Seriously Good Buttermilk Biscuits
My family loves these homemade buttermilk biscuits so much! If we have buttermilk in the fridge, you better believe we are making a batch of these biscuits! Easy, flaky, and delicious! There’s no shortage of biscuit recipes on Inspired Taste. We’ve shared our got-to fluffy biscuits (which call for milk), easier drop biscuits, cheese biscuits, and, of course, these incredible buttermilk biscuits! They are best when you use real buttermilk, but if you don’t have any in the fridge, yes, you can absolutely use a buttermilk substitute. I’ve provided my go-to formula in the tips of our recipe. Thanks to the buttermilk, these biscuits are soft and tender in the middle with the most perfect tangy flavor. I love them for breakfast (like with sausage gravy) and use them to make biscuit sandwiches. They also work really well served alongside dinner—a real keeper in my book! I can’t wait for you to try them! Key Ingredients Flour: I usually stick with all-purpose flour for these biscuits, but if you want that super tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture, try soft white wheat flour. Brands like White Lilly, Martha White, or Bob’s Red Mill Fine Pastry Flour are great options. Buttermilk: I use regular part-skim buttermilk and always shake it before measuring. If you don’t have buttermilk, no worries! Mix 1 teaspoon white vinegar with 1/2 cup of whole milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Real buttermilk is still the best, but this substitute will get you some solid biscuits. Butter: Cold, cold, cold! That’s the secret. The cold butter melts quickly in the oven, creating those little pockets of air that make the biscuits puff up perfectly. I use salted butter here, but unsalted butter is fine. Just remember you need to add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sugar and Salt: These are the unsung heroes of a great biscuit! The sugar (just a tablespoon!) isn’t really for sweetness; it’s more about balancing the buttery richness. Even though we add sugar, these biscuits are still perfect for savory dishes. The salt is there to make them taste incredible. I use salted butter, so I only add a little extra salt. If you’re using unsalted butter, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt to the flour. Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These are our leavening agents, so they make the biscuits rise and get that golden-brown color. I always use aluminum-free baking powder in my recipes, preventing a metallic taste. Egg: Now, I usually don’t add eggs to my biscuits, but for this recipe, it’s a game-changer! It adds tenderness and flavor and plays so well with the tangy buttermilk. Flour: I usually stick with all-purpose flour for these biscuits, but if you want that super tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture, try soft white wheat flour. Brands like White Lilly, Martha White, or Bob’s Red Mill Fine Pastry Flour are great options. Buttermilk: I use regular part-skim buttermilk and always shake it before measuring. If you don’t have buttermilk, no worries! Mix 1 teaspoon white vinegar with 1/2 cup of whole milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Real buttermilk is still the best, but this substitute will get you some solid biscuits. Butter: Cold, cold, cold! That’s the secret. The cold butter melts quickly in the oven, creating those little pockets of air that make the biscuits puff up perfectly. I use salted butter here, but unsalted butter is fine. Just remember you need to add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sugar and Salt: These are the unsung heroes of a great biscuit! The sugar (just a tablespoon!) isn’t really for sweetness; it’s more about balancing the buttery richness. Even though we add sugar, these biscuits are still perfect for savory dishes. The salt is there to make them taste incredible. I use salted butter, so I only add a little extra salt. If you’re using unsalted butter, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt to the flour. Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These are our leavening agents, so they make the biscuits rise and get that golden-brown color. I always use aluminum-free baking powder in my recipes, preventing a metallic taste. Egg: Now, I usually don’t add eggs to my biscuits, but for this recipe, it’s a game-changer! It adds tenderness and flavor and plays so well with the tangy buttermilk. How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits These homemade buttermilk biscuits start the same way our popular fluffy biscuits do. Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) to a food processor and pulse to mix. Then, pulse in cold butter cubes until you have tiny bits of cold butter throughout the mixture. From there, you’ll transfer to a bowl and mix in buttermilk and a beaten egg. The dough will be pretty shaggy and may seem a little wet. Don’t worry about that! You can always add a little flour in a minute. I empty the shaggy dough onto a floured work surface and gently bring it with my hands, patting it down into a rectangle. From there, I fold the dough like a letter, pat it out again, and repeat two more times. This brings the dough together and layers the butter on top of itself, helping the biscuits puff in the oven when we bake them. I use the same method when making these biscuits (the photo below is from that recipe, but the method is exactly the same). You can use a cutter and cut these into round biscuits, but we skip the biscuit cutters and just cut the dough into squares. So easy! When baking biscuits, you want the squares close together, so don’t spread them apart. Instead, place them pretty close to each other on a baking sheet, which really helps them puff up and bake