Tender on the inside with extra crisp edges, these everything biscuits are not only full of flavor, but texture as well. We use a mix of cream cheese and butter in the dough and add plenty of everything bagel seasoning. Flatten and fold the dough 3x for the flakiest layers.
Looking for a quick and carb-y side dish to pair with your soup, chili, casserole, or to grace the Thanksgiving table? Or what about an elevated biscuit for your breakfast sandwich? Try everything biscuits. They bring an unexpected flavor to the dinner table, taste phenomenal sandwiched with eggs and bacon (or smoked salmon and cream cheese), and are remarkable dunked into a big bowl of tomato soup. While we all love homemade rolls, bread that doesn’t require yeast is always appreciated!
Tell Me About These Everything Biscuits
- Texture: The cream cheese adds an almost creamy-like texture that completely melts in your mouth. They’re wonderfully flaky and soft inside and if you bake them in a cast iron skillet, you’ll be graced with extra crisp biscuit edges.
- Flavor: If you like garlicky and onion everything bagels slathered with cream cheese, you will love these biscuits. There’s extra garlic flavor in the biscuit dough, too.
- Ease: We have a no-fuss recipe on our hands today. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but they’re each pretty basic. For flaky biscuits, you want a shaggy and crumbly dough—so the less you work it, the better the biscuits will taste. Plus, shortly after you begin, the biscuits will already be going into the oven. This is a quick and seamless process!
- Baking: The biscuits take about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove them from the oven and top with a brush of buttermilk and everything bagel seasoning. We don’t want the seasoning to burn, so that’s why we add it halfway through baking.
- Time: I bet these will take you only 40 minutes from start to finish.
One reader, Renata, commented: “I wish I could give these six stars! These were the flakiest and most delicious biscuits I’ve ever made! Or tasted! Thank you so much for this recipe, Sally! My family and I will be making these often… ★★★★★”
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Feeling the urge to shout this: I LOVE EVERYTHING BAGELS. I enjoy making homemade everything bagels, this completely divine everything bagel pull apart bread, and this everything bagel breakfast casserole was a holiday favorite last year. To make everything bagel inspired foods, you need everything bagel seasoning. You can purchase everything bagel seasoning from some stores, but it’s really easy to make it at home. You need poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion, dried garlic flakes, and coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt.
We’ll add everything bagel seasoning to the dough AND on top of the biscuits.
The Addition of Cream Cheese
My standard biscuit recipe uses all butter in the dough. Here we’re swapping half of the butter for cream cheese. I tested this recipe with varying amounts and ultimately landed on 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) butter and 4 ounces (113g) of cream cheese. Using the whole brick of cream cheese (8 ounces), plus extra flour, made a really heavy dough and dense tasting biscuit.
Like I mention above, cream cheese adds a creamy and soft texture. They’re not quite as flaky as my plain biscuits, cheddar biscuits, or zucchini biscuits (those all use the same butter dough), but you’ll still enjoy oodles of layers in each bite.
What Else is Different?
In addition to using all butter, my original biscuit recipe includes honey for flavor and relies on baking powder for lift. Here we use a very small amount of sugar (just 2 teaspoons) to help offset the salt. Sugar also keeps the biscuits moist and soft. We also cut down on the baking powder and add baking soda. Some readers have reported a chemical taste in the original recipe, so it’s important to use aluminum free baking powder there. We’re using half the amount of baking powder in this recipe, so any baking powder is fine.
Step-by-Step Photos
Hang on tight, I have a lot of step-by-step photos to show you. While this recipe isn’t advanced, it’s important to visualize how you work with biscuit dough.
Use cold and cubed butter and cream cheese. Cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or food processor. You’re looking for coarse crumbles:
After adding the buttermilk, the dough will be sticky and shaggy. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and have extra flour nearby for your hands:
Now we’ll begin the flatten & fold method. Flattening and folding biscuit dough creates multiple flaky layers. Remember homemade croissants? Just like that. But unlike laborious croissants, this step will take you no more than 2 minutes. First, flatten the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. You can use your hands or a rolling pin:
Then fold 1 side into the center, then the other side. Like you’re folding a letter:
Turn the folded dough horizontal:
Flatten out again.
And repeat this process 2 more times. After that, cut into circles and arrange in a seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet. I recommend using a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
***By the way, when I was a cast iron skillet newbie, I was confused about the seasoning process. Lodge has an article all about seasoning cast iron skillets that I’ve always found really useful. (This isn’t sponsored—I genuinely love my Lodge cast iron products. Great quality for the price.)
Don’t walk away from your kitchen yet. After about 10 minutes, remove the baking biscuits from the oven and top with a brush of buttermilk and everything bagel seasoning. We add the everything bagel topping halfway through baking because we don’t want it to burn. After that, return to the oven to finish baking.
We’re done! Tear open and enjoy all those everything bagel inspired biscuit layers.
