Southern-Style Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits are tall, ultra flaky and buttery! They have so many layers, and are easy to make in just 30 minutes.
These are the best dang biscuits I’ve ever had, vegan or not! They have layers upon layers of tender, flaky, buttery goodness and they bake up nice and tall. Just like my soft Vegan Dinner Rolls, these biscuits are easy to make and even easier to eat.
I love to eat a warm homemade biscuit with a bit of vegan butter and jam, but I’ve also made an awesome breakfast sandwich using a vegan sausage patty and a slice of vegan cheese.
Or serve them with some coleslaw and vegan baked beans for a delicious meal. You can have amazing homemade vegan biscuits in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Unsweetened soy milk + apple cider vinegar – This is your vegan buttermilk. I like unsweetened soy milk best here, but almond milk or another non-dairy milk will work fine. Just make sure it’s unsweetened and not vanilla flavored.
- Flour – Use regular all purpose flour for the very best results. You can substitute a quality gluten free flour mix (such as King Arthur Measure for Measure flour), but results will vary.
- Baking powder – Necessary for making them rise nice and tall!
- Sugar – Just a little bit is needed. Leave it out if needed, or replace with coconut sugar.
- Salt
- Vegan butter – This is an essential ingredient for these buttery biscuits. Use vegan butter sticks if possible, as the tub butter can be greasy and not as firm. The vegan butter should be very cold, in fact you will place it in the freezer for a few minutes before using. My favorite brands? I like Earth Balance, Miyoko’s and Country Crock.
How to make vegan biscuits
(This is a visual overview, please see recipe card below for full amounts and instructions)
First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a pan with parchment paper. Place the vegan butter in the freeze for a few minutes. Combine the dry ingredients either in a large bowl OR food processor.
- Add cold vegan butter to dry ingredients, either in the food processor or a large bowl.
- Pulse or cut with a pastry cutter until crumbs form.
- If you used a food processor, dump the mixture into a bowl. Pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl, saving a few tablespoons for brushing the tops.
- Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Scoop it onto a lightly floured surface and gently form into a rectangle shape.
- Fold one side into the center, then the other.
- Turn it a half turn, and flatten again gently into a rectangle. Repeat two more times. This is what makes all those flaky layers!
- On the last turn, flatten to about 1 inch thick and cut into circles using a biscuit cutter.
Place on the prepared pan, touching each other. This helps them bake up nice and tall.
Brush a little extra vegan buttermilk on the tops, and bake for 15-20 minutes until tall and golden. Enjoy warm!
Tips for perfect vegan biscuits
- Use cold vegan butter sticks, not margarine or tubbed butter. And make sure it’s truly very cold (don’t skip the freezer step). If not, the biscuits won’t be flaky.
- Be careful not to over mix the dough. Over mixing means the biscuits won’t rise much.
- Do not over bake! Trust me, I’ve done this and ended up with hockey pucks. Bake until just slightly golden brown, any more and they will get very hard as they cool.
How to store and freeze biscuits
Keep leftover biscuits covered at room temperature for 3-4 days, or a few days longer in the refrigerator.
They also freeze well. Place them in a freezer safe ziplock bag and freeze. Simply thaw or warm in the microwave for a minute whenever you want a fresh biscuit!
What to serve with buttermilk biscuits?
- Vegan Chicken (as a vegan chicken biscuit sandwich!)
- Easy Vegan Gravy
- Biscuits and Gravy – My absolute FAVORITE way to enjoy these delicious biscuits!
- Vegan Butter and jam or Vegan Nutella
- Tempeh Bacon or Tofu Bacon
- The Best Tofu Scramble
- Alongside a hearty soup or stew, such as Vegan Stew or Lentil Soup.
Southern-Style Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
Vegan Buttermilk
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
The Rest
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 tbs) cold vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or lightly spray with oil). Measure 1/2 cup (8 tbs) vegan butter, cut into small pieces and place in the freezer for 5 minutes. You want the butter to be very cold for flaky, tall biscuits.
