Fluffy buttermilk biscuits are the perfect comfort food. The combination of tangy buttermilk and butter creates layers of flakiness, making each bite a heavenly indulgence. Whether served warm with a dollop of jam or as a base for biscuits and gravy, these biscuits are guaranteed to please with their irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture.
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Featured Comment:
These tasted fantastic and they were super fun to make. I just started getting into baking. They were the perfect crunch on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Why buy store-bought when you can make your own? Thank you for your recipe and I will surely be making these again! =D
- Hannah
Recipe Highlights
Flaky Layers: Thanks to cold cubed butter and proper folding, you get tall, golden, flaky biscuits every time.
Minimal Ingredients: Just a handful of pantry staples come together to create something delicious and comforting.
Beginner-Friendly: Step-by-step instructions and photos make this recipe approachable for all skill levels.
Ingredients
- Salted Butter: Using salted butter adds flavor and reduces the amount of additional salt needed. Cutting the butter into ½-inch cubes and incorporating it into the flour mixture by first squishing the butter, then using a pastry cutter creates pockets of fat that melt during baking, resulting in flaky layers
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk's acidity reacts with the baking powder to provide lift, contributing to the biscuits' fluffiness. It also imparts a subtle tang that enhances the overall flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
It took some time to perfect my fluffy buttermilk biscuit recipe, but it was worth every trial. These golden beauties are tender, light, and practically melt in your mouth. The texture is just right, and the flavor is pure comfort.
- Step 1: Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter cubes to dry ingredients.
- Step 2: Squish butter into flour with your hands.
- Step 3: Use pastry blender to cut butter into flour mixture.
- Step 4: Add in buttermilk. Mix by hand until a soft dough forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Step 5: Roll the dough into a rough square, ½" thick.
- Step 6: Fold the dough into thirds.
- Step 7: Roll it out again until it's ½" thick.
- Step 8: Fold it into thirds again.
- Step 9: Roll it out into a square, ½" thick.
- Step 10: Trim the edges. Don't throw away the scraps. You can still bake them up for snacks!
- Step 11: Cut into 9 squares.
- Step 12: Bake at 425F for approximately 15 minutes.
Pro Tip
Use very cold ingredients. Keep your butter, buttermilk, and even flour chilled to get the best rise and flakiest texture.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these biscuits however you wish. They're delicious warm out of the oven, spread with some butter and raspberry jam, or topped with venison sausage gravy. Whatever you choose to do with them, you'll definitely want to keep this recipe on hand!
If you have extra buttermilk on hand after making this recipe, try this blueberry buttermilk ice cream!
Recipe FAQs
If your biscuits don't turn out fluffy, it's likely either because there's too much liquid in the dough or the dough was overworked. Be careful to mix just until combined.
The primary difference is in the use of buttermilk. Regular biscuits are typically made with milk or water, which leads to a milder flavor and a slightly smaller rise than you find with tangy buttermilk biscuits.
You can store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Or, freeze them for up to three months. To do so, allow the biscuits to cool completely. Then, transfer them to a sealable bag. Or, wrap them in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. To serve, bake from frozen at 350 degrees Fahrenheit just until warmed through.
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add in butter cubes. Use your hands to squish the butter into flat pieces in the flour mixture. Once all butter pieces are flattened, use pastry blender to incorporate butter into flour mixture. Continue blending until all butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller.
- Add in buttermilk. Mix by hand until a soft dough forms.
- Place dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll into a ½" thick rectangle.
- Fold dough into thirds, then roll out into a longer ½" thick rectangle.
- Fold dough into thirds again, starting on the short ends. This will make a rough square.
- Use a dough cutter or sharp knife to trim the very edges of the square. This helps expose the layers inside and ensures all your biscuits rise evenly
- Cut square into 9 equal squares. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush tops with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- I live at about 5,000 feet above sea level. Altitude can affect how your biscuits rise. If you live at a lower elevation, you may need to increase the amount of baking powder in this recipe. If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to decrease the amount.
- Using salted butter adds flavor and reduces the amount of additional salt needed. Cutting the butter into ½-inch cubes and incorporating it into the flour mixture by first squishing the butter, then using a pastry cutter creates pockets of fat that melt during baking, resulting in flaky layers
- Buttermilk's acidity reacts with the baking powder to provide lift, contributing to the biscuits' fluffiness. It also imparts a subtle tang that enhances the overall flavor.
- Use very cold ingredients. Keep your butter, buttermilk, and even flour chilled to get the best rise and flakiest texture.
Hannah says
These tasted fantastic and they were super fun to make. I just started getting into baking. They were the perfect crunch on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I will need to up the heat in my oven to 475 next time because they didn't rise as well, but that's just my old oven. Nonetheless, the flavor was great! Why buy store-bought when you can make your own? Thank you for your recipe and I will surely be making these again! =D
Annie Weisz says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Hannah! I'm so glad you loved making these biscuits!!
scott says
It's not your oven...these need a good amount more baking powder, maybe even some baking soda. I have a convection oven that runs hot and still no rise. I'm inclined to believe the other 5-star scores are less than legit. Should've just stuck to past recipes that work and have a lot more verifiable reviews.
Annie Weisz says
I'm sorry the biscuits didn't work out for you! I make them all the time and I can assure you they are perfectly fluffy every time. I live at a higher altitude and have added a note to the recipe to help future bakers. You may also need to test your baking powder to make sure it is still active. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/use-this-simple-trick-to-see-if-your-baking-powder-still-works-article