BEST Homemade Biscuits
The BEST biscuit recipe! These homemade biscuits are buttery, soft and fluffy with lots of flaky layers and delicious crispy edges.
We just can’t get enough of these biscuits! I first shared this biscuit recipe years ago, and since then it has become a reader favorite. With this easy recipe and a few baking tips that I’ve included below, you’ll be making the best biscuits you’ve ever eaten.
These homemade biscuits are buttery, soft and flaky. The tops brown beautifully in the oven, and the bottoms become crisp and golden. They are delicious as is, and even better when you serve them with jam or honey. I’ve made these biscuits so many times that this is likely the recipe on Kristine’s Kitchen that I’ve made most often in my own kitchen!
We’ve been enjoying these biscuits as a side dish at dinner. They complement almost any meal. Try them with Baked Chicken Thighs, Slow Cooker Beef Stew or Butternut Squash Soup. They’re also great for breakfast, alongside some eggs and bacon.
This really is the best biscuit recipe! Just like Grandma used to make ‘em 🙂 I will be making these again very soon.
Lauren
Does Milk or Buttermilk Make the Best Homemade Biscuits?
You can make these biscuits with milk or buttermilk, or a combination of the two. I’ve tested the recipe all three ways, and the biscuits are delicious no matter which you choose.
When you make this recipe with buttermilk, the flavorful tang of the buttermilk comes through in the buttermilk biscuits. If you use milk, the biscuits turn out especially tender. My favorite is to use half buttermilk and half milk for the best balance of flavor and texture.
Whole milk is best in this biscuit recipe, but you can use 2% if that is what you have on hand. I don’t recommend using skim milk, since you need some fat to make the biscuits flavorful and tender. You can also use this homemade buttermilk substitute.
How to Make Biscuits
This biscuit recipe is so quick and easy and you’ll need only 6 simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Milk or Buttermilk
Here’s an overview of the recipe steps, including my tips for success. You’ll find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.
Freeze the butter: At least 20 minutes before you plan to make the biscuits, put the stick of butter in the freezer. Freezing makes sure that the butter is really cold, which is important for flaky biscuits. Frozen butter is also easier to shred using a box grater (more on that below).
Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Be sure to use baking powder (not baking soda), and use the full tablespoon (not teaspoon) called for in the recipe. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste preferences. We prefer less sweet biscuits, so I usually use just 1 or 2 teaspoons.
Grate the butter and stir it in: This is my favorite biscuit making trick! Once the butter has gotten really cold in the freezer, you’ll grate it on a box grater. This is really quick and easy to do. Then you can quickly mix the grated butter into the dry ingredients with a fork. If you’re like me and don’t enjoy the process of cutting butter into dry ingredients, you are going to love this trick! The grated butter also gives you perfectly sized pieces of butter throughout your biscuits, which makes them tender and flaky.
Mix in milk or buttermilk: Pour the milk or buttermilk into the bowl with the other ingredients. Use a fork to mix until a dough forms. It’s ok if a little bit of the dry ingredients aren’t incorporated at this point. If the dough seems very dry and you are having a hard time getting it to come together, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk or buttermilk.
Fold the dough: Turn the dough (and any flour bits) out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough down into a rectangle that is about 1 1/2 inches thick. Fold the dough in half on top of itself and press it down into a 1 1/2-inch thick rectangle again. Repeat this step, folding and pressing the dough 4 to 6 times total. This is called laminating the dough and it creates those flaky layers that we all love in biscuits.
Cut the biscuits: After you fold the dough the last time, press it out until it is about 1-inch thick. Press a round biscuit cutter straight down into the dough to cut the biscuits. Do not twist the biscuit cutter as you cut. Place the biscuits on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops and bake: Before baking the biscuits, brush the tops with milk, buttermilk, heavy cream or melted butter. This helps the tops of the biscuits to brown as they bake. Bake the biscuits until they are lightly golden on top, 13 to 16 minutes.
Biscuit Recipe Tips
- Use cold butter. When baking biscuits, it is important to keep the butter and milk or buttermilk as cold as possible. Keep the butter in the freezer and the milk in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Avoid letting the dough sit at room temperature before baking the biscuits.
- Freeze and grate the butter using a box grater. The small pieces of shredded butter will create little steam pockets in the biscuits as they bake, giving you great rise and flaky layers.
- Use fresh baking powder. According to the USDA, once opened baking powder should be used within 3 months for best results. If your biscuits don’t rise, old baking powder could be the problem.
