How to make the best flaky fluffy Vegan “Buttermilk” Biscuits
I know I know, making buttermilk biscuits from scratch seems really difficult. It’s so much easier to grab that rolled pack at the grocery store and plop in the oven and be done with it.
But two things:
Above all, they’re processed with preservatives. Also, I swear the containers always say they may contain trace amounts of milk from being processed on equipment.
So yeah, no.
No need to fret though, surprisingly, these easy “buttermilk” biscuits are perfect for beginner cooks, master chefs, and our non-vegan friends. Everyone will love them! The only problem, they’ll be gone quickly.
Let’s get started!
Recipe for Vegan Biscuits
Gather your Equipment
Prep Oven & Ingredients
Two of the most important factors for our recipe for vegan biscuits:
HOT OVEN | COLD BUTTER
… Did I make that large enough?
For real though, the trick to this, besides amazing fresh ingredients, is to have your oven hot, and your butter cold. This will help keep the biscuit shape while it bakes, and allow them to rise and stay flaky!
Firstly, chop up the butter into cubes.
Subsequently, place the chopped butter onto a plate with parchment paper. Then, place in the freezer while we do the rest.
Secondly, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Making Vegan Buttermilk
This is a pretty standard recipe for vegan buttermilk, so feel free to use it for other recipes that call for it, like our Crispy Vegan Chicken Fingers
Simple mix 1 C almond milk & 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and let sit.
The vinegar will cause the almond milk to curdle, which sounds gross, but it’s exactly what we need! Then, place mixture into the fridge until we need it again.
(Because remember, we want everything to stay as cold as possible)
Side note: You can substitute the almond milk for coconut milk, and the apple cider vinegar for lemon juice, for example. I’ve used every combination of these ingredients, but I find for these biscuits, the flavor & texture of the almond milk and apple cider vinegar works best!
Mix the Dry Ingredients Together
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the dry ingredients.
Pulse Frozen Vegan Butter into Food Processor with Dry Ingredients
Remember that butter we put in the freezer? Take it out. After that, put dry mixture and frozen vegan butter cubes into your favorite food processor.
Pulse frequently, but not continually (the more it mixes, the warmer it gets, and the trick is to keep it as cold as possible). Pulse until it is all combined. The buttermilk biscuit mixture should look fine & sandy. After that, quickly return to the large mixing bowl.
From This 
To That
Add the vegan buttermilk
Firstly, Set aside 2 Tbsp. of your vegan buttermilk. **don’t forget this step**
Secondly, make a big divot into the center of the dry mixture. After that, gently pour the remaining vegan buttermilk into the dry mixture, and with a spatula, gently combine.
Do not overmix! It should look flaky-ish at this point – not like a cake or bread dough. Falling apart is ok!
Working the Buttermilk Biscuit Dough
Firstly, we don’t actually want to knead the dough. What we do want to do is turn the dough onto a clean floured surface. Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the biscuit dough. Gently press together into one large mass and flatten until it’s about 1″.
After that, Fold the dough over itself in half and press again into 1″.
Finally, repeat this about 5-6 times. This is how the dough gets it’s flaky layers.
Most importantly, do not use a rolling pin! This will cause it to become to flat, and you’ll end up with biscuits that are dense and firm, for instance. Yuck!
Cutting & Cooling Buttermilk Biscuits
After you have folded the dough, take a biscuit cutter and push straight down.
Do not twist. Twisting causes the dough to pinch, and again not allow it to rise and be fluffy.
To release the biscuit, very gently jiggle apart. After that, plop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper! This recipe for vegan biscuits should make 6-8 biscuits depending on what size biscuit cutter you have. For example, I used a 2.5″ biscuit cutter and got 7 perfect biscuits, and one ugly one.
You’ll end up with some scraps at the end, which you can just pinch back together, reshape, and make 1-2 more “ugly” biscuits. I like to call the ugly ones the taste testers. They still taste amazing, but they’re not the show stoppers.
Place Vegan Biscuits in Freezer
Now that all the buttermilk biscuits are on the parchment paper, place into the freezer for about 10-15 more minutes.
This will help to maintain the biscuit shape while they bake!
Time to bake!
Before anything, remove vegan buttermilk biscuits from the freezer. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the remaining vegan buttermilk we had set aside. Now it’s time to bake!
FINALLY!
Make sure your oven is nice and hot, and place the biscuits into it and bake.
