Buttery, soft, and made completely from scratch, this easy homemade biscuit recipe deserves a permanent place in your recipe repertoire. This recipe is made with all butter, no shortening!
With just 6 ingredients that I bet you already have on hand, these homemade biscuits are so simple to make and I’ve included plenty of tips (and a video!) to make sure you end up with perfect biscuits every single time.
Two reasons I’m super excited to share this homemade biscuit recipe with you today:
One: because homemade biscuits are delicious (obviously) and they’re so easy to make. So many people buy the canned version without realizing that they already have all of the ingredients to make them from scratch in their pantry.
The taste of a pre-made biscuit doesn’t hold a candle to a homemade biscuit. Not. even. close. Preservatives and artificial flavors, you aren’t welcome here.
Two: because ever since I started working on this biscuit recipe a few weeks ago, “Mind Your Own Biscuits” by Kacey Musgraves has been stuck in my head and I’ve been singing it off-key relentlessly.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Kacey Musgraves and her music, but every time I start singing my dog starts actually crying. It’s sad and hilarious, and if I wasn’t so embarrassed by my terrible singing voice I would have shared a video of it by now. Hopefully, by publishing this recipe I’ll release myself from the endless refrain and the animal abuse will finally stop.
But let’s talk more about the first reason.
Homemade biscuits call for just six ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, and milk. And then more butter once they’re finished baking because of course we need more butter.
I mentioned that these biscuits are easy so do not be alarmed by all the tips that I have for you below. These biscuits are easy, but technique matters and I want to arm you with all the information that you need so that you can make these easily and have them come out perfectly the very first time.
The tips are simple but important, and while some more seasoned bakers already know them, I want to give everyone an even playing field.
Tips for Making Homemade Biscuits
- The butter and milk for this recipe need to be as cold as possible for fluffy and soft biscuits. I freeze my butter before using it and recommend keeping the milk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the dry ingredients.
- Don’t overwork the dough! Keep in mind that you want your butter to stay as cold as possible when making these biscuits, and the more you have your hands on the dough the softer the butter will become. Definitely don’t use an electric mixer for this recipe.
- We’re going to do a little bit of laminating. This means folding the dough over itself multiple times (5-6 times here) to encourage flaky layers in our biscuits. You can watch the video below to see exactly how this is done.
- Don’t use a rolling pin, use your hands to gently work the dough into a flat rectangle before cutting out your biscuits.
- Don’t be afraid to add flour to the dough if it’s too sticky while you are handling it (and make sure to work on a lightly floured surface).
Visual clue: If you look at the pre-baked biscuit below, you’ll see that you can actually see the butter pieces in the dough. This is what you want, the ingredients won’t be well-combined like with a cookie dough and seeing bits of butter means you’ve actually done everything right here. Hooray!
A Few Notes on Butter in Homemade Biscuits
The butter is possibly the most important part of this recipe, and the way you handle it can make or break your homemade biscuits.
While you can certainly use a pastry cutter to cut your butter into the dry ingredients, I recommend freezing your butter for about 30 minutes before beginning. Then, use a box grater to grate the butter before combining this in with your dry ingredients.
I use this technique in my scone recipes and highly recommend it with these biscuits, too. Not only is it much easier than using a pastry cutter, but it does a great job of finely shredding and distributing the butter throughout the mixture without overworking the butter (remember, you want to manage the butter as little as possible so that it’s as cold as possible when going into the oven).
Alternatively you could also use a food processor (like I do with my pie crust recipe), but it’s just so easy to grate in the butter that I always use this method instead.
And yes, I do recommend using unsalted butter in this recipe and then adding salt. If you want to know more about why I write my recipes this way, you can read all about it (and an easy substitution if you only have salted butter on hand) in this post that I wrote about salted vs unsalted butter.
I know I’ve mentioned to you guys a few times that I’ve been working on a baking contest/challenge/I’m really not sure what to call it, but I’m planning a post where I encourage all of you to bake along with me. The goal is to get people baking recipes they may have not tried before, and I’m encouraging everyone to share their results for a chance to win a small prize.
Well, today’s homemade biscuit recipe is essentially the base for the baking challenge that I’ll be sharing in exactly one week, so take this as a hint that making today’s recipe is a great way to get a jump start for the challenge!
To make sure you’re among the first to be notified of all new recipes and baking challenges, make sure you’re subscribed to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you get a free e-book of 8 of my favorite cookie recipes.
Enjoy!
How to Make Homemade Biscuits
I know I talked a lot in this video, but I really feel that the tips are so important, and will help ensure your biscuits come out perfectly!
Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter very cold (85g), unsalted European butter is ideal, but not required
- ¾ cup whole milk¹ (177ml) buttermilk or 2% milk will also work
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).¾ cup whole milk¹
- Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable.
- Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.
- Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2 ¾" round biscuit cutter with flour.
- Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than ½" apart on baking sheet.
- Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.
- Bake on 425F for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.
- If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Penny likes to supervise the photography process. Fortunately, this setup got her vote of approval.
Steven
This has become my go-to biscuit recipe. So good! Today I made a half- batch of pimento cheese spiced with paprika and half dried blueberry pecan. My family loved them.
Sugar Spun Run
That sounds delicious, Steven! I am so glad the biscuits paired perfectly. 🙂
Val
The first time I tried making them I accidentally used baking SODA instead of baking POWDER. Oops! And I did not understand the concept of folding the dough. Second time turned out great!! Never making biscuits from the can again!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the second time around turned out perfectly for you, Val. Thanks for trying my recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Elizabeth Tickle
OMG! These were amazing, I’ve never grated butter before but what a perfect solution to not over mixing, biscuits were light, flakey, no need for additional butter. Held up very well with sausage gravy for breakfast. This is my perfect go to biscuit recipe. I used Kerry Gold butter and 1/2 n 1/2 since my daughter in law only uses Almond milk and I’ve not had success baking with that . I have creamer for my coffee and the biscuits just took a little longer to bake by about 4-5 minutes.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! I am so glad that this recipe has become a family favorite. Thank you for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Keisha
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Keisha! I am so glad that you enjoyed them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Jeri A Harris
These are delicious! I brushed the tops of mine with melted butter when there was 3 minutes left on the timer. AWESOME!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Jeri I am so glad that you enjoyed them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Meagan Marazzo
These biscuits are the bomb diggity! My boys can not get enough! They rise beautifully, are not doughy, and are nice and fluffly. I do not have a pastry cutter so I mixed half the butter and all the flour in my food processor and thinly sliced the remaining frozen butter and stirred it in to the flour mixture. Turned out GREAT!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Meagan! I am so glad that you enjoyed them. 🙂
Alle Hitchcock
Fantastic recipe. Thank you for all the detailed instructions.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Alle! I am so glad that you enjoyed them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Brandi
Can I make the dough, cut the biscuits out, bake half and freeze the other half before baking? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Brandi
Sugar Spun Run
Absolutely, Brandi! The only recommendation I would make is to store the cut biscuit dough in an airtight container. Sometimes I will align the container with parchment/wax paper and layer the biscuits in between the layers. I hope that you enjoy them! 🙂
Brittany
Can I use 2% milk by any chance?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Brittany! Yes, 2% Milk will work just fine. 🙂
Brittany
They worked out! I used salted butter so I didn’t use salt. I felt the tops and bottom were salty but not the inside so I may put a dash of salt next time. The butter grated surprisingly easy! I must not have worked the dough well as I folded over several times because when I went to cut them they were almost unattached in the middle on some. So I’ll need to work on that. I used cute little scalloped edge square cutters. Might as well have fun with it! I made 9 square small biscuits and 1 random hand shaped round one and one heart (that didn’t turn out well). Overall, we really enjoyed them with salted butter and jelly on them!!! Thank you! Oh and I used 2% milk!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Brittany! 🙂
Mary Miller
Ok, i wanted to make as good as my mommy,
But, my bisquits were to flat, help
Sugar Spun Run
I am sorry that your biscuits turned out flat, Mary! It sounds like either the baking powder may have been bad or the dough was accidentally over-worked. If the baking powder is OK I would recommend checking out the video in the post, which may be helpful.
Summer
Thank you for this! I had made a batch of chili beans and remembered that I always have biscuits with it. Rather than continue to pepper my mom with recipe questions, I found your post. Such a clear and quick recipe. They turned out delicious!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Summer! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting! 🙂
Sandra
I’m just about to put a double batch in the oven. That’s right, a DOUBLE batch…they are that good! This is my third time making this super yummy recipe! My family can’t get enough.
Thanks 😍
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that this recipe has become a staple in your home and new family favorite, Sandra! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. Enjoy your double batch. 😉
Jayda
Can you use parkay instead of butter?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jayda! I have never used margarine in this recipe, however, others have and reported success. The margarine does not freeze as well and will be softer when grating. Keep me posted on how it works for you. 🙂
Joan Ogden
I only have salted butter. How much should I reduce the added salt by? I’m looking forward to trying this recipe tonight for soup night!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Joan! Yes, you can use salted butter. If you do, I would just omit the salt that is listed. I hope that you enjoy the biscuits. 🙂
Sarah
My mixture the last two times I have tried the recipe has been too crumbly to handle. Any suggestions?
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no, Sarah! I am so sorry that you are experiencing issues. It sounds like too much flour was added. Overmeasuring the flour is a common mistake in baking so I have created a guide that can be used as a reference for next time. You can try to save your current dough but adding in more milk. Fingers crossed that works. 🙁