These homemade biscuits are soft and buttery with dozens of flaky layers. This biscuit recipe requires just 7 ingredients and they’re ready in about 35 minutes.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
One reader, Marcia, commented: “Finally, a biscuit recipe that worked for me. I especially appreciated the notes which, in fact, had me change some things I had been doing. The detail at all levels, both visual and written, is very helpful. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Maggie, commented: “One of my favorite biscuit recipes! They are so consistently flaky and delicious, every single time! ★★★★★“
It’s quite serendipitous that this “side dish” may taste even more remarkable than the main event. No, no… it WILL taste more remarkable. Just look at the big buttery layers! Nothing can compete.
What Are Biscuits?
The term “biscuits” has different meanings depending on where you live in the world. In the U.S., biscuits are similar to a dinner roll, but are denser and flakier because they aren’t (typically) made with yeast. Since there’s usually no yeast and the rising agent is either baking soda, baking powder, or both, biscuits are considered a quick bread, like banana bread and no-yeast bread. In other parts of the world, people may consider these American-style biscuits to be more similar to scones, and what they call “biscuits” are more like what we call cookies.
7 Key Ingredients in Homemade Biscuits
You need just 7 basic ingredients for my homemade biscuits recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cold Butter
- Cold Buttermilk
- Honey
With so few ingredients, it’s important to reach for quality ingredients and avoid any substitutions.
Baking Powder AND Baking Soda
Until recently, this biscuits recipe called for just baking powder as the leavening agent. In recent years, I’ve found that the texture, color, and flavor excels when using a combination of both baking powder AND baking soda. If you’ve always made this recipe using 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you can certainly continue to do so! However, by reducing the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown more, have a flakier texture, crispier edges, and you don’t risk a bitter chemical aftertaste.
Success Tips for the Best Homemade Biscuits
After perfecting this recipe over the past 8 years and developing other biscuit recipes, let me share what I’ve learned along the way. I’ve made plenty of mistakes so you don’t have to. These tried-and-true tricks will turn your flat, dry biscuits into the best biscuits ever. And that’s a guarantee.
- Cold Fat: For flaky layers, use cold butter. When little pieces of butter melt as the biscuits bake, they release steam and create little pockets of air—this makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside. It’s the same thing that happens when making these ham & cheese scones.
- Buttermilk & Honey for Flavor: Buttermilk and a teeny drizzle of honey balance out the salt. Buttermilk creates the most tender biscuit! I have plenty more on this topic in my Baking With Buttermilk post (including a buttermilk substitute recipe).
- Don’t Over-Mix: Never overwork biscuit dough. Overworking and over-handling biscuit dough will result in tough, hard, and flat biscuits. Mix the ingredients together *just* until combined. Dough will be crumbly; that’s normal.
- Flatten & Fold Method: The most important step of all is folding the dough together. Turn the scrappy dough out onto a work surface and flatten it with your hands. Fold, flatten, turn, and repeat.
- Don’t Twist the Biscuit Cutter: When cutting the dough with a biscuit cutter, do not twist the cutter. Press the cutter down into the dough firmly. Twisting it will seal off the biscuit edges, preventing the biscuits from rising.
- Bake Close Together: Biscuits rise up nice and tall when they are touching, pressed snuggly against one another in the oven.
How to Make Your Homemade Biscuits
Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the cubed butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, like when making pie crust or this savory quick bread, or pulse in a food processor. Cut/blend in the butter until you have coarse crumbles, like this:
Add the buttermilk and honey. Mix everything together until you have a shaggy dough, like this:
Pour it out onto a work surface and bring the dough together with your hands. It will be dry and shaggy with some moist spots. That’s all perfectly normal:
Fold & Flatten the Dough
Flattening and folding biscuit dough creates multiple flaky layers, just as it does when we make homemade croissants, rough puff pastry, homemade cruffins, mille-feuille, and croissant bread. This step will take you no more than 2 minutes and you’ll be rewarded with the flakiest biscuits in the world. First, shape dough into a rectangle, about 3/4-inch thick:
Then fold one side into the center:
Then the other side:
Turn the folded dough 90 degrees so it’s now horizontal, gently flatten, and repeat that folding process 2 more times.
After you’ve folded and flattened 3 times, flatten into a 3/4-inch rectangle once again, then use a biscuit cutter to shape into rounds. If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can cut into 8 to 10 squares.
Arrange close together in a cast iron skillet (no need to preheat it), or on a lined baking sheet. Again, make sure the biscuits are touching so they will rise nice and tall.
Before baking, brush the biscuits with buttermilk to help the tops brown evenly.
Honey Butter Topping
The honey butter topping is optional, but will set your biscuits apart from the rest. When the biscuits come out of the oven, brush with melted butter + honey. You use both ingredients in the biscuit dough, keeping the count at 7 ingredients total.
Serve your homemade biscuits with jam or homemade raspberry sauce, cinnamon butter, or biscuits and gravy—I love this particular recipe. Or a swipe of homemade honey butter really kicks it up a notch! You could also create delicious breakfast sandwiches with these breakfast sausages.
