Flaky, golden buttermilk biscuits. If happiness had a flavor, it probably would taste like these.

Some mornings I wake up with such a wicked craving for buttermilk biscuits. Once I learned a few simple techniques, I could finally satisfy that craving. — There are mornings where I wake up with a wicked craving for buttermilk biscuits. I’ve invested some time over the decades to figure out how to make them as quickly, and easily as possible. Below I share a few simple techniques, such as how to cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a food processor.

Just the Recipe | 12-16 Biscuits

Ingredients

4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Tbs Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

8 TBS. Butter, Chilled

1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk, Chilled

Oven Temp: 450° | Baking Sheet

Steps

Prep: Dice the butter into small cubes. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor (use the multi-purpose blade), pulsing together to combine.
Add the chilled butter, separating any cubes that stuck together in the freezer, and pulse. Continue to pulse until the butter is well mixed into the dry ingredients. It should be about the size of small peas or lentils.
Move the dry ingredients and butter mixture to a large bowl. Use a spoon to make a well in the center. Pour the buttermilk into the well. Working your way in from the sides of the bowl, stir to combine. A craggy dough should form. Some flour on the bottom may be loose. Try to incorporate without over stirring, some loose flour is ok.
Pour the mix onto a lightly floured board or counter. Knead the dough, incorporating loose flour, and folding the dough over itself about 6 to 8 times. You don’t want to over knead it. Be gentle and move quickly.
Pat the dough gently into a rectangle(ish) shape that’s about 1 1/2” thick, evenly.
Using a knife, cut into square biscuits. The ends won’t be square, but rather more of a wedge shape. Try to keep the biscuits roughly the same size. If you have two very small ends, lightly press them together to form one larger square.
Place biscuits so they are almost touching on the pan.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Serve hot from the oven with butter and jam.

Store in an airtight contain and re-heat to serve.

Putting the dough very close together encourages a rise into tall, deliciously flaky biscuits.

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Don’t over knead. I knead for maybe 20 seconds, as I’ve grown confident with this recipe I probably pull together the dough in closer to 10 seconds. But please don’t pull out a timer. You’ll get a feel for it with practice. If you’ve made buttermilk biscuits before, you know what I mean. Share your tips below!
I use silicone baking sheet liners and they work just as well as parchment paper. You don’t need to use these, it just makes clean up easier. In fact, you don’t even really need to line the baking sheet as the buttery biscuits rarely stick.
You can brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk for a nicer presentation. I often skip it because this is my “lazy” recipe. If you do brush the tops, have fun with toppings. Maybe add some flaky sea salt, or an “Everything Bagel” topping for a savory twist.
Variations:
- Make Everything Biscuits by first brushing the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk before baking and then sprinkling generously with Everything Bagel seasoning. The seasoning is a blend of equal amounts of black and white sesame seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion, poppy seeds, and a bit of coarse salt. (photo below)
- Make Cheddar Biscuits by adding 1 cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese to the flour and butter mixture before adding the buttermilk. Stir in the cheese until it is coated with flour so it distributes evenly in the mix. Don’t use pre-grated cheese, it won’t melt as nicely.
- We also like to make Pepper Jack Cheese Biscuits. When I add cheese, I also add 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper with the dry ingredients. For these variations I will brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. They are not as lazy, but they are still easy and so very delicious.
- Note: If you mix in cheese, store the cooled biscuits in the refrigerator.
You’ll want to eat these fresh from the oven. Since they will be steaming hot, serve in a basket lined with a towel to absorb the steam and keep the biscuits from getting soggy.
Cut the biscuit any size you want. On average I cut them into a 2 1/2 - 3” square. The goal of this recipe is to be easy and fun, not entered into a county fair to be judged! Eyeball it. Note that if I plan to use these biscuits for egg sandwiches, I do cut them into slightly larger squares. For serving as a dinner side, I cut a bit smaller. If you go larger or smaller, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Want round biscuits? You can use a round biscuit cutter. I use a chef’s knife to cut into squares because it is so easy, shape does not matter to me, and I don’t end up with unused dough. If you use a round biscuit cutter, you’ll be left with ends. You can pat the leftover ends into a disc and cut out the rest, but they won’t rise as high as the original cut biscuits.
You will crave these biscuits. Canned biscuit dough will only disappoint you after you make these. I am sorry. And, you are welcome!
If you love buttermilk biscuits and want to learn even more about them, I also highly recommend The Lazy Genius post on The King Biscuit. Her tips and techniques commentary are a good deep dive.

I’ve been making biscuits since I first started cooking in the mid 1990s and have tried dozens of recipes. This is the one I keep going back to because it checks all the boxes for me: easy, simple ingredients, as close to a Southern buttermilk biscuit without the fuss.