If you love biscuits, you will want to try my newest gluten free biscuits recipe. I tested five different gluten free flour blends, and I am sharing the results so you can make the most delicious biscuits any time! I also include a vegan gluten free biscuit option!
This has been a fun project for my whole Fearless Dining family and me. I made five sets of biscuits with five different gluten free flour blends. Every biscuit tasted delicious except one.
If you love biscuits as much as we do, you will want to try these Gluten Free Cheese Biscuits too! This biscuit recipe is also great as a topper for my Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie recipe!
For fun, I baked a separate batch in my air fryer. I did not count this air-fried biscuits batch in my gluten free flour test. I include air fryer instructions in the recipe card for those interested in using their air fryer.
I have a few incredible gluten free biscuit recipes to try, including sweet and savory ones!
The Test Parameters:
To test what would be the best gluten free flour blend to use for making biscuits, I used the popular New York Times All-Purpose Biscuit recipe.
I tested these gluten free flour blends: Better Batter Artisinal Gum Free Blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure, Cup4Cup, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend, and Just About Food Gluten Free Whole Grain Flour.
UPDATE 6/23/01 – I have now tested this recipe with Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend. It was on sale at our local Grocery Outlet for $2.99 a bag, so I picked up a bag to experiment with. This gluten free flour blend was also excellent for my biscuit recipe!
UPDATE ½/23 – I tested this flour with Pamela’s All Purpose GF Flour. The biscuits turned out well! I would definitely recommend using this flour to anyone who has this blend. I found the blend at my local grocery store.
UPDATE ⅕/23 – Pinterest reader Jess W. said, “I use the GF Americas Test Kitchen flour blend that I make up in large quantities and add the teaspoon of xanthan gum. Works awesome; my family loves them!”
UPDATE 1/19/23 – I tested this recipe with my DIY Gluten Free All Purpose Gum Free Flour Blend, and it worked really well!
I used these guidelines to maintain consistency through each flour test:
- The same recipe for each.
- I used the same
cookie sheet lined with clean parchment paper for each test and the same size biscuit cutter for each biscuit. Each dough was pressed down to 1 ½ inches high for all the biscuits.
The results:
If you have been wondering what is the best gluten free flour blend for biscuits, I have the answer for you! Of the gluten-free flour blends I tested, Cup4Cup gluten-free flour was the best in this biscuit recipe. Every brand performed well, and they all had nice flaky layers, but none rose as high or tasted as light and fluffy as the Cup4Cup flour blend.
Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend also worked really well and puffed up nicely.
I found Just About Food Gluten Free Whole Grain Flour for about $5 a bag at our local Grocery Outlet store. It was worth trying because the blend was whole grain and healthier than many starchy mixes. This brand of gluten free flour was so bad and left such a bad taste in the biscuits I tossed the bag and biscuits. Don’t buy it if you see this one.
Here is a photo of all of the tops of the biscuits. If you love to bake, be sure to check out all of my best Gluten Free Baking Tips!
Gluten Free Flour Blend Notes:
Most of the gluten free flours behaved similarly when mixed with the other ingredients. I did not measure the flour amount by weight, as each blend needed tweaking. Here are a few things that stood out:
- 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.
- Cup4Cup – The biscuit dough this flour made was fine without adding any extra flour or milk.
- Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend – This flour performed really well.
- Target Good & Gather Gluten Free Blend – The biscuits tasted great, but they are a little more crumbly than other gluten free blends used.
- Just About Food Whole Grain Gluten Free Blend – I had to add almost ½ cup 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 ¼ additional cup of milk using this brand.
- You can also make this recipe easily with Gluten Free Bisquick. Check out this Gluten Free Bisquick Biscuits recipe.
- I tested this recipe with my DIY Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend. The biscuits turned out really well. This makes a great gluten free biscuits recipe without xanthan gum for those who are gum-free. You need 1 TBSP of additional milk if you use my flour blend.
Are you ready to make some gluten free biscuits? I also have an incredible Gluten free Pumpkin Biscuits recipe you need to try!!
