These homemade buttermilk biscuits have buttery flaky layers, and a melt in your mouth texture that is simply incredible! Plus, they are ridiculously easy to make – just 20 minutes of prep!
You can even freeze the unbaked biscuits and pop them in the oven whenever you need a quick breakfast or side dish.
I’ve been making from scratch, classic buttermilk biscuits since I was a little girl. I don’t even think I tasted a canned biscuit until I was in college. Homemade is so much better!
Funny story – the second time I made biscuits (at about 9 years old), I accidentally used baking soda in place of baking powder. After one bite, I threw the entire batch in the garbage -they were so bitter! I’ve never made that mistake again!
Trust me, as long as you use the right ingredients and follow my instructions and tips, your biscuits are going to be amazing!
Is it better to make biscuits with milk or buttermilk?
Fresh buttermilk really does make the best biscuits! First of all, the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, leading to tall, fluffy biscuits. Secondly, it adds a depth of flavor that milk just doesn’t have.
And in my experience, its thick, creamy texture leads to more tender biscuits. So if you can, use fresh buttermilk! If not, see below for a few things you can use instead.
Buttermilk substitutions:
- My favorite replacement is to add about 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt to a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to reach one cup. (For this recipe, use a heaping half cup of sour cream and add milk to get 1 1/3 cup buttermilk.
- For every cup of buttermilk, you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, then add enough regular milk to reach a cup.
- Dried buttermilk is another option. You can either reconstitute it with water or milk, or you can stir the powder into the dry ingredients and simply add liquid after adding the butter.
How to make from-scratch buttermilk biscuits:
- PREP – Make sure your butter and buttermilk are very cold. You can pop them in the freezer for a few minutes if you need to.
- DRY INGREDIENTS – combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- COMBINE – Grate the cold butter into the bowl; stir until evenly distributed. Gently stir in the buttermilk just until a shaggy dough forms.
- FORM – Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and dump out the dough. Press it together and fold it over on itself a couple times. Press (or use a rolling pin to roll dough) till it is about an inch or 1 1/2 inch thick.
- CUT – Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles. I used a 2″ cutter and got 15 biscuits. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart.
- CHILL – Place the biscuits in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 425°. If you can’t fit the cookie sheet, you can chill them on a plate. (This step is optional, but does help you achieve perfect biscuits!)
- BAKE – Bake the biscuits at 425° for about 18 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
If desired, brush the tops with melted butter. You may need to adjust the baking time depending on the size of your biscuits and your oven.
If you are really in a hurry, you can simply press the dough into a thick rectangle, then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 15 squares. Bake as directed.
These flaky buttermilk biscuits are so versatile! You can serve them with butter and jam or honey butter for a sweet treat. Try them with butter alongside a bowl of soup, or serve them with sausage gravy for a delicious hearty breakfast or dinner.
PRO TIPS:
- Make sure your buttermilk and butter are cold! You don’t want the butter to melt into the flour. Small lumps of cold butter will create steam as the biscuits bake in the hot oven. Those air pockets are what make flaky biscuits.
- DON’T OVERWORK THE DOUGH! The biggest mistake people make is manhandling the dough after adding the liquid. This activates the gluten, leading to tough biscuits. Use a light touch.
- Press your biscuit/cookie cutter straight up and down. Twisting can seal the edges, preventing the dough from rising into tall, fluffy biscuits.
- If you use unsalted butter, add an additional 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt to the flour mixture.
MORE BISCUIT RECIPES:
- Melted Butter Biscuits
- Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits
- Cinnamon Drop Biscuits
- Bacon Cheese Biscuits
- Sourdough Biscuit Recipe
- Butter Swim Biscuits
- Keto Cheddar Garlic Biscuits
- Angel Biscuits (Yeast Biscuits)
- Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Easy Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour 15 ounces
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup very cold butter
- 1 ⅓ cups cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Use a coarse grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture; stir until it is distributed evenly.
- Add the buttermilk and stir gently just until the dough starts to come together.
- Dump the dough out onto a counter. Press and fold it together a few times until it forms a ball.
- Press the biscuit dough out to about 1 – 1 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut 15 biscuits. Press the biscuit cutter straight up and down; twisting it will seal the edges and prevent the biscuits from rising as high. (You will need to press the scraps together to make the last couple of biscuits.)
- Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. Chill for at least 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees. (You can place them on a plate if you can't fit the cookie sheet in your refrigerator.)
- Bake at 425° for about 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve hot with butter, jam, or honey butter.
For freezer biscuits – after cutting, freeze the unbaked biscuits in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to serve, place frozen biscuits on a sheet pan to thaw while the oven preheats to 425 degrees. Bake as directed, adding an additional 4-5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
You are going to love this easy buttermilk biscuits recipe! You can make them ahead of time, and they are tasty any time of day.
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