So Many Variations
I bake biscuits often, and use the same process and success tips when making all of my favorite variations including cheddar biscuits, everything bagel biscuits, and zucchini biscuits. I also make biscuit-topped vegetable pot pie and biscuit breakfast casserole. And you can absolutely turn these into dessert with my recipes for biscuit-topped berry cobbler and homemade strawberry shortcake.
I make these biscuits on almost a weekly basis, and what makes them a hit every single time is the combination of very cold butter and buttermilk. Additionally, the careful folding and flattening method helps produce dozens and dozens of flaky layers. Follow the recipe below closely.
Bake the biscuits in a cast iron skillet, which helps the edges crisp up beautifully. Additionally, use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the biscuits with a little buttermilk before baking.
You can use a food processor to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, but if you do not own one, you can use a pastry cutter instead. A pastry cutter is an extremely helpful baking tool.
Homemade Biscuits (Popular Recipe!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-11 biscuits
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These homemade biscuits are soft and buttery with hundreds of flaky layers! This biscuit recipe only requires 7 simple ingredients and they’re ready in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for hands and work surface
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder (see Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (see Note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml/g) cold buttermilk, divided
- 2 teaspoons (14g) honey
Optional Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon (21g) honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Make the biscuits: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form.
- If you used a food processor, pour the mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour 1 cup (240ml/g) buttermilk into the well and drizzle honey on top. Using a large spoon or spatula, fold until it begins to come together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough will be shaggy and crumbly with some wet spots.
- 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 as needed in this step. Using floured hands, flatten into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle as best you can. Fold one side into the center, then the other side on top. Turn the dough 90 degrees, so it’s now horizontal. 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 2.5- or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. (Tip: Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pressing down into the dough because 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 8–11 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 remaining buttermilk. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. If adding the optional topping, whisk the melted butter and honey together. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm biscuits with honey butter topping. Serve 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 4. 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 5. Also, after step 4, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before continuing with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Pastry Cutter or Food Processor | 2.5- or 3-inch Biscuit Cutter | 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet (or Baking Sheet with Parchment Paper) | Pastry Brush
- Baking Powder: In 2025, I updated this recipe to use both baking powder and baking soda. I’ve found that the texture, color, and flavor excels when using a combination of both. If you’ve always made this recipe using 2 Tablespoons of baking powder, you can certainly continue to do so! However, by reducing the baking powder to 1 Tablespoon and adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, the biscuits brown more, have a flakier texture, crispier edges, and you don’t risk a bitter chemical aftertaste.
- Butter: Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Keep butter as cold as possible until you need it. I recommend placing the cubed butter in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you begin.
- Buttermilk: You can substitute whole milk for buttermilk if desired. However if you’d like the tangy flavor, which I highly recommend, 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.
- Flavors: Try my flavorful biscuit variations: cheddar biscuits, zucchini biscuits, and everything bagel biscuits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 283.5 mg
- Fat: 9.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.5 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 25.4 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Easy to make. Yes, it does call for 2 Tablespoons of Baking Powder. I was a tad unsure obut followed the recipe and the biscuits came out perfect
I’ve been kind of obsessed with making biscuits over the past year or so, and this has become my boilerplate/go-to recipe, to the point where I basically have it memorized. I cut the baking powder to 1 tbsp, use kosher salt, and, if I can, brush the biscuits with an egg wash instead of buttermilk.
I also found that grating the butter gets me flakier biscuits, and I usually grate it in a food processor, so it’s done in less than a minute. Yes, it means more dishes to clean up, but man, is it fast!
I put butter in the freezer, then take it out to grate it. I leave the butter in the freezer for 1-2 hours. It is easier to grate if the butter is really, really cold. I use an old fashioned hand grater that I put in the freezer with the butter so that it is cold, too. And grating the butter makes it easier to work into the flour. I even put the flour in the freezer to make it cold. I love this recipe. Simple, but gorgeous and delicious biscuits.
I’ve never made biscuits for scratch, never mind buttermilk biscuits! I had leftover buttermilk from pancakes we made over the weekend and didn’t want it to spoil. I think I’ll be buying buttermilk to make these, and use the leftover for pancakes 🙂
Pure perfection. Made these exactly as directed. Baked them in a cast iron pan. So delicious! My husband, who normally would slather biscuits with butter, said they are perfect all by themselves. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Tasty, nice and fluffy and didn’t taste baking powder at all, and I even forgot to put in the honey. I did sprinkle with a little cheese before baking. Will save the recipe for sure!
I love this recipe and have made them many times. Thank you Sally
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am someone who absolutely loves buttermilk biscuits and have, recently, started trying to make them and learn how to have them end up with the flaky interior and crispy outer layers and was so excited to find my way to your recipe. I just made these and they are unbelievably scrumptious with the layers I have been trying to make! I am so thankful to you not only for the recipe but also, and so importantly, for explaining how to get them to that flaky inner yummie-ness! I made them with an organic white spelt flour that worked well and tasted so good but I’m also trying, now, to make a gluten-free version, do you have one for that, too?
Have you tried the King Arthur 1 for 1 flour? I’d love to hear how it turned out
I love this recipe! I use it all the time!