More Quick Bread Recipes
- No Yeast Bread
- Cheddar Biscuits & Ham and Cheese Scones
- Cornbread
- Honey Skillet Cornbread
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Cheese Quick Bread
And something tells me you’ll also love this biscuit breakfast casserole.
Print
Everything Biscuits
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 biscuits
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These tender everything bagel inspired biscuits use a mix of cream cheese and butter in the dough and plenty of everything bagel seasoning. Feel free to use store-bought everything seasoning or the homemade version below.
Ingredients
Everything Bagel Seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds*
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes*
- 1 teaspoons coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt
Biscuits
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus extra for hands and work surface
- 2 Tablespoons everything bagel seasoning (recipe above)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder (yes, Tablespoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed*
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, cold and cubed*
- 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk*
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) buttermilk, divided
- 1 heaping Tablespoon everything bagel seasoning (recipe above)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Make the seasoning: Mix all of the everything bagel seasoning ingredients together.
- Make the biscuits: Place the flour, 2 Tablespoons everything bagel seasoning, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, garlic powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cream cheese and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. See photo above for a visual. If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk on top. Fold everything together with a large spoon or silicone spatula until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots. See photo above for a visual.
- Pour the dough and any dough crumbles onto a floured work surface and gently bring together with generously floured hands. The dough will become sticky as you bring it together. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and work surface in this step. Using floured hands or a floured rolling pin, flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough horizontally. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle again. Repeat the folding again. Turn the dough horizontally one more time. Gently flatten into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. Repeat the folding one last time. Flatten into the final 3/4 inch thick rectangle.
- Cut into 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough—this seals off the edges of the biscuit which prevents them from fully rising.) Re-roll scraps until all the dough is used. You should have about 8 biscuits. Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note) or close together on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching.
- Brush the tops with 1 Tablespoon buttermilk. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove partially baked biscuits from the oven and brush with remaining Tablespoon of buttermilk and sprinkle remaining everything bagel seasoning on top. Return to the oven until the biscuits are golden brown on top, about 10-15 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy warm.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Baked biscuits freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. You can also freeze the biscuit dough. Prepare the dough in steps 2 through 5. Wrap up tightly in plastic wrap (plastic wrap is best for freshness) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then continue with step 6. Also, after step 5, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before continuing with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Pastry Cutter or Food Processor | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | 3-Inch Biscuit Cutter | 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Sheet | Pastry Brush | Coarse Sea Salt or Flaky Sea Salt
- Everything Bagel Seasoning: If you don’t care for one of the everything bagel seasonings, feel free to swap it out with another that you love. If you’re using store-bought everything bagel seasoning, you need 3 heaping Tablespoons.
- Butter & Cream Cheese: Cut each into 1/2 inch cubes. Keep both as cold as possible until you need them. I recommend placing the cubed butter and cream cheese in the freezer as you mix the everything seasoning and dry ingredients together.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk, an acidic ingredient, is best since we’re using baking soda in the dough. Baking soda require an acid. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup. (You need 1 cup in the recipe, plus 2 Tbsp for brushing—you can use regular milk to brush on top.) Whisk together, then let sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe. Whole milk is best for the DIY sour milk substitute, though lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch. (In my testing, the biscuits don’t taste as rich or rise quite as tall using lower fat or nondairy milks.)
- Cast Iron Skillet: If your cast iron skillet isn’t well seasoned, I recommend greasing it with a little vegetable oil or melted butter. Brush a thin layer of either on the bottom and around the sides. No need to heat the cast iron skillet before using, though you certainly can. Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes before arranging the shaped biscuits in it.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These are the best! Turned out perfect.
Made these today Delicious and easy
Mouth watering, soft and flakey
Love the recipe with cream cheese
Can this can be assembled as is done with your Rosemary Garlic Pull Apart Bread recipe? In other words, rather than rolling out the dough and cutting rounds, can the dough be rolled into 12 balls, flattened into approximately 4″ circles, spread with the Garlic, Herb, Mozzarella & Cream Cheese filling, then folding in half, etc?
Hi Susan! What an interesting idea. We haven’t tested it so can’t offer much advice, but fear it may be tricky to get the biscuit dough to cook through properly in a loaf pan.
Once again, you’ve hit it out of the park. Delicious and very easy
Hi Sally,
Can you double this recipe or is it best to make each batch separately? Also, could you use a 2″ biscuit cutter instead of a 3″? If so, how would it change the baking time, and do you think I would have to use a larger cast iron skillet? Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Mary, you can use a smaller biscuit cutter if desired. Bake time should be about the same, maybe just a minute or two less so keep a close eye on them. They should fit in the same skillet, too. Enjoy!
Can the recipe be doubled or is it better to do a single batch at a time? I have 4 teenage boys and they eat like they have never seen food ….EVER!
Hi Mary, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches so that the biscuit dough isn’t over or under worked. Hope your family enjoys them!
