30-Minute Buttermilk-Free Homemade Biscuits Recipe

These super-easy homemade biscuits—made without buttermilk—are soft, fluffy and layered with flaky bites that taste delicious with butter and honey. They come together quickly and require only a few basic ingredients.

Why you’ll love this easy homemade biscuits recipe (no buttermilk)

• Flaky layers with a soft, fluffy interior.
• Only six simple ingredients.
• Ready in under 30 minutes.
• Dough mixes in about 5 minutes.
• No advance prep required.
• No resting, chilling or freezing time—great when you’re short on time.

Ingredients

1. All-purpose flour: 270 g (about 2 cups, loosely packed)
2. Salt: 3 g (1/2 teaspoon)
3. Unsalted butter: 85 g (6 tablespoons)
4. Sugar: 12.5 g (1 tablespoon)
5. Baking powder: 8 g (2 teaspoons)
6. Milk: 180 ml (3/4 cup), cold

How to make fluffy homemade biscuits without buttermilk

This recipe is simple and breaks down into four main steps. Follow them for tall, tender biscuits.

1. Prepare the dough

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder until evenly combined. Cut the cold butter into the flour and work it in until you have small, pea-sized pieces distributed throughout the mixture. A pastry cutter, two forks, or grating frozen butter all work well.

Gradually add the cold milk in three or four additions. Use a fork to toss gently until the flour is moistened and large, shaggy lumps form. The dough should hold together and not be crumbly.

2. Build the flaky layers

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together into a ball. Pat it into a rough square with your hands—being gentle preserves pockets of air for a lighter texture. Avoid using a rolling pin; hand shaping gives a rustic, airy result.

Cut the square into four pieces with a bench scraper and stack them. Pat the stack into a rough square again, cut into four, stack once more and pat into a flat sheet about 1 inch thick. This folding and stacking builds laminated layers that create flakiness.

3. Cut the biscuits

Use a biscuit cutter or a wide-mouthed glass to cut rounds from the dough. A 2 1/4 inch cutter yields about eight biscuits. Gather scraps, repeat the stacking and patting, and cut additional rounds until the dough is used.

Arrange the biscuits close together on a cast-iron skillet or a smaller baking tray—placing them near each other helps them rise tall and straight. Greasing the pan is optional.

4. Bake

If using a cast-iron skillet, bake in a preheated oven at 450°F (230°C) for about 14 minutes, until golden on top. For a regular baking tray, lower the temperature to 425°F (220°C) and bake about 16 minutes. Remove when golden and cooked through.

Brush warm biscuits with a little butter for extra softness and flavor.

Tips and variations

Do I need to chill the tray before baking?

No. This recipe uses baking powder, so you can place the tray straight into the preheated oven without chilling.

Serving suggestions

Serve warm with honey butter, jam, peanut butter, or cream cheese. Biscuits also pair beautifully with sausage gravy, stews, fried chicken, or as breakfast sandwiches with cheese and eggs.

Using buttermilk

You can substitute buttermilk for the milk. If you do, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and expect a slightly tangier flavor; you may also need a touch more buttermilk for the right dough consistency.

Why bake biscuits close together?

Placing biscuits close helps them support each other as they rise, keeping them straight and tall rather than slanting to the side.

Make flaky pastry from this recipe

To adapt this into a flakier pastry: reduce baking powder and milk, keep the butter very cold, roll the dough thinner, chill the biscuits before baking, and bake a bit longer. Small adjustments in technique and temperature produce a different, flakier texture.

Recipe summary

This simple recipe makes soft, flaky biscuits in about 30 minutes using everyday pantry ingredients.

Ingredients

• 270 g all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 3 g salt (1/2 tsp)
• 85 g unsalted butter (6 tbsp), cold
• 12.5 g sugar (1 tbsp)
• 8 g baking powder (2 tsp)
• 180 ml cold milk (3/4 cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven: 450°F (230°C) for cast iron, or 425°F (220°C) for a baking tray.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in cold butter until pea-sized pieces remain.
3. Add cold milk gradually, mixing with a fork until a cohesive, shaggy dough forms.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Gently pat into a rough square, cut into quarters, stack and repeat to build layers. Pat into a 1-inch sheet.
5. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter (about 2 1/4 inches) and place close together on the skillet or tray.
6. Bake until golden: ~14 minutes at 450°F (skillet) or ~16 minutes at 425°F (tray).
7. Brush with butter when warm and serve.

Tried this recipe? Let us know how it turned out!