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Easy homemade biscuits are buttery, deliciously flaky, and SO simple! They make the perfect side dish for any meal.

Homemade biscuits are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Bake them for a meal, like Biscuits and Gravy, or simply use the dough for Biscuit Donuts or Biscuit Egg Casserole.

Homemade biscuits stacked on a wooden cutting board.


Soft + Flaky!

Homemade biscuits might be my biggest weakness. Is there anything more tempting than a warm, flaky biscuit right out of the oven?

Topped with a little butter and a little jam? Or honey? It’s definitely one of our favorite bread-type recipes to make.

I recently returned from a trip to Waco, TX where I visited Magnolia Table – Chip & Joanna’s Gaines’ new restaurant. When I tried their Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, I decided that the biscuits were the best I’d ever tried.

After waiting anxiously for her cookbook, we tried them, and now crave this recipe frequently.

They go with almost anything. Plus, this recipe is totally easy, and will become your go-to biscuit recipe!

Cutting butter into flour with a pastry cutter.

How to Make Homemade Biscuits

I guarantee you have each one of these ingredients in your house to make these easy homemade biscuits TONIGHT!

PREP. Preheat oven to 450°F.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, mix the baking powder, baking soda, and flour.

BUTTER. Use a pastry cutter (or a couple of forks) to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Mix it all together until it forms coarse crumbs (pieces about the size of a pea).

WET INGREDIENTS. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to come together. Press dough together, but use your hands as little as possible, since it will warm up the butter in the dough.

PREP. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F and flour the surface you want to work on.

CUT. Form the biscuit dough into a circle that is about ½ inch thick. Use a thick round cutter to cut out the biscuits. (Try not to overwork the dough, to ensure tender biscuits!)

BAKE. Place biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Brush the biscuit tops with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.

ENJOY, and try not to eat all of them in one sitting!

Combining wet and dry ingredients in a mint bowl.

Missing Ingredients

If you’re missing ingredients for this recipe for simple biscuits, use these tips.

Make your own buttermilk. Measure 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a measuring cup. Fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Check out some other substitutions in this post

Biscuit toppings:

Biscuit dough shaped into a rectangle on a mat.

Recipe Tips

Making a perfectly flaky soft biscuit recipe starts with butter!

Butter. The butter must be cold, and stay cold! You can even use a box grater to grate a cube of frozen butter. 

Cold dough. Never use your hands to mix the dough, it will warm up the butter.

Cutting biscuits. Do not twist the cutter when stamping out the biscuits. Twisting the cutter can cause the sides of the dough to close, and they’ll cook unevenly and keep the flaky layers from forming properly.

If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a cup about the same size. Push straight down and pull the cutter straight up and out.

I like to use holiday cookie cutters to make fun-shaped biscuits. If you change the size, be sure to bake similarly sized biscuits with each other and adjust the baking time if needed.

Sticky dough. Add a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky to handle, but not too much otherwise it can create a hard and dry biscuit.

Cut easy biscuits, ready for baking.

How to Get Flaky Layers

You can tell a good biscuit when you pull it open, and you can actually see the flaky layers. Here are a few keys factors to get those flaky layers:

  • Don’t use an electric mixer. Use a wooden spoon and a pastry cutter or fork until the flour mixture forms coarse crumbs.
  • Fold, roll, repeat. The folding process will help develop the flaky layers. Remember not to press the rolling pin too firmly. Also, don’t overwork the dough. Folding and rolling 5-6 times should be perfect.
  • Use cold butter and cold milk. You can even chill the dough as needed, to keep everything cold.
Two biscuits topped with butter on a white plate.

storing info

STORE leftovers in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for 1-2 days on the counter and up for to a week in the refrigerator.

FREEZE. These biscuits are so delicious you probably won’t have any leftovers. But if you happen to have a few, throw them into a freezer-safe container/Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Make it ahead of time. You can make these ahead of time, before cooking them.

  1. Cut the biscuits from the dough. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the cut-out biscuits on top.
  2. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap and put the cookie sheet in the freezer.
  3. Freeze the biscuits until they are frozen solid.
  4. Remove from the freezer and stack in a plastic freezer bag.
  5. Keep them frozen for up to 3 months.
  6. Thaw at room temperature. Once thawed, bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

These Biscuits Work Great for These other Recipes:

Take note that some of these recipes require only the biscuit dough and not fully cooked biscuits.

Homemade biscuits piled on a wooden cutting board.

Recipe FAQ

What is the trick to making biscuits?

There are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when making biscuits (which are listed above) but my number one tip is you must use COLD butter for light flaky layers.

Why are my biscuits hard?

Overworking the dough can cause the gluten in the dough to become stronger and more elastic which then creates a tougher crumb instead of a light and flaky texture. Adding too much flour when mixing and rolling out the dough will also cause the biscuits to bake up hard instead of soft.

For More Bread Recipes, Check Out:

5 from 20 votes

Homemade Biscuits Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Easy homemade biscuits are buttery, deliciously flaky, and SO simple! They make the perfect side dish for any meal.
Servings: 10 biscuits
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter chilled, plus melted butter for brushing
  • ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar together into a large bowl.
  • Cut in cold butter until the mixture is the consistency of coarse oatmeal.
  • Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in buttermilk. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough begins to come together. Press dough together, but use your hands as little as possible, since it will warm up the butter in the dough.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about ¾ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut 2-inch round biscuits, then place on an ungreased baking sheet.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter as soon as biscuits come out of the oven. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Make ahead of time. Cut the biscuits from the dough and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap and put the baking sheet in the freezer until biscuits are frozen solid, then transfer to a large resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, and once thawed, bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Fully baked biscuits can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 1–2 days, or for 1 week in the refrigerator.
Cutting in butter. Use a cheese grater to grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients, then cut it in with a pastry blender.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuit, Calories: 94kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 124mg, Potassium: 120mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 157IU, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
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Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!



About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Kids loved the buttery flavor of these homemade biscuits, especially when served with nutella or hot chocolate. Such a keeper!