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These American-style vegan buttermilk biscuits are flaky, fluffy, ‘buttery’, and perfect for enjoying with gravy, jam, and at Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Table of contents
Fluffy, Flaky, Buttery Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
Unlike traditional biscuits, which call for dairy butter and milk, this vegan biscuits recipe relies on simple vegan ingredient swaps—and you can’t tell. In fact, there are the best vegan biscuits we’ve ever had! They’re super flaky, ‘buttery’, and perfect for practically any meal!
These vegan buttermilk biscuits are simple to prepare too, with just 7 pantry staples, including a simple 2-ingredient dairy-free buttermilk substitute. They also come together quickly, perfect for a last-minute treat or surprise for guests. Follow all the top tips (below) for the very best results!
When ready, they contain layers of flaky, ‘butter’y deliciousness, perfect for enjoying in several ways. Personally, we’re obsessed with vegan biscuits and gravy, allowing the biscuits to soak up the creamy vegan gravy for a tender, moist, irresistible treat. However, they’re also great for dipping into soup and chili or slathering with sweet toppings like jam!
The Ingredients
This vegan biscuit recipe relies on just 7 inexpensive pantry staples that are probably already in your kitchen.
- Flour: We usually use all-purpose flour, though pastry flour should work too, or a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-free butter: Use your favorite, like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s (use vegan butter sticks rather than spread if possible) – freeze it for 20 minutes first.
- Plant-based milk: We use plain soy milk, but any will work—rice, almond, etc.
- Vinegar: We use apple cider vinegar, but lemon juice also works to create vegan buttermilk.
- Baking powder: To provide lift and fluffy texture to the non-dairy biscuits.
- Sugar: Just a tiny amount (technically optional) enhances the flavor of the dairy-free biscuits. Use raw cane sugar or a sugar-free sweetener if preferred.
- Salt: To lightly season the dough for more flavor.
To make vegan cheesy biscuits, add ¾-1 cup of shredded vegan cheese to the dough. You may also like to add some dried herbs, like rosemary and/or thyme.
How to Make Vegan Biscuits?
- 1) First, freeze the vegan butter for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, mix well, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before transferring it to the fridge until it’s needed.
- 2) Then, preheat the oven to 425F/220C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- 3) Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a large bowl and mix.
- 4) Add the frozen vegan butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to ‘cut’ it into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs.
Grating the frozen vegan butter can make it easier and quicker to cut into the flour. Alternatively, you could use a food processor pulse setting.
- 5) Add the vegan milk and mix by hand, being careful not to over-mix.
- 6) Over a floured surface, spread out the dough, fold it in half twice, then stretch it back out again. Repeat this four times, adding a little more flour if the dough sticks. This makes the flaky layers.
Try to keep the handling of the dough to a minimum while doing this, though.
- 7) Finally, spread the dough once more until it’s about 1 ½ inches thick, and use a round cookie cutter (or a cup, about 2 ½-3 inches wide) to stamp out the biscuits (push straight down) and add them to the prepared baking sheet.
Alternatively, you can roll the entire dough into a rectangle and cut it into squares. Re-stack and flatten any scraps to stamp.
- 8) Bake the homemade vegan biscuits for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden, then leave them to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying them!
FAQs
Traditional American biscuits contain dairy butter and non vegan milk. Luckily, this recipe uses simple dairy-free swaps for a delicious vegan biscuit recipe.
You can use chilled coconut oil too, but it yields slightly drier results, and you miss out on the ‘buttery’ flavor.
If you’d like to try, we recommend using an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s. The dairy-free biscuits may be denser, though.
Yes, you can freeze them for up to a month, baking them from frozen and increasing the time by a few minutes.
American-style biscuits and British-style scones are very similar, even including most of the ingredients, though the ratios are different, and scones sometimes contain eggs.
More so, scones are primarily enjoyed as a sweet treat, whereas biscuits are at home on a dinner table and used to make classic savory dishes, like vegan biscuits and gravy.
