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!
Renee Russell says
I just made these and they were terrific. 1 cup buttermilk worked. I would add a tiny bit more salt and I did not use all the sugar. Only because we are salty types 😉 Great recipe and I have tried many.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I’m so glad you love them Renee! They are a weekend staple around here 🙂
H Mosses says
Hi
Buscuits are known as scones in the UK. We have these in the afternoon with clotted (extra extra thick) cream not butter topped with strawberry jam – known as A Devonshire Cream Tea. Try it – bet you’ll never swap back! great recipe but only brush the tops. If the sides are coated this stops them rising too!
Krystal says
What do you recommend if I dont have a pastry cutter for the butter?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hi Krystal! You can either freeze the butter and grate it OR you can use two forks. Either works wonderfully!
Sarah Dennis says
I have never had much luck with biscuits but these turned out delicious! Thanks!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So glad the recipe was a success for you Sarah! Thanks for stopping by!
Rachel Madsen says
These are amazing i spiced them with black pepper and rosemary to give em a savory taste and brushed the top with melted butter with italian herbs and sprinkle of salt! They are so good u dont need to add any kind of topper so moist and tastey
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oooooh! I love this idea! What a great addition to dinner!
Donna Allan says
can they be made a head and warm up in microwave?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You can but they are best fresh. If you do want to warm them up, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in 10 second increments at 50% power so you don’t dry them out.
Mary says
Mine stayed flat, do you know what I could’ve done wrong?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Check your baking powder – it might have expired. Also, your butter may not have been as cold as needed going into the oven. Hope that helps!
Christy B. says
Another idea about why the biscuits might not have risen is how they were cut. If they’re cut with a cup instead of a biscuit cutter the edges will get mashed down instead of cut crisply. Source? Personal experience. ? I don’t have a biscuit cutter so I use my metal counter scraper thing (I can’t recall what it’s actually called. It’s about 6″ wide with a curled handle?) And make square biscuits. The cut edges rise much higher than the edge that was just hand formed.
I was coming here to comment that I just pulled these out of the oven. “These are the best biscuits I’ve ever made!” And my five year old says “they’re fantastic!”
Thank you for sharing!
Nikki Smith says
I made these for dinner last night and I have got to say, you are so right! This is the best biscuit recipe I’ve ever used and the tip about putting the cut butter back in the fridge until ready to use, priceless! Thank you, from my whole family!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You are so welcome Nikki! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe so much 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Nancy says
Made these yesterday and they are gone. So delicious. Could I add cheddar cheese?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yay! You sure can Nancy or you could try this recipe too, it’s AMAZING: https://www.momontimeout.com/cheddar-bay-biscuits-red-lobster-copycat/
Cindy Williams says
I just made these buiscuts and they are amazing. So easy and fluffy. I will have to make these over and over.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you so so much Cindy!!
Donna says
I’ve tried a lot of recipes that I have done a google search for when looking to make something in a pinch. I love to try to make homemade everything as much as possible, and biscuits is one of the recipes that iI’ve never had much luck with…until now! I made these exactly as instructed, opting to use the buttermilk rather than the regular, and not only did they come out AMAZING, they are legit one of the best biscuits I have ever laid tastebuds on! This recipe gets an A-plus-plus!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yassss! Thank you Donna! They really are super easy to make, aren’t they? I’m so glad you gave the biscuits a go! Have a great weekend 🙂
Christy says
I can’t wait to try these!! Do you use salted or unsalted butter ? Thanks!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I’ve used both but typically use unsalted. Enjoy!
Wendy Michelle says
Can you use margarine in place of butter for biscuits?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I wouldn’t recommend it Wendy…
Nick says
Hi Trish,
This is a great recipe. I’ve been working on my biscuit game and think I’m going to try the cheese grater tip to see if things get better!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It is a GREAT tip and works so well! My sister actually does this when she makes biscuits. Have a great weekend Nick!
Cynthia says
Easy breakfast favorite. Made them for my daughter before she went back to college. I actually didn’t have whole milk, so I mixed some 1/2 and 1/2 with my skim milk. It worked. Also…I sifted the flour first. I don’t know if it helped, but it’s the way my mom made them. Quick question. Would you ever use self-rising flour? If so, what would you change the baking powder and salt?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Cynthia! Sifting the flour is always a great idea but usually people don’t have the time, that would be me lol! I’m too lazy. So yes, self-rising flour could be used. The baking powder would be reduced some but the salt I think would stay the same.