An easy gluten-free biscuits recipe made Southern style with buttermilk. Flaky and tender. The recipe has a dairy-free and Vegan option.
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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 1/2 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.
- 1/2 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 King Arthur gluten-free flour you will need to add 1/2 cup more flour to the recipe. So you will need 2 1/2 cup of King Arthur 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!"
Debbie Judt says
I ha tried 10+ GF biscuits and have been disappointed every time. Mama Knows how. Such a simple to make the recipe and they turned out fabulous. I grind my own GF flour to eliminate the potato and nut flours. Added the ZG and also a 1/2 baking soda. My family eats them without hesitation or any comments about “hockey pucks”. This is a keeper. Looking forward to adding currents, cheeses….. blah blah blah Thank you Debbie in Saskatoon
Ellen says
I love this recipe so much that I sent it to my mom so she can make them when I visit! I just made them for the second time and wanted to note that my first try I used the dairy free earth balance sticks. I didn’t account for the saltiness of the earth balance and added the full tap of salt called for in the recipe. They ended up super salty, but absolutely delicious. This time I used shortening because I was out of the earth balance sticks and they still taste wonderful! If you use salted butter, reduce or omit the salt in the recipe based on how salty you like them. I devoured 2 right out of the oven
Martha Tabis says
Tender & flakey like Mama Audrey says. Short ingredient list so quick to make. Love the DIY buttermilk…one less ingredient to keep on hand and so flavorful.
Lori says
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This IS the best gluten-free biscuit recipe EVER! I’ve tried many buttermilk biscuit recipes that claimed to be the best. Nah-uh, THIS RECIPE IS THE BEST! Best of all they’re not dry, crumbly, or have that kind of cardboard feeling against your teeth. Instead, these biscuits are deliciously tender & flavorful, with a melt-in-your mouth texture. Did I say thank you? THANK YOU!
Christine C. says
These biscuits are fantastic and EASY! They are fluffier than most GF biscuits, which is wonderful. And they are crunchy on the outside…perfect! I have missed really good biscuits since going GF, so I am definitely keeping this recipe handy!
WFPB GF Lower Fat Recipe Hunter says
Very clear and easy to follow directions. I used the Pillsbury GF flour, Earth Balance stick, Namaste egg replacer, oat milk (w vinegar). They needed to bake about 10 minutes longer than suggested. They are more dense than a gluten biscuit but still crispy on the outside and soft in the middle (I wouldn’t describe this version as flaky.) Even the non-gf folks liked them with the plant based “sausage” and gravy I served them with. By far the best gf biscuit I’ve made! It’s a keeper. Going to try more of your recipes. Thanks so much!!!!
Luke says
Finally a recipe for delicious flaky gf biscuits my celiac wife can enjoy. She’s waited 5 years to eat a biscuit this good. Thank you so much!!
EL says
I just made these biscuits and they are absolutely delicious! Half of them were eaten by me and my bf within 20 mins of them being out of the oven. I started baking them with low expectations because the last time I tried to make biscuits (using a different recipe) they turned out like hockey pucks. So thank you very much for sharing and for the clear instructions!!! Going to keep this one handy.
Dave says
Wonderful biscuits, tasty flaky melt in your mouth.
Kida Tel says
Easy Peasy me & my 9 yr old made these . Thank you
Liz Lee says
I have been amazed at how good these are. This recipe is a game changer for me! Thanks so much for helping me bring a taste of ‘home’ to my adopted home in Australia. My family love em!
Kim Chopra says
I made these, and they didn’t look as pretty as yours, but man they disappeared fast! Two teens in the house, I just feel lucky I got one.
Grace Robertson says
These look amazing! Is it possible to make these drop biscuits for the top of a chicken pot pie?
Audrey says
Hi Grace!Thank you so much. I have not tried it, but other readers have told me they used my biscuit dough to make a topping for pot pie. If you try it please let me know how it turns out.
Nancy Von Wald says
I have never made homemade biscuits before. Needed to learn due to my Celiac. All I can say is thank you for your easy to follow directions AND their perfect taste. The only bad part is I had to share with family.
Melody Stephens says
So amazing! I used King Arthur Measure for Measure and 4T butter & 2T shortening. They turned out wonderfully and actually taste like buttermilk biscuits from the south. Melt in your mouth amazing!
Abby says
This recipe is amazing!!! I made the dairy free buttermilk with almond milk and made some shortening with coconut oil to stand in place of diary. It came out so good. My oven was broken so I grilled them and (to my complete surprise) they still came out perfect. They were fluffy and flakey. I would 100% recommend trying this recipe.
Sam says
I made these with 1 to 1 Gluten free flour and they turned out perfectly. The cast iron pan made them so evenly browned! I also added some cheddar and chives and they were delicious!
Teresa says
I have never ever left a comment about a recipe. I made these this morning (without the sugar) and they are wonderful. Glad that I found this recipe, definitely a keeper. Thanks!!!
Kristen says
Easy to make. Great tip on needing a little more flour when using King Arthur brand!
