The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (2024)

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These simple gluten free buttermilk biscuits are light and flaky with a soft interior and crisp bottoms. They’re quick and easy to make any night of the week.

The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (1)

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Biscuits made with tangy buttermilk are always a crowd pleaser. Put a bread plate, bowl, or platter of buttermilk biscuits on the table and you’ll have one happy group of eaters.

I spent a little time tweaking my original recipe for gluten free biscuits (which is already great, by the way!) to make another classic – gluten free buttermilk biscuits. These biscuits are LIGHT, flaky, and beautifully golden. That gorgeous color comes from a little buttermilk brushed on top before baking 🤫

I experimented with different gluten free flour blends in this recipe and there was one clear winner. I’m not going to sugar coat it, there’s only one flour blend that really mades these gluten free biscuits seem like they weren’t gluten free. They rose higher and had a better texture. My gluten free flour suggestion for this recipe is listed in the “Key Ingredients” section of this post below!

I also changed up my mixing method a bit too so be sure to read the directions carefully before you make these biscuits. I do a quick laminated-like process when rolling out the dough which helps create those layers we’re after. I’m not rolling layers of butter into the biscuit dough but I am stacking and folding the dough a few times which I didn’t do in my original recipe.

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Another thing I do different with these biscuits? I don’t roll the scraps back together and re-roll it to make more biscuits. Instead, I stack the scraps into a little pile and gently press out enough to get a couple biscuits until I don’t have enough dough to continue.

Usually, all that’s left is just enough for one more biscuit, which I lightly press into the biscuit butter to get a somewhat round shape.

Key Ingredients for Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

  • Buttermilk – the acidity in buttermilk gives these biscuits flavor and makes them tender, light and fluffy.
  • Baking Soda – I add baking soda to my buttermilk biscuits. It reacts with the buttermilk
  • Cup4Cup – Alright, I admit it. I’m recommending a pre-made gluten free flour blend over my own. I’ve tested these gluten free buttermilk biscuits with many different gluten free flour blends. While I still love my own Gluten Free Biscuit Mix and my Brown Rice Flour Blend for biscuits, Cup4Cup produced biscuits with the lightest texture, they tasted the best, and they browned better than any other blend.

Equipment Needed to Make Gluten Free Biscuits from Scratch

  • Biscuit Cutter – I use a 2-inch biscuit cutter. The size of the biscuit cutter you use will determine how many biscuits you get out of this recipe.
  • Pastry Cutter – You want to work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use two forks but it will take a bit longer. Keeping your hands off the butter and dough as much as possible will keep your warm hands from melting the butter.
  • Baking Sheet – You can use a Half Sheet Pan or Quarter Sheet Pan to make these biscuits.
  • Pastry Brush – I prefer silicone baking brushes because they’re easy to clean and they don’t shed.
The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (2)

How to Make Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Step 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step 2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cubed, cold butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 3. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until just combined.

Step 4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle into 3rds and turn the dough a half turn. Then flatten into a rectangle until the dough is about a ½-¾ inch thick.

Step 5. Cut the dough with a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter and place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, the edges of the biscuits should be touching. Re-roll the dough as needed, there should be about 12 biscuits.

Step 6. Refrigerate the biscuits at least 30 minutes to ensure that the butter stays nice and cold. This is especially important if your house/kitchen is warm and humid.

Step 7.Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk then bake for 12-15 minutes or until the biscuits are browned and baked through.

Tips for Making Gluten Free Biscuits

  • Read the recipe directions carefully – I’ve changed the rolling process to make these buttermilk biscuits nice and flaky! Read the beginning of this post too where I discussed re-rolling the dough scraps.
  • Don’t skip the chill time – you want these biscuits and the butter to be COLD when you put them in the oven.
  • Brush the tops with buttermilk before baking – it’ll make the biscuits beautifully browned on top. Or if you’re feeling a little extra, brush the tops with melted butter instead!

Other Gluten Free Biscuit Recipes to Try

  • Gluten Free Biscuits
  • Gluten Free Drop Biscuits
  • Gluten Free Parmesan Black Pepper Biscuits – coming soon!
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The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (3)

The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (4)

The Best Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

4.64 from 133 ratings

These simple gluten free buttermilk biscuits are light and flaky with a soft interior and crisp bottoms. They're quick and easy to make any night of the week.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 59 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 biscuits

By: Sharon Lachendro

Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gluten-free flour blend see notes
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your flour blend contains it
  • 1 teaspoon 6 g fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon 12 g baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon 3 g baking soda
  • 6 tablespoons 87 g unsalted butter, cubed and very cold
  • ¾ cup 188 ml buttermilk, cold + 1 tablespoon, divided

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet or line it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

  • Add the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to a large bowl and whisk together.
    Add the cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles coarse crumbs.

  • Stir in ¾ cup buttermilk and mix until just combined.

  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle into 3rds and turn the dough a half turn. Then flatten into a rectangle until the dough is about a ½-¾ inch thick.
    Cut the dough with a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter and place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, the edges of the biscuits should be touching.

  • Re-roll the dough as needed (by stacking the scraps and flattening). If using a 2-inch biscuit cutter there will be about 12 biscuits total.

  • Refrigerate the biscuits at least 30 minutes to ensure that the butter stays nice and cold. This is especially important if your house/kitchen is warm and humid.

  • Brush the tops of the biscuits with the remaining 1 tablespoon of buttermilk then bake for 12-15 minutes or until the biscuits are browned and baked through.

