The most delicious fluffy homemade biscuits we’ve ever made! Our easy recipe calls for flour, butter, baking powder, and milk (or buttermilk). Our recipe makes biscuits that are big, tall, fluffy, and delicious.
Watch the video
⭐️ Our readers love these simple, buttery drop biscuits!
2 Secrets for making the best biscuits
- Very cold butter makes these taste incredible. It also helps to make the crumb light, airy, and tender.
- Extra baking powder keeps our biscuits light and fluffy in the middle. Be sure to use fresh (new) baking powder for the best results. The USDA recommends keeping opened packages of baking powder at room temperature for 3 months.
We’ve made a lot of biscuits, but this easy biscuits recipe is the one we turn to the most!
For the best biscuits, use a food processor
A food processor is an excellent tool for cutting the cold butter into our flour mixture since it’s quick. We use it to make our favorite all-butter pie crust for the same reason.
⭐️ When cutting the butter into the flour, you want to be as quick as possible so that the butter does not warm up. Cold butter = flaky, tender biscuits
When the butter and flour look crumbly, we stir in milk (or use buttermilk), and then form the dough. You want biscuit dough to look shaggy, with lots of specks of butter.
We don’t use a rolling pin to roll out our dough. Instead, we press the dough out with our fingers. You can see us do this in our recipe video.
⭐️ For extra flaky layers, press the biscuit dough into a rough rectangle and then fold the sides into the middle, like a letter. Then we rotate the new rectangle, press it out, and do it again.
If the dough needs it, we will do it for a third time before pressing it into a final rectangle and cutting out our biscuits. If any of that seems confusing, please watch our video. I promise it isn’t difficult.
Can I make biscuits by hand without a food processor?
Yes, absolutely. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl, and use your hands or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. We do this when making our easy drop biscuits and these cheese biscuits.
If you start to notice your butter is softening too much or if your kitchen is very warm, place the bowl with flour and butter into the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the milk.
Biscuits bake better when they are placed close together
We use an oven-safe skillet to bake biscuits. These actually bake up better when they are placed close together. Since we use such a hot oven, the liquid in the dough steams and helps them to rise. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, use a baking sheet, but place the biscuits closer together than you would cookie dough.
What to serve with biscuits
I love serving these biscuits while they are still warm. Here are some ideas for how to serve them:
- With melted butter brushed on top.
- With this homemade honey butter (it’s so very good).
- With apple butter, this delicious pumpkin butter, or jam.
- Next to scrambled eggs (this is my favorite method for making them).
- Make a breakfast sandwich, here’s our recipe for make-ahead breakfast sandwiches (we use English muffins, but swapping in biscuits would be amazing).
- On the side of soup or chili. I love this broccoli cheddar soup and Adam loves this homemade chili.
Best flour for biscuits
We use all-purpose flour since that’s what is available where we live. However, some stores sell soft white wheat flour (lower protein), like White Lilly, Martha White, and Bob’s Red Mill Fine Pastry Flour. These are all excellent options for biscuits since their lower protein content shuts down gluten formation, which means they will be light, fluffy, and tender. If you can find lower protein flour, use it!
Can I use self-rising flour for biscuits?
Yes, but not for this recipe. Self-rising flour is pre-mixed flour, baking powder, and salt. Some recipes for biscuits use it, but we mix baking powder and all-purpose flour ourselves. To make these biscuits tall and fluffy, we add more baking powder than usual.
If you use self-rising flour, there won’t be enough baking powder added to the biscuits dough. If self-rising flour is all you have, use it, but whisk in 2 extra teaspoons of baking powder. We use self-raising flour when making chicken and dumplings.
⭐️ We use 5 teaspoons of baking powder in this biscuits recipe. I know that seems like a lot of baking powder, but trust me. The extra baking powder in this recipe is a game-changer for making our biscuits fluffy and tender.
Our favorite butter for biscuits
I love using European-style salted butter, like Kerrygold or Plugra, since they make our biscuits tender and delicious. If you don’t have European salted butter on hand, plain butter works (salted or unsalted). I love the slightly more salty flavor when salted butter is used in our recipe, but you can always hold back on some of the salt called for in the recipe if you aren’t looking for more savory/salty biscuits.
Our Best Fluffy Biscuits
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These are the most tender and fluffy homemade biscuits we’ve ever made. Our recipe calls for flour, butter, baking powder, baking soda, and milk. These biscuits are big, tall, tender, and delicious. My preferred method is to get out my food processor. It’s an excellent tool for cutting the cold butter into our flour mixture since it’s quick. If you don’t feel like getting your food processor out, you can use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour (tips are provided in the notes section).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour, see notes for self-rising flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, see notes
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (207 ml) whole milk or buttermilk
Directions
1Heat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit and set aside an oven-safe 10-inch or 12-inch skillet like a cast iron pan or, if you do not have one, set aside a baking sheet instead.
2Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse three to four times so that it is mixed.
