It's easy to make buttery, flaky and downright delicious vegan biscuits at home using this step-by-step guide!
Recipe features
- Simple, traditional ingredients made vegan
- Light and fluffy biscuits with flaky layers
- Two ingredient vegan buttermlk
- Only six ingredients
- Ready in 30 minutes
Behind the biscuits
Biscuits are as much a part of southern culture as Coke and hot, humid summer days. You can find fluffy, flaky biscuits at many gas stations and at pretty much any breakfast spot.
When I lived in Portland I really, really missed Georgia biscuits. Naturally, I took it upon myself to learn the art of the southern biscuit.
I cannot claim to be an expert in biscuit-making, but I have learned a thing or two from early mornings spent trying to make the perfect biscuit. As a vegetarian, I split my biscuit making between traditional butter and vegan butter. I wanted to feel confident in my ability to make "regular" biscuits before trying dairy-free.
Because of that, these vegan biscuits are essentially an adaption of a traditional southern biscuit recipe. Nothing is swapped to make it "healthier" or "lighter" - we're simply talking about good, southern biscuits. The kind you find a gas station or on the menu at your favorite restaurant - just dairy free.
What you'll need
Flour. Choose an all-purpose flour. If you live in the south, or in an area that has access to this brand, choose White Lily all-purpose flour . This is the southern biscuit making flour. It's soft and light as air, allowing the biscuits their classic fluffy rise. This article breaks down the history of southern biscuits and White Lily flour.
Vegan Butter. My favorite vegan butter for baking is Earth Balance buttery spread. Miyoko's cultured butter is also a good option for baking.
Buttermilk. Make vegan buttermilk (AKA sour milk) by combining 1 cup of soy milk with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until lumpy and thickened.
Baking powder. Baking powder helps these biscuits rise to their full potential. Any standard baking powder will do.
Salt. Choose regular table salt for biscuit making - nothing fancy here, folks.
Step by step instructions
Step one: In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder.
Step two: Use a knife to cut the vegan butter into smaller chunks (no need to be exact about the size of chunks). Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter (this is the one that I use), forks, or your fingers.
You want to break the butter into pea-sized bits.
Step three: Use a wooden spoon to stir vegan buttermilk into the dry mixture.
Step four: Stir until the dough holds to the wooden spoon. You want the dough to be slightly sticky still, but not so much so that it sticks to your hands. It will be a delicate dough.
Step five: Turn the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to gently flatten it to half an inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself, then pat back down to ½ inch thick. Repeat 2-3 times - this is how you form the flaky biscuit layers.
Step six: Cut the biscuits into ~3 inch rounds. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 425-degree oven. They are ready when golden brown.
Recipe FAQ and expert tips
- Keep your ingredients cold. In fact, I like to chill diced butter for at least 10 minutes before using. Vegan butter melts quite quickly, so starting with almost-frozen butter will slow the melting process. You can even chill your mixing bowl and utensils before using.
- To make pull-apart biscuits with soft sides, line cut biscuit dough up on the baking sheet so that the edges are almost touching.
- For a consistent measure, spoon flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping the measuring cup into the flour. Use the back edge of a knife to sweep off excess flour.
- Have fun! Making biscuits is messy, and it can take a while to get them "perfect". But every biscuit-maker has their own style, so have some fun with it.
- Serving: Enjoy this recipe with my favorite Vegan Sausage Gravy and a side of 15-Minute Tofu Scramble.
Overworking the dough can cause them to turn out dry, dense and tough. It also may mean that you added too much flour. The dough should be delicate but not sticking to your fingers.
Biscuits are best enjoyed the same day, but you can keep them for up to 3 days. Store at room temp and enjoy as is or reheat in the microwave until hot, about 30 seconds.
I have not tested this recipe with coconut oil but it should work if it is very cold.
Recommended tools
It is possible - and certainly common - to make biscuits with just a bowl, your hands, and a hard surface. But there are tools you can use to make the biscuit-making process a little easier. These are the tools that I use with my own biscuits.
- Biscuit cutters. These cut perfectly circular biscuits, which allows biscuits to spring up higher. If you cut with something like an upside down glass or a ball jar, your biscuits will likely not inflate as high because the edges have been pressed down.
- Pastry cutter. Use this to cut butter into flour. Alternatively, use your fingers or two forks.
- Baking mat or parchment paper. I love my baking mat. It makes clean up so much easier; no hard-to-clean flour-coated counters here! You can also use the baking mat in your oven, but make sure to check the max recommended temperature for your mat before using it with biscuits.
- Large mixing bowl and wooden spoon. For mixing, of course!
Looking for more southern classics?
If you liked this guide you may also enjoy learning how to make a perfect oil pie crust.
Did you make this recipe? You can leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ in the recipe card or a review down in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow along on my YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest or sign up for my newsletter!
Southern Vegan Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour more as needed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegan butter a little more than 5 tablespoons
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Stir together the soy milk and vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt.
- Using a knife, slice the vegan butter into smaller chunks (no need to be exact about the size of chunks). Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, forks, or your fingers. The butter should be pea-sized.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the buttermilk into the dry mixture. Stir until the dough holds to the wooden spoon. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, but not so much so that it sticks to your hands.
- Turn the biscuit dough onto a well-floured surface. Use your hands to flatten it to about half an inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself, then pat back down to half an inch thick. Repeat 2-3 times, making sure not to overwork the dough.
- Use a biscuit cutter or knife to cut the biscuits into ~3 inch rounds. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Biscuits will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature but will have the best quality if enjoyed the same day.
- Keep your ingredients cold. Chill diced butter for at least 10 minutes before using for best results. You can even chill your mixing bowl and utensils before using. It's okay to skip this step if you're short on time.
- To make pull-apart biscuits with soft sides, line cut biscuit dough up on the baking sheet so that the edges are almost touching.
- For a consistent measure, spoon flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping the measuring cup into the flour. Use the back edge of a knife to sweep off excess flour.
- Handle the dough as minimally as possible to keep a light texture. Overworking the dough can make the biscuits tough.
- When I'm not using parchment paper, I like to use this non-stick baking mat.
Jeanne
Just found this, looks great! My daughter has to have gluten free, do you think this could work with a gf flour blend? Thanks!
Cassidy Reeser
Thank you! I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tested it myself, but I do think it should work with a gluten free all purpose flour blend. Would love to hear if you try it out!
Nicole
Has anyone tried using Coconut Flour for these? How did you modify?
Cassidy Reeser
I am not sure if anyone has but maybe someone will respond! I looked it up and usually you use 1/4 cup coconut flour for every 1 cup all purpose flour. Coconut flour bakes very differently than all-purpose so it might need some experimenting.
Cole
How thick should the dough be when cutting the biscuits? I’ve heard some say 1inch, others 1/2 inch, what are your thoughts?
Cole
I’m sorry, I see now that you stated 1/2 inch. Thanks in advance!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
No problem, enjoy!
asia
can i sub the soy milk with almond milk or coconut milk?
or will it change the lumpy and thick texture?
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Either of those will work, just make sure to use boxed coconut milk and not canned. Enjoy!
Molly
These biscuits taste almost EXACTLY like KFC biscuits. So if you're vegan and missing KFC, this is it.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Wow thanks so much! 🙂