Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
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Bring a touch of Southern warmth to your table with a basket of rich and flaky buttermilk biscuits—these feature a secret ingredient that makes them next-level tender.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Southern buttermilk biscuit recipes typically call for White Lily flour, a low-protein brand primarily available in the southern states that makes for ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. I can’t find White Lily flour easily where I live, so I use a blend of all-purpose flour and cornstarch to get a similar effect. These buttermilk biscuits are rich, buttery, and flaky with a toasty golden crust. Plus, they’re easy to make. You can throw the dough together in 15 minutes and end enjoy the biscuits with your dinner less than fifteen minutes later.
These are traditional roll and cut biscuits. However, instead of using a biscuit cutter, I cut my biscuits into squares—it’s easier as you don’t have to deal with any scraps, plus, who says biscuits have to be round?! For an even simpler drop-and-bake method, see my recipe for drop biscuits.
Table of Contents
“These are amazing. Came together quickly for breakfast. My husband took a bite and gave me a high five. They’ll be a staple around here.”
What You’ll Need To Make Buttermilk Biscuits
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the biscuits by forming gluten when mixed with liquid. Use the spoon-and-level method to measure to ensure accuracy.
- Cornstarch: Softens the dough’s proteins to produce a more tender biscuit.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents that work together to create rise and fluffiness in the biscuits. Baking soda also reacts with the acid in buttermilk, aiding in leavening and improving color.
- Sugar: Adds a slight sweetness to balance the flavors and aids in browning.
- Cold butter: Provides fat which, when cut into the dry ingredients, creates flaky layers as it melts during baking. The cold temperature is crucial for achieving the desired flakiness.
- Buttermilk: Adds acidity that reacts with the baking soda for leavening, contributes to the biscuits’ tender crumb, and imparts a slight tanginess. If you don’t want to buy a whole carton, see my instructions for how to make buttermilk using milk and lemon juice or vinegar.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
Pulse briefly to combine.
Add the cold chunks of butter.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-size clumps of butter intact.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Add the buttermilk.
Stir until the mixture comes together into a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together into a loose ball.
Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough in thirds.
Stack the pieces on top of one another.
Pat out into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick again. You can see in the photo below how this process creates layers in the dough, which makes for deliciously flaky biscuits.
Cut the dough into thirds again.
Stack the pieces up again.
Finally, pat the dough into a rectangle with a final thickness of about 3/4 inch.
Cut the dough into 12 small squares (these biscuits are on the smaller side).
Transfer the squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden. The biscuits are best served warm out of the oven (though a few minutes in the oven will revive slightly stale biscuits).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, before baking, the biscuits can be frozen for up to three months. Place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, there’s no need to thaw but they may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
To freeze leftover biscuits, first let them cool completely at room temperature. Then, wrap each biscuit tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible before sealing. The biscuits can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to eat, reheat the biscuits directly from frozen in a preheated oven at 350°F until heated through.
Buttermilk is necessary for its acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to create a light and fluffy texture. However, if you don’t have buttermilk or don’t want to purchase a whole carton, you can make a substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup and then adding regular milk to the 3/4-cup line. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes and it will be ready to use.
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Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
Bring a touch of Southern warmth to your table with a basket of rich and flaky buttermilk biscuits—these feature a secret ingredient that makes them next-level tender.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks
- ¾ cup buttermilk, plus a bit more if necessary (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13x18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to mix. (Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl.)
- Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with a few pea-sized clumps of butter intact. (If making by hand, "cut" the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, two knifes, or your fingertips.) Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
- Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. If the dough seems too dry, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk. Do not over-mix.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with a bit more flour and bring together gently into a loose ball. Pat the dough into a rectangle about ¾ inch thick.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into thirds. Stack the pieces on top of one another and pat out into a rectangle about ¾ in thick again, flouring the surface lightly as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Cut the dough into thirds again. Stack the pieces on top of one another and pat into a rectangle with a final thickness of about ¾ inch.
- Dust the blade of a sharp knife with flour and cut the dough into twelve even squares (they will seem small). Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly golden on top and a rich, golden brown on the bottom. The biscuits are best served warm out of the oven (though a few minutes in the oven will revive slightly older biscuits).
