Fluffy Homemade Biscuits (VIDEO) (2024)

Homemade Biscuits are so easy to make and these are the fluffiest biscuits you’ll try – buttery and soft with an impressive rise. This Biscuit Recipe has just 6 simple ingredients that come together fast, and there is no rising time required.

Watch the video tutorial and you’ll see how easy it is to whip up a batch of biscuits from scratch – you won’t want the storebought version again! Once you master the art of making biscuits, you’re well on your way to enjoying Strawberry Shortcake or Biscuits and Gravy.

Fluffy Homemade Biscuits (VIDEO) (1)

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Biscuits Recipe Video Tutorial

Why You’ll Love This Biscuit Recipe

If you love homemade bread and fresh dinner rolls, but don’t like to wait for them to rise and proof, this biscuit recipe is for you. They’re perfect for any cooking skill level and taste way better than store-bought biscuits out of a can.

  • QUICK – No rising time
  • Simple ingredients – using pantry and refrigerator staples
  • No fancy equipment needed – just a bowl and a pastry cutter or knives, etc (options below)
  • Fail-proof and forgiving – even if make them ugly, they will taste awesome
  • Make-ahead – to make busy mornings convenient
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Ingredients for Biscuits

  • Flour – all-purpose flour works best for a tender crumb
  • Baking Powder – use aluminum-free and make sure to sift if you see clumps in your baking powder.
  • Salt and sugar – add just the right amount of flavor.
  • Unsalted Butter – be sure it’s cold, right from the refrigerator.
  • Half and Half – this is also called “light cream.” Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
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Pro Tip:

If you don’t have half and half, you can make it by combining equal parts of milk and heavy whipping cream.

Tips for the Best Homemade Biscuits

  • Measure flour correctly – spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top. Read our post on how to measure ingredients.
  • Dip your pastry cutter into flour between each cut. This will create a cleaner cut for a better rise.
  • Cut Biscuits straight down. Don’t turn your cutter side to side and do not use a sawing motion. Cutting straight down will help the biscuits rise better.
  • Use cold butter. The key to making great biscuits is to use cold butter. We dice up the butter and then refrigerate it until ready to use. Cold butter will produce the fluffiest layers in your biscuits.
  • Do not over-mix – once liquids touch the flour, mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.
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Tools for Making Biscuits

The best thing about making homemade biscuits is that you don’t need any fancy equipment. Here are the tools we use to make the process super quick and easy:

  • Baking Sheet – line it with a sheet of parchment paper
  • Biscuit Cutter – we used a 2 1/2″ diameter round cutter.
  • Pastry Blender – to cut butter into the flour. You can also use a fork with wide tines, two knives, or a food processor.
  • Mixing Bowl – this dough comes together in 1 bowl (we used a 4 qt).
  • Wooden spoon or spatula – to stir in the liquid ingredients
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How to Make Biscuits:

  • Dice butter – Cut into 1/2″ cubes and refrigerate until needed.
  • Whisk dry ingredients – In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk until really well combined before adding butter and liquids.
  • Add diced butter to the flour mixture and cut it into the flour until the largest pieces are pea-sized. It’s easy with a pastry blender.
  • Add liquids -Pour in all the half and half at once and stir it in until the dry ingredients are just moistened then transfer to a floured surface. If the dough is too moist, dust the top with flour.
  • Shape the dough into a rectangle and fold in half. Shape into a rectangle again and fold a second time. Shape dough into a 5×10″ rectangle and cut out 8 2 1/2″ diameter circles. You can pull together the scraps to form 2 more biscuits.
  • Bake – Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 450˚F for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Brush hot biscuits with melted butter.
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Pro Tip:

For the Softest Biscuits, be sure not to overmix the dough so it doesn’t release gluten strands which can cause the biscuits to be tough. You should be able to see bits of butter in the dough.

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Common Questions

Do I need to use a biscuit cutter?

If you don’t have a round biscuit cutter, you can use a knife or a bench scraper to cut biscuits into squares. Just be sure to cut straight down and don’t use a back-and-forth sawing motion.

Can I use salted butter?

We use unsalted butter in all of our baking and cooking since we can control the salt. You can substitute with salted butter and use a little less salt.

