This flaky buttermilk biscuits recipe is one you’ll want to keep in your back pocket. It’s easy to make and yields biscuits that are flavorful, buttery, and incredibly flaky. Plus, they can be on your table in just 25 minutes!
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Love homemade bread? Then you’ll definitely want to try my easy dinner rolls and homemade cornbread recipes. They’re all about that homemade goodness and are perfect for serving alongside your favorite meals.
These biscuits are based on my popular biscuit recipe but with the addition of tangy buttermilk. I developed the recipe after wanting to find a quick and easy biscuit recipe for my family. The result? A biscuit with a whole new depth of flavor that my family absolutely loves.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Crowd-Friendly: This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd, making it great for family gatherings or potlucks.
- Flavorful: The combination of buttermilk and butter in this recipe gives these biscuits a rich, creamy flavor that is simply irresistible.
- Incredible Texture: These biscuits are incredibly light and flaky, making them the perfect side for any meal.
- Quick and Easy: This recipe comes together in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for those busy weeknights.
- Family Favorite: These biscuits are always a hit with the whole family. They’re a classic recipe that never goes out of style.
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Key Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the recipe, providing structure to the biscuits.
- Salt: It enhances the flavor of the other ingredients, making the biscuits more savory.
- Baking Powder: This will be our leavening agent to allow the buttermilk biscuits to puff up perfectly.
- Sugar: We’ll also be adding a little bit of granulated sugar to balance out the flavors and also add moisture to the biscuits.
- Salted Butter: When cold, it’s cut into the flour mixture, and when the biscuits are baked, the butter melts and creates steam pockets, which make the biscuits flaky.
- Buttermilk: It reacts with the baking powder to give the biscuits a light and fluffy texture, and it also adds a subtle tangy flavor.
Equipment
- Large Bowl – You’ll need this to combine your dry ingredients – the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Pastry Blender or Fork – This is essential for cutting the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small peas.
- Roller Pin – This is used to roll out the dough to the desired thickness before cutting it into biscuit shapes.
How to Make Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Preparation
To start, preheat your oven to 425˚F. This will make sure it’s nice and hot when you’re ready to bake your biscuits.
Step 1 – Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. This forms the base of your biscuit dough.
Step 2 – Cut in the Butter and Add Buttermilk
Add the cold, unsalted butter to the dry ingredients. Cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces. Then, stir in the cold buttermilk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 3 – Fold and Roll the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Fold it over on itself about 10 times. This will help to give your biscuits flaky layers. Then, roll the dough out to a thickness of 3/4 to 1 inch.
Step 4 – Cut and Shape the Dough
Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuit shapes. Place these on an ungreased baking sheet. You can gently press the remaining scraps of dough together and cut additional biscuits, but these may be slightly less flaky.
Step 5 – Bake the Buttermilk biscuits
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes. Your biscuits are ready when they are golden brown on top.
Expert Tip
The key to flaky layers in biscuits is cold butter. The colder you keep the butter, the more flakiness you will achieve. That is because as the butter melts in the oven it creates an air pocket that gives you that delicious flakiness.
Recipe Variations
- Sweet: Increase the sugar to 1/4 cup and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. These sweet biscuits are perfect for topping with fresh berries and whipped cream for a dessert.
- Cheesy: Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese to the dough for a savory twist. This is a great option for serving with soups or stews.
- Herby: Mix in 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, or chives. The buttermilk biscuits will have a delicious, fragrant flavor. Or try my strawberry biscuits recipe!
What to Serve With
- For a classic Southern breakfast, serve these flaky buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and a piping hot cup of coffee.
- These biscuits are also perfect for making breakfast sandwiches. Just add a fried egg, crispy bacon, and a slice of cheddar cheese.
- If you’re hosting a brunch, pair these biscuits with some honey butter, fruit salad, and a refreshing mimosa.
- You can also serve these biscuits with a hearty bowl of soup or stew for a delicious and comforting meal.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can mix the dry ingredients together and let them sit on the counter at room temperature. In the morning cut in the butter and add the buttermilk to the mixture. Proceed as instructions stated.
Recipe FAQs
The flakiness of these buttermilk biscuits comes from the cold butter that is cut into the dough. When the biscuits are in the oven, the butter melts and creates steam, which in turn makes the biscuits flaky.
Buttermilk adds a slight tang to your biscuits. I love the tangy flavor coupled with the delicious buttery layers in every bite of the biscuits.
Yes, if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Simply pour one cup of milk into a glass measuring cup and add one tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes. The milk will thicken and have a slightly tangy flavor, similar to buttermilk.
Storing and Reheating
- Reheating: When ready to enjoy, bake from frozen for a few more minutes than instructed.
- Storing: If you have leftovers, you can store the biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: These biscuits freeze really well before being baked. Cut them into biscuits and freeze the dough disks. Then transfer them to an airtight container and pop them into the freezer. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.
More Biscuits Inspired Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Serving Size
- How to Scale: If you want to make more than 6 servings, you can double the recipe. Follow the instructions as directed and use a larger baking pan to bake your delicious biscuits.
- What to Expect: This buttermilk biscuit recipe yields enough biscuits for 6 servings.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ Cup salted butter cold
- 1 Cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter until it creates small peas. Stir in the cold buttermilk.
- Fold the dough onto a floured surface 10 times. Roll the dough out to 3/4 to 1 inch high. Cut into biscuit shapes and place on ungreased baking pan.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
My favorite.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Lynette,
Thank you for this recipe.
So good ! Vickielyn
Glad you enjoyed it!
Adding 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda & cream of tartar to dry ingredients makes for a fluffier biscuit
Carolyn, you baking tip made all the difference.
Thanks !
Question can substitute all purpose flour with self rising flour in this recipe??