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, see my instructions for how to make buttermilk.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Before baking, the biscuits can be frozen for up to three months. Place the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to bake, there's no need to thaw but they may require a few extra minutes in the oven.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 179
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 148mg
- Cholesterol: 26mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn 🙂
I made this recipe to test before Thanksgiving and I did it twice bc it is coming out super wet, I did it once with cream cheese and the second time just used extra butter same amount as asked for cream cheese. I am using all purpose flour as is all I can get here. Both times super wet and it doesn’t look like in your picture. I measured well with the knife technique and all. . . what am I doing wrong 🙁
Hi Sara, You probably just need to add more flour – be liberal dusting your work surface when you’re folding the dough, adding enough to make the dough easy to handle. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
I live overseas and we don’t have access to cream cheese or buttermilk. Is there anything we can substitute to still get yummy biscuits??
Hi Evelyn, You can easily replace the cream cheese with more butter. As for the buttermilk, it’s easy to make your own. Simply add 2.5 teaspoons lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Pour milk to the 3/4 cup line. Let sit 10-15 minutes until it starts to curdle. That’s buttermilk!
Thanks for this, I’m in the same boat. I live in the UK and don’t have access to either.
Where in the U.K. do you live. Cream cheese is everywhere.look for the Philadelphia brand- they advertise it on the telly
Jenn, I always heard to add vinegar to milk to make buttermilk. You suggest lemon juice I stead?
-Sharon
Actually, either one will work! 🙂
Hi Sharon and Jenn, my Mom always used vinegar to make buttermilk and that’s what I did just now, prepping to make these biscuits!
Jenn, I also do not have a large food processor, just the smaller version; I think the flour will go everywhere! Will it work using the good old fashioned pastry cutter? My Mom also did that making certain sweet/cream cheese dough for Christmas baking.
Also, I’m making them for a book club dinner this evening to go with a chicken jambalaya that the hostess is making. Should I add any herbs or cheese or just leave them as is? I only have fresh parsley and dry herbs, plus some parmasean.
Thanks so much for your great recipes Jenn! I always enjoy making them!
Janet
Hi Janet, I’m obviously weighing in a bit too late to benefit you (I’m sorry!) but for other readers, it’s perfectly fine to use a pastry cutter or even your fingers to rub the butter/cream cheese into the flour mixture. How did the biscuits turn out?
Hi Jenn, I made the 1st round of biscuits and they did turn out a little flat but tasted good. I just wish they were thicker, like yours! I probably handled the dough too much or cut in the butter and cream cheese too much. I decided to make a 2nd batch but listened to your advice to other readers about freezing the dough then baking it straight from frozen. I added dried herbs de Province to the 2nd batch and tried to mix and handle less. I also added a little bit more butter and cream cheese. I brought the dough to the book club meeting and they did take several minutes longer to bake but tasted great with the herbs!
I managed to make them a little bit taller, but still were flat as far as biscuits go. I’m going to roll them out less next time and use a glass to cut them into rounds.
If I wanted to make these biscuits several days prior to serving, would you recommend freezing or just storing in the refrigerator until I bake them? Also, if frozen do I have to thaw prior to baking or adjust cooking times/temps? Thank you! I look forward to making these and other of your recipes for a dinner party next week!
Hi Gina, I’d recommend freezing them as they will rise more when you bake them than if you were to refrigerate the dough. You don’t need to defrost them before baking. Just pop them in the oven (they may just take a few minutes longer to bake). Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen, what is the difference between scones and biscuits? In Australia we only refer to them as scones and biscuits are what you call cookies. Are they different because of the amount of butter in the recipe or something else?
p.s. Love your recipes..easy to follow and are delicious.
Hi Bev, In general, scones are considered more of a dessert in that they have significantly more sugar than biscuits (and are often flavored with fruits or nuts). This piece may help fill in any blanks.
Hi Again, Forgot to mention your soup will be served with Buttermilk Biscuits and a Green Salad. YUM !! Yvonne
I know they will be great…. so five stars in advance !!!
