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These fluffy vegan biscuits are flaky, tender, and taste wonderfully buttery, with a quick homemade vegan buttermilk and just 7 pantry staples. Serve them warm with vegan gravy, jam, or a big bowl of soup. Planning a holiday menu? Find more ideas in my vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
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Traditional biscuits call for dairy butter and buttermilk, but simple swaps give you the same flaky layers and soft, fluffy middle. I mix soy milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar for the buttermilk and use frozen vegan butter for the layers. No one at the table will guess they’re dairy-free!
They come together quickly, too, so they’re perfect for a weekend breakfast, a last-minute side, or a pan of vegan biscuits and gravy.
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
- Why You’ll Love It: Flaky, fluffy, dairy-free biscuits made with 7 pantry staples.
- Time and Difficulty: 40 minutes of prep (including 20 minutes to freeze the butter) and 12 to 14 minutes of baking, easy.
- Main Ingredients: Flour, vegan butter, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Method: Make a quick vegan buttermilk, cut frozen vegan butter into the dry ingredients, fold the dough for layers, cut, and bake.
- Texture and Flavor: Golden and flaky outside, soft and fluffy inside, with a rich, buttery taste.
- Quick Tip: Keep the butter and buttermilk cold until they go in the bowl. Cold butter makes the flakiest layers.
Table of Contents
What Makes These Vegan Biscuits So Good
Warm, homemade biscuits are one of my favorite simple pleasures, and this dairy-free biscuit recipe is the one I come back to again and again. A few easy folds give you tall, flaky layers without any special equipment.
- Just 7 ingredients: Flour, vegan butter, plant-based milk, vinegar, baking powder, sugar, and salt. You probably have them all already.
- Homemade vegan buttermilk: Soy milk and apple cider vinegar make a tangy buttermilk that keeps the biscuits tender.
- Flaky layers: Frozen vegan butter and a quick fold-and-stretch method create layers you can pull apart.
- So versatile: Serve them with gravy, jam, soup, chili, or as a breakfast sandwich.
- Freezer-friendly: Freeze them baked or unbaked so fresh biscuits are always close by.
- A reader favorite: They have a 5-star rating from 25 readers, and one called them the perfect vegan biscuit.
Vegan Biscuit Ingredients
This vegan biscuit recipe uses just 7 simple pantry staples. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: This is what I use. Pastry flour works too, or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a heartier biscuit.
- Vegan butter: I use Earth Balance vegan butter sticks, but any vegan butter stick works, like Miyoko’s. Sticks work better than a soft spread. Freeze it for 20 minutes first.
- Plant-based milk: I use unsweetened plain soy milk, since it curdles nicely into buttermilk. Oat, almond, and rice milk work too, as long as they are plain and unsweetened.
- Apple cider vinegar: Mixed with the milk, it makes a quick vegan buttermilk. Lemon juice works the same way.
- Baking powder: Gives the biscuits their lift and fluffy texture.
- Sugar: Just a little rounds out the flavor. Use cane sugar, or leave it out for savory biscuits.
- Salt: Seasons the dough so the biscuits taste rich, not flat.
How to Make Vegan Biscuits
Before you start, freeze the vegan butter for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Step 1: Make the vegan buttermilk. Whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together and let it rest for 10 minutes to curdle. Then pop it in the fridge to stay cold until you need it.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Cut in the butter. Add the frozen vegan butter and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs, with some pea-size pieces.
Step 4: Add the buttermilk. Pour the cold vegan buttermilk into the bowl.
Step 5: Mix gently. Stir by hand just until a shaggy dough forms. A few dry bits are fine, so be careful not to overmix.
Step 6: Fold the dough. On a floured surface, spread the dough out, fold it in half twice, then stretch it back out. Repeat this four times, adding a little flour if it sticks. This makes the flaky layers.
Step 7: Cut out the biscuits. Pat the dough out with your hands, or roll it with a rolling pin, until it’s about 1 ½ inches thick. Dip a 2 ½ to 3-inch round cutter (or a cup) in flour and press straight down to cut out the biscuits. Place them on the baking sheet so they are just touching.
Step 8: Bake. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.
PRO TIP: Grating the frozen vegan butter on a box grater makes it quicker to cut into the flour. You can also pulse it in a food processor for a few seconds.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Keep everything cold: Frozen vegan butter and cold buttermilk are the secret to flaky biscuits. If your kitchen is warm, chill the cut biscuits in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking.
- Don’t overwork the dough: Mix and fold gently. Overworking develops the gluten and melts the butter, which makes the biscuits dense and tough.
- Don’t twist the cutter: Press straight down and lift straight up. Twisting seals the edges, so the biscuits rise less and show fewer layers.
- Bake them touching: Biscuits placed so their sides just touch rise taller and stay softer on the sides.
