Our easy homemade biscuit recipe makes biscuits with flaky layers you can peel apart with your fingertips, buttery bottoms with a crisp edge, and warm, pillowy centers that practically melt under your fork.
They’re made from scratch with simple ingredients, delivering a comforting richness that store-bought ones can’t quite fake, no matter how hard they try.
Early settlers to North America didn’t always have access to fresh yeast and turned to baking powder and baking soda as a quicker, more reliable way to make bread. This shift quickly gave rise to the light, fluffy biscuits we know today, which became especially popular in Southern cuisine, where they’re the perfect side to dishes like sausage gravy or fried chicken.
These buttery biscuits will elevate any meal from satisfying to extraordinary with just one bite.
They come together in just a few simple steps, making them an easy win for any home cook, even if you’re short on time.
It works either way, whether you want to make drop biscuits or use a biscuit cutter for that perfect round shape.
For a sweet breakfast, serve your homemade biscuits with our Easy Blueberry Jam, letting the jam’s sweet-tart flavor complement the biscuits’ buttery flakiness. For a savory option, pair the biscuits with our Homemade Breakfast Sausage for a hearty, satisfying start to your day.
Ingredients for Homemade Biscuits
Let’s start by gathering the necessary ingredients to prepare our homemade biscuit recipe. Culinary professionals refer to this as mise en Place, which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I Change Up the Recipe?
We used whole milk in this recipe, but you can easily swap it for buttermilk. This will add a slight tang and make the biscuits even more tender, giving them that classic buttermilk flavor.
If you want to add a little extra flavor, try swapping out some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. This will give your biscuits a slightly nuttier flavor and a bit more texture.
Add a tablespoon or two of honey or maple syrup to the dough for a slightly sweeter biscuit. This will give your biscuits a subtle sweetness without being overpowering.
How to Make Homemade Biscuits
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make homemade biscuits in your home kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pour the all-purpose flour into a large mixing bowl.
- Sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the baking powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt to the flour and whisk together to combine.
- Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter.
- Add the grated butter to the flour mixture.
- Using your hands, a rubber spatula, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Pour the whole milk into the well.
- Mix the milk into the flour mixture to make the dough. Be careful not to over-handle the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, like a cutting board or pastry mat.
- Press the dough down to make a circle about 1 inch thick to get those flaky layers, using your hands. You can also use a floured rolling pin to do this, although we suggest using your hands.
- Fold the dough halfway across, going from right to left.
- Then fold the other side over.
- Press it down again to make a 1-inch thick rectangle.
- Then fold it over halfway, this time going from top to bottom.
- Then fold the bottom up.
- Press the dough down again to a thickness of 1 inch using your hands or a floured rolling pin.
- Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter or drinking glass, punch the biscuits out of the dough.
Combine the leftover dough to make additional biscuits. Depending on the size, you’ll get 6-8 biscuits.
- Place the cut-out biscuits onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with melted butter.
- Then, place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and place the biscuits on a wire rack to cool slightly.
If you love butter, brush the tops of the biscuits with any remaining butter.
These homemade biscuits are perfect for weekend breakfasts, holiday gatherings, or turning a weeknight dinner into something special.
One bite will forever make you look at every biscuit-less plate like something’s missing.
If you’ve got leftovers, store your fluffy homemade biscuits at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days.
For longer storage, freeze the unbaked biscuits on parchment paper, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to keep the flaky layers crisp. You could also microwave them for 10 seconds to warm them through, just be careful not to dry them out.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but skip the baking powder and salt since self-rising flour already includes a leavening agent. It’s a handy shortcut if you’re low on dry ingredients.
Keep your stick of butter cold, work it into small pieces, and use a light touch when you combine flour and liquids. A gentle folding process gives the best chance at creating those signature layers.
You can, but be careful not to overmix. Use short pulses to cut in the butter just until coarse crumbs form. You still want that shaggy dough texture before turning it out.
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Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups whole milk -cold
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -frozen (1 stick)
- 1 tablespoon butter melted for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the baking powder, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt to the flour and whisk together to combine.
- Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter.
- Add the grated butter to the flour mixture.
- Using your hands or a rubber spatula, work the butter into the flour mixture until it is combined and looks flaky.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk. Mix together to make the dough. Be careful not to over-handle the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board or pastry mat.
- Using your hands, press the dough down to make a circle about 1 inch thick. You can also use a floured rolling pin to do this, although we suggest using your hands
- Fold the dough halfway across, going from right to left. Then fold the other side over.
- Press it down again to a 1-inch thick rectangle and then fold it over halfway, this time going from top to bottom. Then fold the bottom up.
- Press the dough down again to a 1 inch thickness using your hands or a floured rolling pin.
- Using a 2-inch pastry cutter or drinking glass, punch the biscuits out of the dough.
- Combine the leftover dough to make additional biscuits.Depending on the size, you'll get 6-8 biscuits.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet and place the cut-out biscuits onto the sheet.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with melted butter. Then, place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven.
- Place the biscuits on a wire rack to cool slightly. If you love butter, brush the tops of the biscuits with any remaining butter.
- Serve hot with butter and your favorite jam or jelly.
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