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The Best Recipe for Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

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.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits in a wood bowl lined with a white towel

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Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

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. 

This is the best recipe for gluten free buttermilk biscuits! These biscuits are light, fluffy, with amazing flavor and texture. They've got a nice crisp bottom and beautifully browned top. If you've been missing true biscuits since starting a gluten free diet, this is the recipe you need to try! This post is full of gluten free baking tips plus a recommendation for the best gluten free flour blend for these biscuits. #glutenfree #biscuits #glutenfreebiscuits #glutenfreebaking #glutenfreerecipes


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


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This is the best recipe for gluten free buttermilk biscuits! These biscuits are light, fluffy, with amazing flavor and texture. They've got a nice crisp bottom and beautifully browned top. If you've been missing true biscuits since starting a gluten free diet, this is the recipe you need to try! This post is full of gluten free baking tips plus a recommendation for the best gluten free flour blend for these biscuits. #glutenfree #biscuits #glutenfreebiscuits #glutenfreebaking #glutenfreerecipes

The Best Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Yield: Makes 1 Dozen Biscuits
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 59 minutes

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.

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

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet or line it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  2. 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.
  3. Stir in ¾ cup buttermilk and mix until just combined.
  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.
    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.
  5. 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.
  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.
  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.

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:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 95mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Facts are estimated. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.

Did you make this recipe?

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

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Andy

Sunday 26th of March 2023

You really ought to change the directions with regard to preheating the oven as the first step. Since the biscuits get put back in the fridge for 30 minutes, there’s ample time to preheat the oven after doing so.

Dee

Saturday 18th of February 2023

Delicious biscuits. Mine didn’t raise much at all. I was very careful to follow your directions. But must of done something wrong. ? I am use to my baking powder biscuits raising double, back when we use to eat wheat. We have been gluten free for a year now. Good switch.

Linal

Sunday 13th of November 2022

Used King Arthur flour followed directions faithfully very dissatisfied Will not make these again :(

Debra

Tuesday 16th of August 2022

Love your recipe. I used Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1. I also used Kefir milk n place of buttermilk. I have a temperamental digestive system and I found out that kefir n buttermilk are interchangeable, but because of that my baketimewas 5min more n I let them cool on the bake sheet. My new base recipe. 8 always mix things up n make it mine. Thanks so much.

Amanda

Monday 28th of March 2022

When you use Cup4Cup, how many cups of mix is generally in the 32 ounce bag?

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