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten free flour – Use one that I tested listed above, or use another. Just make sure it contains xanthan gum. If not, you will need to add a teaspoon to your mix.
- Baking powder – This recipe calls for two tablespoons of 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.
- Butter – Use regular butter or vegan butter. Just make sure the vegan butter is very cold if you use it.
- Milk – I like to use 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. If you want to use buttermilk, add one teaspoon of lemon juice to your milk.
For something different, check out my Gluten Free Cornmeal Biscuits recipe!
I highly recommend getting the biscuit cutters that I have. You can make several different sized gluten free biscuits or scones. This set also comes with a pastry blender to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture. This will help you get all of those flaky layers!
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk the ingredients to blend them. Add the 5 TBSP of cold butter.
Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. Many wonder if they can use a food processor to cut the butter in. I find a food processor overmixes the butter in, and you lose some of the flaky layers.
Step 2: Your flour mix will look like it has crumbs, like in this photo.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix.
Step 4: Your dough should look similar in consistency to this.
Step 5: Put the dough on wax paper. 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 to 1 ½ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit shapes from the dough. You can use a large ice cream scoop or
Step 6: (*Note, this photo is from a test batch I made in the air fryer. You will put your biscuits onto a parchment paper-lined
Step 7: Bake at 425º F for 15 minutes.
Step 8: Here are the 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.
Variations:
This gluten-free biscuit recipe has many delicious ways to vary the flavor. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Add minced garlic and add one extra tablespoon of butter.
- Top the biscuits with honey.
- Use some herbs like rosemary or thyme. You can grow a lot of herbs in your kitchen window for baking and cooking.
- Sweeten things up with brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into the batter.
If you are looking for a fun twist on this recipe, check out my flaky Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits! My gluten-free biscuits rise so well that I used the recipe as a foundation for my popular Gluten Free Bread Without Yeast.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can easily make this vegan by using vegan butter and dairy-free milk.
You will know the biscuits are done baking when they have a light golden color on top.
You can definitely make these as gluten free drop-style biscuits. Use a large
I like to use butter for baking biscuits. You can use shortening, but I find the best fat is a European butter like Plugra.
These biscuits will keep fresh for up to 3 days. I advise freezing the extras and then reheating in a microwave oven,
More Gluten Free Bread Recipes:
- Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
- Easy Gluten Bagels
- Gluten Free Breadsticks
- Gluten Free Bread Machine Bread
- Yummy Gluten Free Garlic Knots
Tools:
The Best Gluten Free Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 2 tablespoons aluminum free baking powder * see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons butter COLD
- 1 cup milk * see note
Instructions
- Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk the ingredients to blend them. Add the 5 TBSP of cold butter.
- Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter into the flour. Many wonder if they can use a food processor to cut the butter in. I find a food processor overmixes the butter in and you lose some of the flaky layers. Cutting in the cold butter is what helps make the flaky layers!
- Add the milk and mix into a nice dough ball. It should be wet, but workable.
- Preheat your oven to 425º F.
- Put the dough on wax paper. Depending on the gluten free flour blend you used, you may want to dust the wax paper with a tiny bit of gluten free flour. It depends on which gluten free flour blend you use. Press to 1 ½ inch thickness. (Dust the top of the biscuit dough with a small amount of gluten fre flour as needed.
- 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.
- Brush the top of each biscuit with milk. This will help your biscuits get that nice golden color on top.
- Bake at 425º F for 15 minutes.
Air Fryer Baking Instructions
- Follow the above steps up to brushing the tops of the biscuits with milk.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400º F.
- Cook the biscuits for 8-12 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your biscuits.
Notes
- In my test, I tested the following gluten free flour blends: Cup4Cup, Better Batter Artisinal Gum Free Blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure, Pamela’s GF All Purpose Flour, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend, Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend, and Just About Food Gluten Free Whole Grain Flour (DON’T use this one whole grain blend, it was horrible!)
