Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits (2024)

This easy gluten-free biscuit recipe is made of buttermilk producing the softest most buttery biscuits with crispy flaky layers. This recipe has both a dairy-free and Vegan option.

The Best Gluten-Free Biscuits

For those of you that are gluten-free, a biscuit recipe is a must-have! With over fifteen attempts to make the best buttermilk biscuits ever, I can confidently say that this recipe is it. What makes them so great? They check every box when it comes to the perfect biscuits. Soft and tender center with buttery flaky layers, never tough or grainy, these fluffy gluten-free biscuits are the perfect addition to any meal.

Gluten-Free Biscuit Ingredients

This is the best gluten-free buttermilk biscuit recipe, made with simple ingredients, with both a vegan and dairy-free option.

• Gluten-Free Flour: My favorite gluten-free flour blend is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour. For best results, make sure to weigh the flour with a food scale or spoon and level.
• Baking Powder: The baking powder gives these biscuits a lift.
• Baking Soda: Adding a bit of baking soda will react with the buttermilk and give the biscuits an even greater rise.
• Sugar: Sugar gives sweetness and helps with the texture of the dough.
• Salt: Salt helps bring flavor to the biscuits.
• Butter: Cold butter is key! Unsalted butter is what I use in his recipe, but if you decide to use salted butter, eliminate the added salt in the recipe.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives these biscuits a nice tangy flavor while tenderizing the dough.
• Egg: Adding an egg helps produce a rich flavorful biscuit.

How to Make Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Follow these instructions for the BEST biscuits ever!

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
2. Measure out the butter (85g) and chop the butter into small pieces. Place the pieces onto a plate and into the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. If using a food processor, transfer the dry ingredients into the food processor.
4. Remove the butter from the freezer. Place the chopped butter pieces into the large bowl or food processor, whichever you will be using. Pulse around 8-10 seconds until you get coarse crumbs, the size of a pea or smaller. If using a large bowl and pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dough until coarse crumbs form. You can also use your fingertips to break up the flour/butter mixture but work quickly to avoid the butter from melting.
5. Pour the flour/ butter mixture from the food processor back into the large bowl.
6. In a medium-size bowl, measure the buttermilk and add the large egg. Whisk together until smooth. Then make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk/egg mixture.
7. Using a rubber spatula, fold everything together, being careful to not overwork the dough. You want to stir around 15 times until the dough begins to form into a shaggy ball. This is a sticky dough and there may be bits of flour hanging in the bottom, that is ok.
8. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Have extra flour nearby and use it often to flour your hands and the work surface as needed. Flour both hands and carefully mold the dough into a rectangle, then flatten the dough to about 1-inch high on all 4 sides. Take the end of the dough that is closest to you, and fold it in half so that each end is now touching. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough in half vertically, and then stack the halves onto one another. This creates the first layer. Lift the dough and add more flour to the bottom of the workspace if needed as it tends to stick to the surface. Flatten the biscuit dough once again into a rectangle and repeat the fold, cut, and stack process 3 more times.
9. Flatten the final rectangle, 1-inch thick on all four sides. Cut biscuits into 2 or 3-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Push the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and up (do not twist or the biscuits will crimp and not rise). If the dough gets stuck into the cutter, carefully shake the cutter until the biscuit falls out of the cutter, and flour the cutter in between each cut. Re-roll the scraps into another rectangle, 1-inch thick, and repeat until all the dough is used. Depending on the size of biscuit butter, you should have 8-10 biscuits.
10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange 2-3 biscuits closest to the edge of the pan. Place the remaining biscuits right next to one another, make sure they are touching. This will help the biscuits to rise nice and tall. Place the baking tray into the freezer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to450° F while the biscuits are chilling in the freezer.
11. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and place them in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Remove them from the oven and brush with melted butter if desired. Carefully pull the biscuits apart so that they are no longer touching, and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
13. For best results, serve these fluffy biscuits the same day. Biscuits will keep at room temperature in a glass tightly sealed airtight container for 2 days.

Can I Make This Gluten-Free Biscuit Recipe Vegan?

These gluten-free buttermilk biscuits can be customized for both vegan and dairy-free preferences by following these quick and easy steps:

• Eliminate the egg and increase the dairy-free "buttermilk" from 1 cup to 1 ¼ cup to make up for the lost liquid.
• Replace the buttermilk with any dairy-free milk of choice including coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk.
• And add a tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the milk. The lemon juice will create an acidic effect in the milk giving these biscuits that delicious tangy flavor. It also helps activate the baking soda and baking powder, allowing the biscuits to rise.
• Allow the lemon milk to sit for at least 5 minutes to fully absorb, then proceed to make the recipe.

How to Make Gluten-Free Biscuits Fluffy?

In order to have the fluffiest flakiest most amazing gluten-free biscuits ever, you'll want to make sure you use cold frozen butter! Warm butter will absorb into the flour causing the biscuits to be tough and dense.

What Makes Flakey Biscuit Layers?

Creating flakey biscuits comes down to the rise agents and the cutting layering technique. Follow these tips for the flakiest biscuits ever!

• All of the ingredients need to be as cold as possible. The butter should be chilled in the freezer for at least ten minutes prior to grating, and the buttermilk and egg should be added straight from the refrigerator. Keeping the butter and ingredients as cold as possible, will help ensure the butter stays intact and does not melt into the dough.
• Whether you use a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor to cut in the butter, make sure the pieces are around the size of a pea or smaller and are evenly coated in the flour. Any large clumps will cause the butter to leak out of the biscuits during the baking process. Fold and cut the biscuits are directed to create multiple layers within the dough.
• Do not overwork the dough. The dough should be shaggy with a few crumbles at the bottom of the bowl. Gently work the dough together
• Freeze the biscuits for at least 20 minutes to ensure the butter in between the layers is cold enough, in case any melted during the cutting process.
• Bake the biscuits in a super hot oven close together. As the butter melts in the oven it will produce steam forcing the dough layers apart creating flakey biscuits.

How Do You Make Biscuits Rise Higher?

The biscuit height is determined by the freshness of the rising agents (baking soda and baking powder), the temperature of the dough, the temperature of the oven, and how close the biscuits bake together. Arrange the biscuits on the baking tray right next to one another. This will allow the steam from the butter to push the biscuits up instead of spreading. This steam is a big part of how the biscuits achieve their height, as it evaporates up and out. Therefore make sure the oven is hot, between 425 and 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

For More Tasty Recipes, Check Out The Links Below:

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• Pumpkin Biscuits and Gravy
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