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These easy homemade biscuits are flaky, tender, buttery, and everything a biscuit should be. Bookmark this recipe: it will be your go-to!
Biscuits are right up there at the top of the cozy comfort food list. For us, they rank with the likes of chili, mac & cheese, and pot pie. So we had to develop our own spin!
Our homemade biscuits recipe makes the most tender, flaky, comforting baked good. Alex and I have been eating them a side dish for soups and chili, drizzled with hot honey sauce, and they’re always a huge hit with guests!
Why to try these homemade biscuits
Why try our homemade biscuits recipe when there so many biscuit recipes out there? These come out tender and perfectly flaky. They have just the right rise and beautifully layered look, and they’re buttery with just the right amount of salty, savory goodness.
What we love is that we’ve been looking for a go-to biscuit recipe for quite some time. These are perfect for serving with soup or as a breakfast sandwich!
Tips for making easy homemade biscuits
Here are our top 3 tips for making biscuits:
1. Freeze the butter.
The key to a perfectly flaky biscuit is cold butter—and not just any type of cold. Ice cold! Alex and I experimented with various ways to keep the butter cold, and the easiest was freezing it. If you think of it, you can pop the butter into the freezer the night before. Or, freeze it for at least 30 minutes before making the biscuits.
2. Use buttermilk.
Buttermilk does incredible things for the texture of a biscuit. It adds a tangy flavor—but even better: it also gives a tall rise to the biscuits. Here’s the science behind it: when baking soda and acidified dairy (buttermilk) are combined in a batter, they release carbon dioxide bubbles that help lighten whatever you’re making. Another place to see this in action is Buttermilk Pancakes!
3. Use a biscuit cutter.
A biscuit cutter makes sure all your biscuits are uniform and you can get that perfect rise on each one. If you don’t have a set of biscuit cutters, here’s the biscuit cutters that we use.
Serve them with hot honey or jam
After you’ve made these biscuits (and please tell us that you’re going to!), we have two ideas for next-level condiments to serve with them.
- Hot Honey: Many hot honey recipes call for simmering honey with hot peppers, we wanted to create a shortcut for you. Our hot honey sauce takes just 1 minute to make!
- Easy Strawberry Jam: You’ll want to spread this glittery red jelly on just about everything: these biscuits, toast, oatmeal, waffles, and pancakes. The magic? It uses chia seeds that naturally make the gel like texture, and maple syrup to sweeten it just enough.
Top 10 dishes to pair with biscuits
Of course, there’s no end to how you can serve these homemade biscuits. Here’s a list of main dishes you can serve biscuits with: and these are our top ten favorites!
- With a big bowl of corn chowder.
- Alongside scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast.
- With this amazing creamy wild rice soup.
- As part of a 5 minute breakfast sandwich.
- With classic vegetarian chili. (Yes, there are other sides to go with chili than just cornbread.)
- As veggie-style biscuits and gravy.
- Alongside this tomato basil soup.
- With white bean shakshuka.
- With BBQ soy curls.
- Alongside our best damn lentil soup.
Let us know in the comments below if you give these a try! We hope you love them.
Dietary notes
This homemade biscuits recipe is vegetarian.
Frequently asked questions
Real buttermilk is the key here: use it if at all possible! You can use regular milk, but the biscuits will not be as tender or flavorful as those made with buttermilk. To add some acidity, you can mix a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes before using it in the recipe.
The key to light and fluffy biscuits is to handle the dough as little as possible. Overworking the dough develops the gluten, resulting in tough biscuits. Gently mix the ingredients until just combined, and avoid kneading the dough.
Yes, you can make biscuit dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping). You can also freeze unbaked biscuits for later use. Bake them directly from the freezer, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
To reheat biscuits, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. You can also reheat them in a toaster oven or microwave for a quicker option.
Flaky Homemade Biscuits
These easy homemade biscuits are flaky, tender, buttery, and everything a biscuit should be. In a word: WOW. Bookmark this recipe: it will be your go-to!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Baked Good
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing
- Serve with Hot Honey
Instructions
- Freeze the butter for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Grate the frozen butter with a large grater and add it to the flour mixture. Mix with your hands until all butter is coated. Place bowl of flour and the buttermilk in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.
- Add the buttermilk to the flour and stir until all the buttermilk has just absorbed. Do not overstir. Turn onto a lightly floured counter and use your hands to form the dough into a rough ball. Gently roll the dough out into a rectangle about 8” x 10” x 1/2” thick. Fold the dough in half like a brick, turn, and gently roll out until it is 1/2” thick again. Repeat the fold and roll three more times, ending with a rectangle 8” x 10” x 1/2” thick.
- Use a 3” biscuit cutter to cut the biscuits, pushing straight down (without turning the cutter) and transferring to a parchment lined baking sheet. Ensure the edges of each biscuit are touching on the baking sheet to improve rise. You should get 6 biscuits out of the first cutting, then re-roll the dough scraps for final 2 biscuits.
- Brush tops with buttermilk. Bake 13 to 16 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately. Store leftovers frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated for a few days (reheat in a 350 degree oven until warm).
I love this recipe! I’ve made these several times and they always turn out perfectly and are so tasty. My husband loves them! Very similar to what my grandmother used to make. Thank you so much
So glad to hear this!
I made these biscuits and they were excellent! Thank you for the recipe!