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.
Hi..baked this
but did not turned out as good as yours…i guess i baked a little more and butter was less…
Can i use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose??
Or do you have any ideas for toddlers ..any eggless recipes??
Hi Mansi! Sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Next time I would recommend using the full amount of butter called for, the success of the biscuits depend on the rise from the cold butter. However, you can substitute all of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat if you’d like. I do it sometimes. Just note that the biscuits will be a little more dense. Also, this recipe doesn’t call for any eggs, so it is already eggless. Hope this helps!
Another great biscuit recipe! Thank you! I used 1/2 kamut flour & needed a few extra tablespoons of buttermilk but they were delicious! I doubled the recipe & froze some unbaked for when life is too hectic to make biscuits for dinner. Whenever I pull them out, I always wonder why someone would buy frozen Pillsbury or any brand when I can do it myself & make them healthier (no preservatives). And just for the record, I use buttermilk past its expiration date all the time. My family & I are still alive & kicking.
Enzymes can grow in buttermilk that is past its expiration date. It’s really not safe to use.
Buttermilk lasts past the “sell by” date. It has enzymes in it already, not just when it has been sitting. You should check for mold and check the smell, if it has a bad smell or any hint of mold, throw it out. Otherwise, shake it–it can separate some–then bake with it. You can also bake with sweet milk (regular milk) that has soured. While I would be more selective in using the milks in a fresh method, baking with milk is much more forgiving.
i wish if you could please tell that how to make buttermilk at home.
Beautiful! Homemade biscuits are the best and these look especially tasty. …Susan
I made these this morning. They were easy and totally yummy with butter and fresh strawberry jam.
Do I really need to use ‘parchment paper’? Or can I use something else instead? 🙂
You can use a silicone baking mat or just grease the sheet pan.
O M G !!!! These were awesome! I read through some of the comments and decided to grate the butter, which worked out really well. Also, being the old hippy that I am I used 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour and these were perfectly flakey and delicious. Pinned it onto Pinerest and will be making them again.
Thanks so much for posting!
Best,
Carolyn
I’m so glad you liked them! I’ve been meaning to try grating the flour myself to see if that makes it a bit easier. Thanks for the comment!
Hands down the tastiest biscuits! Just made them tonight as my mom had leftover buttermilk…she made fried chicken and I baked the biscuits…the kids loved them!
I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed them! I bet they were excellent with fried chicken.
Don’t try subbing vinegar and milk for actual buttermilk…ever…my biscuits turned out so horrible. I had to throw them all out. also my biscuits were really heavy, thick. I don’t know what I did wrong but they sucked.
lemon juice….always lemon juice 😉
Wow! I love buttermilk biscuits but have never made them before until I came across your recipe. It was so amazingly easy and the biscuits were the best I’ve ever had bar none.
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed them.
Tip: do not knead biscuit dough; gently fold and pat 6 times (like folding a shirt. This helps biscuits retain their intended flakey goodness!
OMG, for years i’ve been able to make wonderful cakes, pies, etc but my biscuits are like hockey pucks. THANK YOU for pointing out to me that butter and milk should be cold b/c of the steam! It makes soooo much sense. I think you may have solved the problem that has caused me to hang my head in shame. I’m going to try this morning to make it your way. I have high hopes for biscuits and gravy for the 4th of July. Bless you!
I used this recipe this morning and my wife, whose really the baker in the family, thought they were great! I have to say that it really was an “easy” recipe. I will admit that I over kneaded them a little so they were slightly dense in the middle, I know better for next time. In any event they tasted great, thanks Annalise!
I felt like baking so i entered Easy Buttermilk Biscuits and well here i am ….best biscuits ive ever made, they look as good as they taste. cant wait till thanksgiving so i could show off my baking skills lol …:)