3Cut the cold butter into cubes or thin slices, then scatter it over the flour in the food processor. Pulse 5 to 7 times or until the butter turns into tiny bits — see our photos and video for reference.
4Empty the butter-flour mixture into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, and then pour in the milk (or buttermilk). Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
5Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, and then bring the dough together with your hands. It might be a bit sticky, so add flour as needed.
6Without working the dough too much, pat it down into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter — see our photos and video for reference. Rotate the rectangle 90 degrees, and then repeat this process two more times.
7Pat the dough into a rectangle between 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch thick. Then use a biscuit cutter to cut out your biscuits — we use a 3-inch round cutter. Do not twist the cutter, as this will seal the edges of the biscuits and prevent them from rising.
8Place the cut-out biscuits into the skillet (or onto a baking sheet). Keeping them close to each other helps them rise.
9Gently press together the scraps and use them to make more biscuits, but be careful not to overwork the dough, or else they will be tough.
10Bake the biscuits until golden brown and have risen, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- No Food Processor: Whisk or sift the dry ingredients together. Cut the butter into small cubes. Scatter the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture, then use a pastry blender or your fingers to cut or rub the butter in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Milk or Buttermilk: Use milk or buttermilk in this recipe. Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor to the biscuits and makes them slightly more tender.
- Butter: We use salted European butter in this recipe. It will work with unsalted or salted butter. I like the extra saltiness of salted butter, but you can reduce the salt to 3/4 teaspoon if you prefer.
- Self-rising flour: If you use self-rising flour, there won’t be enough baking powder added to the biscuit dough. So, if self-rising flour is all you have, use it, but whisk in 2 extra teaspoons of baking powder. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt instead.
- Recipe inspired and adapted from Sam Sifton’s All-Purpose Biscuits as well as our Buttermilk Biscuits
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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Absolutely delicious. We eat then with butter and honey. Super easy to make. It did took me more than 15min to golden though. 1st time baking biscuits.
Butter and honey is a favorite in our household as well. So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Surely these are scones?
Hi David, depending on where you live these might be considered scones. In the US they are biscuits 🙂
Is it possible to make these the day before and store them in the fridge until I need to bake them?
Great question, we have not tried this ourselves, but I think you should be okay.
Yes. You can make the recipe as is. All the way to cut biscuits ready to cook. You can use a bug feezer bag but place wax paper between layers. Freeze them. Easily a month if needed.
Then when ready. Preheat your 425. Place on lightly buttered surface. Brush with milk and Cook from frozen 18-20 min.
This is similar to the recipe l’ve been using over 30 yrs. Add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to dry ingredients, it makes for a lighter biscuit 😋
Hi Carolyn, We’ve never added cream of tartar to biscuits. I’ll give it a try next time.
So delicious they came out great! Thank you 😊
Absolutely the best recipe I have EVER tried ! 😋
First time making buiscuts & my husband LOVES them! They are SO good! I added seasonings to the dough then when mixing the dough added a little cheddar cheese! Thank you for the recipe!
Love the cheese addition and we are so glad that your family loves the biscuits 🙂
These biscuits are delicious 😋 they are moist and fluffy.
I was wondering if I could use heavy whipping cream instead of milk? Thinking of how ppl are now adding heavy whipping cream in pans with Grands cinnamon rolls to make them bigger and fluffier. What do you think?
Hi Angela, We have never tried this ourselves, but are curious. If you try it, let us know how it turns out.
First time making homemade biscuits and I used this recipe! Perfect recipe! Taste delicious and fam loves them!
I cook and bake often and I’ve tried many biscuit recipes over the years looking for THE recipe. I’ve never used a recipe more than once because although I may have been satisfied with the finished product I was never happy with it. My search is over. These are not only the best biscuits I’ve ever made but they are the best ones I’ve ever had. Thank you.
Wow! What a wonderful thing to say! You have made our day. We are thrilled that you loved the recipe 🙂
This is one hell of a biscuit! You see, it’s a funny thing growing up and the one thing that I cannot duplicate are my mama’s biscuits. Don’t ask why, it’s beyond me. But boy do I try. These guys stand tall, are true to the name fluffy, and just plain perfect… and they were topped with a chorizo cream gravy and a poached egg. Delicious! Thank you for your biscuits!
What an amazing thing to say. We really appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave such a nice comment. We are thrilled that you loved the fluffy biscuits 🙂
I made these on Saturday and they were the best buttermilk biscuits I’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe!
This is so wonderful! Thank you for coming back, Jennifer!
Well, I was skeptical at first, but I wanted to try your recipe. It’s so straightforward I felt I could not fail. My mother was from Kentucky and truly made the best butermilk biscuits on earth! So, they’re out of the oven and the verdict is in. This is my go-to biscuit recipe from now on. The only tweaks I will make next time are reduce or eliminate the sugar, add more salt, and add more buttermilk. My flour must have been dry.
They rose up sky high. The texture was perfect, tender, tight crumb, not gummy in the middle, golden brown top and bottom. Tasted great! I only eat them with a dab of butter while they’re hot.
Good job! Thank you!