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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Have a great day!
Pamela says
BLUE RIBBON and DIVISION WINNER!!! I entered this biscuit recipe in my county fair and won First Place for biscuits and then Division Winner over all the baking powder bread classes, which were 9 classes. I baked these exactly how the recipe states, following the recipe tips. I did use whole milk.
The judge loved them and so will you!!! Thanks you Trish for the Prize Winning recipe!
Tove says
Seriously the BEST biscuits I’ve ever had/ made. I’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years and they always turn out perfect!
kmmara41 says
Over the last 20 yrs I’ve tried every flour, every combination, every sheet and temp, every adjustment for high altitude, without satisfactory results.
I used the box grater for butter and slightly less sugar for the 2nd batch. We ate the first ones right there in front of the oven!
Thank you so much, no idea how happy…
Amanda says
Perfect!
Brandy says
I don’t usually comment on recipes posts, but WOW! You must try this recipe. So worth it!
Charlotte says
These were very easy to make and only took me an hour total. I decided to shred the butter to make it easier and I used my hands and then a fork to combine the butter and flour since I don’t have a pastry cutter. Then I put the bowl in the fridge while I prepared the buttermilk using a little less than 1 cup of milk with about a tablespoon of lemon juice. They turn out super soft and fluffy and we’re delicious! I did reduce the sugar as well. One thing is that they didn’t brown like other biscuits I have made. Next time I would brush with butter or milk before baking.
Tracy T says
Let me tell you what…….I am a biscuit connoisseur and these are Fantastic. I just ate 5 of them with dinner. Well done. This will be my new go to recipe. Thank you.
Kelley says
I made these using the King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure flour. I have FINALLY found a gf biscuit that tastes just like the buscuits from my past. Fluffy, layered, and soft. YUM. Thank you!
cat says
very excellent – bravo (to you for the recipe and me for turning them out!) – my new go-to biscuit recipe! 3T sugar seemed too much for me – didn’t want sweet biscuits – and 2T was just right – just a hint of sweetness. as an aside, i always bake biscuits snuggled up against each other in a pan (i have a round non-stick pan) or other dish that closes them in tighter (i’m afraid to try them in my cast iron skillet – i have a love/hate relationship with that thing!) – that way they don’t spread out – they can only go up!
Becky says
I’ve looked for something close to what my grandmother made for me years ago.
This morning my 88 year old aunt and I put these together (in no time!). They tasted so go and puffed up so nice. Just like we remembered. Followed your tips and tricks. Definitely a keeper for us! Thanks for this quick, easy, and tasty recipe!!
elle says
this recipe is perfect and absolutely doesn’t need any less sugar. you really can’t taste the sugar or the salt and this is a perfect canvas for salted butter and jam to top. if you’d like to taste the salt and sugar in the plain biscuit, consider doubling salt and sugar at minimum. this is otherwise a perfect biscuit recipe. so flaky, light and moist. yummy
Bee says
Amazing biscuits! I was worried that I might have over-kneaded the dough but they turned out perfectly! I cut back on the sugar.
Shelly says
I’ve made lots of biscuits and this was the easiest recipe I gave came across! The only thing I did differently was I grated the cold butter and they came out AMAZING!
De Nicholas says
I just made the the biscuit recipe to use with ‘Pigs in a Blanket’ and strawberry shortcake (simply sprinkled biscuits with sugar). Hands down – this is the best biscuit recipe I’ve ever tried. Thank you!
Nisha Franks says
My forever biscuits recipe.
maureen says
My first time making biscuits & they came out great. For me, I’ll cut the sugar when I want savory toppings, but the amount is perfect for butter/jam/honey as toppings.
grace says
This recipe (I can’t believe I’m going to say this) – is better than my homemade recipe!
I would cut back the sugar next time but yeah, these are the best biscuits I’ve made.
As they’re so light and fluffy I’m going to see how they work for dumplings too!
🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I appreciate this so much Grace, thank you!
Rob says
Try mixing all the dry ingredients together the night before. Place the dry ingredient combination in a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer next to the butter. In the morning, grate the frozen butter together with the really cold dry ingredients. 1) it makes for an easier quicker prep time in the morning 2) the really cold ingredients make for even better biscuits. I’ve been using this recipe with the really cold ingredients for years and people say these are the best biscuits they’ve ever had.