Can I use a food processor for biscuits?

To use a food processor, pulse together dry ingredients, then add chilled diced butter and pulse just until the largest pieces are pea-sized. Add just 3/4 cup half and half and pulse only until combined.

Why are my biscuits hard?

Overworking the dough can release gluten strands and cause biscuits to be tough. Also, be sure not to over-bake which can dry out the biscuits.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely! You can easily make a double batch. It will take a little more time to cut the butter into the flour but the bake time should remain the same. If using a food processor, you may need to make the dough in two separate batches depending on the size of your food processor bowl.

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Serve Biscuits with

  • Gravy – there’s nothing more classic than biscuits and gravy.
  • Jam – spread sweet jam over biscuits and enjoy them with tea.
  • Honey Butter – we love how butter melts onto a warm biscuit
  • Breakfast Sandwiches – break the biscuit in half and use it for a sandwich.
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Make-Ahead

It’s easy to make biscuits in advance. You can prep them in advance and enjoy freshly baked biscuits in the morning.

  • Overnight Biscuits – Cut the biscuits, place them on a baking sheet then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Uncover and bake before serving. Bake the cold biscuits in a fully preheated oven.
  • Storage – once the biscuits are cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator. Biscuits can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Homemade biscuits truly are easy and such a treat. These always disappear fast and are a hit with our whole family. The kiddos can’t resist a warm buttered biscuit.

More Quick Bread Recipes

Quick Breads are great because they don’t need rising time. Instead of using yeast, they use baking soda or baking powder for leavening to give them a beautiful rise. If you love these homemade biscuits, then you won’t want to miss our top-rated quick-bread recipes.

  • Banana Bread
  • Irish Soda Bread
  • Flour Tortillas
  • Zucchini Bread
  • Scones
  • Pumpkin Bread

Fluffy Homemade Biscuits Recipe

4.98 from 410 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Fluffy Homemade Biscuits (VIDEO) (11)

This is the only Biscuit Recipe you will need. Homemade Biscuits are super soft and these are quick and easy to make with just 6 ingredients.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 10 biscuits

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder, (aluminum free)
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp salt, (we use fine sea salt)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold (8 Tbsp = 1/2 cup)
  • 1 cup half and half (minus 2 Tbsp)*
  • 1/2 Tbsp melted butter, to brush the baked biscuits

Instructions

Make the Biscuit Dough:

  • Dice butter into 1/2" cubes and refrigerate until needed.

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk thoroughly.

  • Add diced cold butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender (or two knives or a fork), until the largest butter pieces are pea-sized.

  • Add 1 cup – minus 2 Tbsp of Half and Half all at once and stir until mixture comes together and is mostly moistened. Do not over-mix.

Fold Dough and Cut Biscuits:

  • Turn dough out onto a floured surface. If dough is very sticky, lightly sprinkle the top with flour.

  • Pat dough into a rectangle then fold it in half and pat into another rectangle. Fold a second time and pat into a 5"x10" rectangle or 3/4" thickness. Dip a 2 1/2" round biscuit cutter into flour and cut out 8 biscults. Pull together scraps and form into a rectangle to cut an extra 2 biscuits.

Bake Biscuits:

  • Place biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet 1-inch apart and bake at 450˚F for 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown and biscuits are baked through. While biscuits are hot, brush tops with 1/2 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes then serve.

Notes

*Notes on half and half – you can substitute with equal parts heavy cream and milk. In very humid climates, reduce the amount of half and a half to 3/4 cup.

Nutrition Per Serving

212kcal Calories21g Carbs3g Protein13g Fat8g Saturated Fat35mg Cholesterol193mg Sodium240mg Potassium1g Fiber1g Sugar387IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C110mg Calcium1mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Fluffy Homemade Biscuits Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

212

% Daily Value*

Fat

13

g

20

%

Saturated Fat

8

g

50

%

Cholesterol

35

mg

12

%

Potassium

240

mg

7

%

Carbohydrates

21

g

7

%

Fiber

1

g

4

%

Sugar

1

g

1

%

Protein

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

387

IU

8

%

Vitamin C

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

110

mg

11

%

Iron

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: biscuit recipe, biscuits, homemade biscuits

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 212

Natasha Kravchuk

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Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Fluffy Homemade Biscuits (VIDEO) (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making biscuits rise? ›

Embrace stacking. In biscuit-making, height and flakiness go hand in hand. Why? Because the layers of butter that get compressed and stacked as you build your biscuits are what create those flakey biscuit bits, and they also create steam in the oven — which helps the biscuits to expand as tall as possible.