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle. This is your vegan buttermilk.
- Add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl or food processor. Whisk or pulse to combine. Now add the vegan butter pieces to the dry and either cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter OR pulse several times in the processor until coarse crumbs form. If you used a food processor, dump the mixture into a large bowl.
- Pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, saving a little bit for brushing on the tops (about 2 tablespoons). Gently stir until almost combined, but do not over mix. It will not be a clean ball of dough at this point, and it will be quite moist and sticky. See photos above in post for a visual reference.
- Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work it together with your hands, shaping it into a rectangle. Flour your hands to prevent sticking, and sprinkle a little flour on the dough if it's very sticky. Just do not add too much, or the biscuits will be dry.
- Gently flatten the dough into a rectangle, then fold one side into the center, then the other side. Turn the dough a half turn, and flatten again into a rectangle shape. Repeat the process two more times. This is what makes all those wonderful layers!
- On the last folding, gently flatten the dough until it's about 1 inch thick. Cut into circles using a biscuit cutter, and do not twist the cutters. Try to get as many biscuits the first time. Re roll any scraps until you have 10-12 biscuits.
- Arrange them so they are touching on the pan, this helps them bake up tall. Brush the tops with the remaining buttermilk and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and tall. Serve warm with a dab of vegan butter and jam.
- Cover any leftover biscuits and keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, or a bit longer in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too.
Notes
- You can substitute almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk or possibly even oat milk for the soy if desired. Make sure the milk is unsweetened and unflavored.
- I have not tested these with gluten free flour, but it might work okay with a quality gluten free blend. Almond flour will not work.
- I used Earth Balance sticks for the vegan butter, but other brands work just as well (such as Melt or Miyokos).
Howdy! I am stoked to find a decent vegan biscuit recipe. The only thing I’d change is that I wish the dry ingredients (especially the flour) were measured by weight. How you get the flour into a measuring cup can affect the amount of flour that ends up in a recipe. Otherwise, great stuff as always.
Made these with spelt flour and they were delicious
Nora, Nora, Nora! I finally made edible biscuits…because of you. I was overcooking them trying to get that brown top; ended up with the hockey pucks. This time…20 minutes. Then, added some butter and browned them under the broiler. I love you more with every recipe.
Hi Angela. Thank you for loving my recipes! I’m thrilled the biscuits turned out wonderful for you! They sound amazing! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Great biscuit recipe! I subbed 3 parts whole wheat flour and 2 parts all purpose flour to use what I had. Nice and nutty, and rose nicely too. I grated and froze the butter like I do for pie crusts- good and flaky. Thank you so much for being such a reliable resource! I will make these again 😀
Hi Emily. I enjoyed reading about your recipe experience! Thank you for sharing your experience, as well as your fantastic review! I appreciate your support, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
WOW! Easy & delicious. Husband approved!
I’m thrilled to biscuits were a hit! Thank you, Ash, for sharing your terrific review and feedback!
Very forgiving recipe 🙏 I had to partially substitute the flour, didn’t read the instructions properly and missed steps (making these after a night shift after forgetting my wallet to buy bread on the way home 🤭🤪) and still, they turned out dreamy!
Hi Erin. I’m so happy that the biscuits turned out wonderful for you! Sounds cozy and comforting after a long night of work! Thank you for sharing your stellar review and comments! Happy cooking!
Sorry forgot to rate, was thinking about the biscuit.
Super delicious! I’m usually really intimidated when it comes to baking, but these were surprisingly easy to make.
Can Spelt Flour be substituted for All Purpose Flour?
I haven’t tried it, but it might work okay. I don’t know that they will be as fluffy and light though. I hope this helps!
Can I reduce salt tastes real salty but good
Yes, you can definitely reduce the salt to your liking! I’m glad you enjoyed the biscuits! Thank you for sharing your great review!
