Soft, flaky, and buttery, these Easy Homemade Biscuits are made with just a few pantry ingredients, no special equipment, and ready in about 30 minutes. Keep this reliable biscuit recipe on hand year-round to complete breakfasts, dinners, and holiday meals.
5 STAR REVIEW
Donna says, “I’m ditching all my other biscuit recipes – this was PERFECTION. Light and fluffy with flaky layers as promised. I did use buttermilk as written. This was 10/10.”
Easy Homemade Biscuit Recipe
A great recipe for soft, buttery homemade biscuits belongs in every recipe box. The ideal biscuit is light, flaky, buttery, and quick to make. This easy buttermilk biscuit recipe delivers those qualities with minimal fuss.
Serve them as a holiday side, for weekend breakfast, or alongside dinner any time of year.
Helpful Tips
- Freeze the butter. Keep the butter well chilled (or briefly frozen) and the buttermilk cold so the butter melts slowly in the oven and creates flaky layers.
- Do not overwork the dough. Add the buttermilk until just combined and fold the dough only enough to create layers—about seven folds total. Overworking results in dense biscuits.
- Adjust as needed. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a little extra flour. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon or two of buttermilk until it comes together.
- Skip the rolling pin. Use your hands to gently pat the dough into shape to preserve the layers.
- Cut biscuits close together. Nesting biscuit cuts yields the most biscuits from your dough; you should get at least 6 biscuits before reworking the scraps.
Easy Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very well chilled
- ¾ cup cold full-fat buttermilk, or more as needed
- Melted butter, for brushing
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill thoroughly.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until combined.
- Using a box grater, grate the chilled butter over the flour mixture and toss to coat. Cut the butter into the flour with your hands or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the cold buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Avoid overworking the dough.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and gently bring it together. If it’s sticky, add a little flour; if it’s dry, add a touch more buttermilk.
- Fold the dough in half over itself and gently flatten the layers. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Perform this folding and flattening a total of about seven times to create layers without overworking.
- Pat the dough to a 1″ thickness with your hands (do not use a rolling pin). Dust a 2¾” biscuit cutter with flour and press straight down into the dough.
- Cut biscuits as close together as possible and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Gently rework scraps to cut an additional one or two biscuits, aiming for at least six total.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to turn lightly golden brown.
- Brush the hot biscuits with melted butter right after they come out of the oven. Serve warm.
Video
A short demonstration of the method is available for visual reference.
Notes
For the most tender, flaky biscuits use full-fat buttermilk. If necessary, you can substitute whole milk, but avoid low-fat, skim, or non-dairy alternatives for best results.
Nutrition
Calories: 280 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 36 g |
Protein: 5 g |
Fat: 13 g |
Saturated Fat: 8 g |
Cholesterol: 33 mg |
Sodium: 423 mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on the products you use and any recipe changes. If precise numbers are important, calculate using the exact ingredients you select.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below or share how it turned out.
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How To Make Homemade Biscuits Step by Step
Freeze the butter: Freeze 6 tbsp of butter for 30 minutes before starting.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups spooned and leveled all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tsp coarse salt.
Add butter: Grate the chilled butter over the flour mixture, toss, then cut in with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in ¾ cup chilled full-fat buttermilk with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Fold the dough: Transfer the dough to a floured surface and gently work it together. Fold in half and flatten, rotate 90 degrees, fold and flatten again. Repeat this fold-and-press motion about seven times to build layers without overworking.
Form the biscuits: Pat the dough to a 1″ thickness using your hands. Use a lightly floured biscuit cutter pressed straight down; place each cut biscuit on the baking sheet. Rework scraps gently to cut one or two more biscuits.
Bake: Bake at 425°F for 12 minutes, until the tops are light golden. Brush with melted butter right away and serve warm.
How to Store Buttermilk Biscuits
- Counter: Store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave to enjoy warm.
- Freezer: You can freeze baked or unbaked biscuits. For unbaked biscuits, flash-freeze on a sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag; bake from frozen adding a few extra minutes. For baked biscuits, freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months, then thaw and reheat.
Serving Suggestions
Light, flaky, buttery biscuits pair well with many dishes. They make a great holiday side for roast meats and classic casseroles, but they’re equally good for breakfast with jam, for biscuits and gravy, or as the base for a hearty breakfast sandwich with egg, sausage, and cheese. Warm with butter is always a winner.
More Biscuit Recipes To Try
- 7 Up Biscuits
- Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Apple Cheddar Biscuits
- Pumpkin Drop Biscuits
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