What causes biscuits to not be fluffy? ›

Not Soft or Fluffy
  • Fat pieces too large. SOLUTION. For a soft and fluffy biscuit, scone or shortcake, fat pieces should be the size of coarse crumbs (Think of cake or muffin crumbs, not dried bread crumbs). ...
  • Too much air circulation; crust overbakes and dries out too much. SOLUTION.

What makes homemade biscuits heavy? ›

More fat will make softer biscuits, which could be a good thing. Too little fat will result in dry and heavy biscuits. The type of flour you use is important.

What makes biscuits rise better baking powder or baking soda? ›

Baking soda is a much more powerful leavener than baking powder, about 3-4 times as strong.

What does adding an egg to biscuits do? ›

As it turns out, adding hard-boiled egg yolks to your biscuit dough is a way to ward off an overworked, tough dough that can be the downfall of a butter-based pastry. When the trick is employed, the pastry shatters and then dissolves in your mouth quickly, tasting like a knob of flaky butter.

Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›

Heavy cream provides rich butterfat that gives the biscuits tenderness and flavor, as well as moisture from its water content. The formula requires minimal mixing, reducing the risk of too much gluten development.

Should you chill biscuit dough before baking? ›

And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.

What temperature are biscuits done at? ›

Baked goods temperature chart
Baked goodPull Temperature
Quick breads, muffins, cornbread, biscuits, scones200–205°F (93–96°C)
Cake, cupcakes, angel food cake200–209°F (93–98°C)
Molten (lava) cake160°F (71°C)
Pound cake210°F (99°C)
6 more rows

What are the two most important steps in biscuit making? ›

The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.

Are biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›

The butter version rises the highest — look at those flaky layers! The shortening biscuit is slightly shorter and a bit drier, too. Butter contains a bit of water, which helps create steam and gives baked goods a boost.

What makes biscuits taste better? ›

Use good butter and dairy

Because biscuit recipes call for so few ingredients, it's important that every one is high quality—you'll really taste the difference. Catherine recommends splurging a bit on a grass-fed butter or European-style butter (now's the time to reach for Kerrygold!).

Why aren't my biscuits light and fluffy? ›

The key to making great biscuits is to use cold butter. We dice up the butter and then refrigerate it until ready to use. Cold butter will produce the fluffiest layers in your biscuits. Do not over-mix – once liquids touch the flour, mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.

What happens if you add too much milk to biscuits? ›

If you add too much liquid, it will not ruin the biscuits, but the dough will be very sticky and more difficult to work with. If you find your dough is too sticky, you may add a bit more all-purpose flour OR you can make them more like drop biscuits (dropping balls of dough on a pan instead of rolling out the dough.

What ingredient makes biscuits rise? ›

While biscuits receive some leavening power from chemical sources — baking powder and baking soda — the difference between serviceable and greatness comes from the extra rise that steam provides.

What is the simple secret to taller biscuits? ›

The biggest tip for creating tall and flaky biscuits is to put the biscuits in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking them. Once they are on the baking sheet, just pop the whole thing in the freezer.

What ingredient most caused the biscuits to rise? ›

Baking powder and baking soda are what we call chemical leavening agents, meaning they make our baked goods rise. A chemical leavening agent will form carbon dioxide bubbles making your biscuits rise.

What is the raising agent used in biscuits? ›

A common chemical raising agent used in food is baking powder, which contains two active ingredients, bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate - something called an alkali) and cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate - something called an acid).

Does butter help biscuits rise? ›

All Butter Dough

The cold chunks of butter are important because as they melt into the biscuit while baking they create tiny pockets of steam that puffs and lifts the dough. These pockets turn into that beautiful light and flaky texture we crave with biscuits.

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