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.
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Cindy says
I have never ever been able to make good biscuits and was sceptical when I read how easy it would be. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out amazing!!! My butter was probably never cold enough or I worked the dough to much… I cut my butter and then put it in the freezer until I prepared the rest … and they turned out amazing !! Thank you for all the tips…
Rachel says
I found your recipe 2-3 years ago, and it is my favorite!!! I have started making biscuits to go with soup whenever I have a crockpot full for dinner. I found that I can put the biscuit dough straight on my baking sheet, pat into a rectangle, and cut into 12 squares. Then I just space the squares out evenly and bake!! Saves me so much cleanup and cutting time, and makes it so biscuits are a quick and easy side for nearly any meal. Thanks for this recipe, my entire family loves it!!
Shawna says
Best biscuits I’ve ever eaten and so easy! I’ve made them several times and won’t use any other recipe.
Liz says
Okay…… these are delicious!
I’m pregnant and everything makes me nauseous. But these hit the spot. It’s like manna from heaven. Thank you 🙂
Ann Ginda says
I just made these and they were fabulous! I didn’t have any milk so I used almost all cream with just a splash of water. I also did the laminating technique I saw on TikTok and they were extra flaky. I also cut mine and squares because my hands were too sticky to pull out a cutter, lol! These were a little sweet for me for a savory biscuit and it reminded me very much of my favorite scone. In fact, I’m going to make these for my next tea!
Connie says
I tried this recipe for the first time today, to go with my home made chicken soup. I added a bit of lemon juice to the milk and let it sit while measuring out the dry ingredients. I did use the egg. Let me tell you…..these biscuits are fantastic!! Nice and light and fluffy. Possibly the best ones I’ve ever made.
Kelly says
They were light and fluffy, turned out amazing!
Karl Schmitz says
Cooked these for a sorority house and multiple comments they were better than their mothers. Sorry moms but it’s your fault.
Well done. Thanks for making my life easy
Pam says
These are the best biscuits ever! I have this recipe saved under my favorites. I’ve used them alone, with gravy, and on top of pot pie and they are perfect every time!!! I’ve even freeze them and they’re perfect! Thank you!
Ashley says
First time making biscuits and boy o boy boyfriend couldn’t believe this was my first time making biscuits thank you!
Ann says
Finally, I made biscuits I could be happy with! I’ve tried so many recipes over the years. This is simple, but the biscuits turned out great. Even my husband, also my biggest critic in the kitchen, says these are really good. Thank you for posting!!
Teresa says
Absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Allie says
Light and fluffy, paired deliciously with chicken noodle soup.
Rena says
I do quite a bit of cooking, mostly from scratch. Two things have eluded my efforts at making a tasty version at home, biscuits & pie crust. I don’t know why I have so much difficulty with such seemingly simple recipes. Well, biscuits will defeat me no more! I’ve cooked biscuits using this recipe twice, exactly as written. They are perfect, maybe even as good as Bojangles according to my 11 yo son. Thank you so much for sharing this❤️
Lisa says
Great recipe, I did not have cream of tartar and they still were awesome. Saved to my recipe tab for next time!