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Learn how to make my Best Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe. It’s a Southern staple that is so versatile and is excellent for breakfast. These have several flaky layers, and are a little crispy and so tender. You’ll want these everyday for breakfast or as a side dish with dinner.

biscuits with chocolate homey butter spread on the biscuits.


Best Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

You’ll never want to buy premade biscuits after trying this easy buttermilk biscuits recipe. They’re totally worth the small effort in making them since they bake up light, fluffy, and delicious! 

NOTHING compares to homemade soft and fluffy buttermilk biscuits. NOTHING. These have a few more steps than drop biscuits, but it’s totally worth it.

If you know me, you know I love to spice things up. So this Southern buttermilk biscuit recipe includes an easy chocolate honey butter that is my favorite with these fluffy homemade biscuits. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • They come out so fluffy and have and excellent crisp to them
  • Holds up perfectly to gravy, butter or jam
  • They’re easier than you think to make from scratch!
ingredients in buttermilk biscuits.

Ingredients needed

  • Flour: learn how to make self rising flour or use store-bought 
  • Butter: cold salted butter that’s cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
  • Buttermilk: The acidity in the buttermilk adds a nice tang and also works with the self-rising flour to help the biscuits rise. I recommend buying buttermilk not making your own for this recipe.

How to make buttermilk biscuits from scratch

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet. 
  2. Place the flour and cubed butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a food processor or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork to work the flour into the buttermilk just until moistened.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, gently turn it two or three times until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. 
  5. Roll or pat out to roughly ¾ in thick. Cut biscuits with a pastry cutter or drinking glass to cut into rounds. Place on a lined baking sheet and parchment paper.
  6. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until they are puffy and golden brown. If desired, turn the oven to BROIL and broil for another 2-3 minutes until the tops are golden. 
  7. Store biscuits in an airtight container for 2 days or freeze for up to one month. Serve warm with Chocolate Honey Butter.
ingredients in chocolate honey butter.

How to make Chocolate Honey Butter

  • Butter: salted butter at room temperature
  • Sugar: I’m using powdered sugar
  • Honey: the only source of sweetness to this recipe and it’s perfect
  • Cocoa powder: unsweetened since we are getting the sweetness from the honey
process shot of buttermilk biscuits.
  1. Beat the salted butter until creamy 
  2. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, honey, and cocoa until combined. 
  3. Serve at room temperature so it’s spreadable, store in the refrigerator.

Serving suggestions 

There are endless ways to serve buttermilk biscuits, but one of my family’s favorites is the chocolate honey butter spread. It’s the perfect spread that’s homemade and incredibly easy to make! 

These are great for breakfast with butter or jam or as biscuits and gravy.

We also love these as a side dish for dinner – especially a holiday table. It’s never a complete dinner without biscuits!

cooked biscuits in a black pan next to a cookbook.

Expert tips

  • Use cold butter and buttermilk in the biscuits to get them to rise up 
  • Don’t overflour your floured work surface. Otherwise your buttermilk biscuit recipe will turn out too dry.
  • If you overwork your biscuit dough, the butter and buttermilk will warm up and not be cold enough to rise.
  • Make your own rising flour with just 3 ingredients. Baking soda, all purpose flour and salt. 
  • I don’t recommend using homemade buttermilk in this recipe – for biscuits you want to buy actual buttermilk.

FAQs

What does buttermilk do to biscuits?

The buttermilk reacts to the rising flour, creating a perfectly tender biscuit.

Should buttermilk be cold when making biscuits?

Yes, it should be cold to get the best results.

Why didn’t my biscuits rise?

The buttermilk and butter was not cold enough. 

Can I freeze biscuits?

Yes, you can! Cover and freeze buttermilk biscuits for up to one month. 

Southern style biscuit cut in half with chocolate spread in the middle

Chocolate Honey Butter with the BEST Buttermilk Biscuits

4.70 from 10 votes
This Chocolate Honey Butter recipe goes great with the BEST Buttermilk Biscuits you’ll ever taste! This is the perfect breakfast recipe!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yield 12 biscuits
Serving Size 1 biscuit

Ingredients
 

For the Biscuits:

  • 3 cups (375g) self-rising flour see note
  • ½ cup (113g) cold salted butter cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
  • 1 cup (237ml) cold buttermilk

For the Chocolate Honey Butter:

  • ½ cup (113g) salted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup (60ml) honey
  • 1 tablespoon (5g) unsweetened cocoa powder
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Instructions

Biscuits:

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. (You can also bake these on a buttered cookie sheet.)
  • Place the flour and cubed butter in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork to work the flour into the buttermilk just until moistened.
  • Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and gently turn it two or three times until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. Don’t over flour!
  • Roll or pat out to roughly 3/4” thickness. Use a 2 1/2” biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut into rounds. Place in skillet.
  • Brush the tops with the melted butter. Bake for 17-20 minutes until they are puffy and golden. If desired, turn the oven to BROIL and broil for another 2-3 minutes until the tops are golden. (My oven browned the tops so I did not need to do that step.)
  • Store biscuits in an airtight container for 2 days or freeze for up to one month. Serve warm with Chocolate Honey Butter.

Chocolate Honey Butter:

  • Beat butter until creamy, about 30-60 seconds with a hand mixer. Slowly mix in powdered sugar, honey, and cocoa until combined. Serve room temperature so it’s spreadable, store in refrigerator.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Use cold butter and buttermilk in the biscuits to get them to rise up 
  • Don’t overflour your floured work surface. Otherwise your buttermilk biscuit recipe will turn out too dry.
  • If you overwork your biscuit dough, the butter and buttermilk will warm up and not be cold enough to rise.
  • If you don’t have self rising flour, use 3 scant cups all-purpose flour, 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
  • I don’t recommend using homemade buttermilk in this recipe – for biscuits you want to buy actual buttermilk.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American

This recipe is from Melissa’s Southern Cookbook – grab your copy today!

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.70 from 10 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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17 Comments

  1. AH-mazing biscuits! I made these for strawberry shortcake. These are wonderfully flaky, biscuits. I added a titch of sugar for sweetness. I can’t wait to try the chocolate honey butter!