to be nice and tall. And that’s it! I highly recommend enjoying your buttermilk biscuits warm from the oven with some butter or, better yet, homemade honey butter! Seriously Good Buttermilk Biscuits PREP 20 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 30 mins PREP 20 mins COOK 10 mins TOTAL 30 mins My family cannot get enough of these buttermilk biscuits when we have them in the house! The buttermilk and egg guarantee they are soft, tender, and so fluffy in the middle. Not to mention, they taste incredible. These are amazing served with savory dishes or toppings and work really well with sweeter toppings, too! My son LOVES these with honey butter (can you blame him?). Makes 8 You Will Need 1 ¾ cups (225g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 8 tablespoons (115g) very cold salted butter 1/2 cup (120ml) very cold buttermilk 1 large egg Directions 1Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and set aside a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 2Combine 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in a food processor bowl. Pulse 3 to four 4 so that it is well mixed. 3Cut 8 tablespoons of cold butter into evenly sized cubes or thin slices, then scatter it over the flour in the food processor. Pulse 5 to 7 times or until the butter turns into tiny bits. 4Shake the buttermilk in its container. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1 egg until well blended. 5Empty the butter-flour mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, then pour the buttermilk mixture. Stir until a shaggy, wet dough forms. 6Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, then bring the dough with your hands. It might be a bit sticky, so add just enough flour needed to work with it. 7Without working the dough too much, pat it down into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Rotate the rectangle 90 degrees, then repeat this process two more times. 8Pat the dough into a rectangle between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch thick. Then, cut the dough into 8 squares using a bench scraper or knife. 9Place the biscuits onto the baking sheet. Keeping them close to each other helps them rise. 10Bake the biscuits until golden brown and have risen, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. 1Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and set aside a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 2Combine 1 ¾ cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in a food processor bowl. Pulse 3 to four 4 so that it is well mixed. 3Cut 8 tablespoons of cold butter into evenly sized cubes or thin slices, then scatter it over the flour in the food processor. Pulse 5 to 7 times or until the butter turns into tiny bits. 4Shake the buttermilk in its container. In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of buttermilk and 1 egg until well blended. 5Empty the butter-flour mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, then pour the buttermilk mixture. Stir until a shaggy, wet dough forms. 6Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, then bring the dough with your hands. It might be a bit sticky, so add just enough flour needed to work with it. 7Without working the dough too much, pat it down into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter. Rotate the rectangle 90 degrees, then repeat this process two more times. 8Pat the dough into a rectangle between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch thick. Then, cut the dough into 8 squares using a bench scraper or knife. 9Place the biscuits onto the baking sheet. Keeping them close to each other helps them rise. 10Bake the biscuits until golden brown and have risen, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. Adam and Joanne's Tips Buttermilk substitute: Stir 1 teaspoon white vinegar with 1/2 cup whole milk. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes before using. Measuring the flour: Either weigh it or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge. No food processor: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl, and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. If your butter is softening too much or your kitchen is warm, place the bowl with flour and butter into the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the milk. Dough too dry: When making this dough, I find it on the wetter side, which I prefer. If your biscuit dough is dry or crumbly, add a tablespoon or more of buttermilk. Storing: Homemade buttermilk biscuits are best the day they are made. Store them (once cooled) in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Buttermilk substitute: Stir 1 teaspoon white vinegar with 1/2 cup whole milk. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes before using. Measuring the flour: Either weigh it or use the “spoon and level” method: Fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a flat edge. No food processor: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl, and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. If your butter is softening too much or your kitchen is warm, place the bowl with flour and butter into the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the milk. Dough too dry: When making this dough, I find it on the wetter side, which I prefer. If your biscuit dough is dry or crumbly, add a tablespoon or more of buttermilk. Storing: Homemade buttermilk biscuits are best the day they are made. Store them (once cooled) in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 biscuit (8 total) / Calories 243 / Total Fat 12.9g / Saturated Fat 7.8g / Cholesterol 55.5mg / Sodium 270.5mg / Carbohydrate 27.4g / Dietary Fiber 0.9g / Total Sugars 2.4g / Protein 4.6g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us