My biscuits were beautiful but over salty what did I do wrong
I used soy milk earth balance margarine cider vinegar
Hmm I’m not sure. Was your baking powder fresh? You can try using less or no salt next time if you found them too salty.
Hi! I didn’t add salt because of the salt in the butter. But, the biscuits are coming out
bitter. Any thoughts on why this might be happening? Not sure if adding salt would have better balanced the apple cider vinegar. Other than the bitterness issue, everything else is perfectl!
Yeah, they still need salt even though the butter is salted. I always use salted butter, and add salt with that in mind.
Hi! I’m making these for a vegan friend- do you think it would be possible to add corn to the dough? Trying to re-create a non vegan recipe for corn biscuits!
Yeah, you totally could add corn! So kind of you, I hope your friend (and you!) enjoy them.
I made these using Einkorn flour and coconut milk and oh my they were delicious!
I would make more buttermilk than the recipe and judge the dough because I think the Einkorn is thirsty like some flours.
I’ve loved every recipe so far from Nora. I’ve used several biscuit recipes over the years (vegan and non-vegan) and this is by far the best. I grated the butter (unsalted Miyokos) and stuck it in the freezer while I prepped other ingredients. I used coconut milk and white spelt flour which is much easier to digest than regular flour. Because of this, I added extra baking powder to ensure they rose. I was careful not to over work the dough. I don’t have a biscuit cutter so I just shaped them free form into a roundish shape. They came out beautifully rustic looking and tasted sooo good. I’m excited to make more very soon. Thank you!
I’ve made a vegan version of a NYT biscuit recipe for years. I decided to give this one a try. Wow!!! These are the best!!! Your recipe will now be my go-to for biscuits!
Hi Bev. I am honored and thrilled that these will now be your go to biscuits! Thank you for trying them, and for sharing your terrific review and comments! Happy cooking!
Absolutely fabulous biscuits! Thank you
Could you substitute the sugar for maple syrup? If so, what’s the ratio?
By the way! My family loves your recipes, especially the tofu ones.
Sure, I’d use 2 teaspoons just like the sugar amount. Enjoy! So glad you and your family are enjoying my recipes. Thanks!
Holy smokes, Nora! I know I can always count on you for the best recipes. These biscuits are incredible. I must admit I was intimidated to make them. I’ve watched enough Great British Baking Show to know how easily you can overwork dough with the folding etc.. I followed your directions and actually took a tip from one commenter who grated the frozen butter and stuck the crumble in the freezer before adding the buttermilk to chill it for 5 mins. I can’t believe how tall these biscuits are. So flakey and delicious. I’m taking them to a dinner party and am sure they will be devoured!
Hi Hilary, how fun to read your awesome feedback! I am so thrilled that the biscuits turned out wonderful for you! Thank you for sharing your stellar review and recipe experience! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
If not margarine, what is “vegan butter”?
We’ve made these a few times and absolutely loved them! The flavor is great, but the technique is always tricky. I’ve found that freezing the butter, then grating it into the dry ingredients works best. And I pop everything into the freezer for 10 minutes or so between each step. You really need thin flakes of ice cold butter to get the best puff. But these are delicious!
Every time I make these biscuits, I don’t get 10 to 12 biscuits.There’s no way I can come up with that.I didn’t have a biscuit cutter so I cut it myself and when I did the recipe I ran out of actual flour so I had to use baking flour and when I did that, I only came out with 4 biscuits but that’s enough for me.My husband wasn’t here so that’s okay but I’d rather I would like to get ten to twelve but that did not happen
Wanting to share this incredible recipe with my family for Easter but was wondering if you have prepped it a couple days before. Do you think making the dough then resting in the fridge for two nights and baking them morning of will be okay? Thanks ahead for any help!
Hi Carly. I have never tried this, however, I think the dough will be fine refrigerated for 2 days. Ensure it’s tightly wrapped to prevent it from drying out. Enjoy!