Let me show you how to make biscuits that bake up high, light, and fluffy! I'll tell you the common mistake people make that ruins those flakey layers that you crave!
With 7 simple ingredients like buttermilk, shortening, flour, etc…you can devour these warm topped with butter and honey in as little as 30 minutes!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- This is such an easy recipe! Perfect for beginners!
- Ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Pro tips are included in step-by-step instructions!
- You could use this recipe for shortcakes, but I highly recommend this shortcake recipe instead that uses a sweet biscuit or scone instead.
Ingredient Notes
- Buttermilk - you may substitute unsweetened plain Greek yogurt if you would prefer. You may need a bit more than the amount of buttermilk called for because it's thicker though.
- Shortening - NO, you can't substitute butter in this one. I do highly recommend using butter-flavored shortening if you have it.
- Cream of Tartar - What does it do, and why do you need it? Cream of tartar acts as a leavening agent and a stabilizer in yeast-free baked goods. In this case, it reacts with the buttermilk to give the dough the lift and muscle it needs before the baking powder kicks into the oven.
Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Add the shortening.
- Pro-Tip - Shortening is necessary for biscuits because of the higher melting point and the fact that isn't doesn't release steam during the cooking process. It also doesn't mix into the dough will ease like butter does. These reasons result in the flakiness and texture traditional biscuits should have.
- Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until most of the flour is incorporated. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and pat the dough out to about ¾ inch thick.
- Pro-Tip - Resist the urge to knead or work the dough into a ball. The shortening chunks are what give biscuits their flakiness. If you work the shortening in, you will get heavy non-flaky biscuits.
- Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter that is 2 ½ inches in diameter, cut out biscuits and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Pro Tip - DO NOT twist the cutter.  Twisting the cutter seals the edges together, and the biscuits will not rise. People ask why their biscuits turn out flat or why they don't rise when baking all the time. This is one of the main reasons why.
- Bake the biscuits at 425 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
- Serve hot with butter, honey, jam, or whatever else you can think of!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
When it comes to baking, we use different fats for different baked goods to get specific results. Sometimes that's flaky, sometimes is very moist, sometimes it's chewy, etc... For more info, check out this article on Butter vs. Shortening.
The acidity in the buttermilk acts as an extra leavening agent as well as adding moistness to the biscuits.
Most often, biscuits end up flat because the dough has been overworked, and the shortening has been blended into the dough as opposed to left throughout in chunks causing flaky spaces between the layers. Also, people tend to twist the biscuit cutter during the cutting-out process, sealing the edges shut. This makes it so the biscuits can't rise.
I am a sucker for Honey Butter! It just makes everything in life better! I also recommend some Raspberry Butter or some yummy Maple Butter!
Related Recipes
Have you tried this recipe? If so, leave me a rating and a comment below! And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to get my latest recipes sent right to your email! You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 Tbs Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Shortening
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until most of the flour is incorporated.
- Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and pat the dough out to about ¾ inch thick.Â
- Don't knead or work the dough.
- Using a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter that is 2 ½ inches in diameter, cut out biscuits and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Remember to press the cutter straight down without twisting.
- Bake the biscuits at 425 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
Notes
- Don't sub butter for the shortening. The results WILL NOT be the same.
- Butter-flavored shortening adds a butter flavor to these, which makes them even better!
- Read through my post for all my tips for this recipe!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Thank you so much for mentioning my honey butter! These buttermilk biscuits are absolutely delicious!
Mindee
You're welcome! I love honey butter!
Jody
Should I use cold shortening (place it in the fridge) or just room temperature is fine?
Mindee
I usually just use room temperature but you can chill it first if you would like.
Jody
I ended up chilling it very slightly in the fridge. I just took them out of the oven. I followed all your tips and they do smell amazing but I dont see very much rise in them. Just a bit more rise than what they were when I cut out the rounds of dough. Is that how much rise to expect? Will taste them when they cool a bit.
Jeff
Very Good
Stephanie
Thank you for all the wonderful pro tips throughout! I'd made something similar before and they just didn't turn out. I was kneading the dough too much and I think I also turned my biscuit cutter in the process. Now I know better and the biscuits came out so fluffy!
jack
These biscuits are delicious and rise really well!
Elizabeth
These biscuits were absolute perfection! So delicious and the recipe was super easy to follow!
Julie
These biscuits look so light and fluffy. Appreciate all the tips and tricks that makes these such perfect biscuits.
Irina
It's countless how many times I tried to make such biscuits, and I failed. But, thanks to your recipe, I finally succeeded! I am happy! Once again, thanks!
Jeff
Favorite biscuits
Becky
I LOVE this recipe and make it all the time! Thank you, thank you for telling me not to twist the cutter when cutting out the biscuits, because that is the way I've always done it and my biscuits never seem to rise. Once I stopped twisting, they rose beautifully.I love your beautiful blog and the time you put in taking all the pictures with each cooking step.
mindeescookingobsession
Thank you!!! You are so sweet!