Top Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use frozen vegan butter: This is key to the dairy-free biscuit flaky consistency.
- Adjust the sweetness: Reduce the amount of sugar if you want super savory vegan gravy biscuits or increase it for a sweet treat.
- Don’t overwork the dough: Otherwise, you can overwork the gluten in the flour, leading to dense, tough American biscuits. Likewise, don’t handle the dough too much when folding it to avoid melting the vegan butter.
- For better rise: We’re not sure of the exact science behind it, but bake the homemade vegan biscuits so they’re lightly touching each other.
- For a darker, crusty top: Brush them with melted vegan butter before baking.
- For the best visible layers: Push the floured cookie cutter straight down into the dough, and DON’T twist (as it seals the layers). This will also help with a better, more even rise.
Storage Instructions
Allow the vegan buttermilk biscuits to cool completely, then store them loosely covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Alternatively, flash freeze them on a tray until solid and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Leave them to thaw at room temperature when wanted and optionally reheat them in the oven at 350F/175C until warm or slice in half and toast.
Serving Recommendations
Along with making vegan biscuits and gravy, you could also enjoy this dairy-free biscuit recipe (like UK scones) at breakfast topped with:
- Dairy-free butter
- Vegan whipped cream or vegan yogurt and fruit
- Jam (and optionally vegan cream)
- Maple butter
- A vegan sausage patty with vegan cheese
- Vegan baked beans
- Tofu scramble
We also love serving them at Thanksgiving/Christmas and alongside soups, stews, and chili for dipping.
More Bread Recipes You’ll Love
- Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Vegan Focaccia Bread
- Jalapeño Cornbread
- Everyday Sandwich Bread
- Free Formed Bread
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Quick and Easy Vegan Biscuits
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of vegan butter
- 1 cup of unsweetened plain soymilk
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Place the 6 tablespoons in a freezer-safe dish and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- In a glass liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the soymilk and apple cider vinegar and allow to rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes on the counter, place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and prepare your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- After 20 minutes, add the frozen vegan butter to the dry flour mixture and use a fork (or pastry cutter) to mix it in until it looks like a crumbly mixture.
- Pour the soymilk mixture into the bowl and mix together by hand. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add a handful of flour to your surface and spread it around. Using your hands, spread out the dough. Fold it in half, then fold it in half again, and then stretch it back out. Repeat this four times. If the dough is sticking, add a little more flour.
- Spread the dough out about 1 ½ inches thick and use a round cookie cutter (or a cup that’s about 2 ½ to 3 inches wide) to stamp out biscuits and add them to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until they’re lightly golden. Cool for 5 minutes.
Notes
- Use frozen vegan butter: This is key to the dairy-free biscuit flaky consistency.
- Adjust the sweetness: Reduce the amount of sugar if you want super savory vegan gravy biscuits or increase it for a sweet treat.
- Don’t overwork the dough: Otherwise, you can overwork the gluten in the flour, leading to dense, tough American biscuits. Likewise, don’t handle the dough too much when folding it to avoid melting the vegan butter.
The best!
Wow! These vegan fluffy biscuits look amazing and delicious. Can’t wait to make some for our next weekend gathering. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
They’re a guaranteed hit!
Wow! These are so quick to prepare! Just perfect when you want to have fresh biscuits quickly! Thanks for the great recipe!
Right?! So simple and easy to devour too haha!
The biscuits came out perfect. I ate them at Sunday breakfast and they’re really good. Thank you for sharing.
That’s so awesome! They’re such an awesome homemade biscuit recipe!
These truly are the perfect vegan biscuit. We served them warm with some homemade peach jam, and they were such a delicious treat. Will make again.
Love a good peach jam!
so perfect for a weekend breakfast. yum!
Yesss – definitely hits the spot with some jam!
Do you think I could use plain vegan yogurt instead of vegan butter? Vegan butter is the only missing ingredient.
Hi! The texture might turn out differently so we at Plant-Based on a Budget can’t guarantee the results. But if you give it a go, please let us know how it turns out! 🙂