuits
The #1 complaint I get from readers when making biscuits is that they turn out flat. Which is no good! Biscuits should be tall with plenty of visible flaky layers. So how do I get perfect biscuits every time? Here’s my secret:
The fold and flatten method
After the buttermilk has been added and the dough starts to come together, dump it all out on a clean work surface. The dough will still appear to be very dry and shaggy, and that’s completely normal. Don’t add more buttermilk! Use your hands to bring it all together, folding the pieces on top of each other and gently kneading it all together until dry bits have been mostly incorporated and dough is uniform.
Once the dough is mostly smooth, flatten it with the palms of your hands until it’s about 1-2 inches thick. Lift up one half of the dough and fold it over on top of the other half. Flatten it again to about 1-2 inches thick. Do this about 5 times. Then, use a rolling pin or your hands to press the dough to about 1 inch thick and cut into rounds.
More tips for making perfect homemade biscuits
- The butter and buttermilk should be cold and used straight from the fridge. The visible bits of cold butter throughout the dough is what creates the flaky layers and rise. If the butter is too warm, it will incorporate into the flour and you’ll end up with flat dense biscuits.
- Do not overwork the dough. Mix dough with a spatula and then work the dough with your hands just until it comes together (see above Fold and Flatten Method). Overworked dough produces tough biscuits.
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out the biscuits. This will “seal” together all the layers within the dough and prevent them from rising. Press the cutter firmly down and then pull it straight back up. If the biscuits stick to the inside of the cutter, use a finger to pop it back out.
- For added color, brush tops of biscuits with more buttermilk before baking.
- Bake biscuits close together on the sheet pan for soft biscuits, or more spaced out for biscuits with a crispier exterior.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda haven’t expired. If your biscuits are still coming out flat after following all of these other tips, that might be why!
How to make biscuits in advance
Both baked and unbaked biscuits freeze really well! If I want to prep biscuits in advance, I’ll place unbaked biscuit rounds on a parchment lined sheet pan, cover with a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze until I’m ready to bake and serve.
To store in the freezer more long-term, place either baked or unbaked biscuits in a single layer on a lined sheet pan and freeze for 30-60 minutes. Then transfer to a freezer ziplock bag and store for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time. To rewarm frozen baked biscuits, cover with foil and heat in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.
Ways to serve these biscuits
These easy buttermilk biscuits are a lazy weekend morning necessity at our house. We serve them with butter and homemade jam or smother them with sausage gravy. And when I’m not baking up a batch of biscuits for breakfast, I’m serving them alongside a bowl of soup or another cozy meal. Really, they’re perfect any time of day.
More biscuit recipes
Now that you’ve mastered this easy buttermilk biscuits recipe, here are a few variations you should definitely try!
- Butternut Squash and Rosemary Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Cheddar Biscuits
- Cream Cheese Biscuits
- Cinnamon Roll Biscuits
Get the recipe
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter , cubed
- ¾ – 1 cup (175-250 ml) cold buttermilk, plus additional for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir until the dough starts to come together. Add more buttermilk a tablespoon at a time if needed to bring the dough together (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons is the perfect amount for me).
- Dump dough out onto a clean work surface and bring the dough together with your hands, kneading it gently until it comes together in a ball.
- Pat dough to about 1-2 inches thick. Fold one half of the dough over onto the other half. Flatten again to 1-2 inches thick. Repeat 5 times.
- Roll or pat dough to 1 inch thick. Cut dough into rounds with a lightly floured cutter. (I usually use a 3 or 3½-inch round cutter, which yields 8 biscuits) Gently bring scraps together, flatten and cut a few more rounds.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Brush with buttermilk.
- Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Video
Note: This post was originally published March 2011. Photos have been updated and slight improvements to the recipe instructions have been made.
Biscuits turned out great.
But remember not to over knead, as the recipe states knead 6 times.
over kneading happens often and can really make the biscuits touch and not "Airy"
follow this recipe just as it is written and you will have great easy biscuits.
I am going to make these! They sound so yummy and I have some buttermilk that I need to use up. Thanks!
I didn't have buttermilk so I substituted it with plain greek yogurt not entirely sure how they'll turn out… but the batter is amazing ;].
Thank you!
I made them one weekend and they were great! my parents enjoyed them and I had a few to take back to my apartment. Thanks! I never have shortening around in my kitchen and really appreciated the butter recipe 😉
these look perfect! Glad I found your site. I have a link party going on, Sundays that I just started come over and link up if you'd like.
https://www.you-made-that.com/sunday-spotlight-recipes-3/
Yummy! Will be making these soon! 🙂
the reason that use bt date past milk tastes good is that its a cultured- fermented product- like cheeses, cultured milk products last waaaay longer than the label says- its a regulation issue not a taste/life/edible issue. people nned to be better educated on this, it soo adds to unecessary food waste!
I've never made biscuits before and came across yours and pinned them to make later.
Made them tonight. SO EASY! and um… YUM!
Thank you for posting. First biscuits = success!
Oh so that's what "biscuits" are. We call those plain scones over here. And we call cookies "biscuits" (or cookies)
Just saw your biscuit photo on Foodgawker. They look so good… and so tall! My biscuits always seem to turn out a bit flat. Great job!
These look scrumptious! Do you have to use a pastry blender? I use my hands most of the time, but do you find there's a big difference?
Your hands will warm the butter.
I know this comment is old, but for anyone reading and needing additional info. It is correct that your hands will warm the butter. Use a fork or two table knives to cut in the butter if you don’t have a pastry blender. Just mash the butter through the fork tines or holding a knife in each hand, cross you hands and then while uncrossing your hands, draw the knife blades against each other. Not as fast as a pastry blender, but it will do the job.
I am with you on the biscuits in a tube. There are a few things that I have taken an aversion to over the years. It drives me crazy that people would buy store bought when homemade are ten thousand times better and so very easy to make. Bottled Vinaigrette is another one.
Thank you for this recipe. The last time I made biscuits, my young daughters used them as bowling balls..LOL..
Jackie
mine where like hockey pucks!!! This recipe has so changed our breakfast, lunch and dinners! They were a big hit with my kids!
I remember when my first wife tried to make biscuits. you could bounce them off the wall and they would keep on bouncing. lol
She finally got the nack. lol
Can I nominate this for Best Comment Ever? 😉
Damn pretty looks buttermilk biscuits..fabulous clicks;.
I don't know why I haven't ever made biscuits. They look perfect. I think I am intimidated by the process of incorporating the cold butter. But you're inspiring me and making me drool at the same time, so I think I need to give it a try! Lovely photos, too!
I just made scones and the recipe said to grate the frozen butter into the flour. It was super easy, fast, and turned out great!! This might help you with the roadblock of incorporating the butter… I am going to make these buttermilk biscuits and grate the butter – it should work…
I have heard of grating frozen butter into biscuit dough, though I haven’t tried it myself yet. I hope you enjoy these biscuits!
It totally worked – the biscuits were a HUGE hit at my choir group and grating the frozen butter was so easy… I might have just opened Pandora’s Box by discovering this trick… Better run a few extra kilometres to work off all the extra baking I will be eating!
I did this always have it works great ! They were delicious my husband loved them .