Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

These Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits transform a few simple ingredients into flaky layers of golden deliciousness! They are the perfect base for the best biscuits and gravy, a side accompaniment to your meal, or for breakfast topped with some sweet honey.

Everyone has their favorite recipe for homemade biscuits. Maybe yours was passed down from your Southern grandma, even. It definitely took a lot of work trying out tips from the best cookbooks to come up with this buttermilk biscuit recipe. I really think it will become your new favorite!

What are biscuits?

Depending on where you live, the word “biscuit” might mean something different to you than it does to me. Here in the states, a biscuit is a quick bread since there is no yeast involved and you use a rising agent like baking soda or powder in the biscuit dough. They are dense, buttery, and flaky- oh so yummy!

Tips for making the best Buttermilk Biscuits

I’ve eaten some overly dense, tough biscuits that resemble bricks in my time, and we definitely don’t want that! Here are some tips for baking the best, flakiest biscuits:

• Use Cold Ingredients: Your butter should be cold, even when you cut it into the flour with your pastry cutter. As the biscuit bakes, these little pieces of butter coated in flour melt, releasing steam and creating little air pockets. That’s what gives you that amazing flakiness you want!
• The buttermilk in this recipe should also be cold. Using buttermilk adds a nice tangy flavor to the biscuit. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make your own by combining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let it stand at room temperature for five minutes before using.
• Use fresh baking powder: Baking powder can easily sit in your pantry for months, so it is important to check the expiration date. If it is expired, it won’t help the biscuits rise appropriately and you’ll have a dense, tough biscuit. To test its freshness, you can mix a small spoonful with ¼ cup of hot water. The baking powder should bubble strongly. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to replace it!
• Don’t overwork your biscuit dough: Every time you knead or pat down the biscuit dough, you are developing gluten. We don’t want strong gluten in these biscuits; that will make them too tough. Knead (only if you must!) and roll out the dough lightly and don’t worry if you can see small pieces of butter or bits of flour. Those make the biscuits turn out just right!
• Cut your biscuits evenly- use a circle biscuit cutter or a sharp knife, and don’t twist or pull the dough when cutting. This helps them bake evenly in the oven.
• Placement on the baking sheet: Choose a metal pan without sides for even baking. Then place them ½ to 1 inch apart. Closer biscuits won’t brown on all sides but will bake up nice and tall. Spread them out for a golden brown all the way around.

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Ingredients

You only need seven basic ingredients for this easy biscuit recipe

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Sugar
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter, cold
• 1 cup buttermilk

How to make these easy Buttermilk Biscuits

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. A nice hot oven helps these biscuits to rise quickly and brown on the top while staying soft and fluffy inside.

Sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a sifter you can skip this step, but it does make the dough lighter.

Cut the cold butter into cubes and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into coarse crumbs (resembling peas) while incorporating it into the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold the buttermilk gently into the flour mixture. Remember, for the perfect biscuit, don’t overwork the dough!

Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface and turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface. Gently pat the dough down until it’s about one inch thick. I’d recommend not using a rolling pin, just use your hands.

Using a 2.5 inch round biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet about ½ inch apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.

Storing Leftover Biscuits

These fluffy biscuits are best served fresh, but if you have some leftovers, store them in a resealable plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Baked biscuits can also be stored in the freezer for up to a month.

Can I make the biscuit dough and freeze it?

Unbaked cut-out biscuits can be stored and frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. Simply make the dough as directed, cut it into biscuits, and place it on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen, wrap individual biscuits in aluminum foil and transfer them to a freezer bag or other container. When ready to bake, you don’t even have to thaw them. Just double the bake time!

What to serve with Buttermilk Biscuits

These biscuits would be amazing with these Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens Soup. It’s the perfect Southern meal! I think they’d also be great with eggs and bacon for breakfast, or with some Maple Bacon Gravy. Mmmm!

What will you serve these deliciously flaky biscuits with?  

Other Favorite Biscuit Recipes

If you enjoyed these classic Buttermilk Biscuits, you might also like these Parmesan Chive Biscuits. They are very similar but just have some added savory flavors! Or try these Sweet Potato Biscuits. They are the perfect light and fluffy accompaniment to your evening meals!

This post was originally published January 5, 2013. It has been updated with pictures and in format on August 8, 2024.