Jen Jen Jen !!! These are the best biscuits on earth!! Soo tender, just perfect !! As ALWAYS ur recipe is perfect. Ur ingredients, amounts and times are spot on!! Thank YOU for awesome recipes!!
Excellent biscuits every time! I did not alter the recipe in any way..perfect as is and now my go to recipe for tender, fluffy biscuits. Even receives two thumbs up from my husband who is from the South! Thank you for the great recipe.
Oooh, one thing I forgot to add is that I made a rhubarb syrup today from the leftover water that I squeezed from frozen rhubarb. It tastes great and I plan to pour it on the leftover biscuits with vanilla ice cream!
These were just okay for me but because of my own inept technique. I flattened the dough too thin when shaping into a rectangle and ended up with about 20 biscuits. So they didn’t rise that great. I thought they were at least flaky though.
If you really want White Lily flour, you can order it on Amazon. I do, as no store in Minnesota carries it.
Now if you want buttermilk biscuits any time, without having to run to the store for buttermilk, get SACO Buttermilk Blend. It should be in the baking section of your store, near the baking powder. It’s a yellow container, about the size of canned frosting, with red lettering. It’s a powdered version of buttermilk, and it works very well in recipes. For 3/4 cup buttermilk, add 3 tablespoons of the powder to the dry ingredients. Then just add 3/4 cup of water at the right moment.
Be sure to keep the Saco powder in the fridge between uses, as recommended. It keeps for months that way.
I don’t have a food processor but would love to make these! Could I just knead everything with my hands, or stir it maybe?
Hi Sarah, You can either make these by hand (using a pastry cutter to “cut” the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients, or your fingertips to “rub” them in) or in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Just be sure the butter is very cold.
Great!
The food lion in York Pa sells white lily flour. Do I still add the cream cheese to the recipe?
Yes, Hedy — I would still add it.
Hi, I live in the south. What adjustments would I need to make to the recipe if I’m starting with White Lily flour?
Hi Connie, Just be sure to use regular White Lily Flour (not self rising). Omit the corn starch and use 2-1/4 cups of the flour. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Is there a substitute to buttermilk? I read somewhere that you can cut milk with vinegar but not sure how that would be. Thanks – can’t wait to try these! I’ll give 5 stars since I’ve yet to try one of your recipes that isn’t!
Hi Janet, One reader used yogurt thinned with a little milk in place of the buttermilk and got good results. There are a number of other substitutions you can try. See here for more details.
Thanks – that’s a very useful site!
Hi Jennifer – I’ve been looking for simple but delicious biscuits and am looking forward to making these for Christmas. Because they are home made and I don’t want to run out (I’m serving ham) I wanted to know how many should I estimate per person? Do people usually just have one biscuit?
Thanks for your help.
Ellen
Hi Ellen, I would say 1-2 per person.
OK, these are amazing!! I’ve struggled to find a biscuit that is easy to prepare, yet delicious and light…this is it! I made these and whipped up a simple honey butter and served it with Jenn’s Autumn Carrot soup, what a treat…perfect as usual! Thanks so much!
Like any similar recipe, I find these taste best fresh out of the oven, they did hold up well the next day, (with strawberries and fresh whipped cream of course!) but just not quite the same as fresh out of the oven 🙂
I loved these they are awesome! !! My 2 year old enjoyed them!!
Looking for a simple fast biscuit and this is perfect for me and my family.
I loved these biscuits. I’ll try to add some zaatar and grated cheese next time.
I could never seem to get a biscuit I was happy with until this recipe. What a great technique!
Best biscuits ever! Gave some to a neighbour and they wanted the recipe. Thank you!
Biscuit were crumbly but very tasty.
Why add starch?
Hi Chandra, It makes the biscuits more tender.
Hi Jenn – looking forward to trying these; what modifications would you make for a cheese biscuit? Thank you in advance!
Hi Leah, I haven’t tried adding cheese to these biscuits so can’t say for sure how it would work. I’ll add cheese biscuits to my list, though — stay tuned 🙂
Could I make this w. cup for cup gluten-free flour? Thanks!
