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
I love this recipe! I have made it a few times but today was the first time I froze the dough. Is there a reason it should be frozen rolled out vs. cut into individual biscuits? Precutting the biscuits would be so much easier when it comes to dethawing / baking later. I was just curious 🙂
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. I really have enjoyed my new hobby of baking during Covid. Hope you stay well and Happy New Year!
Hi Stacy, You can freeze the shaped biscuits! After shaping them in step 4, place them on a plate or in a freezer-friendly container, cover tightly, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
This recipe was easy and delicious. I may have finally broken my fiancé’s belief that canned biscuits are his favorite. The honey butter topping was delicious. These biscuits were yummy and did not require any additional condiments.
Whoa! Fluffy, delicious, perfect biscuits!
I grated the butter into the flour instead of cubing it – makes it very easy to work with, and you don’t have to use a pastry cutter to cut the cubes into the flour. I used salted butter and decreased the salt slightly, but next time will use the full amount of salt; these biscuits can handle it.
Thank you so much for this receipe! My late mother had one very similar (slightly different proportions), and I’ve struggled with it. Your tips made all the difference and finally my dad didn’t say “Oh, you made the small biscuits!” The cold butter is certainly better than shortening and the biscuits rose beautifully – like leaning towers. They were a huge hit at our dinner! And they tasted amazing!
Excellent! Been looking for just this type of biscuit for years and I was never successful at making them turn out the way I wanted. These are perfect. I make a double batch and freeze them (I have a deep freezer). The frozen ones thaw and the taste and texture is exactly as fresh made. Thank you for the recipe and tips that made these turn out so well.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made two dozen, and twisting the cutter didn’t seal the side for me.
I’ve been using your recipe for years. Works perfect every time. Never had a bad biscuit. I make into rectangle and slice with bench scraper. And every square biscuit as good as the first. No over worked dough syndrome. Lol.
I noticed Bobby Flay and others use a baking powder and baking soda combination, was wondering why? Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! When I made these I made my own sour milk and a food processor to cut the dough. Also, my dough was rolled too thin resulting in shorter biscuits, but they were still so flaky, buttery, and delicious! I can’t wait to try these again soon (and with a measuring stick next time)!
Also, thank you for the tips on baking powder and cutting biscuits! I never knew these things before and I think it made a huge difference.
This is my favorite biscuit recipe as it always comes out great, flaky, and tender. I make it very frequently for my family on weekends. The only modification I made was to reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon because it tastes too salty with all that baking powder.
Thank you very much for your great recipes.
I love this recipe. If I’m really clever, I measure it all out the night before and then I just have to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter in my food processor. I don’t have a pastry thing to get the butter in, and I really like how evenly the food processor does the job. The folding is key. Don’t skip this step and don’t overwork the dough.
The flaky biscuits turned out beautifully. I used salted butter, therefore omitting salt in the make-up of the dough.
Sally you have taught me how to make buttermilk biscuits for the rest of my life now. Thank you. Never really had a mom to show me this stuff. They turned out amazing. You made me really proud of myself
Absolutely delicious and easy-to-follow recipe as always. Some of the best biscuits I have ever eaten!
Whole-wheat pastry flour works wonderfully. Once, I only used organic WW pastry flour, and the biscuits were still tender, (very) tall, flaky, and buttery. They even tasted better from the nuttiness of the whole wheat!
Another time, I used salted butter because I didn’t have any unsalted on hand. I halved the salt in the recipe and it was fine.
Great Biscuits! So much better than crisco!
Made these biscuits for breakfast this morning (with slight tweaks) and hubs and i both loved them!! I subbed part of the flour for pea protein powder, and grated frozen butter since i don’t have a pastry cutter and was too lazy to clean my food processor… they were perfect!! Thank you for sharing.
This was my 1st time baking biscuits. They came out tasty – but with a crust on the bottom and a little uneven inside for cooking. Just wondering why that happened. Even though the bottoms were a little too brown, the biscuits were not quite cooked all the way through. I cooked them at 425 degrees. Will try again.
Girl, you know how to make biscuits! FINALLY found a biscuit recipe that works. Thanks to your helpful tips, I figured out what I was doing wrong. My first batch were delicious and eaten up right away. I can always count on you for excellent recipes. Thanks again!!
If we’re also using Clabber Girl Baking Powder should we use 2 tablespoons as the recipe calls for our reduce to 1 Tablespoon & 1/2 teaspoon baking power?
First time making the tea biscuits and they turned out exactly as pictured. I made sure not to overtax the dough. Easy to follow instructions and after tasting it, my husband said they were the best biscuits he has ever had. I would like to make a second batch today but add cheese to the batter. What would you recommend as the best type of cheese to use and how much? Thanks for another great recipe.
We are so happy you both enjoyed these, Nora! You will love there Cheddar Biscuits 🙂
I often use kefir instead of buttermilk. It worked great in this recipe. The biscuits were delicious.
Hi Sally! Thank you for your recipe and all the great tips. I enjoyed making these biscuits and they came out great. Quick question for you – I wasn’t able to figure out how to cut them with a 3″ cutter and fit them all into a 10″ skillet. Are you supposed to squish them in there?
Hi Rebekah, Yes! Biscuits rise up nice and tall when they are touching, pressed snuggly against one another in the oven! You can see in the photos above how the biscuits should look in the skillet 🙂
I just made these this morning. The biscuit is very fluffy, tender and flaky. Even with using the honey, they are still too bitter for our liking. I will try these again using less baking powder.
Just found this recipe decided to try it. Wow!! It is delicious ❣️ The biscuits are so fluffy and soft. They rose so beautifully. Baked them in my cast iron skillet to perfection. My husband ate 2 kept saying “these are delicious “.
Great recipe. Very easy to follow. Wonderful outomce! Thank you so much!
Thank you! My biscuits have always ended up hard or dry but your tips really helped me and the recipe was really tasty!!
Delicious and so easy…I used my mini food chopper, 1/2 recipe at a time and couldn’t believe how easy. I’m recovering from carpal tunnel surgery so using my pastry blending tool was not an option. They were a great accompaniment to my homemade chicken noodle soup.
Thank you!!
425 was not hot enough. I had to google why they weren’t browning on top and it said 475 was the recommended temp.
Sally you are amazing! I love your recipes. I’m wondering about making these biscuits smaller – mini size to use for a high tea. Instead of 3 inch round cuts, I would like to try 2 inches.
Would you recommend same temperature but shorter amount of time? If so, how much time? Also, have you ever made your scones in a circle shape? If I alter the shape, will that impact baking time?
Thank you,
Thank you
Hi Nicki, You can cut the biscuits smaller if you wish. Same oven temperature but the bake time may be a minute or two shorter – I’m unsure of the exact time but bake until biscuits are golden brown on top.
You can visit the post for Banana Nut Scones to see how we shaped them as circles instead of triangles.
These are the best biscuits I’ve ever made. Thank you for the fantastic recipe and technique tips!
Finally, I am able to make great biscuits!!!