An easy gluten-free biscuits recipe made Southern style with buttermilk. Flaky and tender. The recipe has a dairy-free and Vegan option.
Click HERE to save recipe to Pinterest!
Gluten-Free Biscuits
If you have been following my blog you probably already know that my husband is from the South- Knoxville, Tennesse to be exact. We spent many years living there and both of my oldest children were born there.
I adore Southern cooking. One of the main food groups in a Southern’s diet is buttermilk biscuits.
In the South, biscuits hold an honored place at your table, no matter which meal is being served. Biscuits are eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
One of the things my husband misses the most since we both went gluten-free is biscuits. For years I was able to buy a gluten-free drop biscuit mix that was pretty good and helped with his biscuit cravings.
Well, I can no longer find the Martha White’s gluten-free buttermilk biscuit mix. So it was time for me to get in the kitchen and work on a gluten-free Southern buttermilk biscuit recipe.
It’s taken me some time to perfect my gluten-free biscuit recipe and I am very excited to share it with you all!
How To Make Gluten-Free Biscuits- Step By Step
The first thing you are going to want to do is Preheat oven to 450° F. I know my oven takes forever to heat up and you want your oven to be nice and hot.
Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
If you do not have buttermilk you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of milk (or dairy-free milk) and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold. You can also make buttermilk out of dairy-free milk.
In a large bowl add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum (leave out if your flour already has it like the Pillsbury gluten-free flour) baking powder, salt, sugar, and give it a quick whisk or stir to combine the ingredients. (photo 1)
Cut in the butter (or Smart Balance or shortening for dairy-free) into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork into until it looks like the size of small peas. (photo 2 and 3)
Add in the buttermilk and the whisked egg (I whisk the egg right in the buttermilk) and stir until a soft dough forms. The dough will be sticky. (photo 4)
The key is to not over mix the dough because over-mixing causes the dough to yield tough biscuits. There is nothing is worse than a flat, tough biscuit!
Add one tablespoon of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. Please do not roll out the dough.
Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of flour. (photo 5)
Gently fold the dough over on itself 2 times. You do this by folding the dough in half on top of itself and then doing it a second time. (photo 6)
With your hands form a dough round that is about 7 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. If you make it any larger or flatter you will end up with hard, flat biscuits. (photo 7)
Cut out 2-inch biscuits using a biscuit cutter, the mouth of a glass or the lid of a mason jar. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this will crimp the edges of the biscuit causing it not to rise well. (photo 8)
Reform the dough scraps into a dough round and cut out more biscuits.. ( photo 9 and 10)
Put the biscuits in a greased large cast iron pan or a greased baking sheet. You will have 12 biscuits to bake. (photo 11)
Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 450° F. At the 15-minute point please check your biscuits to see if they are golden brown. Please watch your biscuits because all ovens are different.
I like to brush melted butter on top of the warm biscuits. Serve warm and enjoy! (photo 12)
Pro Tip For Freezing The Biscuits
You can batch make the biscuits and save some for later. Flash freeze the cut biscuits (unbaked) for 30 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag and putting them back into the freezer. When you are ready to make your biscuits bake the frozen biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 450° F. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
The Best Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour For Making Biscuits
These gluten-free biscuits are made with an all-purpose rice flour cup for cup blend. A cup for cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend is one that already has xanthan gum it.
Most gluten-free all-purpose flour blends have xanthan gum already in them. The xanthan gum helps replace the elasticity and texture of gluten.
Make sure to check to see if the brand of gluten-free flour you are using has xanthan gum in it. If it already has xanthan gum in the blend, do not add any extra xanthan gum to the recipe or you will get gummy baked goods!
My favorite brand of gluten-free flour is Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
I test baked with the Pillsbury Gluten-Free, Betterbatter, Bob’s Red Mill Cup for Cup, King Arthur, Pamela’s, and Great Value Gluten-Free Flour. The Bob’s Red Mill flour, King Arthur, Pamela’s and the Great Value Flour have sorghum flour in it, which is different from the Pillsbury gluten-free flour.
The biscuits made with Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur, Pamela’s and Great Value Brand were not as fluffy and the dough was wetter. If you use the King Authur measure or measure you will need to add more flour to the biscuit dough, so you will need 2 ½ cups of their gluten-free flour.
I have not tried this recipe with either almond or coconut flour. These gluten-free biscuits should only be made with a gluten-free rice flour blend.
Almond flour does not have the same taste and texture of rice flour. Almond flour biscuits are also denser than biscuits made with rice flour. Gluten-free rice flour mimics the taste and texture of traditional wheat flour better than almond or coconut flour.
If you are looking for a biscuit recipe that is made with almond flour try Wholesome Yum’s Low Carb Paleo Almond Flour Biscuits recipe.
