The BEST Homemade Biscuit recipe you’ll ever try! These easy, homemade biscuits are soft, flaky, made completely from scratch and can be on your table in about 15 minutes! A weekend staple in our house! Love all things breakfast? Me too! Make sure to give my amazing Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes and Lemon Blueberry Scones a try!
Almost every weekend I whip up a batch of these easy homemade biscuits. It’s by far my favorite biscuit recipe and since it’s so easy, we make them all the time.
There is nothing quite like a warm, buttery, flaky biscuit straight from the oven that you can slather with butter and jelly, make into a biscuit breakfast sandwich, or enjoy with sausage gravy. I used to buy the mixes (and I’m sure I will pick up a box in the future again) but with a biscuit recipe this easy, it’s just as easy to make biscuits from scratch.
This easy biscuit recipe has never failed me and after much tweaking it is my go-to biscuit recipe. The biscuits rise up nice and fluffy and the copious amounts of butter ensure a tender, delicious biscuit each and every time.
What Ingredients Do I Need for Homemade Biscuits
Not a whole lot! And I’m pretty sure you have most, if not all, of these on hand in your pantry. The one ingredient you may see in this list that could be a little unfamiliar is the cream of tartar. I use it in my Snickerdoodles recipe and love it in biscuits but if you don’t have it on hand, please, don’t let that stop you from making this biscuit recipe. Go ahead and omit it from the recipe.
You’ll notice this list is very similar to the ingredients used in my scones recipe. My scones call for heavy cream instead of whole milk and a more substantial amount of sugar.
I should also note that my brother makes these biscuits every weekend and doesn’t use the egg, like, EVER. In fact, neither does my little sister. If you want to leave it out, go ahead.
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- salt
- baking powder
- cream of tartar
- COLD butter
- egg
- milk
Tips for Making Biscuits
- The secret to excellent biscuits is COLD BUTTER. Really cold. Many times the biscuit dough gets worked so much that the butter softens before the biscuits even go in the oven. You want to handle the dough as little as possible because we want that butter to stay cold.
- I use two methods tor incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
- One is to cut the butter into small pieces, refrigerate or freeze until ready to use, and then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the mixture when ready.
- The second is grating frozen butter with a box grater and then stirring it into the flour mixture.
- Both work great so use the method you prefer. Don’t go too crazy here – you want to see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough.
- To keep the butter from melting at all, use a cold egg and cold milk as well.
- The dough is going to be sticky so you want to generously flour the surface before turning your dough out onto it. I also sprinkle some flour on top before working with the dough.
- You can either use your hands to pat the dough out, or, if you prefer, use a rolling pin to very gently roll the dough out. I always just use my hands because at this point, they’re already a mess. If the dough is sticky, just sprinkle on additional flour, about a tablespoon at a time.
Can I Use Buttermilk in this Biscuit Recipe?
Yes, you absolutely can and we frequently do. Since buttermilk is thicker than regular milk, you will need slightly more to get the dough to the right consistency. Start with one and one-quarter cup and add more as needed.
To get a nice, tall biscuit, I like to pat the dough out to 3/4 to 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter. I ended up with nine this time but depending on who is snacking on biscuit dough, I can get up to 12 biscuits.
Baking the biscuits is super quick – just about 10 minutes is all you need. I like to bake my biscuits on parchment paper but if you don’t have that on hand, lightly grease your baking sheet.
For extra yumminess, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter…
And serve with jams and jellies for a serious treat.
What You’ll Need to Make Biscuits
- A baking sheet that can handle the size of the scones.
- Biscuit cutter so you get nice evenly sized biscuits.
- Parchment paper makes removal of these biscuits painless and ensures they come off in one piece.
- A pastry cutter makes quick work of cutting the butter into the flour. Two knives or forks will also work or you can use a box grater.
- A pastry brush to brush on melted butter when the biscuits are hot from the oven.
More favorite breakfast recipes:
- The BEST Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
- Ham and Cheese Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- Baked Cherry Cheesecake French Toast
- Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
How To Make Biscuits
Perfect Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup COLD butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- The secret to excellent biscuits is COLD BUTTER. Really cold. Many times the biscuit dough gets worked so much that the butter softens before the biscuits even go in the oven. Try cutting the butter into small pieces and stick back in the fridge pulling out only when ready to incorporate into the dough.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut cold butter into flour mixture. Don't go too crazy here - you want to see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough.
