Learn how to make the BEST Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch! They’re so light and flaky, and plenty fluffy. Perfect for topping with sausage gravy, butter, honey or jam!
This is part of a series of recipes here on the site that I’m calling “Back to Basics“. In this series you’ll find recipes that are common building blocks for beginner cooks, as well as homemade versions of pantry/store-bought staples, such as cream of mushroom soup, pie crust, garlic bread, etc. With easy to follow instructions, detailed notes, and step by step photos, you’ll be on your way to being a master in your kitchen in no time!
Is there anything better than a hot, buttery, fluffy biscuit? I mean you can eat them plain, or top them with just about anything!
Until about 10 years ago, for me, making biscuits usually involved opening a can… you know, the one that you peel the label and twist the can and it pops open (scaring you half to death)?
They were decent, but I always wanted to be able to serve up some amazing homemade biscuits. So of course I set about trying to make the very best biscuits.
Because once you try homemade biscuits, you won’t want to go back!
This recipe has been on the blog for years (since 2015), but it needed some new beautiful photos and super clear step by step instructions. So let’s dive in!
How to make buttermilk biscuits?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Add the dry ingredients to a food processor. Top with cold cubes of butter.
- Pulse. Just pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Small pea-sized pieces of butter are great.
- Add to mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in cold buttermilk.
- Stir until combined. Dough should be slightly sticky/tacky.
- Flour a work surface and turn out dough. If you have a big cutting board that will work, or you can just use your counter.
- Pat dough into a rectangle. You’re shooting for about 8-9 inches long.
- Fold the right side in towards the middle. Like you would if you were trifolding a piece of paper.
- Fold the left side in towards the middle.
- Rotate the folded dough a quarter turn. After folding, the dough should be a vertical folded rectangle. Turn it to be horizontal.
- Pat dough down into 8-9 inch flat rectangle again.
- Repeat trifold folding process from process images above. Right into the middle, then left into the middle.
- You can technically stop here, as you’ve done the folding process twice. But for even more layers, rotate the dough a quarter turn again, pat it down, and trifold it one more time.
- Pat down the dough into a flat rectangle again. You’re shooting for about 1 inch thick.
- Use biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can get from your rectangle. I can normally get about 4.
- Gather dough scraps together and re-pat into a flat, 1 inch rectangle.
- Cut out more biscuits. Again, I get about 4.
- Add biscuits to baking sheet and bake until golden brown and cooked through. This will take about 12-15 minutes.
- Brush with melted butter if desired.
Helpful Tip!
When cutting the biscuit dough, don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Just push down, then pull straight up. If you twist, you run the risk of the twisting motion “sealing” the edges of the dough and inhibiting the rising process. For the tallest biscuits, don’t twist!
Variations of this recipe
- Honey – try swapping the granulated sugar for honey (and add it with the buttermilk). It adds a beautiful flavor!
- Self rising flour – if you have self rising flour, you can use it for this recipe! Just omit the salt and decrease the baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp.
- Buttermilk substitute – if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own! Mix 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar with whole milk and let it sit about 10 minutes. It will look a bit curdled. Stir and use.
- Cast iron skillet – these biscuits can absolutely be baked in a cast iron skillet! No need to use parchment paper in that case, just add the biscuits and bake as directed.
- Cheese biscuits – try adding 1/3-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite) to the biscuit dough.
- Garlic herb biscuits – add 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, dried parsley, and dried chives.
FAQ’s
Buttermilk does two main things in this biscuit recipe. First, it adds a beautiful slight tang to the flavor of the biscuits. Secondly, it reacts with the leavening agents in the dough (the baking soda/powder) to help the biscuits rise in the oven.
Absolutely! The cold butter is the key to those flaky tall layers. As the cold butter in the dough hits the hot oven, it gives off steam and puffs up; making those fabulously tall, fluffy, and flaky biscuits.
Nope, in fact that would be bad for the dough. Biscuit dough should be handled gently and quickly, so the dough stays tender and cold. Overworking the dough will yield biscuits that are flat, hard and chewy.
You definitely want to use non-expired baking powder for this recipe, or your biscuits won’t rise. To test your baking powder, add a bit to hot water. If it bubbles and fizzes, you’re good to go! However, if your baking powder is older than 6 months, it’s best to just get a new can. The older one can still be used for cleaning purposes!
