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Home » Bread Recipes

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Published: Oct 26, 2022 by Mindee · This post contains affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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 at 30 minutes!

A stack of 3 buttermilk biscuits.
Stack of homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Recipe!
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Step by Step Recipe Instructions
  • Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
  • Related Recipes
  • Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

  • This is such an easy recipe! Perfect for beginners!
  • Ready in less than 30 minutes!
  • Pro-tips 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 in, in the oven.
Ingredients for buttermilk biscuits.
What you'll need to make this recipe.

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.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and add the shortening.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and add the shortening.
  • Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles course 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.
Cut in the shortening, mix in the buttermilk and pat out the biscuit dough.
Cut in the shortening, mix in the buttermilk and pat out the biscuit 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.
    • 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 didn't rise when baking all the time.  This is one of the main reasons why.
  • Bake the biscuits at 425degrees 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!
Cut out biscuits by pressing the cutter straight down without twisting.
Cut out biscuits by pressing the cutter straight down without twisting.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

Why would substituting butter make such a difference?

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.

What does buttermilk do for biscuits?

The acidity in the buttermilk acts as an extra leavening agent as well as adding moistness to the biscuits.

Why do biscuits end up flat or not rise?

Most often biscuits end up flat because the dough has been overworked and the shortening has been blended into the dough 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.

What do biscuits go well with?

We like them with all kinds of Soups or Salads!

What's the best topping for biscuits?

I am sucker for Honey Butter! It just makes everything in life better! I also recommend some Raspberry Butter or some yummy Maple Butter!

Related Recipes

  • Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls - Light, fluffy and easy too!
  • No Knead Parkerhouse Rolls - These will not disappoint!
  • Homemade French Bread Bowls -Customize to the size of bread bowl you need!
  • Homemade White Bread - Just like your Grandma used to make!

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!

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A stack of hot buttermilk biscuits.

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Mindee
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 Biscuits 1x
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
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Description

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 at 30 minutes! 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1 Tbs . Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • ½ tsp Cream of Tartar
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ½ cup Shortening
  • 1 cup Buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt.
  4. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
  5. Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until most of the flour is incorporated.
  6. Dump out onto a lightly floured surface and pat the dough out to about ¾ inch thick. 
  7. Don't knead or work the dough.
  8. 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.
  9. Remember to press the cutter straight down without twisting.
  10. 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!

Keywords: easy buttermilk biscuits, best buttermilk biscuits, old fashioned buttermilk biscuits, southern buttermilk biscuits

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram @mindeescooking and hashtag it #mindeescookingobsession

 Any nutritional analysis on this Site is based on an estimate, calculated by Nurtifox plugin (or other third-party source) from the individual ingredients in each recipe. Variations may occur for various reasons, including product availability and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry

    August 10, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    Thank you so much for mentioning my honey butter! These buttermilk biscuits are absolutely delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mindee

      August 11, 2021 at 6:02 am

      You're welcome! I love honey butter!

      Reply
    • Jody

      October 06, 2022 at 12:58 am

      Should I use cold shortening (place it in the fridge) or just room temperature is fine?

      Reply
      • Mindee

        October 06, 2022 at 4:58 am

        I usually just use room temperature but you can chill it first if you would like.

        Reply
        • Jody

          October 06, 2022 at 3:24 pm

          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.

          Reply
  2. Jeff

    August 09, 2021 at 9:30 pm

    Very Good

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Stephanie

    August 09, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. jack

    August 09, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    These biscuits are delicious and rise really well!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth

    August 09, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    These biscuits were absolute perfection! So delicious and the recipe was super easy to follow!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Julie

    August 09, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    These biscuits look so light and fluffy. Appreciate all the tips and tricks that makes these such perfect biscuits.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Irina

    August 09, 2021 at 11:28 am

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Jeff

    March 15, 2021 at 7:33 pm

    Favorite biscuits

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Becky

    April 13, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • mindeescookingobsession

      April 13, 2019 at 4:47 pm

      Thank you!!! You are so sweet!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Mindee! Not only do I love to try and create all kinds of recipes, I LOVE to share them! Teaching others how to be successful in cooking in their own kitchens is one of my favorite things to do! Learn more about me or jump right in and check out my recipes!

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