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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Nikki says
Was looking for a new biscuit recipe to try and landed on this one. Just took them out of the oven and they are a hit with the hubs! Success! I followed the recipe exactly. I did use a little trick I’ve learned over the years of making scones (which are VERY similar to biscuits in preparation). I put my sticks of butter in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then use a cheese grater to grate the butter before putting it back in the freezer for another 10 minutes or so. This just gives you very cold and small pieces that don’t require a pastry cutter to use. When I add the butter to the dry ingredients, I just use my fingers to sort of mix and press the butter into the flour. I also don’t bother making circular biscuits because I always end up over handling the dough. I’ve never figured out the trick to keeping the handling time down when making circles :(. So, I just pat my dough into a rectangle and then use a knife to cut square biscuits. Anyway, those are my tips for whatever they’re worth! Great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing :).
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Love, love, LOVE these tips Nikki! I am so going to try this next weekend!
Sitara Abraham says
Okay I am sure this recipe is great, but before I have the chance to read it I’m bombarded by 5 pop ups all about your site. That is annoying and frustrating! And discourages people from looking at your other content.
Megan says
I tried these biscuits and they worked out perfectly! They were delicious and even the kids devoured them. They didn’t even last 24 hours! We will be making them again very soon.
Paul says
Hi you say use cream tartar do you use the powder or the wet one in a jar thank you. Paul.
mtnmarcy says
Perfect biscuits and so easy to make! Delicious!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Carolyn Dunn says
I’ve never made biscuits from scratch until today. They are fantastic!!! My husband and I ate one as soon as they came out of the oven. LOVED them. Thanks!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awesome! Thanks so much for stopping by Carolyn!
Toni says
I made these this morning and it was so easy. They turned out great! Light and fluffy! I’ve been looking for a biscuit recipe for a while and I’ve found it. I used buttermilk instead of milk and put my butter in the freezer while I prepared the dry ingredients. Next time I will reduce the temperature a little because I think my over is hotter than average so they were a little too brown. Thank you for sharing!
Fahmida Alam says
Hi Trish. This recipe sounds really easy and I can’t wait to try it out as soon as my exams are over..
I do have a question however.. Will it make a difference if I don’t use the cream of tartar? I looked for it in a couple if supermarkets here but they don’t keep them. Please let me know.
Carla says
This is the only biscuit recipe I use. For years now. Such a hit in my house. Thanks!
Courtney says
I can’t say my biscuits turned out looking like yours, but they sure did turn out tasty! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I did modify it a bit for my needs (added some honey and ginger, because I like my rolls and biscuits on the sweeter side) but even without the additions, I’m sure this recipe is a keeper. 🙂
Diana Belle says
THANK YOU!!!! 🙂 I’ve made multiple biscuit recipes lately – have had either flops or just were blah tasting. THESE biscuits are IT!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
My favorite recipe right here Diana! They never fail!
Julie Ann says
Nailed it. I’ve been looking for a great biscuit recipe for years and have been trying new ones nearly every Sunday. I think this is the one, they turned out great!
Danielle says
These are delicious! I made a batch and I’ve already eaten two! Definitely will make these again thank you!!
Crystal Mahoney says
Made these and they are perfect. I have never had biscuits turn out right until now. Can they be frozen after cooking to use later?
Traci says
i just made these and they look just like your picture! They raised so nicely and are equally yummy! Thanks for the recipe!