Making buttermilk biscuits ahead of time
I found that making the dough ahead of time didn’t work as well, since the leavening agents (specifically the baking powder), will start activating as soon as the ingredients are mixed. This means when the biscuits are baked, they won’t rise as much as they should.
Freezing
You can, however, cut the biscuits and immediately freeze them. Place the cut biscuits on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours, or until hard. Then transfer the frozen biscuits to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake frozen biscuits, bake at 425°F for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Storage
Biscuits will keep for up to 3-5 days in an airtight container. You don’t have to refrigerate, but you can if you want to.
To reheat leftover biscuits, bake at 300°F for about 10-12 minutes, then brush lightly with melted butter.
Other Bread Recipes:
My Favorite Biscuit Cutters!
I really love that these cutters have the diameter etched on the side, and the handles make them easy to maneuver!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Cut butter into small cubes. Place the butter on a plate and place in the freezer while you mix the dry ingredients. The butter should be very cold.
- Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Set aside.
- In a food processor (or large bowl), add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pulse a time or two to combine (or whisk if you're using a bowl).
- Add the butter to the food processor and pulse to combine, until it looks like coarse crumbs (you could also use a pastry cutter or 2 forks in a large bowl).
- Add the butter and flour mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the cold buttermilk. Stir until dough is mixed and combined, it will be slightly sticky/tacky. If it's still really sticky, add a bit more flour!
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface (I use my counter) and pat into a rectangle about 8-9 inches long.
- Gently fold the right side towards the middle, then fold the left side in towards the middle as well. It should look like a trifold paper.
- Rotate the dough a quarter turn (it should be horizontal), then pat down into a 8-9 inch long rectangle again. Repeat the folding technique from the step above, at least 1 more time, and up to 2 more times. So 2 or 3 times total. The more folding you do, the more layers you'll have.
- Pat dough down into a rectangle again, about 1 inch thick.
- With a 2.5 inch round biscuit cutter, push down to cut the dough and pull straight up (remember not to twist!). Leftover scraps can be combined and cut again – but no more than 2 or 3 more times.
- Place the biscuits on prepared baking sheet, almost touching each other, and bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- After the biscuits are baked, brush tops with melted butter.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- These biscuits are amazing served with Sausage Gravy!
- As things like humidity, the way flour is measured, etc can affect the way recipes like these buttermilk biscuits turn out… use the flour/buttermilk measurements as an approximation. If you notice your dough is really sticky, add a bit more flour and work it in. If you notice your dough is not wet enough, add a tiny splash more buttermilk.
- Make sure the butter and buttermilk are very cold. It’s essential to having these biscuits turn out well.
- Don’t skip the folding of the dough – it creates those flaky layers.
- Try to work through the dough folding and cutting fairly quickly, as the colder the dough is, the higher the biscuits will rise.
- During really hot months, or if your kitchen is fairly warm, once the biscuits are cut and on the baking sheet, you can refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before baking.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Kathy Smith says
I’ve now made these 3 or 4 times…every time I’m amazed at how great they are! I was like you and had looked and tried many recipes…but this was THE ONE! Thanks!!! The hints were great!
John W. Smith Sr. says
this was the first time I ever tried to make biscuits and they came out incredible Cant wait to try them with my water gravy. My son ate nearly half of the dozen I made, LOL
Barb Wilson says
These biscuits are amazing!! I bake lots of bread but shied away from biscuit making, but now with this recipe, I will make these often!! I doubled the recipe and they were great. I love the folding over technique; definitely make them flaky! Also, the tip to not twist the biscuit cutter worked perfectly! This will go in my recipe book!!!
Jen says
These are perfect. Made them when my southern in-laws were visiting for the first time and everyone loved them. Sometimes I add a handful of shredded cheddar and a tablespoon (ish) of garlic powder to the dry ingridients and bake them a minute or two longer. My husband is obsessed with the cheddar garlic version. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Dee says
I made these and finally I can make biscuits whooooo….love it and a big thank u for sharing ❤️❤️👍
Alice says
I live in the South and I’ve made many versions of biscuits and gravy. Yours is the Best. I’ve made it multiple times and have shared it with others. I’m printing it off because if my Pinterest ever got hacked, this is the recipe I would spend days/years looking for!!
