Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Round cutter, 2-inch
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk chilled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter and work it into the flour with your fingertips until pea-sized pieces remain.
- Pour the chilled buttermilk over the flour mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are just combined. Avoid overworking the dough.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and gently pat it into a disc approximately ½ inch thick. Cut out 16 biscuits with a 2-inch round cutter, pressing straight down without twisting.
- Arrange 8 biscuits in a single layer in the air fryer basket with their edges just touching. Air fry at 325°F (163°C) for approximately 18 minutes, until risen and golden brown.
- Serve the first batch warm. Cook the remaining biscuits in the same way or freeze the uncooked biscuits for later use.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve the biscuits warm with butter, honey, jam or fruit preserves. For a savoury breakfast, pair them with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage. They also make an excellent accompaniment to soups, stews and other comforting dishes. Browse our Breakfast recipes and Brunch recipes for more serving ideas.Recipe Notes
Keep both the butter and buttermilk cold until they are needed. Small pieces of cold butter create steam during cooking and help produce a lighter, layered biscuit. Mix and handle the dough as little as possible because excessive handling can make the biscuits firm rather than tender.Variations
Add grated Cheddar for cheese biscuits or mix chopped chives, parsley or other herbs into the flour. A small amount of garlic powder can be added for a savoury version. For a sweeter breakfast biscuit, lightly brush the tops with melted butter and serve with honey.Storage and Freezing
Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days or refrigerate them for up to 4 days. Reheat them briefly in the air fryer before serving. Uncooked biscuits can be frozen for up to 1 month. Freeze them individually before transferring them to a freezer-safe container.Wine Advice
A fresh Prosecco works particularly well when these buttery biscuits are served for brunch. Its bubbles and acidity provide a refreshing contrast to the rich butter and buttermilk. For a savoury dinner serving, a lightly oaked Chardonnay is another suitable choice.Nutrition values
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About Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are a quick air fryer version of one of the best-known baked foods associated with Southern American cooking. Unlike the sweet, crisp biscuits familiar in many other countries, an American biscuit is a soft, savoury quick bread with a tender interior and lightly browned exterior. These biscuits use cold butter and buttermilk to create their characteristic flavour and texture.
A Southern American Favourite
Biscuits have an important place in Southern-style cooking and can appear at almost any meal. They are particularly popular at breakfast with butter, preserves, eggs or sausage, but they can just as easily accompany chicken, stews and other savoury dishes. Explore more dishes with similar roots in our Southern recipes and broader American recipes collections.
Because biscuits rely on baking powder and baking soda rather than yeast, there is no lengthy rising period. Once the dough has been mixed and shaped, the biscuits can go almost immediately into the air fryer. That makes them particularly useful when you want freshly baked Bread without several hours of preparation.
Why Cold Butter Matters
The temperature of the butter is one of the keys to a good biscuit. The butter should remain in small, cold pieces throughout the dough rather than becoming completely blended into the flour. When those pieces encounter the heat of the air fryer, their moisture produces steam. This helps create small pockets and layers within the biscuit.
For the same reason, avoid kneading the dough heavily. Mix only until the ingredients hold together and handle the dough gently when patting it out. Overworking develops more gluten and can produce a tougher biscuit.
The Role of Buttermilk
Buttermilk contributes more than moisture. Its mild acidity provides the familiar tang associated with traditional Southern biscuits and reacts with the baking soda to help the dough rise. Combined with baking powder, this gives the biscuits enough lift to become soft and fluffy despite their relatively short cooking time.
Keep the buttermilk refrigerated until you need it. Using cold buttermilk also helps prevent the pieces of butter from softening too much while the dough is being mixed.
Cooking Biscuits in the Air Fryer
The Airfryer provides intense circulating heat in a compact space. This allows the biscuits to rise and brown without heating a conventional oven. Arrange them in a single layer and allow their edges to touch lightly. This encourages them to rise upward rather than spreading excessively sideways.
The recipe produces 16 biscuits, so they are cooked in two batches of eight. Air fryer models differ in power and basket design, so check the biscuits near the end of the cooking time. They are ready when the tops are golden and the centres are completely baked.
Serving and Storing the Biscuits
These biscuits are at their best while still warm. Serve them as part of a relaxed Breakfast or Brunch, split them and spread with butter and preserves, or use them as a Side Dish with a savoury meal.
Uncooked biscuits can also be frozen, making it practical to cook only the quantity you need. Freeze the cut biscuits separately until firm and then transfer them to a suitable freezer container. For general advice about safely storing and handling prepared foods and dairy ingredients, consult the U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety guidance.
With a short ingredient list, cold butter, tangy buttermilk and the concentrated heat of the air fryer, Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits provide a convenient way to enjoy warm homemade biscuits for breakfast, brunch or dinner without switching on a full-sized oven.