Easy Homemade Breakfast Biscuits

Written by
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Jolinda Hackett
Updated 04/25/21
Stack of biscuits

The Spruce / Tara Omidvar
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 12 mins
Total: 22 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Yield: 10 biscuits
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
158 Calories
7g Fat
20g Carbs
3g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 158
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 218mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 107mg 8%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 52mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Make a fresh homemade batch of quick and easy biscuits for breakfast, whether you're serving them with an egg dish and bacon or making breakfast sandwiches. Top them with sausage gravy or simply serve with jam or preserves and butter. These biscuits are simple to make and fast, making them perfect for breakfast time, but they're also a delicious side dish for dinner, too.

For easy, flaky, homemade biscuits, this easy recipe is made from nothing more than flour, baking powder, shortening, milk, and a bit of salt. When making homemade biscuits, you want to be cautious not to overmix the dough. You also want to make sure that you don't knead it too much; it's okay (desired, in fact) for there to still be some ​pieces of shortening intact. These little chunks of fat will make your biscuits flaky, and overworking the dough will lead to tough biscuits.

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Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Heat the oven to 450 F.

    Easy homemade breakfast biscuits ingredients

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and the salt.

    Flour, baking powder, and the salt in a bowl

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  3. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

    Shortening added to the flour mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  4. Make a well in the dry mixture and add in the milk all at once.

    Milk added to the flour mixture to make a well

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  5. Stir together with a fork just until the dough clings together. You want it to still be a bit lumpy; this will help your biscuits be perfectly light and flaky and create those delectable and airy layers when baking. 

    Biscuit dough in a bowl with a fork

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  6. Lightly flour a clean kitchen work surface. Gently knead your biscuit dough on the lightly floured surface just a few times to bring the dough together. 

    Biscuit dough on a marble counter

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  7. Roll out or pat the dough to about a 1/2-inch thickness.

    Biscuit dough rolled out

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  8. Cut the dough into rounds with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter into flour between each cut. If you don't have a biscuit cutter, you can also use a knife or even kitchen shears if you have them. 

    Biscuit dough cut with biscuit cutter

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  9. Space each piece of cut dough out on an ungreased baking sheet.

    Biscuit dough rounds on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  10. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until the biscuits have risen and are lightly golden brown on top, about 12 minutes.

    Easy homemade breakfast biscuits on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  11. Serve warm and enjoy!

    Baked biscuits with butter

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

    Recipe Variations

    • For buttermilk biscuits, swap the milk for buttermilk. You may need to add slightly more liquid since buttermilk is thicker than milk.
    • Use butter instead of shortening if you don't cook with shortening.
    • To make vegan biscuits, swap the milk for nondairy milk. A thicker, higher fat nondairy milk works best.
    • Add finely chopped herbs or chives to the biscuits for extra flavor and color.
    • Add finely chopped, cooked bacon for savory biscuits.

    How to Store and Freeze Homemade Breakfast Biscuits

    These will keep at room temperature for a couple of days if wrapped in plastic. However, they will last even longer if you freeze any biscuits you aren't going to immediately eat. Simply wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and transfer to a zip-close bag and freeze for up to 2 months. You can reheat any frozen biscuits right in the oven or a toaster oven at 350 F for about 10 to 15 minutes.