Southern buttermilk biscuits are flaky, buttery, and fluffy, made with few ingredients and minimal prep time. So easy, comforting, and indulgent. Plus, they’re perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
These tasty treats take you to the comfort zone that reminds you of a tight, comforting hug from Grandma. They tick every box and literally melt in your mouth. You know what? I always have a few of these in the freezer whenever the need arises—a great make-ahead time-saver, especially if you have a crowd to feed.
They’re super easy to make, not much mixing required, and yet still yield beautiful golden brown biscuits waiting to be buttered and enjoyed. With a few tips, you’ll have this often as sides on your menu, especially during the holiday season.
I love these guys with a drizzle of honey, but that’s me—the sweet tooth gal. But whatever floats your boat, savory or sweet, it sure is divine. If there’s a food that I gladly call food for the gods, then it’s the biscuit.
What Buttermilk Does for Biscuits
The buttermilk provides the acidity that activates baking soda for lots of air bubbles (carbon dioxide) and a good rise. I use both baking powder and soda for extra strength. But it does more. It tenderizes the gluten for a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and the perfect tang.
No worries if you don’t have buttermilk, because you can mix a tablespoon of vinegar with regular milk for a quick cheat.
How to Make Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
- Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
- Grate frozen butter into the flour for better fat distribution, and mix well until it’s crumbly. (Photo 1)
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the buttermilk, and stir until it forms a rough ball. Let it rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes. (Photos 2-4)
- Knead the dough gently on a floured surface 3-4 times, just enough for it to come together. (Photo 5)
- Roll it out to about ½ inch thick. Then fold the dough onto itself in thirds, roll it out again, and repeat the process about 6 times to ensure flakiness. Then roll the dough out to a 1-inch thick rectangle. (Photos 6-7)
- Cut out the biscuits with a 2-inch round cookie cutter or drinking glass. Space them evenly on your prepared baking sheet. (Photos 8-9)
- Brush with cream, and bake in a 400℉ (205 ℃) oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. (Photo 10)
- Serve hot with butter and honey or jam.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep everything for this recipe as cold as possible. You can even grate frozen butter to distribute the fat evenly throughout the dough. If things start to warm up while making your biscuits, toss them in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.
- One way to keep your hands from warming the ingredients is to use a food processor. Mix all the dry ingredients in the food processor, cut butter into cubes, add it to the flour, then pulse 6-7 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs.
- The traditional White Lily flour is a soft red winter wheat flour with a lower protein content and finer texture, perfect for creating softer, fluffier biscuits. While it’s traditional in the Southern U.S., you can find it online at Walmart and Amazon for a decent price. However, you may need to use extra flour if going by weight.
- Dip your biscuit cutter into flour and press it straight down to cut out the biscuits. Don’t twist the cutter so it can seal the edges for even rising.
- Brush the biscuits with melted butter for more flavor and golden tops. Or brush with cream instead.
Make-Ahead and Storage
To freeze, transfer the unbaked, cut biscuits to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and cover it with a plastic wrap. Freeze until solid (around 4 hours), then transfer them to a resealable freezer bag (label it with the date) and freeze them for 2-3 months. You can bake them as usual, straight from the freezer, adding 3-5 minutes to the baking time.
You can also freeze leftover biscuits for later. Reheat frozen biscuits in the oven or air fryer for a quick side or breakfast sandwich.
What Buttermilk Biscuits Go With
They go perfectly with almost everything: fried chicken, gravy, stew, soups, honey, eggs, and bacon. There’s a good reason Cracker Barrel puts a huge basket of biscuits and cornbread muffins on your table. You’ll definitely be wanting more of these. Guaranteed!!!
But biscuits can do more than that! They also make great sandwiches, whether with sausage, chicken, or fish. So forget waiting in line for less-than-good-for-you fast food because you can whip these up faster than you can say, “To go, please.”
More Southern Comfort Recipes to Try
If you want even more recipes, I give you full permission to explore these amazing Southern comfort food recipes.
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was first published in September 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.