Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

5 from 2 votes
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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits that are flaky, fluffy, buttery and so good whether for breakfast, brunch, or as a side dish. I am sharing all my tips for the best homemade buttermilk biscuits in this post.

Stacked Buttermilk Biscuits on platter

I have made homemade buttermilk biscuits several times over the years, tweaking the recipe several times. And now I have a recipe that will knock your socks off!

These biscuits are buttery, moist, and absolutely tasty whether eaten on their own or with butter or jam smeared on top. Enjoy these biscuits with Apricot Preserves or Healthy Strawberry Jam.

Baked buttermilk biscuits on parchment paper.

You’ll love these biscuits because they are ridiculously easy to make. Ready in 30 minutes from start to finish! As a busy mom, I am still able to make these biscuits over and over again for breakfast because of how easy they are to make.

If you love biscuits, also check out our 3 Ingredient Biscuits and my Cream Cheese Biscuits.

Ingredients for Buttermilk Biscuits

For buttermilk biscuits, you need

  • Butter: For flavor and richness. Use cold butter.
  • Flour: Use all-purpose or plain flour.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: To help the biscuits rise.
  • Salt: For flavor.
  • Sugar: A hint of sugar adds flavor without making buttermilk biscuits obviously sweet.
  • Buttermilk: The star ingredient that adds flavor and richness.
Ingredients for homemade buttermilk biscuits

See the recipe card below with a detailed list of ingredients and instructions.

How To Make Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Here is how to make the perfect homemade biscuits. Be sure to check the full recipe below for the exact measurements of ingredients.

1. Start by grating cold butter into a large bowl using the shred side of a box grater.

Grated butter in mixing bowl

2. To the butter add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar then mix with fingertips to combine.

3. Add cold buttermilk and mix to form a dough.

Homemade biscuit dough in a bowl

4. Place the dough on a floured surface, press the dough down or roll to be about half an inch thick then fold in thirds to create layers.

Folded biscuit dough for layers

Turn the dough horizontally and press down or roll using a rolling pin into half an inch thick. Fold in thirds and roll again 2 more times. In all, you should fold the dough 3 times.

5. Roll dough into half an inch thick then cut into rounds using a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass or cup.

Biscuit rounds being cut out with a biscuit cutter

6. Place the cut-out biscuits on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper making sure the biscuits touch each other.

Cut out biscuits on baking sheet

7. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown.

Baked biscuits on sheet

8. Serve as a side dish or with jam or butter.

1 BISCUIT ON A PLATE WITH JAM SPREAD ON TOP

Also, check out this tasty recipe for Cornbread Without Buttermilk.

Tips For The Perfect Homemade Biscuits

Grate the butter. Grating the butter is an easy way to ensure the butter incorporates well with the flour. Alternatively, you could pulse the butter and flour in a food processor until the butter is pea-sized.

With the food processor method you have to do short pulses else there is the danger of over-processing the butter. For flaky biscuits, you should be able to feel flakes or pea-sized pieces of butter in the flour.

All ingredients should be cold. The butter and buttermilk should be cold for successful biscuits. Don’t remove them from the fridge until you are about to use them.

Side note: Shooting this recipe was a pain for me because I had to keep moving ingredients to the fridge and back to keep them cold.

Landscape picture of buttermilk biscuits

Use buttermilk. Buttermilk gives biscuits a softer texture and also lets them rise. To make your own buttermilk at home, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes and you have homemade buttermilk.

Do not knead the dough. Biscuit dough should not be kneaded like bread dough.

Don’t twist the cutter. Do not twist the biscuit cutter or cup you use when cutting the dough. If you twist the cutter, it will seal the edges of the dough thereby preventing the biscuits from rising.

Let the biscuits touch. When you place the biscuits on the baking sheet make sure they touch each other. The biscuits touching each other will help them rise.

Also, check out my cream cheese biscuits and 3-ingredient biscuits recipes!

Favorite Tools For Homemade Biscuits

If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Stacked Buttermilk Biscuits on platter

Buttermilk Biscuits

5 from 2 votes
The Flakiest Biscuits Ever! Moist and easy to make with only a few ingredients! Serve these biscuits for breakfast, brunch or as a side dish! Perfect for the holidays!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 21 biscuits

Ingredients  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams) cold
  • 4 cups flour (500 grams) plus more for work surface
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups buttermilk (500 ml) cold

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Grate cold butter into a large bowl.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
  • Mix with fingertips to combine everything. Do not overmix. The butter should remain cold and there should be visible shreds of butter in the dough.
  • Add the buttermilk and mix gently to form a dough. Do not knead the dough. Lightly flour a working surface and transfer dough to working surface.
  • Create Layers. Press the dough down or roll to be about half an inch thick then fold in thirds to create layers. Turn the dough horizontally and press down or roll using a rolling pin into half an inch thick. Fold in thirds and roll again 2 more times. In all, you should fold the dough 3 times.
  • With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to half an inch thick.
  • Cut out circles from the dough with a 2.5 inch biscuit cutter or a cup with sharp ends. Do not twist or move the cutter around as you cut it. his will help the biscuits rise better!
  • Place on prepared tray making sure the biscuits lightly touch each other.
  • Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown on top.
  • Serve warm with jam or butter.

Notes

Use buttermilk. Buttermilk gives biscuits a softer texture and also lets them rise. To make your own buttermilk at home, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes and you have homemade buttermilk.
Do not knead the dough. Biscuit dough should not be knead like bread dough.
Don’t twist the cutter. Do not twist the biscuit cutter or cup you use when cutting the dough. If you twist the cutter, it will seal the edges of the dough thereby preventing the biscuits from rising.
Let the biscuits touch. When you place the biscuits on the baking sheet make sure they touch each other. The biscuits touching each other will help them rise.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 308IU | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, Southern
Calories: 183
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!

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About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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4 Comments

  1. Hi Precious, thanks for sharing this recipe. Please I have a worry. How do you bake to have that golden top? Did you bake then afterwards used your broiler? Thank you

    1. Hi Yvonne, no I don’t use my broiler after baking. My oven does a good job making it golden but you could definitely use your broiler if yours doesn’t turn out golden on top. Be careful with a broiler though as it could brown too fast and burn. About 2 minutes should be enough to get your biscuits brown on top. Hope this helps.