This show-stopping Biscuit Recipe is ridiculously simple to make and requires only 5 ingredients — most of which are pantry staples! Whip up a batch of these buttery biscuits to serve alongside a hearty dinner or enjoy them with butter, jam, and whipped cream for a sweet treat!
This Easy Biscuit Recipe Will Be Your Go-To!
Around the world, the word “biscuit” can mean a lot of different things — typically a type of cookie that is crisp, flat, and unleavened. Some are sweet and others savory (similar to crackers).
But in the U.S., it’s known as one of the most popular baking-powdered-leavened (no yeast) quick breads. Americans pride themselves in biscuits that rise about twice their original height with a light, tender, fluffy interior. Even golden-brown exteriors with a slight crispness and visible layers on the side indicate a perfectly flaky biscuit! And one of our favorite ways to enjoy them: pulled apart and coated in a rich sausage gravy — delicious!
Beyond this amazing recipe for biscuits and gravy, this American Biscuit recipe can top a chicken pot pie or an amazing breakfast biscuit sandwich.
And while those meals are super delicious, these biscuits are incredible all on their own. In fact, there are few things better than a hot, buttery, flaky biscuit straight from the oven, spread with copious amounts of butter, jam, or honey– and maybe even some sweetened whipped cream!
How To Make Biscuits
There are several different ways you can make this easy biscuit recipe (Other ways are explained on the recipe card.), but I’ve found the most success with a food processor. Similar to pie crust, we want to handle the dough as little as possible, and the food processor helps pull the dough together with minimal handling.
- Start with cold butter. The colder the better! We cube the butter and then freeze the cubes before starting.
- Pulse butter, flour, baking powder, and salt together until butter is broken down to the size of peas.
- Add heavy cream. Pulse until crumbs start to form and a dough begins to come together.
- Knead — Knead just enough to form a ball and then press into a 1-inch tall disc.
- Cut out biscuits, brush the tops with more cream, chill the biscuits, and then bake!
Quick Tip
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this homemade Biscuits Recipe! Use a pastry cutter or even two table knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
Biscuit Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose white flour: Make sure to spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup (rather than scoop from the bag or canister) to avoid adding too much flour.
- Granulated sugar (optional ingredient)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Heavy cream: Make sure to get full-fat, straight-from-the-fridge cream. Or use buttermilk (see “variations” box below).
- Butter: We recommend unsalted butter so you can perfectly season the biscuits to your personal preference. The better the quality of the butter used, the better the biscuits will taste.
Variations
- If you’d like to make a buttermilk biscuit recipe instead, replace the heavy whipping cream with 3/4 cup buttermilk.
- For a 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, use self-rising flour, heavy cream, and butter! You can leave out the salt and baking powder if using self-rising flour, since both are included in that mix.
Tips To Make The Best Biscuit Recipe
- Number 1 tip: Keep the butter and the dough as cold as possible! Chill the flour, freeze the butter after cutting it, and use wet ingredients straight from the fridge. The colder the biscuit dough, the better they will turn out.
- When cutting biscuits with a biscuit cutter press the cutter straight down — don’t swivel, shimmy, or shake it! This is important for how they rise. It creates firm edges in the dough that hold together.
- Go easy on the kneading. As soon as the dough comes together — STOP. A few bumps and lumps are good (really!). Remember, we want to keep the dough as cold as possible. The more you have hands on the dough, the softer the butter will become.
- Watch the bake time. Keep an eye on the biscuits while they’re in the oven so they don’t over bake.
- Let baked biscuits stand. Once you pull out the biscuits from the oven, let them stand on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes without breaking into them. The leftover heat and steam help cook the inside completely. Another quick way to check if it’s done: tap on the top — it should sound empty inside.
- Don’t use a rolling pin. It will flatten the dough too much; instead, use your hands to work the dough into a disc.
Quick Tip
Don’t have a biscuit cutter? No worries! Cut the dough into 2×2-inch squares instead!
Biscuit Recipe FAQs
Why are my biscuits flat?
Two common issues might be causing your problem:
- Old baking powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh before you start baking. This can save you time, energy, and ingredients.
- Not using cold butter: Cold butter is crucial in biscuit dough. It helps create pockets that let the biscuits rise as it melts in the oven. If the butter is too soft or melts before baking, your biscuits will turn out hard and flat because the CO2 from the baking powder escapes.