- Fold the dough. Don’t skip the step of folding the biscuit dough in half and pressing it out 4 to 6 times before cutting your biscuits. The folds help to create flaky layers, much like when making croissants.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Press straight down with your biscuit cutter and do not twist or turn it. Twisting the cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and keeps them from rising as much. If you do not have a biscuit cutter, you can use a small glass to cut the biscuits. Or, make my Drop Biscuits recipe, where you scoop the dough instead of cutting out the biscuits.
The BEST Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk, or buttermilk (or ½ cup of each)
- milk, buttermilk, cream or melted butter, optional, for brushing on biscuit tops
Instructions
- Place butter in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425° F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
- Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add the butter to the bowl and use a fork to mix it into the dry ingredients.
- Pour the 1 cup milk or buttermilk into the bowl and use a fork to stir until the dough comes together. It is ok if there are a few bits of flour not yet incorporated, but if the dough seems very dry and is not coming together add 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk or buttermilk.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a 1½-inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough in half on top of itself and pat it down into another 1½-inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding process 4 to 6 times. Then press the dough down into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
- Use a biscuit cutter (mine measures 2 ¼-inches) to cut out the biscuits, pressing it straight down into the dough without twisting. Once you've cut out as many biscuits as you can, gather the scraps and pat the dough out to 1-inch thickness a second and third time to finish cutting out all of the biscuits. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- If desired, brush the biscuit tops with milk, buttermilk, cream or melted butter. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown.
Notes
- Store biscuits at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Biscuits are best right after baking. Leftover biscuits can be reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.
- Recipe updated 4/25/23 to increase salt from 1/2 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon for even more flavor. If using salted butter, use only 1/2 teaspoon of added salt.
These turned out great! My grandson polished them off! Good, flaky and wonderfully tasty! Definitely saved and will use again
Wonderful biscuit recipe. No adjustments necessary, perfectly delicious!
When I made them the second time, they turned out crunchy, BUT THEY WERE STILL DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So easy to made and so delicious.
My wife said they were excellent! Better than her hockey pucks, she said. And she was a home ec teacher.
This recipe is amazing. 6 ingredients and so delicious!!
I love baking but biscuits have always been a bit not so fun thing to make for me. But this was so easy and satisfying! I used buttermilk that I had from a thanksgiving recipe and they turned out so good! Soft, layered, and buttery 😋 Definitely writing this down in my recipe book.
Just made these…my first ever attempt at homemade biscuits. So easy to make and tastes way better than anything else I’ve had from the store! Recipe was so easy to follow. Doubled the batch and used a larger biscuit cutter so I got 18 big ones.
OMG, the best recipe in world. Light, fluffy, buttery, melt in your mouth goodness.
This recipe is good. use lots butter on top I used salted butter
they don’t have a taste like a crackle barrel biscuit and are
a little bland but are grate if you want a quick biscuit recipe!
Never made biscuits before and am relatively new to baking. These turned out amazing!! Light, tasty and an easy to follow recipe. Mine didn’t rise as expected but after reading through the reviews and seeing Kristine mention to check the date in the baking powder, the mystery was solved! 100% making these again with fresh baking powder and am excited to see the result!
Husband loves these!
Love the straight fwdness! Nice job explaining and I will check you out for other recipes😋
Magnifique!
These look great! Planning to have them tomorrow for Christmas Eve. Can the dough be made in advance and refrigerated?
I don’t recommend making the dough in advance because the baking powder will start to activate as soon as you mix in the milk/buttermilk so when you go to bake them the biscuits won’t rise as much. If you want to do a few steps ahead of time, you can whisk together the dry ingredients and keep them in a covered bowl at room temperature. You can also grate the butter ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer, then mix the dough together right before you’re ready to bake the biscuits.
These were wonderful! The bottoms were lightly crispy, thanks to the butter. The insides were delicate and moist. I used my food processor to cut in the butter. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Mine tasted great but didn’t rise at all. What went wrong??? I used all-purpose flour. Should I use self-rising??
I’m sorry to hear these didn’t rise for you. These rise very well every time I make them, which is often! Here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that they rise: Use the full tablespoon (not teaspoon) of baking powder (not baking soda), be sure to use very cold butter, and bake the biscuits immediately after mixing up the dough. I hope that helps for next time!
I made this for our Christmas morning breakfast today. They were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I used buttermilk in the biscuits and also brushed the tops with some buttermilk. So yummy!
Looks great but can I use half and half?
I have only tried this recipe with whole milk and buttermilk. Half and half would probably work, but would give you a richer tasting biscuit.
I made them and mine didn’t rise,:(
There really dense. Can anyone give me pointers?!.
Hi Ashley,
Here are a couple of reasons why they may not have risen: (1) Using older baking powder that isn’t fresh or using less than the recommended 1 tablespoon. (2) If the butter isn’t very cold, they won’t rise as well. (3) Overworking the dough. (4) Be sure to use baking powder, not baking soda. (5) Don’t twist the biscuit cutter when cutting the biscuits, just press it straight down into the dough.
