This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
These tall, flaky, Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits take less than 10 minutes to throw together. They're also ridiculously delicious!
"Brilliant, simply brilliant!" That’s what I said, right out loud, when I read the unbelievably easy directions for preparing these buttermilk biscuits.
The technique was created by the super-smart folks over at Cook's Illustrated. When I read their method for making drop biscuits, I figured it was too good to be true. But being a curious cat when it comes to all things culinary, I couldn't resist giving it a try.
You would have probably laughed if you saw me just after I read the article. I ran to the kitchen, turned on the oven and pulled out a bowl, along with measuring tools and the necessary ingredients. All super basic ingredients that I had in my pantry and fridge (you probably do too!). The simple cast of characters includes flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, buttermilk and butter, that's it!
Classic Technique
Why did this sound too good to be true? Well, buttermilk biscuits can be a bit tricky. The technique usually calls for combining the dry ingredients, then “cutting” in cold butter with a knife, a pastry cutter or between your fingers. The liquid is then added and everything is gently combined.
If done correctly, the tiny pieces of butter, evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, are what give classic buttermilk biscuits their lightness, flakiness and layers of peelable, buttery deliciousness. It’s not a difficult technique, just a bit time-consuming, and the results are not always consistent. The Cook's Illustrated technique is totally different... and ridiculously easy!
Ridiculously Easy Technique
How does it work? Well, I'm glad you asked... start by placing a cup of buttermilk in the freezer for a few minutes while you melt the butter in the microwave. Let the melted butter sit while you prep the other ingredients. Then, it's just a matter of combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl and giving them a good stir. The melted butter is then combined with the super-cold buttermilk. And this, my people, is when the magic begins!
When the warm butter hits the cold liquid, small, buttery globules form as you can see in the picture below.
Do you see where this is going? When this buttermilk mixture is added to the dry flour mixture and it's all stirred together, you'll notice tiny pieces of pale yellow butter dotting the simple dough. Yep, it will look just as if you spent the time to cut them in!
Would this technique work for traditional, rolled biscuits?
The Cook's Illustrated recipe is for simple drop biscuits, meaning you just drop spoonfuls onto a sheet pan, then bake. Would this technique work for a more classic, cut-out style biscuit, I wondered? You never know until you try, so I decided to give it a whirl!
I turned out the dough onto a floured work surface, kneaded it a few times, then patted it into a small, square. Dipping a round biscuit cutter in flour, I cut four circles, then rerolled the scraps and cut two more for a total of six. (Since then, I've also used a smaller cutter, yielding 8 biscuits.)
It was easy enough; actually ridiculously easy! The biscuits rolled out of the oven tall and golden brown with a heavenly aroma. But you're probably wondering how this version tastes and how they stack up to traditional buttermilk biscuits, right?
The results?
When Scott and I took the first bite, we looked at each other incredulously. The biscuits were light, tender, buttery, flaky and crazy-delicious. "Wow, these are amazing!" Scott said. I agreed.
In fact, we ate far too many that day, smothered with melted butter and strawberry jam. You'd probably frown on us if I told you these biscuits also ended up being dinner that night, so I won't share that bit of information. I guess I'll just say, it wouldn't have been a good day for counting calories!
I've had quite a few happy taste-testers since then, and everyone is shocked when they hear how easy these wonderful buttermilk biscuits are to make. In fact check out the video below, to see for yourself!
Try it! You'll be shocked (and delighted) too... you might even have the inclination to exclaim "Brilliant, simply brilliant!"
Bon Appétit!
Café Tips for making Buttermilk Biscuits
- If you don't have buttermilk, make your own. Place 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill to 1 cup level with milk and stir well. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. The mixture may curdle a bit, that's okay! Use in recipes in lieu of buttermilk.
- Don't skip chilling the buttermilk (step 2). It will definitely make a difference. If the buttermilk isn't really cold, the little butter globules won't form.
- I made these biscuits when I was in London visiting my daughter. I learned that all-purpose flour (Plain flour) is a bit different there and it seemed like I needed more, probably closer to 2 ¼ cups.
- These biscuits freeze well, both unbaked and baked. To freeze them unbaked or baked, place biscuits on a sheet pan or a plate spaced at least a half-inch from each other. Freeze till frozen, then transfer biscuits to a ziplock bag or air-tight storage container. If you've frozen them unbaked, bake them as directed in the recipe right from the freezer. Give them a couple extra minutes in the oven to compensate for the fact that they were frozen.
- If you freeze these buttermilk biscuits after baking, allow them to thaw when you're ready to use them and then warm in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 300˚F.
- If I'm feeling a bit pinched for time or just lazy, I'll pat the dough into a 6-inch circle and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into wedges. I either put these wedges on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in a 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment.
- Another shortcut is to simply scoop up the dough, right from the bowl onto a sheet pan and bake as directed.
