Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

frontal view of three biscuits stacked with honey drizzling over them

5 from 4 votes

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

These flaky, buttery buttermilk biscuits are quick, easy, and absolutely irresistible – perfect for breakfast or dinner! With simple ingredients and a foolproof method, you’ll get tall, fluffy biscuits every single time. 🧈✨

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 326kcal

Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter cubed (that's 8 tablespoons or 1 stick)
⅔ cup buttermilk plus 2-4 tablespoons extra as needed
1 tablespoon melted butter to brush on the baked biscuits

Instructions

Prep: Heat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet.
Mix dry ingredients: Add flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl and combine very well.
Cut in butter: Add cold butter cubes to dry ingredients and cut in (using a pastry cutter or your hands) until crumbs forms.
Finish dough: Add buttermilk, then stir only a few times until no dry flour remains. Add a few more tablespoons buttermilk if dough seem dry. Do not overwork as you stir! Dough should feel very sticky. Immediately turn out on a floured surface.
Layer dough: Gently bring dough together by hand, adding flour as needed if too sticky. Once combined, flatten dough to ½ inch thickness. Fold into 3rds (like a letter). Rotate 90 degrees, repeat flattening and folding, taking care not to overwork dough.
Cut biscuits: Using slightly damp fingers, press dough to 1 inch thickness (it will seem very thick, but 1 inch is correct - not not use a rolling pin!). Cut into ~2½ inch circles using a lightly floured biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking sheet. Push dough scraps together and flatten with fingers to cut out more biscuits. (If kitchen is warm or biscuits took a long time to cut and dough has warmed, freeze biscuits on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before baking.)
Bake: Bake in hot oven for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Do not overbake, or biscuits will be dry. Immediately brush with melted butter and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Ingredient notes

Butter: Use cold butter for flaky layers. Shortening works as a substitute.
Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Mix ⅔ cup milk with ½ teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.
Flour: All-purpose works best. For whole wheat, replace half the flour and add extra buttermilk if needed.
Baking powder: Fresh baking powder ensures a good rise. Replace if it’s over a year old.

Recipe tips

Keep ingredients cold for the fluffiest biscuits.
Don’t overmix or overwork the dough – gentle handling keeps them tender.
Press the biscuit cutter straight down; twisting seals the edges and prevents rising.
Bake in a hot oven (450°F) for tall, golden biscuits.
Brush with melted butter right out of the oven for extra flavor.

Storage tips

Leftovers: Store at room temperature in a tea towel, eat the same day they were baked.
Freezing: Freeze unbaked biscuits, then bake straight from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition