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

How to make gluten-free biscuits less crumbly? ›

Use a Binder. Binders like xanthan gum and guar gum provide structure in gluten-free baking to make up for the missing gluten. This prevents cookies from being too crumbly plus it also helps with freshness.

Why are my gluten-free biscuits hard? ›

Use a high quality flour blend

In order to give your biscuits the lift, texture, and crumb that you desire, you need to make sure you're using a blend of flours and starches. If you use 100% of one flour, your biscuits will likely be crumbly and dry. My recommendation is to start with our gluten-free flour.

How do you make Paula Deen buttermilk biscuits? ›

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly and about the size of peas. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead 3 to 4 times.

What is the best flour for 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.

Is there a 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.

How to make gluten-free baking taste better? ›

Flavor. New bakers should try adding extra vanilla and/or spices to recipes. Gluten-free flours often have unique tastes, and adding additional flavoring to recipes will help cover up these unfamiliar flavors.

How to make gluten-free more moist? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Does gluten-free dough need to rest? ›

Let the batter rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

This will hydrate the starches in the gluten-free flour, helping to give them the strength they need to provide the "body" this bread would otherwise lack.

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's the difference between a Southern style biscuit and a buttermilk biscuit? ›

There are many theories about why Southern biscuits are different (ahem, better) than other biscuits—richer buttermilk, more butter, better grandmothers—but the real difference is more fundamental. Southern biscuits are different because of the flour most Southerners use. My grandmother swore by White Lily flour.

What is the best substitute for buttermilk biscuits? ›

Sour Cream + Water

Whisk together equal parts sour cream and water for a substitute that's especially good in baking recipes like coffee cake and biscuits. As when using yogurt, you may need to adjust this ratio based on the thickness of your particular brand of sour cream.

What 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."

Does sifting flour make biscuits better? ›

The solution: Use half cake flour and half all-purpose flour. This combination will give you a biscuit with light and airy interior with a pleasant, satisfying bite on the outside. Also, sifting the flour and other dry ingredients will give you a smoother, airier dough.

Why is White Lily flour so good? ›

While some brands have 11.7 percent protein, White Lily has 9 percent, meaning less gluten forms when the flour interacts with liquid.

How do I make my biscuits less crumbly? ›

When the fat is cut too small, after baking there will be more, smaller air pockets left by the melting fat. The result is a baked product that crumbles. When cutting in shortening and other solid fats, cut only until the pieces of shortening are 1/8- to 1/4-inch in size.

What to do if my biscuit dough is too crumbly? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Why is my gluten free pastry so crumbly? ›

Gluten-free pastry is much more fragile than regular pastry, so it is likely to tear and crumble as you transfer it to the tart shell. Just patch it up and push the pastry into the mould of the tin, making sure there is an even thickness and there are no cracks.

Why does gluten free bread crumble? ›

Dry, crumbly loaf- you may need more liquid (see above), fat or binder. Gluten free bread dough needs more fat than wheat bread dough whether it's oil, butter or something else. So if your bread is dry, simply add more fat to get a better crumb.

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