Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
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My grandma taught me how to make homemade buttermilk biscuits years ago, and I’ve been making this recipe ever since. After more than 50 batches, I can confidently say it’s one of the easiest biscuit recipes you’ll ever make. With just 5 ingredients, you’ll get soft, fluffy biscuits with buttery, flaky layers every time.
What Makes These Biscuits So Good?
- Only 5 ingredients. No shortening, specialty flour, or complicated steps.
- Flaky, buttery layers. Frozen butter and a simple folding technique create biscuits that pull apart beautifully. B
- eginner friendly. If you’ve never made homemade biscuits before, this is a great place to start.
- Ready in about 25 minutes. Fast enough for busy weeknights and special enough for holiday dinners.
- No shortening required. Just real butter for rich flavor and flaky layers.
Homemade biscuits have a reputation for being fussy, but this recipe keeps things simple. The combination of cold grated butter, real buttermilk, and a quick folding technique creates tender biscuits with flaky layers every time. I’ve made this recipe more than 50 times, and it’s the one I recommend most often to anyone learning how to make biscuits from scratch.
They’re equally at home on a holiday table or alongside a weeknight bowl of soup. Serve them warm with butter and honey, smother them in sausage gravy, or split them open for breakfast sandwiches. No matter how you serve them, they disappear quickly.
How to Get Tall, Flaky Biscuits Every Time
The difference between flat, dense biscuits and tall, flaky biscuits usually comes down to temperature and technique. A few small details can completely change the final result.
- Start with very cold butter. As the butter melts in the oven, it creates pockets of steam that form those signature flaky layers. If your butter starts to soften while you’re working, pop the dough into the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until the ingredients come together. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make biscuits tough instead of tender.
- Use the folding method. Folding the dough over itself a few times creates distinct layers, similar to the process used for pastries. This simple step is the secret to biscuits that pull apart beautifully.
- Cut straight down. If you’re using a biscuit cutter, avoid twisting as you cut. Twisting seals the edges and can prevent the biscuits from rising to their full height.
- Bake in a hot oven. A 450°F oven helps the butter create steam quickly, giving the biscuits a better rise and a lighter texture.
Buttermilk Biscuit Ingredients
One of the reasons I love this homemade biscuit recipe is how simple the ingredient list is. You only need five basic ingredients to create biscuits that are buttery, tender, and packed with flaky layers.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular all-purpose flour gives these biscuits the perfect balance of structure and tenderness. Be sure to measure carefully. Too much flour can lead to dry, dense biscuits.
- Baking Powder: This is what helps the biscuits rise tall in the oven. For the best results, use fresh baking powder. If yours has been sitting in the pantry for a while, it may be time for a replacement.
- Salt: A small amount of salt makes a big difference. It enhances the flavor of the butter and keeps the biscuits from tasting flat.
- Cold Butter: The key to flaky buttermilk biscuits is very cold butter. I like using salted butter, but unsalted works just as well. As the butter melts in the oven, it creates steam that forms those beautiful layers.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds a subtle tang and helps create a soft, tender texture. It also reacts with the baking powder to give the biscuits a better rise.
With such a short ingredient list, every ingredient plays an important role. The good news is they’re all easy to find and may already be waiting in your kitchen.
Self Rising Flour vs All Purpose Flour
One of the most common questions I get is whether you can use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose flour in homemade biscuits. The short answer is yes, but you’ll need to make a few adjustments.
- All-purpose flour gives you complete control over the recipe because you’re adding the baking powder and salt separately. This is the option I use and recommend because it produces consistent results every time.
- Self-rising flour already contains baking powder and salt, so if you decide to use it, you’ll want to omit those ingredients from the recipe. Keep in mind that different brands contain different amounts of leavening, which can slightly affect the texture and rise.
If you’re looking for the exact texture and flaky layers shown in these photos, stick with all-purpose flour. If self-rising flour is what you have on hand, it can work in a pinch with a few simple adjustments.
Buttermilk Substitute
Real buttermilk will give you the best flavor and texture, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can make a simple substitute with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. While the results won’t be exactly the same, these options work well in homemade biscuits.
