These soft and flaky gluten-free biscuits are easy to make with just 5 ingredients. I tested this gluten-free biscuit recipe with 12 different gluten-free flour blends and share how each blend performed and what tweaks the recipe needs with each. I also include dairy-free and vegan tweaks that actually work. Whether you are new to gluten-free baking or you just want the tallest, most reliable biscuit recipe, this recipe has you covered.
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❤️ Why this gluten-free biscuit recipe works:
Testing multiple gluten-free flour blends in this gluten-free biscuit recipe has been a fun project for my whole Fearless Dining family and me. I’ve tested over 900 gluten-free recipes since I started this blog in 2013!
I created this homemade biscuit recipe several years ago. I tested baking multiple batches of the same biscuit recipe, using different flour blends side by side to see how the flour blends compared. I tested the rise, texture, taste, and adjusted the hydration as needed for each blend to give you perfect results. (See the table below.)
This recipe was inspired by the New York Times Biscuits. I converted it to gluten-free, ran multiple tests, and shared all of the tweaks you need to make this easy gluten-free biscuit recipe so your biscuits turn out perfect every time.
Video: Watch Me Make These Gluten-Free Biscuits
Watch me make these gluten-free biscuits step by step (filmed in my kitchen with real results). Click here to watch my Gluten-Free Biscuit Tutorial on YouTube! This is a longer video, approximately 10 minutes, and I show you every step of making these gluten-free biscuits. If you enjoyed watching this video, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Which Gluten-Free Flour Blend Is Best for Biscuits? (Testing Notes)
Most gluten-free flours rose similarly in my test. Cup4Cup had the best rise. Here are a few things that stood out, including any adjustments you need to make:
- Arrowhead Mills 1:1 – This blend needed 1 1/2 TBSP of additional milk.
- King Arthur Measure for Measure – The gluten-free biscuit dough was wetter than the other flour blends. It didn’t affect the amount of rise, but the dough spread a little more than others when baking. I didn’t add more flour, but used about two teaspoons of flour sprinkled on the top to press the dough down enough to use the biscuit cutter.
- Better Batter Artisinal Gum-Free – I had to add two tablespoons of additional milk so the biscuit dough wasn’t too stiff.
- Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Blend – I felt the dough was workable without additional flour or milk. I recommend letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the rice flour to soften.
- Cup4Cup – Cup4Cup changed/reformulated the recipe of their gluten-free flour blend. The version I loved was with dried milk powder. The new formulation is the version that says “free of the top 9 allergens” on the front of the bag.
- Pillsbury Gluten-Free Flour Blend – This flour performed well without any additional modifications.
- Target Good & Gather Gluten-Free Blend – The biscuits tasted great, but are a little more crumbly than other gluten-free blends. I would recommend adding 2 TBSP of additional milk.
- Just About Food Whole Grain Gluten-Free Blend – I had to add almost 1/2 cup of additional flour because the biscuit dough was so wet with just 1 cup of milk. Again, this flour was terrible, and I don’t recommend using it.
- Pamela’s GF All Purpose Flour – Another winner! NOTE: You need an additional 1/4 cup of milk using this brand.
- Gluten-Free Bisquick – Check out this Gluten Free Bisquick Biscuit recipe. This blend is very rice-heavy, which means baked goods can turn out very gritty. Put the biscuit dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so that the rice flour can soften.
- I tested this recipe with my DIY Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend. These gluten-free biscuits without xanthan gum turned out great. This blend was great in this gluten free biscuit recipe without xanthan gum for those who are gum-free. You need 1 TBSP of additional milk if you use my flour blend.
- Namaste Organic Flour Blend– This blend surprised me. It rose very well. I added 1 TBSP of additional milk.
Reader-Tested Flour Blends:
Readers also participated in this gluten-free biscuit baking test and sent me the blends they had used successfully. I love it when my readers write to me with the blends they try because we all benefit!
- Pinterest reader Jess W. said, “I use the GF Americas Test Kitchen flour blend that I make up in large quantities and add a teaspoon of xanthan gum. “Works awesome; my family loves them!”
- Sunset Divided Flour
- Jules Gluten-Free Flour
- Mannis Gluten-Free Flour
- Life Smart All-Purpose Flour Blend
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour – You can use any of the blends I tested above or try another, and let me know how it turned out. See the related reading section for more details and tips.
- Binder – Make sure it contains xanthan gum or another binder. If not, you will need to add a teaspoon of xanthan gum to your flour mix.
- Baking Powder – This recipe calls for two tablespoons of baking powder. You must use aluminum-free baking powder. Regular aluminum baking powder will leave a strong metallic aftertaste. I tested Rumford, Bob’s Red Mill Baking Powder (labeled GF), and Thrive Market Aluminum-Free Baking Powder with good results. Other brands of gluten-free baking powder without aluminum include Argo and Bakewell Cream.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter. It is a personal preference. If you use salted butter, you may consider reducing the amount of added salt. Use regular butter or vegan butter. Just make sure the vegan butter is very cold if you use it.
