Making soft, tender biscuits from scratch is simpler than you think! This Easy Homemade Biscuits recipe comes together in about 30 minutes with just 5 simple ingredients you most likely already have on hand.
The usual baking suspects like butter, flour, milk, sugar, and salt are gently folded together to create tender, flaky biscuits that beat any store-bought biscuits, hands down.
We love to make these easy biscuits to serve with our favorite soups and stews to soak up all the amazing flavors, but we've been known to eat them with butter and jam too. And of course, they pair perfectly with any meal that has gravy.
If you like this easy biscuit recipe, you'll also love this No-Knead Bread and this Homemade Sandwich Bread.
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Why You'll Love These Easy Homemade Biscuits
- Just 5 ingredients: This simple biscuit recipe uses 5 basic everyday ingredients, so there's likely no need to make a run to the grocery store.
- Versatile: Biscuits are one of the most versatile foods there is. Turn them into breakfast biscuits to soak up your eggs or serve them with soups, stews, or sausage gravy.
- Adaptable: You can add some spice to these self-rising flour biscuits, throw in some herbs, or add cheese to make them your own.
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour: Make sure to use self-rising flour rather than regular all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour already contains leavening agents, which help the biscuits rise.
- Sugar: We added a touch of sugar to these biscuits for subtle sweetness.
- Frozen Butter: Grating or shredding the frozen butter makes it easier to mix and allows it to distribute more evenly into the dough.
- Milk: We prefer whole milk but you can use low fat milk if you prefer. Also, use buttermilk instead if you prefer to make a buttermilk biscuit recipe.
- Salt: A pinch of salt helps bring out the flavor of the biscuits.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Use all-purpose flour: If you want to make these easy homemade biscuits with all-purpose flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Add herbs: Stir chopped chives, basil, oregano, or rosemary into the batter.
- Mix in cheese: Add grated cheddar or parmesan cheese to the biscuit mix.
- Add a touch of spice: Add green chilies or jalapenos to give these biscuits a little kick of heat. Even better when paired with some cheddar too!
- For sweeter biscuits: Use more sugar and add some ground cinnamon. You can even sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top of the biscuits just before baking.
How to Make Easy Homemade Biscuits
To get started making these easy biscuits from scratch, first preheat your oven to 425° F. Then grease a cast-iron skillet or baking sheet and place it inside the oven.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
Step 2: Add the butter. Stir in the shredded butter, and using a fork, mash it into the flour.
Step 3: Add the milk: Slowly pour the milk into the flour mixture, being careful not to over mix the batter.
Step 4: Laminate the dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and fold and flip it a few times.
Step 5: Portion the dough. Cut out the biscuits with either a biscuit cutter or a wide glass.
Step 6: Bake the biscuits. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven, place the biscuits on it, and then return to the oven to bake until golden brown and fluffy.
Hint: Don't Overwork the Dough
Avoid overworking the dough as you are mixing and kneading. This causes it to stiffen up and results in tough and chewy biscuits.
Serving Suggestions
Biscuits are the perfect add-on to any meal to soak up sauce, gravy, and dressing, or to help scoop up whatever you've got on your plate. Here are some delicious ways to enjoy them.
- Pair these biscuits with some sausage and gravy for a hearty weekend breakfast or meatballs in gravy for the ultimate comfort food meal.
- Make them for lunch alongside a bowl of warming cheeseburger soup, this veggie packed creamy tortellini soup, or this flavorful lasagna soup.
- Prepare this biscuit recipe with self-rising flour to soak up this creamy corn chowder or these cowboy beans.
Expert Tips
- Frozen butter: Be sure to freeze your butter in advance, so it will be firm enough for grating or shredding when you're ready to make the biscuit dough. We recommend freezing it in chunks so it's easier to work with.
- Add flour: If you find the dough is sticking to your work surface, add a touch more flour until it doesn't stick anymore.
- Flip and fold gently: This process helps to create thin layers of the dough, so be sure to do this carefully.
- Storage: Store these homemade biscuits from scratch in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days. You can also stash them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Flash freeze on a cookie sheet, and then transfer to a container so you can easily pull out one at a time.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you want to replace the butter with shortening. We prefer the richness and additional flavor that butter provides but shortening works fine as a replacement for the fat. You will get a similar texture but the flavor will be slightly different. I recommend sticking with the butter if you can!
Yes, if you don't want to bake the entire batch, freeze the unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Thaw and bake as per the instructions in the recipe.
More Delicious Bread Recipes
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Homemade Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose self-rising flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup frozen butter shredded
- 1¼ cups milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Grease a cast iron skillet or baking sheet and place it in the oven.
- In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Then, add the shredded butter. Use a fork to mash the butter into the flour.
- Slowly start mixing the milk or buttermilk with a fork. Do not over-mix.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Fold and flip the dough 10-12 times until it is ¾" thick.
- Use a biscuit cutter or a 3" wide glass to cut out your biscuits.
- Remove the hot skillet or baking sheet from the oven and place the biscuits inside.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and fluffy.
Notes
- Frozen butter: Be sure to freeze your butter in advance, so it will be firm enough for grating or shredding when you're ready to make the biscuit dough. We recommend freezing it in chunks so it's easier to work with.
- Add flour: If you find the dough is sticking to your work surface, add a touch more flour until it doesn't stick anymore.
- Flip and fold gently: This process helps to create thin layers of the dough, so be sure do this carefully.
- Storage: Store these homemade biscuits from scratch in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days. You can also stash them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Flash freeze on a cookie sheet, and then transfer to a container so you can easily pull out one at a time.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Ryan Allen
These biscuits are so light and flaky. Perfect with just butter and jam or you can smother the in sausage gravy.
Bonnie
Great biscuit. Small enough two can eat or double the recipe.
Ryan Allen
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love that it’s the perfect size for two, and doubling it is always a great idea too!