- We love to serve these biscuits with our Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam or this Overnight Raspberry Freezer Jam.
Love these biscuits? Then you'll also go crazy over these Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits, made with the same easy technique!
Thought for the day:
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4&5
What we're listening to for inspiration:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 9 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cups all purpose flour more for counter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
-
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
-
Measure 1 cup of buttermilk and place in the freezer for 10 minutes while prepping other ingredients.
-
Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat on high for 30 seconds. If not completely melted, return to microwave for 10-second intervals till melted. Set aside while prepping other ingredients.
-
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar,and salt in large bowl.
-
After buttermilk has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes, combine it with 8 tablespoons of the melted butter. (Reserve the last tablespoon for brushing on the baked biscuits.) Stir with a fork until butter forms small clumps or globules. (See picture in the post.)
-
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until all flour is incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of the bowl. The dough should be stiff and not super wet. If the dough is wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine, until fairly stiff.
-
Generously flour a work surface. Dump biscuit dough from bowl onto prepared work surface and turn to coat all surfaces with flour. Knead on counter 5-6 times (about 30 seconds). Flip over on the work surface to coat with flour then pat into a 6-inch square. It should be a 1½-2-inches in height.
-
Cut four biscuits with a 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Knead scraps a few times till they hold together, then pat into a small rectangle and cut two more biscuits. Transfer last two biscuits to the sheet pan, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. (See Café Tips in the post for an even easier cutting technique).
-
Place in oven and bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 8 to 18 minutes. (start checking them after 8 minutes as ovens vary. You want them to be a nice golden brown, but not too brown - check the pictures above for correct color.)
-
Re-melt remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave, if necessary and brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter. Serve and enjoy!
Beverly says
I made these this morning, and just as you said, it came together fast! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the buttermilk in the freezer trick. I used a two cup, glass measuring cup to allow room for the extra liquid from the melted butter, then used the same fork I blended the milk and butter with to mix everything together. I used my hands to fold, and flatten the dough to about 1” thick, then used a 3” ring to cut out my biscuits. There were 8 regular size, and one more folded, and shaped into a small biscuit. They rose very well, too!
One trick I learned from previous test batches of other recipes is, if you place your cut biscuits on the pan JUST touching the next one, they have a better tendency of rising higher. When biscuits don’t have room to spread a little while baking, they rise up instead. Oh, and as someone else mentioned, cut straight down, and DO NOT TWIST the cutter.
These get a TWO THUMBS UP 👍🏻👍🏻 for ease, taste, and texture!! I’ll be making a larger batch for the freezer!
Thank y’all for sharing this recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Beverly for your great review and for your added tips! So happy you enjoyed them!
Marie Dean says
Absolutely delish!!! My now go too biscuit recipe!!! Thank you soo much 🍯
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Marie. So happy you enjoyed them. These biscuits are on our favorite list too!
Mondy says
My first time making buttermilk biscuits. My family loved them. I had to limit myself to two biscuits. I definitely wanted to eat a couple more. Thanks for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I totally get it! Thanks for taking the time to share your opinion, Mondy.
Patricia Mitchell says
This is now my go to recipe and since I need to make so many for my large family, a quick question, can I freeze before baking?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Patricia, yes, you definitely can. Just pop them in the oven frozen. You may need to bake them just a bit longer.
Kim says
This is now my go to biscuit recipe my husband LOVES them says their better than his moms!! Thanks for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
Wow! Better than moms? That's a wonderful compliment 🙂
Ellie says
The best biscuits that I have ever made. Made a batch for tonight's dinner of Chicken and Biscuits. Then, had another half biscuit with honey for dessert!!! Mine only needed about 9 1/2 minutes and they were perfect.
Jeanne says
I did a taste test! I made 1 batch of biscuits and then used this recipe for a batch of buttermilk biscuits . Both made very good biscuits, but the buttermilk biscuit was a prettier biscuit, flakey and tender with the bottom crust offering a very pleasing bite, without being crumbly or too dry. My family voted for the buttermilk biscuits. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing these results. I love that you went through all of this!
Jennifer says
These are incredibly delicious and incredibly easy to make! Thank you sharing the recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Jennifer! I love that you love them!
Kathy says
Oh my goodness these are the best biscuits ever!!!! After reading comments, I just want to verify that you could prepare the biscuit and freeze them unbaked, then remove from freezer and bake accordingly as needed? If that is the case, I would never buy another frozen biscuit again!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kathy, Thanks so much! Yes, you can freeze these biscuits unbaked and go right from the freezer to the oven. They will take a little longer to bake.
Maria says
Probably my best attempt at biscuits. Wish mine had the height yours had, I think next time I'll pop the cut biscuits in the freezer for a little bit. Taste was very good!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Maria! If the dough gets too warm they won't be as tall so freezing for a bit would be a good idea.
Emily says
A good sharp cutter can make a big difference in height too.
