These homemade Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, served with a rich sausage gravy or topped with eggs, bacon, country ham or jam are a Southern staple. You can also enjoy them with a drizzle of honey or a dollop of preserves at any meal.
Fluffy Tender Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
The aroma of homemade biscuits baking is only eclipsed by the first heavenly bite. If you gathered any number of Southern cooks together, none of them would make their biscuits exactly the same way. Each cook would have their own favorite techniques and tricks to give their biscuits the edge that sets them apart. Serve these fluffy biscuits at any meal and enjoy a taste of the South at your own kitchen table.
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Helpful Tips for Making the BEST Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
The ingredients needed to make biscuits are so basic, it's important to use the very best for making tender fluffy biscuits.
- Kitchen tools you'll need: A large bowl for mixing, measuring cups and spoons, a pastry blender, a non stick surface for rolling or a pastry mat. You'll also need a food processor, a pastry blender or two forks to cut the cold butter into the flour. A biscuit cutter and a baking pan. A pastry brush for brushing the tops.
- Ingredients you'll need to make biscuits from scratch: All purpose flour, cold butter, baking powder, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Also, melted butter or heavy cream for brushing the tops and a drizzle of honey, jam or butter for serving.
- Start with quality ingredients. Biscuits require so few ingredients to make it's worth making sure everything is fresh and top quality.
- Don't overwork the biscuit dough or the biscuits could be tough.
- Use fresh baking powder.
- Use a sharp biscuit cutter. When cutting the biscuit dough into rounds, dip the cutter in flour, press down, then lift, never twist to make the cut. This ensures the biscuits will have flaky layers.
- Use cold butter. The butter will melt and create steam while baking resulting in a fluffier biscuit.
- Be gentle when mixing the dough and knead as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour.
- If preferred, the biscuits can be baked closer together, to encourage them to rise upwards while baking.
Variations Of Classic Buttermilk Biscuits to Add to the Menu
- The most common kind of Southern biscuit served is savory with occasional add-ins such as cheese, chives or bacon.
- Buttermilk biscuits can also be served as a sweeter version such as incorporating sweet potatoes with sugar and cinnamon.
- Just like a scone, at times they feature fresh or dried fruit and they're topped with a sweet glaze.
- Then, there are the beloved "Angel Biscuits" which are a cross between a buttermilk biscuit and a yeast roll. Whatever your preference, a classic Southern buttermilk biscuit and a few simple technique tips will put you on the path for biscuit making success.
- Biscuits come in many flavors, but this basic buttermilk biscuit recipe is probably the one that people most often make and clearly one that will never go out of style.
- You may also like to try this recipe for Cinnamon Biscuits with Honey Butter from Butter with a Side of Bread.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
- 1 - 1 ¼ cup cold buttermilk
- melted butter or heavy cream to brush the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Cube the butter or shortening then cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor. Cut until it becomes crumbly and resembles peas.
- Mix in 1 cup cold buttermilk, just until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened. Add up to ¼ cup additional buttermilk, if needed. The dough shouldn't be overly wet but, slightly sticky.
- Roll or pat out on a lightly floured surface about ¾-1 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter dipped in flour. Do not twist the dough with the cutter. Cut the dough, then lift the cookie cutter up. Re-roll any scraps and repeat.
- Place biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter or heavy cream.
- Bake biscuits at 450°F for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden and puffed.
- Brush with melted butter after removing from the oven. Serve immediately.
Tammie
Incredible! These came out so fluffy and yummy. Will be my go to biscuit recipe from now on. (I used frozen butter)Thank you!
Nutt Nutt Nana
I typically do not write reviews for food because people have such different tastes. However, this recipe deserves 10 stars! These biscuits indeed turned out fluffy and light, almost roll like. I am so happy with these biscuits. I love that they are quick and easy, take few ingredients, and bake fast and perfect. Also, in case you are wondering, even different shaped cookie cutters work on these; I found this out due to not being able to find my biscuit cutter so I used an approximately same sized heart shaped cutter. These turned out beautiful and you can see the layers. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Melissa Rodriguez
THE BEST biscuit recipe ever!!! I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I improvised. I used a 1/4 cup pancake mix to substitute the baking soda, and almond milk for the buttermilk that I didn’t have and STILL, THE BEST biscuit recipe I have ever tried. Thank you so so much for your shared recipe that made my biscuits and gravy dish even more spectacular and my kids were fighting for the last biscuit to sop up the jimmy dean country gravy in the bowl♥️
C. Fyfe
This is my go to biscuit recipe! Easy prep and delicious results! Light and fluffy biscuits with fantastic flavor!!
Alex L
Can i use gluten free flour (1-1 is what i have)?
Melissa
I haven't tested it specifically but I'm sure you could adapt it, yes. If you try it let us know how it goes!
Barbara
I’ve tried a lot of biscuit recipes and this is now my go to I did substitute lard for the butter. But I’m sure the butter would have been even more amazing.
Marie
Hi Melissa, I’m a super scone baker. Had an abundance of buttermilk so decided to try your biscuits.
I’m happy to report they were very nice and high. Moist interior and crunchy outside. My strawberry preserves never tasted so good.
Melissa
I'm so happy you enjoyed them, thanks!
jules
usually i don't write comments for things like this, but this recipe was super good and easy and thanks so much! i've never made buttermilk biscuits before but now i'll keep using this recipe. thank you!
Leslie Lynn
Family just loved these biscuits. First time success is always great. Thanks for sharing
Shila
I made a batch for breakfast and they were so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Melissa
I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Spring Howard
Should I sift my flour before or after I measure the amount of cups needed and Should I sift my baking powder as well
Melissa
Spoon the flour into the the cup, level and then sift with the other dry ingredients per the recipe.
Shannon Mcadams
I DID IT!!! I finally did it!! Perfect. Thank you.
This recipe was very easy, I liked the buttermilk better than other recipes I’ve tried. Please don’t skimp on ingredients use quality as stated.🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Melissa
I'm so happy you loved these, well done!
Hayley
Literally just pulled my first batch out of the oven. I don’t think I used the right cookie cutter cause they are kind of small, but they look so cute! Letting them cool before I taste. Recipe was fairly easy to do for a beginner!
Melissa
Hayley, no worries you can make these as big (or small) as you like. Have fun, regardless of size they will still be delicious!
Janet
Can you do the dough the night before?
So I can do it first thing in the morning
Melissa
You can make it ahead of time, yes. Store in an airtight container so the dough doesn't dry out.
Melanie
Can you use salted butter and just omit the salt?
Melissa
You can use salted butter, sure. Decrease the salt to 1 teaspoon but don't omit.
Linda
Can I just use regular milk or carnation milk instead of butter milk
Melissa
You can use whole milk, I wouldn't recommend canned milk.
Kira
My biscuits didn’t puff up. Any thoughts on what could have been the problem? My baking powder was fresh…
Melissa
Was the dough overworked? Were they rolled too thin? These are two things that could be a problem. Otherwise, if the leavening was fresh I'm not certain I have an exact answer.
Tracey
Hello,
Can these biscuits be frozen? If so, how would you reheat them?
Thank you
Melissa
You can freeze these prior to baking. Place them onto a sheet pan and freeze solid then package. You can bake them from frozen adding a few minutes to the bake time. If you bake them prior to freezing, reheat in single servings in the microwave after thawing.
Jackie
Can bread flour be substituted for all purpose flour?
Melissa
Bread flour isn't ideal for making biscuits due to the higher gluten and protein content.
dgoodelife
So fluffy, this is the best biscuit recipe, and I've tried many. This will be my new go-to recipe.
Melissa
Thanks so much!