ALo says
Excellent! Thank you for putting all the work into developing this recipe! I switched to gluten-free a few months ago and have been missing “normal” food, and not having a whole lot of success with gluten-free baking. This recipe works wonderfully!! Delicious, with a texture very much like “normal” biscuits! I used my own flour blend, which I modified from one printed online; I’ll share it here in case anyone else wants to try it. To make the blend:2 c. millet flour, 1 c. cassava flour, 1 c. white rice flour, 1 c. arrowroot flour/starch, 1/2 c. tapioca flour/starch. Makes 5 1/2 cups flour blend.
Emily says
Oh my goodness… this recipe was DELICIOUS! I made it with Minimalist Baker’s GF DIY flour blend and it worked pretty well! It did crack on the top… I am not sure why that did that, but otherwise, it was fluffy and scrumptious with butter! I seriously don’t care how they look as long as they taste good – LOL! I definitely recommend making these biscuits!! Thank you, Audrey, for this amazing recipe!!!
Emily says
Oh my goodness… this recipe was DELICIOUS! I made it with Minimalist Baker’s GF DIY flour blend and it worked pretty well! It did crack on the top… I am not sure why that did that, but otherwise, it was fluffy and scrumptious with butter! I seriously don’t care how they look as long as they taste good – LOL! I definitely recommend making these biscuits! Thank you, Audrey for this amazing recipe!!!
Elaine Kavanagh says
Wonderful fluffy biscuits! I used .king Arthur gluten free flour and it was fine. The only problem I had was a sprayed a cookie sheet with canola oil and the bottom of the biscuits burned. It’s a good thing my windows were open or the smoke alarm would have gone off.
Barbara says
After other gluten free biscuit recipes fell short, I decided to try this recipe. These are the best biscuits!! The detailed notes are helpful and while it seems like a long process, they come together very quickly. I have made this recipe multiple times and I’ll bake a few and freeze the rest. It’s great to be able to pull a few frozen biscuits out and bake them in the same amount of time. Great recipe!!!
Susan says
I made these biscuits again today. This is such an awesome recipe. I use GFJules flour which is a super blend of flour. Once again, Audrey, thank you for this recipe and so many more that are just great!
Sandy says
The biscuits are wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to figure out the right combination to make fluffy gluten free biscuits with a crunchy bottom.
Elise says
I made this recipe a month ago and wanted to make them again so I’ll tell you that these are exceptionally delicious for GF biscuits. I cannot find Pillsbury flour so I used the King Arthur GF flour, otherwise I made the recipe as written and we all loved them.
Laine says
Ok. I’m a southerner that has been gluten free for 7 years. I’ve been missing biscuits- real bad. This recipe makes me feel like a regular human again AND! it’s simple to make. I highly recommend trying it. I used Bob’s 1 to 1 flour, shortening, and goat milk with vinegar to replace buttermilk. Honestly. I’m at a loss for words. I love this recipe and am considering getting it tattooed on my body.
Audrey says
Thank you so much Laine for the awesome 5-star recipe review it really made my day!
Pam Whirley says
I had missed biscuits so bad. I thought I would never get a good biscuit recipe but theses are fantastic! Tastes just like a good southern biscuit should!
E. Rowe says
A follow-up to my previous 5-Star…(there needs to be more stars!) I’ve made these a handful of times the past 3 months. Every single time they turn out just plain jane yum. For those wondering about freezing…lately that’s all I’ve been doing: making the dough (usually on a week night while watching TV), flash freezing per recipe, then pulling however many I need out of the freezer as the oven pre-heats. I appreciate being able to bake fresh biscuits for a weekday breakfast with no muss or fuss.I find the whole process simple & convenient.
Rachelle Reynolds says
This is my go to recipe for gluten free biscuits. I have been gluten free for almost 10 years due to inflammation from Fibromyalgia. I was at a loss for a good recipe until I found Audrey and her wonderful website. I primarily use Pillsbury Gluten free Flour for this recipe. I have used King Arthur as well. I bake mine in a hot oven in a pre heated cast Iron Pan. Good stuff with Sausage Gravy!! Thank you!Rachelle Reynolds
Brett Prince says
I made these using King Arthur flour without adding extra flour to the recipe. I would definitely recommend putting flour on your hands before handling the dough as it is very sticky. The biscuits came out super flaky and tasted just like the non gluten free version! I also used salted butter because that was all I had. Thank you for the recipe, these were delicious!! I didn’t think it was possible to get gluten free biscuits to taste this good!
Ben says
Amazing biscuits! This is the Best gluten free recipe! I used Bobs Flour. Left out sugar. Added 1/4tsp of baking soda. Last week I made them per directions on Bobs and they were an absolute gummy mess!
Linda C says
Thank you, Audrey, for such a perfectly delicious gluten-free biscuit. I agree with Amber (above), these are the best gluten-free biscuits I have ever made. I just have one question…do you have a gluten-free gravy recipe that may be used on top of these biscuits. This is one breakfast treat my husband truly misses since going gluten free more than 10 years ago.
Amber says
I never ever comment on recipes online even though I’m constantly cooking from online recipes but I felt like I needed to thank you for this recipe! These may be the best biscuits I’ve ever made, with gluten or otherwise! What a winner.