I used this recipe for the first time today and it was great! This will definitely be my go to for homemade biscuits.
I have made this recipe several times and it is always perfect, made twice with using milk and vinegar substitute for butter milk and could not tell a difference from buttermilk. Thanks for all your help making my baking a success
Biscuits are perfect.
I’m a terrible baker. My daughter suggested this website stating she uses your recipes all the time with great success. I made the buttermilk biscuits and they turned out perfectly! Thank you! I will try the bagels next!,
I liked them so much, I made them twice in a week! Well, the first time I’ll admit I rolled the dough too think so my biscuits weren’t exactly perfect, but the second round was much better. I doubled the recipe the second time around and froze a bunch. I like to make beef stew for lunches in the cold weather and these are perfect for dipping. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Incredibly good. My sons are picky eaters as well, we baked these together and they devoured them hot from the oven. I wonder if those finding the baking soda overpowering may be using heaped tablespoons? I used level tablespoons and my biscuits rose really well.
Just no. Wayyy too much baking powder.
These biscuits were delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
This may be a dumb question, but after cutting out biscuits the first time, when you reroll the scraps, do you need to fold the dough again like you did the first time? Thank you!
No need to re-fold! THere’s already all those delicious layers in the dough.
Wow, these came out great! I grated frozen butter and mixed with spatula instead of food processor (becausei didn’twant to wash it), otherwise exactly the same. They came out great. This is my go to biscuit recipe for sure now!
I use don’t write comments, however, I really like your site, and I experiment a lot of your recipes (successfully). I was wondering if you could to this to make blueberry biscuits ( yes biscuits not muffins).
Hi Monikka! Biscuit dough is very similar to scone dough – you may love these blueberry scones!
Have made these numerous times and baked in my cart iron pan. They always turn out fabulous. I grate my butter and throw it in the freezer while mixing other ingredients. Last time, I forgot to add it until the end but the folding technique with the cold butter made the biscuits even more light and fluffy. Like making puff pastry. Decided to do it every time now. Excellent recipe.
These turned out beautifully but a couple things I learned. I omitted the salt because I used salted butter. I saw later, that I should have just reduced the salt. This was definitely noticeable. It also made the baking powder a bit more prominent not having salt. Like I said, learning curve but would definitely make them again and again. Just need to fix user error!
Made these this morning to go with sausage gravy. I’ve gotten pretty good with biscuits and such, but I’ve never tried buttermilk. These were beyond all expectations. I mixed up the dry ingredients and cut in the butter using a pastry cutter last night and put it in the frig. This morning, I tossed in the buttermilk and stirred it up with my Danish dough whisk (if you don’t have one, then get one. A real game-changer.) I did four folds total, shaped it into a rectangle, cut it into 8 generous squares, and baked them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment for twenty minutes @ 425℉. The squares spaced a scant 1/4 inch apart. I did brush the tops with buttermilk, but I forgot to add the honey to the dough—it wasn’t missed. The tops were golden, the bottoms had just the right amount of crunch, and the middles were light and fluffy. They split perfectly and held up to generous applications of butter and jelly. I was apprehensive about the 2T of baking powder (I used Rumford), but there was not the slightest hint of an “off” flavor. This recipe & tecnique is The One.
My family – loved these! A new favorite for our Saturday morning get togethers!
Can I use salted European style butter (Kerrygold)? I’d omit the additional salt. Thanks!!
Absolutely. But I wouldn’t omit the salt completely if using their salted butter (I know they have unsalted as well). Instead, I would reduce down to 3/4 teaspoon.
OMG! I screamed when I saw the biscuits rise “with” layers! I just started baking during the pandemic and have several receipes for biscuits but this one is tops! Thank you so much for the simplicity of this reciepe. They’re delicious and my family loved them!
So glad you loved this recipe, Sylvia!
These were wonderful! Made them to serve with chicken and biscuits but made double batch so we could have strawberry shortcake too. We’re all happy with them!
I’ve had nothing but success with this recipe! perfect every time! Wondering if I can make them the day before and refrigerate without baking then finish them off just before I need to serve them?
So glad you love these, Jeff! You can find make ahead directions in the recipe notes: after step 4, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before continuing with step 5.
Sally, my girl, you DO NOT MISS! Your page is my first stop for everything baking-related and this biscuit left nothing to be desired! My sons are impossibly picky eaters and even they love them.
Jordan, Thank you! So glad you and your sons love these!
the recipe had about 2x the baking powder of another comparable recipe I’ve used in the past. Unfortunately I didn’t read the notes about reducing backing powder. I wouldn’t recommend
I’ve been looking for the perfect biscuit my whole life and I’ve finally found it! Thank you so much for sharing this gem. I’ve followed the recipe exactly and each time they turn out perfectly; light, tender layers inside and a crispy outside. The honey butter is a perfect addition.
Second time was the charm! This time I used the cast iron skillet – game changer – as well as grating the slightly frozen butter and not using the food processor. Crazy amazing.
Consistently perfect every time! Flaky, tender, and rise high. This is without a doubt the best recipe I have ever used for biscuits.