Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

These delicious Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits have a rich and flaky texture with only 7 ingredients! They taste just like the buttermilk biscuits you know and love, but dairy free!

Buttermilk is a popular ingredient in Southern baking, and in this recipe we are using a vegan alternative that tastes very similar to the original. Even if you’re not vegan, this recipe would be great if you need a buttermilk substitute, a dairy allergy, or just want divine vegan buttermilk biscuits! In just 35 minutes, you’ll be putting these flaky, buttery biscuits on your table.

Notes on Ingredients

• Vegan Butter: The vegan butter should be very cold, so that it melts only during the baking and creates that flaky, tender biscuit texture.
• Vinegar: You can use regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps to activate the baking soda, and it also adds a slight tang, similar to the flavour of a buttermilk biscuit.
• Vegan Milk: This should be cold as well, to help keep the butter cold and produce a light biscuit. Mixing together the vinegar and the vegan milk and letting it set is what will give you your vegan buttermilk. Any kind will do, but I do highly recommend soy milk or oat milk. The flavours are neutral and curdle beautifully for a great buttermilk for this.  
• Flour: All purpose, bread flour, or White Lily’s flour (great for biscuits) all work here.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Using both of these gives the biscuits a great flaky texture and a good rise. Be sure not to mix them up, and always test them first.
• Sea Salt: remember that sea salt is larger than table salt. I always recommend using sea salt for my recipes; if you’re not, you’ll need to reduce so it isn’t too salty.

How to Make Vegan Biscuits

Combine Milk & Vinegar (to make your vegan buttermilk): In a small bowl or jar, combine the apple cider vinegar and the vegan milk together, stirring to combine. It will curdle. Set aside.

Whisk Dry Ingredients Together & Add Vegan Butter: In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until thoroughly combined. 

Add in the cold vegan butter by cutting into chunks, or by grating the butter into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands, mix everything together until it resembles coarse, sandy crumbs.

Add Milk Mixture: Make a well and add in the milk, folding and stirring gently with a wooden spoon. You want a dough that looks shaggy; it should not be dry, and should not be very wet, but it might be slightly sticky.

Turn Dough Out & Fold to Create Layers: Flour a flat surface, dust your hands with flour, and turn out the dough onto the surface. Form the dough into a 1-inch tall rectangle. Sprinkle some loose flour on top, then fold the dough over onto itself. Using your hands, press it down into a flat rectangle again. Turn the dough 90 degrees, then fold it onto itself again. Flatten again. Repeat up to 5 times. This helps to create layers in the biscuits when they rise. Finish with a dough that is rectangular and no lower than 1 inch high.

Cut Out the Biscuits: Using a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, or the lid of a mason jar, cut the biscuits as close as possible to each other. Place the cutting tool straight down onto the dough; don’t twist it, since that can affect the layers. Place the biscuits one by one onto the baking sheet, just touching (this helps them rise). Repeat with the extra dough until you have 6 biscuits. You may have to push some scraps back together to form all the biscuits.

Bake: Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden and fluffy. Remove from the oven. Feel free to brush with more vegan butter as soon as they come out, if desired. Let them cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Buttermilk Biscuits

• Get the Right Flour/Butter Texture: I call this coarse, sandy crumbs. Another way to say it is that the butter should be broken down into the dry ingredients, but not all the way. Rather than a smooth paste or evenly-textured mix, you should have bits of flour-coated butter from the size of a poppy seed, up to the size of a corn kernel.
• Get the Right Dough Texture: Don’t overwork the dough. You want to gently stir and fold until it just starts to come together in a big, messy ball. That way you get a nice shaggy dough, which means that it’s not dry, but not too wet either, almost like a shaggy rug. Not the tastiest comparison, but very helpful for visuals while you’re making these.

How to Store Leftovers & Freezing

Leftover biscuits can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to keep them as fresh as possible.

To freeze: Place leftovers in freezer bags and push as much air out as possible before sealing. If you can individually wrap the biscuits in plastic wrap before sealing them in freezer bags, they will keep even better. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before serving.

Related Recipes

• Vegan Cornbread
• Jamaican Festival

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

These delicious Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits have a rich, tender and flaky texture with only 7 ingredients! They taste just like the buttermilk biscuits you know and love, but dairy free!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 biscuits

Calories 266kcal

Ingredients

• ½ cup very cold vegan butter
• ½ tablespoon vinegar regular or apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup cold vegan milk 120mL (soy milk is best for curdling)
• 2 cups flour 240g
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Up to ⅓ cup extra flour for rolling and folding

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Place the butter in the freezer until your oven preheats.
• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a well greased parchment paper (highly recommend a silicone mat for this).
• In a small bowl or jar, add the apple cider vinegar and the soy milk together and stir to combine. It will curdle. Set aside.
• In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt until thoroughly combined.
• Add in the cold vegan butter by cutting into chunks, or by grating the butter into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, fork or just your hands, mix everything together until it resembles coarse crumbs/sand.
• Make a well and add in the milk, folding gently and stirring gently with a wooden spoon.You want a dough that looks shaggy; it should not be dry, and should not be very wet but it might be slightly sticky.
• Flour a surface, dust your hands with flour, and turn out the dough onto the surface. Form the dough into a 1 inch tall rectangle. Sprinkle some loose flour on top, then fold the dough over onto itself. Using your hands, press down into a flat rectangle again. Turn the dough 90 degrees, then fold onto itself again. Flat again. Repeat up to 5 times; this helps to create layers in the biscuits when they rise.
• Finish with a dough that is rectangular and 1 inch high, no lower than that.
• Using a lid of a mason jar, a drinking glass, or a biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close as possible to each other. Place the cutting instrument straight down onto the dough; don’t twist it since that can affect the layers. Place one by one onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the extra dough until you have 6 biscuits. You may have to push some scraps back together to form all the biscuits.
• Let the biscuits touch on the baking sheet (this helps them while rising).
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden and fluffy.
• Remove from the oven. Feel free to brush with more vegan butter as soon as they come out. Let them slightly cool and serve. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcal