These homemade buttermilk biscuits are soft and buttery with hundreds of flaky layers! This biscuit recipe only requires 6 simple ingredients and they’re ready in about 35 minutes.
One reader, Marcia, says: “Finally, a biscuit recipe that worked for me. I especially appreciated the notes which, in fact, had me change some things I had been doing. The detail at all levels, both visual and written, is very helpful. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Maggie, says: “One of my favorite biscuit recipes! They are so consistently flaky and delicious, every single time! ★★★★★“
Biscuits. Let’s do it BIG. Big as in mega flaky, mega fluffy, mega layers, mega golden brown, and mega buttery. It’s quite serendipitous that this “side dish” may taste even more remarkable than the main event. No, no… it WILL taste more remarkable. Just look at these buttery layers! Nothing can compete.
What are Biscuits?
The term “biscuits” has different meanings depending where you live in the world. In the US, biscuits are similar to a dinner roll, but are denser and flakier because they aren’t (typically) made with yeast. Since there’s (usually) no yeast involved and the rising agent is either baking soda, baking powder, or both—biscuits are considered a quick bread, like banana bread and no yeast bread. In other parts of the world, “biscuits” are cookies or even scones.
Ingredients in Buttermilk Biscuits
You only need 6 basic ingredients for my homemade biscuits recipe:
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cold Butter
- Cold Buttermilk
- Honey
With so few ingredients, it’s important to reach for quality ingredients and avoid any substitutions. Notice the emphasis on cold? See tip #1 below.
Tips for the Best Homemade Biscuits
Let me share what I’ve learned in the world of homemade buttermilk biscuit recipes. I’ve made plenty of mistakes so you don’t have to. These tried-and-true tricks will turn your flat, dry biscuits into the best biscuits ever. And that’s a guarantee.
- Cold Fat: For flaky layers and pockets, use cold butter. When little pieces of butter melt as the biscuits bake, they release steam and create little pockets of air–this makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside. It’s the same thing that happens when making these ham & cheese scones.
- Buttermilk & Honey for Flavor: Real buttermilk and teeny drizzle of honey balance out the salt. Buttermilk creates the most tender biscuit!
- Don’t Over Mix: Never overwork biscuit dough. Overworking and over-handling biscuit dough will result in tough, hard, and flat biscuits. Mix the ingredients together *just* until combined. Dough will be crumbly; that’s normal.
- Flatten & Fold Method: The most important step of all is folding the dough together. Turn the scrappy dough out onto a work surface and flatten it with your hands. Form into a rectangle. More below.
- Don’t Twist the Biscuit Cutter: When cutting the dough with a biscuit cutter, do not twist the cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough firmly. Twisting it will seal off the biscuit edges, preventing the biscuits from rising.
- Bake Close Together: Biscuits rise up nice and tall when they are touching, pressed snuggly against one another in the oven.
How to Fold Biscuit Dough
Flattening and folding biscuit dough creates multiple flaky layers, just as it does when we make homemade croissants, rough puff pastry, and croissant bread. This step will take you no more than 2 minutes and you’ll be rewarded with the flakiest biscuits in the world. First, shape dough into a rectangle:
Then fold one side into the center:
Then the other side:
Turn the folded dough horizontal, gently flatten, and begin that folding process 2 more times.
The dough should be about 3/4 inch thick and the biscuits will rise as they bake.
Biscuit Flavors
I recommend the same exact success tips when making my flavorful biscuit variations: cheddar biscuits and everything bagel biscuits.
Honey Butter Topping
The honey butter topping is optional, but it will set your biscuits apart from the rest. When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush with a mix of melted butter + honey. You use both ingredients in the biscuit dough, keeping the count at 6 ingredients total.
Serve your homemade biscuits with jam or homemade raspberry sauce, or biscuits and gravy—I love this particular recipe!
If you enjoy biscuits, try homemade strawberry shortcake, ham & cheese scones, cheddar biscuits, or this biscuit vegetable pot pie. And if you crave something sweet, you’ll love my easy no yeast cinnamon rolls.
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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 biscuits
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These homemade buttermilk biscuits are soft and buttery with hundreds of flaky layers! This biscuit recipe only requires 6 simple ingredients and they’re ready in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for hands and work surface
- 2 Tablespoons aluminum free baking powder (yes, Tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold (see note)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml) cold buttermilk, divided
- 2 teaspoons (14g) honey
- optional honey butter topping: 2 Tablespoons melted butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. See photo above for a visual. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk and drizzle honey on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. See photo above for a visual.
- Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. The dough will become sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. Using floured hands, flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side on top. Turn the dough horizontally. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one last time. Flatten into the final 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
- Cut into 2.5 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough because this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have about 8-10 biscuits. Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note) or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
- Brush the tops with remaining buttermilk. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and then brush warm tops with optional honey butter, and serve warm.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked biscuits freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. You can also freeze the biscuit dough. Prepare the dough in steps 2 through 4. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap (plastic wrap is best for freshness) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 5. Also, after step 4, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before continuing with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Pastry Cutter or Food Processor | 2.5- or 3-Inch Biscuit Cutter | 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet | Pastry Brush
- Baking Powder: To avoid a chemical aftertaste, make sure your baking powder is labeled aluminum free. I usually use Clabber Girl brand and though the ingredients state aluminum, I’ve never noticed an aluminum aftertaste. Alternatively, you can reduce the baking powder down to 1 Tablespoon and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
- Butter: Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Keep butter as cold as possible until you need it. I recommend placing the cubed butter in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you begin.
- Buttermilk: You can substitute whole milk for buttermilk if desired. However if you’d like the tangy flavor, which I highly recommend, you can make your own sour milk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. (You need 1 cup in the recipe, plus 2 Tbsp for brushing–you can use regular milk to brush on top.) Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Whole milk is best for the DIY sour milk substitute, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. (In my testing, the biscuits don’t taste as rich or rise quite as tall using lower fat or nondairy milks.)