Depending on your oven, this can take anywhere from 12-20 minutes. Check at 12 minutes, and keep baking in 2 minute increments, checking until they are beautifully golden brown.
I dare you to not eat the whole lot the first night.
Just kidding, you deserve it! Certainly I did.
I guarantee this is the best recipe for vegan biscuits there is out there!
- Flaky
- Buttery
- Fluffy
- Most importantly, Vegan
Make these all year long, but they are especially great for the Holidays!
Serving Suggestions
To sum up, these biscuits are so great on their own, especially when hot and fresh. But, just in case, here are some of my favorite ways to eat them.
- Topped with homemade Vegan Apple Butter
- Served with a side of smooth Fall pumpkin butter
- A dollop of fresh made raspberry jam & butter
- Underneath Quick Vegan Mushroom Gravy
- Finally, a base for Vegan Chick’n Pot Pie
Flaky Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Food Processor
Materials
Vegan Buttermilk
- 1 C Plain Unsweetened Almond (or Coconut Milk)
- 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (or Lemon Juice)
Biscuit Dry Ingredients
- 2 C Flour
- 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
- 6 Tbsp. Unsalted Vegan Butter (Mykonos or Earth Balance)
Instructions
PREP
- Take 6 Tbsp. vegan butter, and cut into small cubes. Set on a piece of parchment paper on a plate, and put in freezer while we mix the dry ingredients.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 Degrees F. We want the oven to be hot hot hot, and the biscuits to be cold!
MAKING VEGAN BUTTERMILK
- Mix one cup of almond milk and 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar in small dish. This will cause the almond milk to curdle – but this is what we want! Set in fridge to keep cold.
- I've made this also with coconut milk instead of almond, and lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar. All the combinations work well, but I seem to get the best results and flavor from almond milk and apple cider vinegar.
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS
- In a large dish, vigorously whisk together 2 C Flour, 1 Tbsp., baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, & 3/4 tsp. sea salt
PULSE FROZEN VEGAN BUTTER INTO DRY INGREDIENTS
- Take the frozen butter out of the freezer, and combine the dry mixture with the butter into a food processor. Pulse frequently, but not continually (the more it mixes, the warmer it gets, and the trick is to keep it as cold as possible). Pulse until it is all combined. The mixture should look fine & sandy. Return to large mixing bowl
ADD BUTTERMILK
- Set aside 2 Tbsp. of your vegan buttermilk. Make a big divot into the center of the dry mixture. Gently pour the remaining vegan buttermilk into the dry mixture, and with a spatula, gently combine. Do not overmix! It should look flaky-ish at this point – not like a cake or bread dough. Falling apart is ok!
WORKING THE BISCUIT DOUGH
- Firstly, we don't actually want to knead the dough. What we do want to do is turn the dough onto a clean floured surface. Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the biscuit dough. Gently press together into one large mass and flatten until it's about 1".
- Fold the dough over itself in half and press again into 1". Repeat this about 5-6 times. This is how the dough gets it's flaky layers. *do not use a rolling pin!!!!!* This will cause it to become to flat, and you'll end up with biscuits that are dense and firm. Yuck!
CUTTING & COOLING BISCUITS
- After you have folded the dough, take a biscuit cutter and push straight down. Do not twist. Twisting causes the dough to pinch, and again not allow it to rise and be fluffy. To release the biscuit, very gently jiggle apart. Plop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper! This recipe should make 6-8 biscuits depending on what size biscuit cutter you have.
- You'll end up with some scraps at the end, which you can just pinch back together, reshape, and make 1-2 more "ugly" biscuits. I like to call the ugly ones the taste testers. They still taste amazing, but they're not the show stoppers.
- Now that all the biscuits are on the parchment paper, place into the freezer for about 10 more minutes. This will help to maintain the biscuit shape while they bake!
- Remove from the freezer. Brush the tops of each biscuit with the remaining vegan buttermilk we had set aside. Now it's time to bake!
BAKING
- FINALLY! Make sure your oven is nice and hot, and place the biscuits into them and bake. Depending on your oven, this can take anywhere from 12-20 minutes. Check at 12, and keep baking in 2 minute increments, checking until they are beautifully golden brown.
EAT 'EM UP
- Now, warm fresh biscuits are really the bees knees. So slather them with your favorite toppings and go to town! They taste great with butter, jam, apple or pumpkin butter, or a delicious vegan mushroom gravy. Enjoy!
Absolutely the most delicious biscuits I have ever had.
Yay! So happy you loved them