Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Golden on top, tender in the middle, and pulling apart into soft flaky layers — these homemade buttermilk biscuits are everything a biscuit should be. Made from scratch with just six simple ingredients, this is the recipe your family will ask for every weekend.

Be sure to serve these with homemade sausage gravy for the ultimate comfort food breakfast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There is something about a homemade buttermilk biscuit that no store-bought version can ever replicate. These buttermilk biscuits have been made in home kitchens for generations, and for good reason. They are simple, reliable, and delicious.

Here is why this recipe will become a family staple:

• Six ingredients. Nothing fancy, nothing hard to find — just pantry staples you likely already have.
• Simple and straightforward. Mix, shape, and bake — no complicated techniques or special equipment required.
• Perfectly flaky layers. Cold butter and cold buttermilk are the secret to that signature pull-apart texture.
• No mixer needed. A bowl, a pastry cutter, and your hands are all you need.
• Versatile. Serve them for breakfast with gravy, at dinner alongside soup, or split and loaded with jam and butter.

What Are Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits?

In the United States, buttermilk biscuits are a type of quick bread — meaning they rise with baking powder and baking soda rather than yeast. They are similar to a scone but typically less sweet and with a softer, more tender crumb.

The homemade version keeps things simple: no folding technique, no fancy lamination, no food processor required. Just cold ingredients, a light hand, and a hot oven.

Baking Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits in a Cast Iron Skillet

If you have a cast-iron skillet, this is absolutely worth trying. Cast iron holds and distributes heat in a way that a standard baking sheet simply cannot replicate — and the results speak for themselves. The bottoms come out with a deep, golden, crispy crust while the tops stay soft and tender. It is a combination that is hard to beat.

Readers who have made these in cast iron consistently rave about the results — the crispy bottom crust and the way the biscuits hold together when pulled apart. Once you try it this way, it is hard to go back to a baking sheet.

Ingredients for Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

This homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe uses just six ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• All-purpose flour — Standard all-purpose flour works perfectly. Keep it cold for best results; storing a bag in the freezer specifically for biscuit making is worth doing.
• Baking powder — Provides the lift that gives these biscuits their tall, fluffy rise.
• Baking soda — Works together with the acidity in the buttermilk to create an extra-light texture.
• Salt — Brings the flavors together. Celtic sea salt is a great choice.
• Cold butter — The most important ingredient for flaky biscuits. It must be straight-from-the-refrigerator cold, cut into small slices before adding to the flour.
• Cold buttermilk — Buttermilk’s natural acidity reacts with the leavening agents to create a tender, fluffy interior. This recipe uses 1¼ cups — measure carefully, as too much buttermilk makes the dough sticky and difficult to work with. Do not substitute regular milk; the chemistry is different, and the result will not be the same.

Kitchen Essentials (affiliate links): Large mixing bowl | pastry cutter | rolling pin | 3¼-inch biscuit cutter | baking sheet

How to Make Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Step 1: Preheat Your Oven

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. If using a cast-iron skillet, place it in the oven now so it preheats with the oven — a hot skillet gives the biscuit bottoms a beautifully crispy, golden crust.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.

Step 3: Cut in the Butter

Using a pastry cutter (or two forks), cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Work quickly here — the goal is to keep the butter cold. If your kitchen is warm, pop the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes after mixing.

Step 4: Add the Buttermilk

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Stir just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl — no more than 30 seconds. The dough will look a little shaggy, and that is exactly right.

Step 5: Knead and Roll the Dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough just until it comes together and is no longer sticky — under one minute. Do not overwork it.

For extra flaky layers, try this simple technique: pat the dough into a rough rectangle, fold it in half, then gently pat it out again. Repeat this two or three times before rolling. This creates distinct layers without overhandling the dough.

Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick using a lightly floured rolling pin.

Step 6: Cut the Biscuits

Using a 3¼-inch biscuit cutter lightly dipped in flour, press straight down into the dough and lift straight back up. Do not twist the cutter. Twisting seals the edges and prevents the biscuits from rising properly.

To reroll the scraps, gather them and gently press the pieces together with your hands — do not knead them back into a ball, as that overdevelops the gluten and makes the biscuits tough. Stack the scraps on top of each other, press lightly, and cut one or two more biscuits. These second-cut biscuits will be slightly less tender than the first round, but still delicious.

Step 7: Bake

Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, or carefully remove the preheated cast iron skillet from the oven using an oven mitt and place the biscuits directly in it. For softer sides, position the biscuits so they are touching. For crispier sides, space them slightly apart.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Keep a close eye on them — oven temperatures vary, and thickness affects bake time.

Step 8: Serve

Remove from the oven and serve warm. These are best fresh from the oven, but they reheat beautifully too.

Tips for the Best Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

• The secret to great homemade buttermilk biscuits is cold butter and cold buttermilk — non-negotiable. The butter needs to stay solid until it hits the oven — when it melts, it releases steam that creates those flaky layers. If you have time, chill your mixing bowl too.
• Unlike yeast breads, buttermilk biscuits are leavened chemically, so all of the rise happens in the oven. Cut them and get them straight into the hot oven; there’s no need to rise.
• Do not overmix. This is the number one biscuit mistake. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which leads to tough, flat biscuits. Stir just until combined, then stop.
• Do not twist the biscuit cutter. Press straight down, lift straight up.
• Use real buttermilk. The acidity in buttermilk is what makes these biscuits light and tender. Regular milk will not give you the same result.
• Space them intentionally. Touching biscuits rises taller and has softer sides. Spaced biscuits have crispier edges. Both are delicious — it just depends on what you prefer.

How to Store Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

• At room temperature: Store leftover homemade buttermilk biscuits in an airtight container for up to three days.
• Reheating: Preheat the oven to 350°F and warm the biscuits for 3 to 5 minutes. This brings them back to life far better than a microwave does.
• Freezing baked biscuits: Let biscuits cool completely, then place in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F for about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Freezing unbaked biscuits: Cut the biscuits and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about one hour, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 425°F, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the bake time.

Recipe FAQs

What makes buttermilk biscuits different from regular biscuits? The buttermilk. Its natural acidity reacts with the baking soda and baking powder to create a more tender crumb and better rise. It also adds a subtle tang that makes these biscuits taste distinctly homemade.

Can I make a buttermilk substitute? Yes. Measure 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a two-cup measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to reach the 1¼ cup line. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes before using.

What happens if I use milk instead of buttermilk? The biscuits will still bake, but they will be less tender and will not rise as well. The acidity in buttermilk is what activates the baking soda — without it, you lose some of that lift and lightness.

Why do my biscuits come out flat? The most common causes are butter that was too warm, overmixed dough, or twisting the biscuit cutter. Make sure all your ingredients are cold, mix the dough as little as possible, and press the cutter straight down without twisting.

Can I make biscuit dough ahead of time? Yes. You can prepare the dough, cut the biscuits, and refrigerate them on a covered baking sheet overnight. Bake them fresh in the morning directly from the refrigerator.

Can I use lard instead of butter? Absolutely. Lard was traditionally used in homemade buttermilk biscuit recipes and produces a wonderfully flaky, rich result. Use the same amount as the butter.

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