Pro Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
There are so many ways to eat these tender and flaky gluten-free buttermilk biscuits. I love to drizzle them with honey or slather them with strawberry jam. I also like a savory sausage biscuit or a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.
Dairy-Free Baking
I have also included a dairy-free option to this gluten-free biscuit recipe. My husband, myself and youngest son are all dairy-free as well. So now you too can enjoy a gluten-free and a dairy-free biscuit.
For this recipe, I tested it with both Smart Balance butter and shortening. I preferred the Smart Balance butter over the shortening.
I also used almond milk when baking the dairy-free version of this recipe. Almond milk is my preferred.
To make dairy-free buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of dairy-free milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold.
I also really like baking with cashew and coconut milk. If you need to be nut-free you could also use soy milk in this recipe.
Egg-Free Baking
Recipe updated December 2018
We recently found out that my husband has an egg sensitivity. My husband LOVES biscuits, so I knew that I had to try and make my biscuits egg-free.
I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Egg Replacer, which is also gluten-free. They turned out great! They were not as fluffy as my regular biscuits but they were just as flaky and delicious.
I made them both dairy-free and egg-free, so they would also be Vegan gluten-free biscuits. So if you also need to be egg-free or are Vegan you too can enjoy my gluten-free buttermilk biscuits!
Now my family can enjoy authentic Southern buttermilk gluten-free biscuits. I can’t tell you how happy my husband is.
I’ve also turned my gluten-free buttermilk biscuits into Gluten-Free Cinnamon Biscuits {Dairy-Free Option}!
Check out some of my other easy gluten-free breakfast recipes! Below are some of my reader’s favorites.
- Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes {Dairy-Free & Vegan Option}
- Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins {Dairy-Free and Refined Sugar Free Option}
- Easy Gluten-Free Waffles {Dairy-Free & Vegan Option}
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones {Dairy-Free Option}
- Easy Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
These gluten-free biscuits are flaky on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside- which equals perfection in my book. They are easy to make from scratch, I promise!
★Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below in the comments!★
Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I like Pillsbury gluten-free. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum ( ,leave out if your flour already contains it)
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk (Make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to stay cold. Dairy-free use almond, cashew, or coconut milk and add the vinegar to make dairy-free buttermilk. )
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (dairy-free/Vegan use Smart Balance butter, shortening, or Earth Balance butter)
- 1 large egg (egg-free/Vegan use Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer)
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour ((I Like Pillsbury gluten-free))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- In a large bowl add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and give it a quick whisk or stir to combine the ingredients. I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- Cut the butter into small pieces and put in the freezer for 10 minutes. If you do not have buttermilk make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the cup of milk and let stand 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator to keep cold. You can also make buttermilk out of dairy-free milk.
- Cut in butter (or shortening for dairy-free) into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until it looks like the size of small peas.
- Add in the buttermilk and the whisked egg (or egg replacer) and stir until a soft dough forms. (I whisk the egg right in the buttermilk) The key is to not over mix because over-mixing causes the dough to yield tough biscuits. The dough will be sticky.
- Add one tablespoon of flour to a large piece of parchment paper. PLEASE DO NOT ROLL OUT THE DOUGH.
- Place the dough on top of the floured parchment paper. Dust the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold dough over on itself 2 times. You do this by folding the dough in half on top of itself and then doing it a second time.
- With your hands form a dough round that is about 7 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. If you make it any larger or flatter you will end up with hard, flat biscuits.
- Cut out 2-inch biscuits using a biscuit cutter, the mouth of a glass or the lid of a mason jar. Do not twist cutter when cutting; this will crimp the edges of the biscuit causing it not to rise well. Reform the dough scraps into a dough round and cut out more biscuits. Put the biscuits on a greased large cast iron pan or baking sheet. You will have 12 biscuits to bake.
- Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 450° F. At the 15-minute point please check your biscuits to see if they are golden brown. Please watch your biscuits because all ovens are different.
- I like to brush melted butter on top of the warm biscuits. Serve warm and enjoy!
- The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container. They are best enjoyed warm.
Notes
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- I test baked with the Bob's Red Mill Cup for Cup, Great Value Gluten-Free Flour, King Arthur, Pamela's, Better Batter and Pillsbury Gluten-Free flour. The Bob's Red Mill flour, the Great Value Flour, King Arthur and Pamela's has sorghum flour in it, which is different from the Pillsbury gluten-free flour.
- The biscuits made with Bob's Red Mill, Great Value Brand, King Arthur, and Pamela's were not as fluffy and the dough was wetter. If you use any of the above gluten-free flour you will need to add ½ cup more flour to the recipe. So you will need 2 ½ cup of gluten-free flour.
- The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
- For dairy-free option use Smart balance butter or shortening, almond, cashew or coconut milk.