Are biscuits better with butter or shortening?
Both butter and shortening have their benefits for baking biscuits, but we prefer and recommend butter for its great flavor and flaky texture.
Shortening has a higher melting point, so it can help biscuits rise better, especially if the dough is overworked. Biscuits made with shortening tend to be more cake-like and crumbly.
However, biscuits with butter can turn out flat if not made correctly, like if the butter gets too soft before baking. But using cold butter can give biscuits a delicious taste and a wonderfully flaky texture!
Which flour is used to make biscuits?
White, all-purpose flour works great in biscuits.
Storage
Biscuits Storage
While we prefer these biscuits the same day they are made, you can store leftovers. Package the (completely cooled) biscuits in an airtight bag and refrigerate. Leftovers are best eaten within a few days.
Can you freeze baked biscuits?
Yes! Wrap the completely cooled biscuits individually in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and then freeze. They should last for 2-3 months in the freezer. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight
What To Serve With Biscuits
- Spread with Honey Butter and a little jam or this Blueberry Syrup.
- Make a ham, Swiss cheese, and hot honey sandwich (similar to these Ham and Cheese Sliders).
- Serve alongside some other breakfast favorites like this Ham and Cheese Quiche or Quiche Lorraine.
- To enjoy a biscuit recipe for dinner, try adding some fried chicken and hot honey to make a delicious dinner sandwich.
More biscuit-style bread recipes:
Biscuits
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or silicon baking mat
- 2-inch biscuit cutter or a knife to cut dough into 2 x 2 inches
- 12-cup Food Processor or pastry cutter or two knives, see note 3
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream divided, see note 1
- softened butter to brush on top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a sheet pan with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper (not foil). Cut butter into small cubes, then put in freezer to get as cold as possible—ideally about 15 minutes.
- If using a food processor, add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cubed butter from freezer into a large food processor. Pulse (don’t puree) 5–8 times at 1-second intervals. Butter should be pea-sized crumbs. (Pulse another few seconds if not.) Pour 1 cup heavy cream over everything. Pulse again just until cream is incorporated, about 8 more 1-second intervals. Don’t over-pulse; dough should still be crumbly. Scrape dough onto a clean working surface. Knead a few times to bring dough into a ball (the less kneading the better). If needed, add a sprinkle of flour, but avoid adding too much—you’ll end up with drier biscuits.
- Use your hands to press dough into a 1-inch thick disc. Grab a 2-inch biscuit cutter (see note 2 for bigger biscuits) and first press into flour, then press directly into dough (don’t wiggle or shimmy the cutter). Use a metal spatula to scrape the cut biscuit onto the prepared baking sheet (avoid touching the biscuit with your hands). Repeat until you’ve cut as many as possible, then reroll scraps, flatten, and cut out a few more. I typically get 14 or 15. See note 3 if you don’t have a food processor!
- Set biscuits close together on sheet pan, about 1/2-inches apart. (Rising close together helps them rise straight up.) Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Bake 12–16 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottoms and tops. Remove and let stand 10 minutes. (Steam will finish cooking the interior.) Out of the oven, brush on some softened butter with a pastry brush if desired. Serve warm, split in half with butter and jam, or even some cream if you’re feeling fancy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- To use a pastry cutter or two table knives, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Remove frozen, cubed butter from freezer and put right on top of dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of this bowl. Pour heavy cream, straight from the fridge, into the well. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir until combined. Do not overmix or overwork dough.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. (If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, but avoid adding too much more flour, or you’ll get dense/drier biscuits).
- Once ingredients have formed a ball, fold dough in half. Gently flatten dough with your hands to a wide rectangle. Rotate dough 90° and fold in half again. Flatten with your hands again. Repeat this process a total of 4–6 times, being careful to not overwork the dough or make it too warm.
- Finally, flatten dough to 1-inch thick. Grab a 2-inch biscuit cutter and, first press into flour, then press directly into dough (don’t wiggle the cutter). Use a metal spatula to scrape cut biscuit onto prepared baking sheet (avoid touching biscuit with your hands). Repeat until you’ve cut out as many as possible then reroll scraps, flatten, and cut out a few more. I typically get 14 or 15.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