Chris Scheuer says
So true! Along with not twisting the cutter. Thanks, Maria!
Teresa Davis says
This is my “go to” biscuit recipe.
Question - how long can I wait to bake the biscuits? For instance, can I prepare them and not bake for a couple hours? Worried about all that chemistry going on during the delay. 😉
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, you can prepare them several hours in advance. Just store them in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap (to keep them from drying out). I often make them early in the morning and pop them in the fridge until we're ready for deliciousness. It's good for them to chill a bit.
Sandra says
Love these biscuits! Can I safely double the recipe?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, I've done it many times! Enjoy!!
Jessica says
Hi Chris - here in Australia and love your food blog! Can I just ask how you measure your flour? I just mixed up a batch of these biscuits and my dough was pretty sticky. Do you scoop the flour or spoon into the measuring cup and level? Just want to know for future reference so I can get these and other recipes to turn out as good as yours! Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Greetings all the way to Australia! Thanks so much, Jessica for your kind words.
I stir my flour then scoop. This dough is a bit sticky until you turn it out onto the counter. That being said, I did notice when my daughter lived in England that with the flour there, I had to use a bit more. Not sure what the difference is but I did add a little extra. Hope that helps!
Art says
Great recipe I now have a biscuit recipe that works. Love the butter trick. They turned out perfect. I had to eat one with my coffee the next day and they were still perfect.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I love it!
Annalea Magana says
hello. made these tonight to go with a big pot of soup. replaced whole milk with heavy cream to make my buttermilk. ohGoodness!!! best biscuits EVER! thanks so much for the recipe!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like a wonderful dinner! Thanks so much for sharing your results, Annalea (love your name!).
Christa says
OMG, this was the easiest way to make biscuits ever! I made mine with almond milk because I’m lactose intolerant, and the dough was a bit wet. I think almond milk isn’t as thick as buttermilk, so next time I’ll just reduce the amount a bit. But this time, I just added a bit more flour and they were perfect! I cut the dough into 8 rectangles so as not to waste any, and froze them for quicker morning prep. The frozen biscuits took about 18-20 mins to cook. They were absolutely delicious - light and flaky/crumbly! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
I love that you made these with almond milk Christa! Thanks for taking the time to share your results. I'm sure it will be helpful to other readers with lactose intolerances.
Danielle says
I made these tonight and they were easy and yummy! I’m wondering if this recipe could be adapted to make sweet biscuits like for strawberrry shortcake?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Danielle, yes definitely. I would just add about 1/4 cup of sugar and then sprinkle the tops with sugar.
elle says
wow, and i thought grating frozen butter was the coolest biscuit trick.. this is amazingly easy & quick!! hubbs is very happy as i can make biscuits everyday, haha 😂
but really, love love love!! thank you 🙏 ☺️
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! So true!
Christy Morphis says
These are the BEST biscuits I've ever put in my mouth! They are really easy and are so delish with chocolate gravy! And tons of butter melting on top of the gravy! Yummy....😋 Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like you had a feast, Christy!
Sherry says
Wonderful and so easy! Everyone in my family loved them!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Sherry. We're so happy you enjoyed them! We are seriously addicted to these biscuits 🙂
Wendy Kindel says
I love these biscuits! To rush making the buttermilk cold, I measure just under the 1 cup and add ice while melting the butter. In a few minutes I scoop out the ice, pour in the warm butter and it gets the "cut in" effect!
Chris Scheuer says
Great idea! Thanks, Wendy!
Rebecca Neustel says
Hi, I made these this morning and decided to use the White Lily self-rising flour that I save for making biscuits, so I added baking soda but not the salt and baking powder. The dough was lovely and soft, but they didn't rise high enough to cut in half. They were very delicious, soft and tender, though. Do you think I should add a little baking powder the next time I make them using the self-rising flour?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Rebecca,
I haven't tried these biscuits using self-rising flour. I think it's better to use all-purpose flour, as it does have more baking powder than the ratio of baking powder to flour in self-rising flour.
Bettye says
Have you ever tried this butter/milk method with pie crust? Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
I haven't Bettye because pie crust doesn't have enough liquid to suspend the butter as particles.
ASHley says
Hello! Can the dough be prepped before and put in the fridge?
Chris Scheuer says
Definitely! Just cover with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. I've even frozen the unbaked biscuits and they were great when baked.
Dee Dixon says
Did you bake them frozen or did you thaw them before baking?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Dee, I baked them right from the freezer!
Michaela says
Ive made these several times and LOVE THEM! I am making them this weekend for a very large group and need to quadruple the recipe. Have you ever made the dough the night before and just refrigerated until morning? Wondering if I can do this to save myself some of the morning prep.
Dianne says
OMG! These are absolutely wonderful. I am making again in a few weeks to serve with several salads at a luncheon. Thank you for sharing.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Dianne, I'm so happy you have enjoyed them as much as we do!