- For egg-free use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Egg Replacer. The egg-free biscuits were not as fluffy as the regular biscuits but were still flaky and delicious!
- If Vegan use egg replacer, shortening/Earth Balance butter, and dairy-free milk. The Vegan biscuits were not as fluffy as the regular biscuits but were still flaky and delicious!
- You can batch make the biscuits and save some for later. Flash freeze the cut biscuits (unbaked) for 30 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag and putting them back into the freezer. When you are ready to make your biscuits bake the frozen biscuits for 15-20 minutes at 450° F. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
- I have the K&S Artisan Complete Pastry Cutter Set
- Mama says, "Check all of your labels!"
Joanne says
I made these biscuits yesterday & was so delighted with the result! So easy to make & so delicious! I used Robin Hood gf flour as that was what I had on hand. Amazing biscuits!
Deedee66 says
Hi! You stated that you tried Better Batter, but did not give the results of that particular flour blend. I would appreciate your opinion on using this one as well.
Thanks!!
Janie Sutton says
I have been making biscuits using Bob’s Red Mill but was not overjoyed with the taste. I made this recipe today and am very happy to find a much better alternative
I used Cup4Cup gluten free flour and reduced the sugar from 2 tablespoons to 1 1/2. They are light and fluffy (Yay!) and have a great flavor. I used a food processor to carefully mix the ingredients and it worked out beautifully. Like you said in the instructions, the key is not overmixing. The food processor is quicker.
I am the only one in my household who needs to eat gluten free, so I will freeze them on a pan, then put them in a freezer bag for later use. I like to take one out the night before to thaw for breakfast.
Thank you for a great traditional biscuit recipe.
Jenny Holley says
I’ve been so wanting a biscuit for breakfast. I tried Mama’s. They were so good! Even toasted the left overs with jam every morning. What a treat!
Linda Lou says
I have made these biscuits a number of times now and they turn out great every time. I use Pillsbury‘s gluten-free flour and ghee that I make from Kerry Gold butter. It is so satisfying to be able to have such a tasty bread product.
Carlie says
These are perfect every time! This is a go to recipe for our family now!
Vicki Primrose says
Finally found a gluten free biscuit recipe that tastes great! I’ve tried many but this is the best!
Karen Tolbert says
First try at gluten free biscuits. Followed the recipe – the only exception was I mopped the biscuit tops with buttermilk before cooking and let them rest in the refrigerator a few minutes while I finished up a few other dinner items. These are great! No one would would know they were gluten free. Thank you!!
Tanya S. says
These biscuits are super fluffy and delicious! Such comfort food!! I used Erika’s gluten-free flour blend from http://www.alittleinsanity.com, which is what I mix up and keep on hand at all times. I also used homemade cashew milk with the recommended Tbsp. of white vinegar stirred in as a buttermilk replacement. I can eat butter, so I didn’t substitute that. My biscuits were large, because I don’t have a biscuit cutter and used the rim of a glass instead, so the recipe only made 6. Because they were so big, I turned the preheated oven down to 425 when I placed the biscuits inside. Baking time was 30 minutes (I started checking at 15 minutes and kept setting the timer for 5 minutes at a time until they were golden). I will definitely be saving this recipe and repeating it often!
Dana Jendrzejewski says
I used Bob’s Red Mill and it was excellent! I put fresh ground black pepper in melted butter with Braggs 24 herbs and spices, my family loved them!
Jennifer Phillips says
Best Gf biscuit recipe! So easy to make and tastes exactly like a non gluten free biscuit. I make mine in a cast iron skillet and they are perfect every single time!
Linda Lou says
The biscuits were fabulous! I used the Pillsbury GF flour, ghee that I make myself from Kerrygold butter and canned coconut milk with lemon juice for the dairy. It feels so good to be able to eat something gluten-free that tastes really good.
Melissa says
Have made these biscuits twice for biscuits and gravy in the morning! The biscuits are amazing. I’m not gluten free but my husband is now. Been switching everything we make. These biscuits are good the next day and the next! I use America test kitchen flour blend that you make. Everyone in the house from kids to adults like these biscuits. Definitely recommend making them! Thank you.
Alisa says
I always struggled to make good, fluffy biscuits. So I was a tad nervous trying gluten-free ones. But oh my goodness, they turned out amazing on the first try! Thank you for the detailed directions, and the note to add 1/2 cup more flour (I used Measure For Measure). I did also throw in the xantham gum even though it technically is in the flour already. My husband and I loved them, and you can’t even tell they’re gluten free!
Genevieve says
worked beautifully! tasted great, not like cardboard at all..I used the suggestion of 2.5 cups of flour since the flour I chose was King Arthur. next time I will try using Bob’s red mill. I also used almond milk with vinegar to substitute buttermilk and again great results, no weird taste at all. fantastic recipe! thank you!