Would this work with powered milk made up?
I have not tried the recipe with powdered milk.
These were fantastic and so easy to make!
Great recipe! Easy to follow, tasty and so flaky! Will definitely make these frequently!
This really is the best biscuit recipe! Just like Grandma used to make ‘em 🙂
I will be making these again very soon.
Perfect biscuits! They turned out exactly like pictured. Grating the frozen butter is the key.
I make biscuits all the time and have tried so many recipes, just for fun! This is a great one and was super easy. Thank you, they are gorgeous and taste so good!
These were so easy and DELICIOUS!
Biscuit didn’t rise like they should unsure why
Delicious! I know you can freeze them after baking, but can I freeze them before they are baked? Thanks!
Yes, you can cut out the biscuits, freeze them on a baking sheet, and then once they are frozen transfer them to a zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
These biscuits are amazing!! They turned out so buttery and flaky!
Tried the recipe tonight, it’s a keeper, loved the biscuits, will be making it again
I love this recipe. I add an extra 1/2 stick of butter and extra pinch of salt ( butter is unsalted) but it’s a no fail recipe. I do need an extra TBS of milk when the air is super dry. Thank you!! Yumm
Easy directions, delicious biscuits! The bottoms are deliciously crunchy, the rest is soft, fluffy, and buttery!
I can’t wait to make these for my husband. I can’t have gluten or dairy. Is there anyway I could sub non dairy milk and Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free flour for these. I’m thinking they may not raise the same. Just wondering if you’ve tried.
Hi Kath,
I haven’t tried using non dairy milk or gluten free flour, but if you try it I’d love to hear how the biscuits turn out.
I am going to make my biscuits now. thanks Kristin
These were fabulous biscuits that tasted great! Easy to make. I will be putting this recipe in my collection box! Thanks for a great recipe!
looks great can’t wait to try. thanks
I’m no baker and these were still a hit! Will make these again!
I forgot to say that I used self rising flour because I didn’t have baking powder and I used oat milk and they still were great!
Best biscuits ever, since I found this recipe last year I have not bought any from the store and been making them every Sunday. My family loves them.
Can you fteeze them then bake when you want?
Yes, you can cut out the biscuits and freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once they’re frozen, transfer the biscuits to a zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
Turned out great. Used on chicken pot pie casserole. Nice and flaky just like grands.
I didn’t care for the taste, it was kind of bland.
Hi Debbie,
Did you add the full amount of salt? That’s essential for flavor.
Very good directions and taste!
My husband loved these biscuits and they turned out beautiful, so fluffy on the inside. I used 2 oz of dough for each biscuit, which was rolled into a ball with the top mashed down for a biscuit shape. Before baking, I put a little bacon grease over the tops of them and they were baked on flat stoneware…PERFECT!!!
Biscuits came out dry and flat. Is the temperature too high? should it be 350?
I’m sorry to hear that. The most common reason why biscuits don’t rise is that the baking powder is not fresh/active. Flat biscuits can also be caused by overworking the dough. The baking temperature given in the recipe is correct. As you can see by the positive reviews on this recipe, many others have had great success with the recipe as written.
The biscuit came out too thin for our liking. I might try again in a couple of days and actually make them triple thick
I’m sorry to hear that! Two reasons why they might come out too thin are that the biscuit dough was pressed out thinner than 1 inch, or the baking powder was old/not very active.
Can you double batch
Yes, you can double the recipe. Enjoy!
I made these biscuits yesterday and they are amazing. I loved how light and fluffy they were. My husband had 2 of they with hi sausage and gravy.
I will be making them again.
delightfully easy recipe. Maybe I folded it too many times because many of my biscuits fell over while baking!
So I wanted to make a big patch and freeze them. So I had to cook them then freeze them or can I just freeze the raw dough?
You can freeze them before or after baking. To freeze unbaked biscuits: Cut out the biscuits and freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Once they are frozen, transfer the biscuits to a zip-top bag and store them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time. Enjoy!
Can the dough be stored in the fridge over night before being pressed out and cut? I definitely won’t have time to do this in the morning and feed my family breaker at a decent time LOL
I don’t recommend storing the dough in the refrigerator because the baking powder may lose it’s effectiveness, so your biscuits wouldn’t rise as well. This recipe is VERY quick and easy, I’d suggest giving it a trial run to go with dinner one night so you can see how fast it is to make the dough. If you do want to get a head start, you can mix together the dry ingredients the night before.
Easy to make. So delicious! Tagged this recipe as a favorite!
This recipe is excellent and simple to put together.