Hi Sally, I haven’t tried it but it should work. Good luck 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I’m freezing half of the unbaked biscuits. Is wrapping each biscuit in waxed paper a good method?
A big thumbs up for your Peruvian Chicken… Soooo good!
As it’s “use up the buttermilk day”, I’m gonna crank out your lemon pound cake because it looks so perfect.
Thanks, Stan
Hi Stan, Glad you enjoyed the chicken! For the biscuits, I’d probably just stack them between waxed or parchment paper and then place in a ziplock freezer bag. And definitely make the lemon pound cake — it’s one of my favorites 🙂
Absolutely the best! We had a couple for breakfast and will likely have another for lunch, along with a bowl of your Classic Tomato Soup, another favourite. Thanks so much for sharing all these recipe Jenn.
Hi Jenn….
Well, I made these “Best Buttermilk Biscuits” (great name by the way – because they are BEST) last night. Only 1 left this morning. This is the measure of a great recipe. I made an “egg McMuffin” with the last one this morning and warmed it in the toaster oven. FAB……I liked the idea of layering the dough for nice tall biscuits, the texture was just like old fashion biscuits and appearance was better than rolling and using the cutter.
I’ll have to practice because some were not quite perfect in shape and appearance. Just like the cook.
Thanks for another one – this is a family KEEPER .
Shar
Streetsville, Ontario, Canada
Ha! Too funny. Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I’m not fortunate enough to have a food processor so I attempted this by hand with a fork. These turned out great! Just came out of the oven and I’ve had two with some jam. For those who don’t have a food processor, attempt this anyway. It’s worth a bit of elbow grease.
love your way of cooking !!! very neat presentation. I just feel like trying every recipe.. tried biscuits and came out soo good.. thank you for your recipes..`
Very easy to make and tasty
Love your recipes. Just one question for you. I live in Greece and we don’t really eat biscuits like these. I’d like to give them a try but how do I serve them? Plain,with savory dishes or as dessert? I’m a bit confused.
Hi Vivi, They are wonderful served with savory dishes, with butter or plain.
Love your recipes and your site! Can you sub in white whole wheat flour or can the recipe be altered to incorporate it? If not, do you have a good recipe for whole wheat biscuits?
Hi Leanne, I do think white whole wheat flour would work and you can sub cup for cup with all purpose. The taste will be a little different but still good 🙂
Can the dough be made, cut into squares and refrigerated for several hours, then baked before serving?
Hi Karen, Yes you can refrigerate the unbaked biscuits for a few hours, although they might not rise quite as high as they would if you were to bake them immediately. A better option is actually freezing the biscuits (which you can do several days or weeks ahead), which seems to preserve the leavening action of the baking powder and soda better than refrigerating. Hope that helps!
I was in a hurry when I made these but they still came out great. I really liked the cutting/layering technique for a fluffier, flakier biscuit!! Thank you!!
I have never made biscuits that used corn starch or cream cheese before. These are very easy to throw together and the folding and cutting the dough in 3rds and then, finally cutting the square into 12 equal biscuits makes for a very easy recipe. No rolling, cutting, gathering scraps, re-rolling and cutting. This was a very easy recipe. To make it even quicker, measure all the dry ingredients together and have ready for when you can finish the preparation. I also had measured the cream cheese and cut the butter and stored it in the fridge until I was ready to do the making and baking. These biscuits are flavorful and flaky and were almost as good the next morning as they were the evening before with dinner. Will be reaching for this recipe again and again.
I’m a novice baker who just made these for the first time. They were pretty easy (even while being interrupted by a toddler and baby) and taste delicious. I did find them a bit dry. Could I up the buttermilk a bit or did I maybe over-flour the work space? Or other thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Ruth, I apologize for the late reply. Somehow I missed your comment and am just now seeing it. Anyway, it’s fine to add a bit more buttermilk. You want the dough just dry enough to work with.
Best biscuits ever! I made these the other night. Baked half, and froze the unbaked half. They were absolutely delicious: flaky layers, great rise, crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. Ate them dripping with butter. Yum!