- Lemon Juice + Milk: Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill with milk until you reach the 1-cup line. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
- White Vinegar + Milk: Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup, then fill with milk until you reach the 1-cup line. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
The mixture should look slightly thickened and curdled before you add it to the dough. That’s exactly what you want and helps mimic the acidity of traditional buttermilk.
Homemade Biscuit FAQs
The most common causes are old baking powder, warm butter, or twisting the biscuit cutter when cutting the dough. For the tallest biscuits, use fresh baking powder, keep your ingredients cold, and cut straight down without twisting.
Yes. Prepare and cut the biscuits, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked biscuits for longer storage.
It depends on the texture you’re after. Biscuits baked close together tend to rise higher and have softer sides, while biscuits spaced farther apart develop more golden, crisp edges.
You can, but the texture and flavor will be slightly different. Buttermilk adds tenderness and helps create a better rise. If you don’t have any on hand, try one of the homemade buttermilk substitutes listed above.
Tough biscuits are usually the result of overmixing or adding too much flour. Mix only until the dough comes together and use a light hand when shaping and folding.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Freshly baked biscuits are always best the day they’re made, but leftovers store surprisingly well and can be prepared ahead to save time.
- Room Temperature: Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To keep them from drying out, make sure they’re completely cool before storing.
- Refrigerator: For longer storage, place the biscuits in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Baked biscuits freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm before serving.
- Make Ahead Dough: Prepare the dough, cut the biscuits, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. This is a great option for holiday breakfasts or busy mornings.
- Freeze Unbaked Biscuits: Cut the biscuits and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 2 to 4 minutes to the baking time as needed.
To reheat, wrap the biscuits in foil and warm in a 300°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or microwave individual biscuits for 10 to 15 seconds until heated through.
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Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter (I recommend salted with these)
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Grate the frozen butter using the large holes of a box grater. Add to the flour mixture and gently toss until the butter is evenly coated.
- Pour in the buttermilk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
- Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Gently pat back to about 1/2-inch thick. This folding step helps create flaky layers.
- Cut into 12 squares using a bench scraper or pizza cutter, or use a biscuit cutter to cut rounds.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet. For softer sides, place the biscuits close together. For crispier edges, leave space between each biscuit.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with butter, honey, jam, or your favorite gravy.
Notes
- Keep the butter as cold as possible for the flakiest biscuits.
- Avoid twisting the biscuit cutter, which can prevent the biscuits from rising fully.
- If the dough becomes warm while you’re working, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before baking.
Make Ahead & Freezing
- Refrigerate cut, unbaked biscuits for up to 24 hours before baking.
- Freeze unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Bake from frozen, adding 2 to 4 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
These are fool proof and so delicious, I usually make a way more time consuming biscuit but this is my go to now. Lovely.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! It’s always a win when a simple recipe becomes the new go-to. Thanks for sharing your feedback—it means so much!
Omg! These were amazing! I should’ve doubled the recipe and froze some. Dinner is done and biscuits are GONE!
Hi Kristen! I am sooooo glad you love this recipe. It is one of my all-time favorites!
Best homemade biscuits we’ve ever had! We make biscuits and sausage gravy more times than we probably should eat, but it’s difficult to pass up great meals. We tried this recipe this morning and for the first time the biscuits outshined the gravy. Fluffy, soft, and most importantly it had a very buttery slight crisp top and bottom and we will now make these to have with jams or honey. Great recipe, easy to assemble, and didn’t take much time at all. Thanks for the recipe, we are keeping it.
Thank you for your review! This is one of our favorite recipes and I’m always so glad when others love it as much as we do!
I’m wondering how many biscuits this recipe makes? I’ve got a lot of boys to feed!
Hi Martina,
Depending on the size of your cutter you could get up to 12. I would double the recipe if you are feeding an extra hungry group.
Wow! I just made the biscuits and my batch yielded 10. Listen everyone, they are so good. We ate them with butter and honey.