- Milk – I prefer using whole milk. You can use non-dairy milk, but be sure to use one that is not sweetened or flavored. You can also use buttermilk if you prefer gluten free buttermilk biscuits.
Prefer flavored biscuits? Try these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Biscuits and Gluten Free Cornmeal Biscuits recipes!
A Note From My Kitchen
When I first started testing this gluten-free biscuit recipe, I quickly learned how differently each flour blend behaves. Some absorb more liquid, others make the dough sticky, and a few surprised me with a perfect rise on the first try. That’s why I tested 12 flour blends, and why I continue to update this post with more reader-tested results.
If your dough feels off, don’t worry. Look at the flour chart above to see if your blend needs a tweak. Too sticky? Sprinkle on a little extra flour. Too dry? Gently work in a tablespoon of milk at a time. The dough should feel soft, slightly tacky, and hold its shape when pressed. You want to avoid overworking the biscuit dough to keep the butter from melting.
How to Make Gluten-Free Biscuits (Step-By-Step):
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk them to blend. Add the 5 TBSP of cold butter. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour.
EASY TIP: If you don’t have a pastry blender, freeze the butter and grate it into the dry ingredients using a large cheese grater.
Step 2: Your flour mix will resemble crumbs, as shown in this photo.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix it into the dough.
Step 4: Your dough should have a consistency similar to the one shown in the photo above. If your dough is too wet, add more flour; if it’s too dry, add more milk. If you work the dough a lot, trying to get the consistency right, put the dough into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to re-chill the butter.
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Step 5: Put the dough on a silicone mat. You may want to dust it with a tiny bit of gluten-free flour. It depends on which gluten-free flour blend you use. Press the dough to a 1 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit tool to cut out biscuit shapes from the dough. You can use a large ice cream or
Step 6: Place your biscuits on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to bake in the oven. Brush the top of each biscuit with milk. This will help your biscuits get that nice golden color.
Make them in your air fryer. If you want to cook these in the air fryer, follow these directions for my Gluten-Free Air Fryer Biscuits.
Step 7: Bake the biscuits at 425º F for 15 minutes. You will know the biscuits are done baking when they have a light golden color on top.
Step 8: Here are some test batches. I baked one at a time, so each cooled on the wire rack and then transferred to another tray while the next set cooled. Note that I had to put a don’t eat sign on the biscuits so my family wouldn’t grab any!
Spread this Kumquat Honey Butter over warm biscuits for a citrusy flavor. These biscuits are the perfect topper for my Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie recipe! I have a lot of incredible flavored gluten-free biscuit recipes, including sweet and savory options.
Biscuit Troubleshooting:
- Flat biscuits: Either the dough was too warm and should be chilled for 15-20 minutes, the baking powder had expired, or you twisted the biscuit cutter while cutting out the biscuits.
- Crumbly: Either you did not use a flour blend with a binder, or the dough was too dry. Add +1 Tbsp milk at a time to hydrate the dough.
- Gritty: You used a rice-heavy blend, and the biscuit dough needs to rest 15-20 minutes before baking.
Storage and Freezing Gluten-Free Biscuits:
Store in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days, but they won’t retain their fluffiness as they did on the first day. I recommend freezing the extras and reheating them in a microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes! Make these vegan by using vegan butter and dairy-free milk. Several readers made these biscuits vegan using Country Crock, Violife, and Earth Balance. They have also used almond milk and rice milk. I have had success with Oatly Basic.
Yes, you can use buttermilk to make the biscuits. It is very easy to make buttermilk from scratch. Reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
Yes. Use a cookie scoop and drop onto your baking sheet; no shaping is needed.
I use butter for baking biscuits. I find that European butter is the best.
Cup4Cup (old formula) gave the best rise and layers. Pamela’s, Pillsbury, and my DIY All-Purpose Blend are also great, with just a few small tweaks.
Yes, that is not a typo.
I made these biscuits tonight for a de-constructed chicken pot pie. Because it was the first time I tried the recipe, I didn’t know if they would get soggy cooking them on top of the the chicken and vegetables. I used King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. I made them dairy free with almond milk and Country Crock Plant Butter. I used 2 extra tablespoons of almond milk. I made 8 drop biscuits that baked in about 16 minutes. They were the best biscuits I have had since becoming gluten free about 12 years ago.”
Bethany, Blog comment
My Favorite Biscuit Tools:
I absolutely love this biscuit set I bought on Amazon. It has everything you need to make biscuits (or scones). It includes a pastry blender, biscuit cutting tool in multiple sizes, and a cutting tool for making square-shaped biscuits. It is all dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
More Gluten-Free Biscuit Recipes to Try:
My gluten-free biscuits rose so well that I used this recipe as a foundation for my popular Gluten-Free Bread Without Yeast. If you liked this biscuit recipe, try one of my other biscuit flavors! Here are some favorites:
- These Gluten-Free Cheese Biscuits are easy to make. Use any cheese flavor you enjoy!