- Re-roll scraps gently: Stack and press the scraps together once to cut a few more. Those last biscuits may be a little less tall.
- For golden tops: My favorite way is to brush the biscuits with a little melted vegan butter before baking, then brush them with more right out of the oven for extra richness. Plant-based milk works too.
- Adjust the sweetness: Use less sugar for savory biscuits and gravy, or a little more for a sweet treat.
Recipe Variations
Once you have the basic dough down, try one of these easy twists:
- Cheesy biscuits: Stir ¾ to 1 cup of shredded vegan cheese into the dry ingredients before adding the buttermilk.
- Herb biscuits: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried rosemary or thyme, or a few Tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs.
- Garlic and chive: Add a teaspoon of garlic powder and a handful of sliced chives or green onions.
- Square biscuits: No cutter? Pat the dough into a rectangle and cut it into squares with a sharp knife. There are no scraps to re-roll!
- Sweet biscuits: Add a little more sugar and serve them with berries and vegan whipped cream for an easy shortcake.
- Sweet potato: For a naturally sweet, golden twist, try my sweet potato biscuits.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these fluffy vegan biscuits warm, with:
- Gravy: Smother them in my mushroom gravy for a twist on classic biscuits and gravy.
- Something sweet: Vegan butter and jam, like my easy plum jam, or a dollop of vegan whipped cream and fresh fruit.
- Breakfast: Serve them with a tofu scramble, or split them and fill them with a vegan sausage patty and vegan cheese.
- Soup and chili: Dip them into a hearty kale and bean soup, a vegan bean chili, or a root vegetable lentil stew.
- Southern-inspired dinner: Serve them alongside tofu fried chicken and vegan baked beans.
They’re also a must on my Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, right next to the gravy boat!
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Cut the biscuits, place them on a tray, and freeze them until solid. Move them to a freezer-safe bag for up to a month and bake them straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
- Room temperature: Once the baked biscuits cool completely, store them loosely covered for 2 to 3 days.
- Fridge: Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer: Flash freeze baked biscuits on a tray, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw them at room temperature, then warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), or slice them in half and toast them.
Vegan Biscuit FAQs
Traditional biscuits are made with dairy butter and buttermilk, so most are not vegan. This recipe uses vegan butter and a quick homemade vegan buttermilk, so these biscuits are completely dairy-free and egg-free.
Chilled coconut oil works, but the biscuits come out a little drier and less buttery. I haven’t tested plain vegan yogurt in place of the butter, so if you try it, let me know how it goes in the comments!
I haven’t tested a gluten-free version yet. If you’d like to try, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend made to swap in cup for cup, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur. The biscuits may be a little denser.
Yes! Freeze the cut biscuits on a tray until solid, then move them to a freezer-safe bag for up to a month. Bake them from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
They use similar ingredients in different amounts. Scones are usually sweeter and sometimes include eggs, while biscuits are savory, flaky, and perfect for gravy, soup, or a breakfast sandwich.
More Vegan Bread Recipes
Vegan Appetizers
Butternut Squash Sage Biscuits
Vegan Side Dishes
Vegan Dinner Rolls (Soft and Fluffy)
Vegan Breakfasts
Vegan Pumpkin Scones
Vegan Appetizers
Jalapeño Cornbread
If you tried these fluffy vegan biscuits or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Quick and Easy Vegan Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) vegan butter sticks work best, like Earth Balance
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plain soy milk
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour plus more for the counter
- 1 ½ Tablespoons (20 g) baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon (12 g) sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the vegan butter in a freezer-safe dish and freeze it for 20 minutes.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it rest for 10 minutes to curdle, then refrigerate it until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Add the frozen vegan butter and cut it in with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the cold vegan buttermilk and stir gently by hand, just until a shaggy dough forms. Don’t overmix.
- Lightly flour the counter. Spread the dough out with your hands, fold it in half, fold it in half again, then spread it back out. Repeat this four times, adding a little more flour if the dough sticks.
- Pat the dough out with your hands, or roll it with a rolling pin, until it’s about 1 ½ inches thick. Dip a 2 ½ to 3-inch round cutter (or a cup) in flour and press straight down, without twisting, to cut out the biscuits. Place them on the baking sheet so they are just touching.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Keep the vegan butter frozen until you cut it in, since cold butter makes the flaky layers.
- Grating the frozen butter on a box grater makes it quicker to cut in.
- Use less sugar for savory biscuits, or a little more for a sweeter biscuit.
- Mix and fold the dough gently, because overworking it makes the biscuits dense and tough.
- For golden tops, brush the biscuits with melted vegan butter before baking. Plant-based milk works too.
- Freeze unbaked biscuits for up to a month and bake them from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
- Store baked biscuits at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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! 🙂