- Add in the milk and egg and mix just until the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky but don't keep working it. You should be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on to the top of dough so it won't stick to your fingers and knead 10-15 times. If the dough is super sticky just sprinkle on some additional flour.
- Pat the dough out to 3/4 - 1 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass. I ended up with nine this time but depending on who is snacking on biscuit dough, I can get up to 12 biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- For extra yumminess, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter...
Video
Nutrition
Recipe originally published May 22, 2012.
More breakfast recipes to enjoy:
For all breakfast recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
Sign up to get emails when I post new recipes!
For even more great ideas follow me on Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter – Bloglovin’.
Have a great day!
Heather says
i think i will be leaving the sugar out of these.
just a personal preference.
Janet Ligas says
Just made these biscuits for the second time, they really come out well. The only thing I would do is reduce the amount of sugar, probably just a personal preference. Thanks for the great recipe.
Travis Black says
I have been on a life-long quest for the perfect biscuit recipe. I’ve tried a lot. These are as close as I’ve come! 🙂 I made as per the instructions… well except for the kneading part. Apparently I skipped over that. I did “knead” the dough somewhat, but probably not enough. They still came out fantastic! Mine were a little crumbly, but that could be the lack of kneading and I may have slightly overcooked them. I don’t care… they were still really good and soft with a nice crunchy outside. Maybe a tad too sweet for buscuits and gravy, but still really good! Thanks for the recipe!
Polly says
I haven’t made a lot of biscuits before, but these were quick, easy and so delicious!! I loved how easy it was with grated butter. I halved the recipe (which was a big mistake because we all wanted more) but it worked well. I also love the butter on top. We ate some with honey and the rest with sausage gravy. It’s a definite “make again”!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Fantastic Polly! Thanks for stopping by!
Rachel says
I will never use another biscuit recipe in my life. These were amazing. I made them bite-sized and they were a hit at dinner tonight.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Amazing! Thank you so much!
Dale says
I had been looking for a biscuit recipe that had a light, fluffy inside and a crunchy outside. This one fit the bill! The only ingredient change I made to the recipe was to use half and half instead of whole milk, as I had some I needed to use up. I sifted the dry ingredients together and used a box grater to grate frozen butter instead of cutting the cold butter into small pieces. I brushed melted butter on them when they came out of the oven and let them sit a few minutes before eating. These were delicious!
Lisa says
YOU are a genius…I have been looking for years for a good recipe. This one is quick, super easy and the biscuits are SO SOFT! Wow! I only substituted 1 and 1/4 cups buttermilk for the milk. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Fantastic! Thanks for stopping by Lisa!
Anna McEwen says
I have been making biscuits for a long time, these were the best I have made. Thank you
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Anna!
Mey says
My four year old loves KFC biscuits so I made this recipe for him and Goodbye KFC. Thank you
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
SUCCESS.
Lucinda Begay says
I love these biscuits, it doesn’t take long to make.
Aida says
Everyone loved the biscuits. However the recipe didn’t mention salted or unsalted butter. I used unsalted, and added just a little bit more buttermilk and they turned out just on the tiny bit on the sweeter side. Maybe next time I’ll try it with salted butter. I still love how they turned out though. My eight year old daughter said they’re like clouds, so yummy.
David says
Hello. I made this recipe but the dough turned out to be really dry. I had to add a little bit more milk to it but I didn’t want to add too much. I should’ve watch the video first. I grated the butter (which is the first time I actually tried that). Could that have something to do with it?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I think it might have more to do with the flour. It needs to be spooned into a measuring cup and level with a knife, not scooped out of a container because that packs a lot more flour into the measuring cup. That might be it?
Susana Williams says
First time ever that I actually found a biscuit recipe that was wonderful! Light, flaky, and buttery. Thank you! Susana
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So glad you gave them a try Susana! Thank you so much!
Alika says
Mine didn’t rise when baking. Did I overwork the dough?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Possibly but also check your baking powder expiration date.
Kathy Keegan says
The biscuits were delicious. I ate flaky biscuits growing up. These were so much better. My husband ate 2 biscuits. He never does. My neighbor put ham on hers. She loves the biscuit. Thank you for publishing the recipe. I only had almond milk and skim milk. Used 3/4 cup of half and half and 1/4 Cup of whipping cream. Next time, I will get whole milk. Decided at midnight, I would make these. I put Manuka honey on my. Over the top! Husband did Apple butter and elder berry jam. Thanks again.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Fantastic Kathy! Thank you so much! You really can’t go wrong with toppings – all sound so good!