- Sweeten things up with these Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits.
- We love serving these Gluten-Free Oat Biscuits with breakfast!
- Vary the sweetness level to make these Gluten-Free Chocolate Biscuits sweet or savory!
- Need grain-free? These Paleo Biscuits get rave reviews!
- Use sourdough discard to make these Gluten-Free Sourdough Biscuits.
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free biscuit recipe? I would love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gluten-Free Biscuits That Work Every Time (With Vegan Options)
Equipment
- Biscuit Tool
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend See note section below for gram measurements
- 2 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder 12 grams; see note
- 1 teaspoon salt 6 grams
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 71.5 grams; COLD
- 1 cup milk 227 grams; see note
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Instructions
- Combine 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 2 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients to blend them.
- Add the cold 5 tablespoons unsalted butter to the mixing bowl.5 tablespoons unsalted butterUse a pastry blender to chop in the butter into the flour. These cold butter shreds are what helps make the flaky layers! You want the final mixture to look like flour with a lot of butter crumbs.
- *If you don't have a pastry blender, you can freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to shred the frozen butter into the dry ingredients.
- Add the 1 cup milk to the bowl and mix to form a nice dough ball. It should be soft, firm, and workable. Do not overwork the dough or the butter bits will melt.
- Preheat your oven to 425º F.
- Put the dough on wax paper or a silicone mat. Depending on the gluten-free flour blend you used, you may want to dust the wax paper or silicone mat with a tiny bit of gluten-free flour. It depends on which gluten free flour blend you use. Press to 1 1/2 inch thickness.
- Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit shapes from the dough. If you prefer, you can use a large ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to make drop style biscuits.
- Place each biscuit on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Brush the top of each biscuit with milk. This will help your biscuits get that nice golden color on top. (Note, if you are using dairy-free milk, the biscuits will not get as golden in color.)
- Bake at 425º F for 15 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Gram Measurements: King Arthur Measure for Measure is 291.4 g, Bob’s 1:1 is 304.4g, Namaste is 267.2g, and Cup4Cup 297.8g (old version). I haven’t had a chance to measure other blends. Other gluten-free blends will weigh differently, so if you bake by weight, please check your brand’s nutrition label or weigh 1 cup yourself before starting.
- Please read my full post for the list of tested gluten-free flour blends and the adjustments needed. It is too long to post here in the notes.
- If your blend doesn’t contain a binder such as xanthan gum or psyllium husk as a binder, add 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum.
- You need to use VERY cold butter.
- This recipe calls for 2 TBSP of aluminum-free baking powder. Be sure to use aluminum-free baking powder. Regular aluminum baking powder will leave a metallic aftertaste. I used Thrive Market Aluminum-Free Baking Powder. Other brands of gluten free baking powder without aluminum include Rumford, Argo, and Bakewell Cream.
- To make this biscuit recipe dairy-free, use non-flavored/sweetened dairy-free milk and vegan butter. Several readers have successfully tested multiple dairy-free brands.
- Each brand of flour blend performed a little differently. This is because every blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. Please read the post for some tips for each blend. Some needed additional liquid.
- If you prefer to use buttermilk, you can add 1 TBSP of lemon juice to one cup of milk. Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda if you use buttermilk.
- These biscuits will keep fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer. Freeze the cooled biscuits in a freezer-safe container or zipper bag.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Does it matter if the milk is cold or room temperature. Some gluten free recipes say to use room temperature ingredients- like eggs and milk. Thanks!
Cold milk is best. You want everything cold so the butter stays cold to make those steam pockets as they bake.
Hi, I’m wondering if I can prep the dough the night before, refrigerate it over night and then roll out and bake the biscuits in the morning? Would it be better to roll out the dough and cut out the biscuits before refrigerating? Thank you!
Hi Katie, Yes, this is a great dough that can be prepped the night before. I would cut the biscuits then wrap and chill. Be careful not to twist the biscuit cutters when you cut them out. That seals the edges and prevents them from rising.
Great! Thank you so much for your fast response!
You are very welcome!
Can I add honey to this recipe to add a little sweetness?
Hi Ashley, I have not tested this, but if you add some honey, you may need a little more flour to compensate since honey is a liquid.
Could I use water instead of milk or a dairy free alternative milk? Would a dairy alternative butter work or frozen coconut oil?
Hi Natalia, I have not tested water in this recipe. I have used Earth Balance, but you need to freeze it and grate it into the flour blend. I have used non-dairy milk and it works well…just know the biscuit tops don’t get as golden using dairy-free milk.
Okay,thanks. I’ll try it and see what happens with water.
just took them out of the oven they are brown and look PREFECT! gonna have these with chili. Also, i used non-GF flour, so i don’t know if that makes a huge difference. Thank you. I’m sure this is gonna be AWESOME! 🙂
Hi Dr. Nathan, I hope the biscuits were great. I haven’t baked with regular flour in over 15 years, so I am always curious how my recipes translate for those who are not gluten-free.