- Cast Iron Skillet: If your cast iron skillet isn’t well seasoned, I recommend greasing it with a little vegetable oil or melted butter. Brush a thin layer of either on the bottom and around the sides. No need to heat the cast iron skillet before using, though you certainly can. Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes before arranging the shaped biscuits in it.
- Flavors: Try my flavorful biscuit variations: cheddar biscuits and everything bagel biscuits.
Keywords: biscuits, buttermilk biscuits
Bonus: How to Get Crispy Biscuit Edges!
Want a crisp edge on your buttermilk biscuits? I have you covered with these 2 steps:
- Brush the tops with a little buttermilk, which helps achieve a slightly crispier top crust.
- Bake biscuits in a cast iron skillet, which helps promise a crispy exterior.
Oh Lord, my mistake for not checking if my baking powder is aluminum-free. PSA: Aldi’s baking powder has aluminum in it. And the aftertaste ruins the biscuits. However, I can tell this is a winning recipe because I’m loving the texture so I’m throwing out my baking powder and will repurchase and try again.
My dough was dry and I had trouble getting it to come together. Any suggestions?
Hi Karen, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which could cause the dough to become excessively dry and make it hard to come together. Hope this helps for next time!
These are great. I have been through so many biscuit recipes. Really laminated. And forgiving – I misread and used all the buttermilk. Also, I subbed a few T of w-w flour for the a-p and it didn’t ruin them at all. I did freeze the butter cubes about ten minutes. In case I had overworked, I let the biscuits rest, preheating the oven late in the process.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I’m really enjoying your recipes! I’ve made these biscuits several times, and they are seriously DELICIOUS! I’m wondering if this recipe can be doubled or if I should do it in 2 separate batches. 1 batch just isn’t enough for my family lol.
★★★★★
Hi Laurie, we’re so glad you love these! For best results, we recommend making two separate batches.
I make these great biscuits every Sunday.
If there is any biscuits left over from dinner. I store them in a air tight container. We have breakfast the next day with jam. Yummy
★★★★★
Is there a reason why I couldn’t cut the biscuits into rounds and then freeze for a few days, and bake the day of? I’m have 20 for Easter and want to bake them fresh. I’ve made this many times and love them!
Hi Debbie! See recipe notes for our recommended make-ahead and freezing instructions. So glad you love this recipe 🙂
Thanks for replying. I see the notes say to freeze the dough, defrost and then cut into rounds. Do you think it would not work if I cut into rounds and then freeze? This way I could just put them into the oven before dinner.
Hi Debbie, you can freeze the shaped biscuits, but we do recommend baking them thawed, not frozen. After shaping them in step 4, place them on a plate or in a freezer-friendly container, cover tightly, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
The BEST biscuit recipe!!!!!! I was so impressed with how easy it was to follow the directions, and how amazing they came out!!!! My husband loved these! Thank you thank you thank you for allowing so many to have access to your recipes, and for being intentional with how detailed the directions are! The tips are also very helpful!!! I tell everyone about your website!!
★★★★★
Finally, a biscuit recipe that worked for me. I especially appreciated the notes which, in fact, had me change some things I had been doing. The detail at all levels, both visual and written, is very helpful.
★★★★★
It was my first time making biscuits and was terrified. This recipe was approachable and tasted great!
★★★★★
I have to agree with many of the others who commented, these were the best biscuits I ever made! The only thing I did a little different was after cutting out the biscuits I put the on a cookie sheet and placed it in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake them. Because they were so cold it took a little longer to bake, but they were GREAT!
I use a grater with large holes for the butter, then put it in the freezer while I get everything else ready. When I use my hand pastry blender it cuts right in without too much time for the butter to warm. Works great! Love the recipe!!!
Thanks for sharing the tip about the butter. I’ll have to try it when I’m brave enough to make these!
This is a great recipe and the only one I use. I add blueberries and increase the amount of baking powder by adding 1 teaspoon. My husband & friend LOVE them. 11/2 cups berries.
★★★★★
Maybe it was something I did. As a person whose been cooking for years, never have I tried a recipe that resulted in biscuits as heavy, doughy, and tasteless as these; went straight to the garbage. An expensive mistake as high as food is.
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If I were you, I’d chalk it up to user error and give this recipe another try. I’ve been using it for a little over a year, and thirty or so batches later, it’s pretty much bombproof… in fact, I made a batch this morning (took about 30ish minutes) and they were perfect, as usual. I use cubed, partially frozen butter and pulse it with all the dry ingredients in my food processor. Also, if you don’t want to spend the money on fresh buttermilk, I’ve used Saco dry cultured buttermilk in this recipe, and they’re still tasty :).
Odds are it was user error. I too have done this biscuit recipe 50+ times and the only time I messed up the batch was making mistakes like twisting the cutter (which it clearly says not to do) or rolling them too much (which it clearly says not to do). One other gotcha spot is if you are in a very high elevation, you’ll have to modify to recipe to account for it.
★★★★★
I finally made great biscuits… Not resembling hockey pucks at all! They were flaky and so tasty. Thanks for all of the extra pro tips! This is my go-to biscuit recipe now.
★★★★★
One of my favorite biscuit recipes! They are so consistently flaky and delicious, every single time!
★★★★★
These may have been the best biscuits I’ve ever made and I’ve made a lot of biscuits in my day!
★★★★★
Can I add fruit – like blueberries or peaches into the dough?
Hi Lilly, we don’t recommend it. Both will release quite a bit of their juices into the dough, so it would take some recipe testing to determine what other ingredients would need to be tweaked.