These perfect Buttermilk Biscuits are golden brown and fluffy. With soft, flaky insides, they are full of delicious buttery flavor and taste great with so many dishes.
For some ideas on how to enjoy these buttermilk biscuits, even more, try our AMAZING sausage gravy recipe for the perfect biscuits and gravy breakfast combination.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love these Buttermilk Biscuits because they have the best texture and taste amazing with breakfast, lunch, dinner. Forget the ones in the can, these biscuits are the way to go!
- TASTE: Buttery and a little sweet, these biscuits are so delicious. With a little tang from the buttermilk, they pair well with almost any dish.
- TEXTURE: These Buttermilk Biscuits are airy, fluffy, and oh so flaky. Their light texture makes them irresistible.
- TIME: This recipe will take you about 1 hour and 45 minutes to make,
- EASE: With easy to follow instructions and photos, you can’t go wrong. You’ll wow both family and guests with these amazing biscuits.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Cold butter- Cold butter pieces adds moisture to the biscuits, but also steams while they cook to create pockets of air for an even flakier texture.
- Cream of tartar- This ingredient adds acidity to the dough, increasing the power of the other leavening agents for a fluffier biscuit.
- Buttermilk- Like the cream of tartar, this adds acidity for super airy buttermilk biscuits.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add honey- For a sweet biscuit, add some honey to the dough. You can also mix butter and honey together for a sweet and salty spread when the biscuits come out of the oven.
- Use gluten-free flour- You can substitute the flour for gluten-free all-purpose baking flour, 1:1 for a biscuit that is allergen friendly. Keep an eye on the texture and be careful not to overwork it.
- Substitute heavy cream- In a pinch, you can use heavy cream in place of the buttermilk. This adds moisture and richness, but they won’t be as flaky without the acidity.
- Make your own buttermilk- Alternatively, you can make buttermilk. Pour 1 1/3 Tbsp. of lemon juice/vinegar into a measuring cup and fill to the 1 1/3 cup line with milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
This is a quick rundown with step-by-step photos. Feel free to scroll down to the printable recipe card for full details.
- Sift dry ingredients. Sift together the sugar, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, and flour into a bowl.
- Slice and add the butter. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it into the flour, cutting it with a pastry cutter or by combining it with a food processor. Continue cutting until the butter is the size of a pea.
- Whisk in the egg and buttermilk. Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture, whisking just enough to combine (don’t overmix).
Pro Tip: Make sure the butter is cold! The reason cold butter makes great biscuits is that as the chunks of butter melt in the oven, steam pockets are created. This is how you get them light, airy, and flaky.
- Refrigerate dough. Form the dough into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
- Roll out the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 3/4-inch thickness on a floured surface.
- Cut the biscuits. Using a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many biscuits as possible. Then roll out the remaining dough to 3/4-inch thickness again, and continue cutting until no more dough remains.
- Baking the biscuits. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit, or until golden brown. Serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use cold butter– This is crucial for achieving those flakey layers. If your butter begins to soften, place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden it up again.
- Don’t overmix– If the biscuit dough is mixed too much, it will become tough and dense.
- Avoid using your hands too much– Your hands are always going to be warm wich will melt the butter, and you definitely want to avoid that.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter– You want to gently press and pick up the ring mold in order to get the best shape out of the dough.
FAQs
The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the other leavening agents in the recipe to make the biscuit dough rise. Regular milk or other liquids won’t be able to do this, so buttermilk is a must for fluffy, flaky biscuits.
This could be caused by overworking the dough. You should only knead your biscuit dough a few times, and not roll it out too much. Otherwise it becomes dry and tough. Also, make sure that you are carefully measuring the flour, not scooping it into the measuring cup, which can pack too much in.
Serving Suggestions
These Buttermilk Biscuits are deliciously flaky and taste great with any meal. Here are some tasty ways to serve them.
- Gravy: Enjoy these biscuits smothered in Sausage gravy or Mushroom Gravy.
- Sandwiches: These Buttermilk Biscuits are great with Breakfast sandwich fixings. Try them in this Croissant Breakfast Sandwich recipe.
- Eggs: Serve them with Eggs benedict, Poached eggs, and Bacon Mushroom Omelettes.
- Butters and spreads: Spread honey, salted butter, Herbed Bread Dipping Oil, and Homemade Strawberry Jam on these flaky biscuits.
Make These Buttermilk Biscuits in Advance
Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead of time. When you place the dough in the refrigerator, it can stay overnight. In fact, the longer it sits in the fridge, the better. So you can easily make the dough the night before and bake the buttermilk biscuits in the morning.
Storing: These Buttermilk Biscuits last for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can leave them out at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Freeze: Place them in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag and they can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Yummy Breads!
Full Recipe Instructions
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Sift the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and cream of tartar into a bowl.
- Slice the butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter. Continue cutting until the butter is the size of a pea. If you have a large food processor this can be done in the food processor as well. 
- Whisk the egg and buttermilk together and mix it into the flour/butter mixture. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Form the dough into a disk and wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better. So you can easily make the dough the night before and bake them buttermilk biscuits in the morning. 
- Now place the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to 3/4 inch thick.
- Using a biscuit cutter (3 1/4 inch in diameter), cut as many biscuits as you can. Gather the scraps together and roll it out to 3/4 inch thick again. Cut as many biscuits as possible once more.
- Place the biscuits onto a baking sheet and bake at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with salted butter, jam, or with sausage gravy.
Notes
- Make ahead of time. When you place the dough in the refrigerator, it can stay overnight. In fact, the longer it sits in the fridge, the better. So you can easily make the dough the night before and bake the buttermilk biscuits in the morning. 
- If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can use a food processor or 2 forks to cut the butter into the flour.
- Use cold butter– This is crucial for achieving those flakey layers. If your butter begins to soften, place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden it up again.
- Don’t overmix– If the biscuit dough is mixed too much, it will become tough and dense.
- Avoid using your hands too much– Your hands are always going to be warm wich will melt the butter, and you definitely want to avoid that.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter– You want to gently press and pick up the ring mold in order to get the best shape out of the dough.
Nutrition
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