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:
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Have a great day!
Deborah says
Despite my love of baking, being able to produce wonderful loaves of bread and famously delicious cookies, I have had a defective biscuit gene as long as I can remember! Seriously- every attempt at biscuits failed miserably. I kept trying though- and today I found success! These were simply wonderful. I followed the directions exactly and got the most perfect biscuit I have ever seen! I made sure to use super fresh baking powder and cream of tartar. This is KEY. Plus I barely kneaded the dough and gently pressed into a circle. I kept it thick so I only got 9 biscuits, but that’s enough for my family. I also baked them in a glass Pyrex so they would rise evenly. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe and “curing” my defective gene!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Music to my ears Deborah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Marcy says
I made these last night to go along with a pot of beef stew. They were so easy to throw together, light, flakey, buttery, and delicious! This is going to be my new go to recipe fir biscuits.
Leah says
so quickly* (sorry for typos)
Leah says
Hi Trish,
I’m a complete novice at biscuit making (my few attempts were tragic), and I’m wondering if I need the tartar? Is it purely for flavor? I have none on hand, and if I can get away with it then I’d like to go without it, because I’m just too lazy to pack up 4 kids and go to the store! lol
Thanks!
Leah
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It’s not for flavor but you can totally get away with leaving it out 🙂 Definitely not worth a trip to the store with four kids! Enjoy!
Leah says
Okay! Thanks for getting back with me to quickly, that’s just awesome 😀
So, if I may ask, what is the tartar for, if not flavor? I’m sure everyone can see how green I am at this, lol!!! 🙂
Leah
Jennifer Prekopa says
Is it possible to freeze these before baking to bake a few as needed instead of all at once?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I haven’t tried Jennifer but I can’t imagine why not. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Emilie says
We love these biscuits! Quick and easy and every time I’ve made them they come out great! I prepackage the dry ingredients in zipper bags to make these even faster. I also use margarine instead of butter and it works great.
Guinan says
I read somewhere that for pea-sized COLD butter, you should freeze the required amount and then grate it with a large size grater straight into the bowl. I haven’t tried it yet, but it seems like a good idea to me!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Should totally work! Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
Meg says
I made these for dinner last night. I easily made 14 biscuits. They were delicious!! I had to put something under the pan to catch butter dripping off the sides of my baking stone. Will make again for sure!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That’s awesome Meg! Yep, these are my family’s favorites 🙂
Linda Brinkman says
My Mom taught me how to make biscuits many years ago. The secret is ice cold butter, adding an egg and kneading. I place my biscuits close together on the baking sheet. I bake mine @ 400*F for 12 minutes. Never had a problem. I also make cinnamon biscuits with the same recipe and ice them with cream cheese icing.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks for the tips Linda!!
Morgan says
I freeze my butter and grate it using a box grater. Saves me from using the pastry blender! 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Smartie! Love that tip Morgan!
Dawn says
These do look delicious, but I want to mention that if you don’t have buttermilk, for any recipe calling for it, you can put 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon into a one cup measure and then add milk to one cup and let it sit for a few minutes. Works great! I even use 1% and have had no problems!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Absolutely! Thanks for the helpful tips Dawn!
Kelsey says
These look SO delicious! I cannot wait to try them…ever since I moved to Australia, I miss busicuts so much (they literally don’t even eat them here!). I always just bought the Pillsbury kind (eek, I know, how gross!), so I’ll have to try my hand at homemade! x
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
This recipe is really terrific Kelsey and it’s hard to mess it up 🙂 So glad you stopped by!
Ruth L says
I have made these biscuits several times now and at the moment have a batch baking up beautifully in my oven! They are quick, easy and really turn out beautifully! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Warm regards,
Ruth L
Britt says
Can you make the biscuits the night before and store them in fridge overnight? Me and my dear fiance adore this recipe 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You can actually bake the biscuits and they will still be perfect the following day. Just wrap them up good!
Jaiyme says
I just made these biscuits this morning and they are amazing! I was out of Bisquick and my homemade recipe calls for self rising flour; which I am also out of. I found this recipe through Pinterest and it was a hit with my entire family. The recipe made 16 biscuits for me. It is hard to find a good biscuit recipe but this one is a keeper.
Thanks!!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So happy to hear that Jaiyme! It’s my favorite biscuit recipe 🙂 Thank you SO much for stopping by!