PS/ Took the frozen biscuits out this morning and placed them on parchment while the oven heated. Baked them 2 minutes longer. Same delicious qualities as the ones baked immediately after prepping. Thanks for another great recipe, Jenn!!!
These are wonderful! Soft inside, crispy outside, as tasty as the southern biscuits I grew up on!
This is a wonderful biscuit recipe and I have made it several times in the short time that I’ve had it. Our family loves black pepper so for Thanksgiving I added 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Turned out great! Thanks again Jennifer
I made as you said in the recipe, delicious. But, next time I will just use 1tsp of salt and not 1-1/4.
My kids just told me, yummy with some meat this will be perfect….kkkkk
Thank you for sharing 🙂
PS.: I use regular flour and was good.
These were delicious.
Mine ended up being drop biscuits, as the dough was pretty wet so I couldn’t form the rectangle. I gave up, added a bit more flour and dropped them on the pan. Still, the family raved; I told them that’s what you get when you bake with love(for the family)…and a little anger and hate (for the wet dough)!
Hi Mo, Glad your family enjoyed! It takes a little practice working with the wet dough. The trick is to flour the dough, the countertop and your hands and handle it very lightly so your hands don’t get sticky. Next time, start with 1/2 cup buttermilk and add the additional 1/4 cup as necessary. But drop biscuits work too 🙂
Thanks for the tip, Jenn!
Can you make ahead of time and freeze?
Hi Amy, Yes you can make them ahead of time but do not bake them. Place the raw biscuits in the freezer and put them directly in the oven…they may take a few extra minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This looks yummy and easy to do. But I don’t have a food processor. How would I overcome that? Sorry if this question seems ignorant to you. I never do baking at all, have no common sense either.
Hi Yan, Not a silly question at all! If you don’t have a food processor, you can either make the biscuits by hand (using a pastry cutter to “cut” the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients, or your fingertips to “rub” them in) or in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Just be sure the butter is very cold.
Thank you so much! WIll definately try it. I bet my kids will love it!
I love these biscuits – they’re the only ones I’ve made that are easy and come out light and fluffy every time.
We were on vacation and the rental property didn’t have a food processor or pastry cutter so I ended up grating the butter and it worked out perfect!
Hi Jenn, I want to thank you for your recipe for these buttermilk biscuits! I made them to have with my dinner tonight and they are by far the best biscuits I have made. You are the first to suggest a way around unavailable White Lily flour. I only made 1 substitution; I used yogurt thinned with a little milk in place of the buttermilk. The technique of cutting and stacking worked like a charm. I don’t have a food processor so I did them by hand, but no problem. Excellent! These will be my go to recipe and I won’t be disappointed again! Thank you.
I have always had trouble getting my biscuits to rise high enough to suit some. This recipe makes sense, I cant wait to try it. Any you are right, who says biscuits have to be round. Thanks for sharing!
So if I DO have White Lily Flour, how, if at all, would the recipe be altered? (I’m fortunate enough to have a boyfriend who brings me back 20 lbs of White Lily every time he goes down south, so my baking has improved accordingly!)
Hi Sheryl, Lucky you! Be sure it is regular White Lily Flour (not self rising) and just omit the corn starch and use 2-1/4 cups.
I don’t know why I never thought about cutting and stacking instead of folding. That’s genius.
One question: can the unbaked biscuits be frozen and baked from the freezer, or have you tried that with this recipe?
Hi Christi, I think that should work just fine to freeze and bake later…they may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
Great recipe! These were great with beef stew and with any breakfast.
I had just returned from my home state of SC with a bag or two of white lily flour, when I went to Wegman’s in Binghamton NY and found to my surprise…white lily flour. Who knew? Check it out if you have a Wegman’s near you. Thanks for the recipe, a little different from how I make biscuits, but always ready to try something new.
When I commented before, I had not made these yet. I did have the white lily flour, but made it according to your directions. They were easy, and good and loved that I didn’t have to use a cutter, although I have a square cutter. I typically don’t add cream cheese to my biscuits. They were a hit, and I served them with your fried chicken recipe. Both are a winner!