Kevin says
Amanda,
I made this today. This recipe will be my only one for Biscuits and sausage gravy.
Thank you. Kevin
New York Chef says
These were the most magnificent biscuits I have ever eaten. Light, puffy and savory.
If you want an exquisite biscuit this is it.
Dandelions says
Love the recipes both gravy and biscuits! Picky eaters approved.
Diane in Canada says
Great biscuit recipe! I didn’t make the sausage gravy…maybe next time 😊
Ella says
These are fantastic! I made them using almond flour, and the texture is great but they didn’t rise much..about the thickness of half a normal biscuit. Any tips to get them to rise more?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Ella, the thickness issue is probably more about the almond flour, as it behaves differently than regular flour. I’ve only tested the recipe the way it’s written, so I can’t say for certain how to adjust it for different flours
Jarrett says
Hi. Did you ever freeze the sausage gravy so I can make one huge batch ?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jarrett 🙂 I’ve never tried freezing the gravy, since sometimes dairy can separate when frozen.
Jon says
This sounds really great and I am going to try this tomorrow morning
Gisele says
You are my hero! My husband who is from Maryland, now living in Canada, sure missed his buttermilk biscuits. Every recipe I tried, I was just not completely satisfied or successful for that matter. No recipe has explained the little trips and tricks as you have in yours. I always twisted my cutter before lifting, who knew!!!! Thank you so much.
Gisele says
You are my hero!!! I’ve tried so many recipes and I was never happy. My husband being from Maryland, now living in Canada, sure missed a perfect buttermilk biscuit and tonight I get to surprised him! No one has ever mentioned the tip of not twisting the cutter! Who knew!!! Thank you so much for saving my reputation as a baker!
BrookeA. says
Can you freeze the biscuits after they are baked and cooled? This time of the year I always find myself with extra buttermilk I can’t use.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Brooke 🙂 Yes, absolutely! I would put the baked biscuits on a wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour, then transfer them to a big resealable bag to continue freezing. This way they don’t all stick together 🙂
MJ says
Being able to make a good biscuit has actually been on my bucket list! This recipe is ! My first try I had soft fluffy biscuits 3″tall!!! …and by all means, MAKE THE GRAVY!
Kaitlyn-American in Australia says
Hello! Thanks so much for this recipe as an American in Australia I really miss biscuits like this!
I made mine dairy free and they turned out wonderful!
For anyone wondering I used sunflower oil butter (nuttelex) as a butter substitute. And used 1 cup soy milk with 1tbsp of white vinegar (let that mixture sit in fridge for 10 mins before using) as a buttermilk substitute.
They turned out perfect!
Thanks again!!
Mimi says
I have been searching for years for a perfect biscuit recipe, and here it is. Easy, light and fluffy, and delicious. Everything went together in the food processor, except for the buttermilk. I didn’t mix it in, I folded it in with a spatula very gently just to incorporate. Also, I didn’t use a biscuit cutter I just cut my rectangle of dough into squares so there wasn’t any left over dough. Temp and time were perfect and we ate them with homemade Elderberry jelly.
Absolutely Fabulous.
Thank you for the recipe.
I didn’t make the gravy this time, but that is next.
Destiny says
These biscuits came out perfect! There was no complaints just eating at our table and requests for more. Would I be able to freeze the cut out biscuits and bake the next morning? Also would I need to bake a few minutes longer?
Donna says
I don’t really understand your folding technique!!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Donna 🙂 I’m sure I make it sound far more complicated than it is… and I wish I had photos, but being a one woman show here, it’s not easy to do with dough-fingers. Picture the rectangle like a clock, 12 o’clock at the top, 3 o’clock on the right hand side, 6 o’clock on the bottom, and 9 o’clock on the left hand side. Start by holding your dough in one hand at the 3 o’clock position and fold it over towards the 9 o’clock. Now grab the dough from the 6 o’clock position and fold it up towards the 12 position. Grab the dough at the 9 position and fold it towards the 3 position. Grab the dough at the 12 position and fold it towards the 6 position. Grab the dough from the 3 position and fold towards the 9 position, then grab dough from the 6 position and fold it up towards the 12 position. Basically you’re just folding the dough over itself from various sides.