Love this recipe! I was thinking about adding some cooked breakfast sausage and cheese into the biscuits along with the Everything seasoning. Do you think it might adversely affect the biscuits rising? How about doubling the recipe?
Hi Kath, I’ve added cheese and cooked and crumbled sausage to biscuit dough before with no issue. About 1 cup (125g) of shredded cheese when you add the flour, and about 6 ounces cooked and crumbled bacon. I don’t recommend doubling the recipe as it would be very easy to overwork the dough. Instead, make 2 separate batches.
Could these be made into Cinnamon Sugar biscuits? Or any other type of bagel inspired flavor? They look so good, but my kids prefer a variety of flavors. (Everything seasoning is my fave tho!)
Hi Jessica, you may want to start with our Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit recipe and try different flavor combinations from there!
I struggled with brushing the buttermilk on. Any tips? Super yum still.
Hi Juju! Did you use a pastry brush? That’s the best way! It’s like a giant paint brush for baking.
Homerun as always! Thanks for the inspiration and excellent recipes.
Quick question – what are your thoughts on using Buttermilk Powder? I hesitate to buy buttermilk for a single recipe and then allowing the rest to go to waste because I just won’t use the whole quart. I wondered if buying and using it in powder form is an exchange you think would work.
Hi Claire, buttermilk powder should work just fine — simply follow the directions on the packet to make the amount of buttermilk needed for the recipe. Hope you enjoy the biscuits!
I wish I could give these six stars! These were the flakiest and most delicious biscuits I’ve ever made! Or tasted! Thank you so much for this recipe, Sally! I and my family will be making theses often. I definitely think this is the best recipe anyone can find!
~Renata
We’re thrilled these biscuits were a hit with your family, Renata!
I made these to accompany Christmas Eve dinner this past year. It was possibly the first Christmas Eve ever that my parents and I were spending without guests, so I wanted to make something special and new to help liven it up. These certainly did the job! They were delicious and my parents raved about them. I used Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning rather than making my own, which saved a little bit of time and money without detracting from the taste.
My biscuits did not rise, where might I have gone wrong? I did not have a biscuit cutter, so just used a knife to make them into squares. Any tips for making sure they rise next time?
Hi Clare, make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh. We find they lose strength after just 3-4 months. And make sure to use a very sharp knife to keep the layers in tact when cutting. Happy baking!
I made these to go with soup, and they were amazing. They were really easy to make and came together quickly. A keeper for sure.
Fun twist on a morning biscuit. We made egg sandwiches and they turned out great! They were also relatively easy to make!
Is there a substitute you’d suggest for the Cream cheese? Could I sub more butter in?
On Nov.12, 2020 a woman asked the same question. Sally said it was fine to use additional butter instead of the cream cheese.
This recipe was amazing! I don’t have a cast iron skillet so I used my 9″ round cake pan and it worked beautifully. They were so flaky and FULL of flavor. Definitely a new favorite to pair with any soup!
I made these this morning and me and my family LOVED them! They came together easily and were such a nice change of flavor in biscuits. They made a great addition to bacon and egg biscuits!
They were delicious- had this morning with sausage gravy. Thank you!!
I am so Happy to see your posts on Facebook again Sally! I really like your recipes. Every one I’ve tried has been a success. Don’t stop!
Thanks for the kind note and for following along, Judy!
Looks delicious! I do not have a biscuit cutter. Will it be a major fail if I just cut them into squares?
Hi Kelly, That should work! Enjoy!
So good! The best biscuit recipe ever.
Hello! Can I use 4oz of butter rather than the cream cheese? I get the point of it, but have those who cannot have lactose but can tolerate real butter due to the very low lactose content. Thank you!
Hi Kristen! You can, yes. Or you can make my regular biscuits and add the everything bagel seasoning and garlic powder.
Hi Sally, I’m a huge fan, Your recipes are so simple and easy to follow. Please keep up the good work, I have one question I don’t have butter on hand so can I use margarine instead, or will it ruin the flavour. Thanks
Hi Gcinile, thank you so much. Margarine may work, but I strongly recommend using butter if you can. If you have coconut oil, that could work as well.
Hi,
We are not into all that seasoning so can I just make them without any seasoning. Please and thank you.
Absolutely! Feel free to skip the garlic powder in the biscuit dough too.
Awesome! Can these be made with gluten-free flour?
Hi Jill! I’m unsure. I haven’t tested it.
Hi Sally, love love your recipes, i’m a big fan of Everything Bagel Seasoning, I don’t own a cast iron skillet, can i bake these and for how long?
Hi Jane, you can use a parchment paper lined baking sheet. See instructions in step 6. Same bake time.
I cannot wait to make these!!!
Do you oil the skillet? Mine is well seasoned, so does that mean it would be unnecessary to oil the surface?
Hi Donice, my cast iron skillet isn’t too seasoned yet, so I usually oil it. I pour in a little vegetable oil and wipe it on with a paper towel.