Notes

  1. For the best results, I highly recommend using Cup4Cup in this recipe. I used 274 grams of Cup4Cup flour and omitted the xanthan gum listed in the recipe.
  2. Be sure to cut your butter into the dough until the pieces of butter are fairly small. If the butter bits are too big, they won’t incorporate into the dough well and the biscuits will come out denser.
  3. Try to work the dough as little as possible to keep the biscuits from being flat and tough.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

Disclaimers

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.

Did you make this?Mention @whattheforkfoodblog or leave a comment rating below!

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can alsoleave a photo/comment on this pinfor others to see.

The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits (2024)

FAQs

What is the best gluten-free flour for baking biscuits? ›

What's the best gluten-free flour for baking? Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking mix is my favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for baking. It has a mild texture and plenty of "stick" thanks to a blend of sweet rice flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour, plus some starches and xanthan gum.

What does adding an egg to biscuits do to you? ›

As it turns out, adding hard-boiled egg yolks to your biscuit dough is a way to ward off an overworked, tough dough that can be the downfall of a butter-based pastry. When the trick is employed, the pastry shatters and then dissolves in your mouth quickly, tasting like a knob of flaky butter.

Which popular biscuits are gluten-free? ›

Brands
  • Rhythm 108.
  • Lovemore.
  • Nairn's.
  • Kent & Fraser.
  • M&S.
  • Sweet FA.
  • Honeyrose.
  • Kallo.

Why aren t my buttermilk biscuits fluffy? ›

Why aren't my buttermilk biscuits fluffy? A non-fluffy, flat biscuit can be caused by a few things: too much liquid in the dough (resist the urge to add more buttermilk to make the dough come together and use the heat of your hands and a bit more kneading instead). Over-mixing the dough can cause flat biscuits.

What is the trick to baking with gluten free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Which gluten free flour is closest to all-purpose flour? ›

Brown rice flour is about as close to a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour as it gets since it provides structure and a “wheat-like” flavor.

What is the secret to biscuits? ›

Carla's secret to making flaky biscuits is simple: grate the butter. Grating the butter creates shards that are uniform in size, ensuring they're evenly mixed with the flour. But in order to properly grate it, you need to make sure your butter is cold — very, very cold.

What makes biscuits rise better? ›

Baking at a Low Temperature

A hot oven helps biscuits bake—and rise—quickly. We recommend 475˚F for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are lightly brown.

What does adding sugar to biscuits do? ›

Not only does sugar add flavour, it also has other important properties. During baking, the sugar in the dough makes the biscuit go slightly brown. This also produces roasted flavours, which are important for the taste of our biscuits. Both are chemical processes caused by the heating of sugar and proteins.

What products are surprisingly gluten-free? ›

Treats that are surprisingly gluten-free
  • Plain tortilla or potato chips: Keep in mind that seasoned chips may contain wheat starch.
  • Plain chocolate: Read ingredients as some chocolate bars contain wheat-based wafers.
  • Ice cream: Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are safe bets. ...
  • French fries: Potatoes are gluten free.
Apr 13, 2023

Do gluten free biscuits taste different? ›

Generally, gluten free baked products are characterized by reduced textural and sensorial properties compared to their gluten-containing counterparts [4]. Because of the flours employed, gluten free biscuits may be harder, may present a dry and sandy mouthfeel and an unpleasant appearance, taste, or color [5].

Why are my gluten free biscuits gummy? ›

Gummy on the inside- bake for a longer time. Gluten free bread takes much longer than a regular loaf to bake and therefore a sticky crumb is generally the result of under baking. It is easy to see why this can happen, gluten free bread dough needs more moisture and is often difficult to knead with conventional methods.

Is it better to use milk or buttermilk in biscuits? ›

What's the Difference Between Buttermilk Biscuits and Regular Biscuits? As the names might suggest, regular biscuits do not contain buttermilk, while these do. Regular biscuits are typically prepared with milk or water instead. Buttermilk adds a nice tang to the biscuit flavor and helps them rise better.

What kind of flour do southerners use for biscuits? ›

SouthernKitchen.com says, "Ask any Southern chef or sagacious biscuit grandma and you'll hear a pattern emerge: they all swear by White Lily flour."

How do you keep buttermilk biscuits moist? ›

First, Day confirmed that storing biscuits in the fridge is fine as long as they're in an airtight container. This keeps the biscuit fresh for up to five days. “For long term storage, wrap biscuits in plastic wrap, then with tin foil. Store for up to one month in the freezer,” she said.

What is the best flour for homemade biscuits? ›

There is some actual science behind why White Lily flour is lighter than others and, thus, better suited for items like biscuits and cakes.

Why didn't my gluten free biscuits rise? ›

Moisture content: If you have too much or too little liquid, then your biscuits will either not rise or be very dense. You want a sticky dough that holds its shape when pressed. Sour cream with just a bit of extra milk provides the perfect moisture for gluten free biscuits!

Which gluten free flour rises best with yeast? ›

Best Gluten Free Flour For Bread (Yeasted):

Cup4Cup. Authentic Foods Steve's Gluten Free Bread Blend. My DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend, Gluten-Free Rice Flour Blend, Sorghum Flour Blend (all 3 are linked above), and Gluten-Free Whole Grain Blend all work very well in yeast recipes.

What gluten free flour thickens best? ›

Tapioca flour: ideal as thickener or for healthy baking.

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