Hi Pat! I am so glad you loved this recipe as much as we do! Thanks for taking the time to rate the recipe!
These are the easiest biscuits ever. So much better than store bought. I make them all the time. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Shannon, I’m glad you love the recipe as much as I do! It has to be one of my favorites. We especially love to use it with my easy sausage gravy!
I had an abundance of nectarines so I made cobbler. Just added 2tbsp of sugar and I just dolloped the mixture and dabs of butter sprinkled with coarse sugar. Baked at 450 for 45min. OMG!!! Best cobbler. I ever made. Thanks. The biscuits are great too.
I made these as drop biscuits for quick biscuits and gravy. They were golden brown on the bottom and lightly brown on top, tender on the inside. My guy said they were perfect. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Oh, I used powdered buttermilk. I whisked 4 tablespoons with the dry ingredients, cut the butter into it until it was slightly crumbly, then added the required amount of water. I stirred it until it made a sticky dough then dropped it by big spoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Hi, Do you think I can substitute the buttermilk with Yakult? (Hope you know what yakult is )… And another question… Can I use My mixer instead of the blender? (I read that someone made it in her industrial blender (mine’s also industrial) and didn’t work very well and My food processor is really small… )
hm… I’m not sure about the Yakult substitute. i have a new biscuit recipe that doesn’t require a blender going up next week. check back!
Thanks!!! I’ll be waiting for it:)
I just made this one (made my own buttermilk 1C milk+1T lemon juice) but I needed to add more flour, and baked for more time… they tasted real good
The batter for mine came out so sticky! I followed the recipe and used them in the food processor, but I think I would rather have done this by hand. I’m not sure what happened but I had to add lots of flour to get them to not be sticky, I’d say about another 1/2 a cup at least. I wish these would have worked!
I just got an email with a similar problem. I’ll make the recipe one more time and see if I maybe wrote something wrong in the directions or ingredients.
I made these yesterday and they were SO easy with great results! I will definitely make these again – thank you for this recipe!
I have made biscuits before and today mine turned out awful! I’m looking for a new recipe. Do you use self – rising flour? I made my own buttermilk, which may have been my problem. I don’t know where I went wrong and I was so disappointed! I will be trying this recipe next!
I’ve never cooked with buttermilk, and have no idea where I’d find it. Could I use something else instead? Like 2% or cream? Will it come out the same?
You can use regular milk if you aren’t sure where to find the buttermilk. Or you can add a bit of vinegar to your glass of milk and let it sit for a few minutes before adding.
You should be able to find buttermilk in the dairy section of your grocery store.
Love all of the suggestions!
You mentioned that if you have a small family you might not want to make “so many” biscuits. I was wondering, how many biscuits does this recipe make?
We got 12 biscuits from the recipe.
We made these today for brunch and didn’t have a problem. The dough was a little wet, but I assumed it was the way it was supposed to be. Did you change the recipe Cheri?
You say, “blender”…you mean food processor! I have an industrial blender; it did not work!
I’m sorry you had a rough time. I adjusted the recipe to include a food processor option.
I made these tonight. I don’t know what I did wrong, but they turned out horrible. It was my first ever attempt to make biscuits and no success.
Ditto, I love a good biscuit! I haven’t made them in a while, my favorite, shockingly, is a cheddar biscuit!
mmm biscuits I need them
Oh my gosh, these biscuits look perfect! I love biscuits and still haven’t tried homemade, can you believe it? I’m afraid they won’t be fluffy, but these look amazing and I am trying these soon!
I hadn’t tried them until I decided we needed biscuits and gravy the other day. They are AMAZINGLY easy. And you can’t mess it up. They turn out fluffy every time.
Yum! They look delicious 🙂 I just made some biscuits too this weekend (small world right??) I needed something for my apple butter recipe going up this week! You can’t go wrong with biscuits!
Great minds think alike! You can never have too many biscuit recipes!
OH YES. Buttermilk would make these bad boys SO delicious. YUM! I’m definitely saving this recipe for later!
I miss your face Kaylynn! And your recipe today is so out of the norm and crazy! Love it!