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Tall and fluffy, light and airy, these Buttermilk Biscuits are peak brunch fare. Serve with with sausage gravy, with scrambled eggs and cheese, or with a slather of orange marmalade. There’s no wrong way to biscuit here.
We have options for biscuits around here: the 3-ingredient wonder biscuit (a tried and true family recipe for over 35 years), the basic biscuits made with heavy cream, and now the pinnacle of all biscuit creations: The buttermilk version.
I think options are important because not everyone has buttermilk or knows what it is. But if you do, here’s a great way to put it to use. And if you don’t, you can easily make buttermilk yourself, too.
I love all the biscuits on my site, but these are definitely my favorite. I hope you love them as much as I do.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk, in a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 ¼ cups of milk. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both chemical leaveners are responsible for producing tiny air bubbles that allow your biscuits to soften and rise. Make sure they are active before baking your biscuits. To test your baking powder, pour ¼ cup boiling water over ½ teaspoon baking powder. If it fizzes, it’s active, if not, replace it before baking. For baking soda, pour 2 teaspoons vinegar over ¼ teaspoon baking soda. If it fizzes, your baking soda is also active.
Step-by-step instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and shortening in until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
- Transfer to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until combined.
- On a lightly floured counter, turn out dough. Knead until smooth, about 8 to 10 times. Pat dough into 9-inch circle, about ¾ inch thick (focus on the diameter first and the correct thickness will happen more naturally).
- Using 3-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut rounds of dough (do not twist cutter) and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Gather remaining dough, pat into 3/4-inch-thick circle, and cut out remaining biscuits (you should have 8 biscuits total).
- Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate pan and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes longer, then transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 8 tall, fluffy biscuits.
- Storage: Biscuits can be stored in zipper-lock bag for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: The biscuits can be wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer-safe bag, labeled, and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. To reheat, bake in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
The acidity of buttermilk reacts with leavening agents (baking soda and/or baking powder) to get more rise from your dough. Regular milk or heavy cream doesn’t have the same effect, the biscuits won’t get as tall and fluffy.
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Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into ½ inch pieces and chilled
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening cut into ½ inch pieces and chilled
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk (see note 1)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and shortening in until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 15 pulses. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in buttermilk until combined.
- On a lightly floured counter, turn out dough. Knead until smooth, about 8 to 10 times. Pat dough into 9-inch circle, about ¾ inch thick (focus on the diameter first and the correct thickness will happen more naturally).
- Using 3-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut rounds of dough (do not twist cutter) and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Gather remaining dough, pat into 3/4-inch-thick circle, and cut out remaining biscuits (you should have 8 biscuits total).
- Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes, then rotate pan and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes longer, then transfer to wire rack and let cool.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Buttermilk: To make your own buttermilk, in a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 ¼ cups of milk. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both chemical leaveners are responsible for producing tiny air bubbles that allow your biscuits to soften and rise. Make sure they are active before baking your biscuits. To test your baking powder, pour ¼ cup boiling water over ½ teaspoon baking powder. If it fizzes, it’s active, if not, replace it before baking. For baking soda, pour 2 teaspoons vinegar over ¼ teaspoon baking soda. If it fizzes, your baking soda is also active.
- Yield: This recipe makes 8 tall, fluffy biscuits.
- Storage: Biscuits can be stored in zipper-lock bag for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: The biscuits can be wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer-safe bag, labeled, and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. To reheat, bake in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until warmed through.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.