- NOTE: With Pamela’s blend, you need an additional ¼ cup of milk
- If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or psyllium husk as a binder, you need to add 1 tsp of xanthan gum.
- You need to use VERY cold butter.
- This recipe calls for 2 TBSP of 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. You can also make your own DIY gluten free baking powder by mixing 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
- If you want to make this dairy-free, use non-flavored/sweetened dairy-free milk and vegan butter.
- Each brand is a little different. Better Batter I needed to add 2 TBSP of milk to the biscuit batter.
- If you prefer to use buttermilk, you can, or add 1 TBSP of lemon juice to your milk.
- These biscuits will keep up to 3 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
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, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
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.
Hmm, not sure what happened with mine. I followed the recipe exactly, using buttermilk, King Arthur Measure for Measure, and Argo baking powder (purchased recently). The biscuits spread a bit, were too salty, and had a bitter aftertaste. I know I measured everything correctly. I made these for GF biscuits and gravy so hopefully the gravy disguises some of the bitterness if not the saltiness. Simple and easy recipe, but I probably won’t revisit it.
Hi Emily, I can tell you some of what went wrong. You used baking powder with aluminum, which is why you had the saltyish bitter aftertaste. That is the aluminum flavor. I haven’t tested my recipe with buttermilk. I use regular milk so it is possible there is something with that? I use the same flour you used, did you chill the dough? That can help prevent spreading.
I used GFJules flour and these biscuits turned out very very good. I was very pleased and will make again. Thank you for a good and easy recipe.
I am so glad that flour blend worked so well! Thank you!
Would love to try this recipe, but I’ve scrolled throught twice and I can’t find directions on how to bake the biscuits in my air fryer as is shown in section 6.
The recipe just gives the information on oven baking… not everyone has access to an oven.
Thank you!
Michael
Hi Michael, I just clarified the air fryer instructions. Baking time will vary widely depending on the size and thickness of your biscuits, but it should help guide you.
Made these with Bob’s Red Mill and margarine. Amazing texture, but they are extremely salty! For one recipe, 1/8 tsp of salt is perfect.
I am so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you!
Hi! I’ve made these before and they were amazing! Even my family who isn’t gf loved them. I used cold butter last time, but I’m wondering if I could use like margarine instead? And would I have to freeze the margarine to make it colder or if I can use it just refrigerated like the regular butter? Thank you!
Hi Madyson, margarine should work, but it should be frozen. If you do this, use a cheese grater with the frozen margarine.
I love biscuits and have tried many gluten free recipes to no avail but this one is THE BEST!!!!! I got so excited to see them rise and they are so flaky! Delicious! Thank you!
I am so glad you loved the recipe!! Thank you so much, Sandi
My biscuits were flat. I followed instructions using King Arthur Measure to Measure. Used very cold butter and a pastry blender. Baked at 425 for 15 minutes. What did I do wrong the pictures look very fluffy? (Used 2 Tbsp of baking powder!)
I haven’t had this happen with that flour blend. Did you use a biscuit cutter? If you twist it at all it seals the edges and the biscuits don’t rise up. That is my first guess, otherwise do check that your baking powder wasn’t expired.
Yes I used a biscuit cutter but maybe I twisted the dough in it to lift it off the paper, never heard of that inhibiting the dough to rise? Yes I thought of the baking powder being too old and that’s why maybe they didn’t rise. I added some grated cheese but I don’t think that would make them fall. I found the flavour very bland, thought maybe I missed an ingredient? Plain flour, salt , butter and milk. Maybe the butter should have been salted and I used unsalted!
Twisting seals the edges so the biscuits can’t rise. The cheese shouldn’t impact the rise. Salted butter also won’t matter because you add salt to the dry ingredients. I would try again and be really careful not to twist the cutter. I put it in and pull the cut biscuit up without twisting.
Made this and was amazed! The biscuits didn’t spread out making them run together and thin. They were the “real deal” I was SO happy!
I do wonder if I could press out thinner, 8×12 in rectangular form using in place of refrigerated crescent rolls (contains gluten) to make a Philly Cheesesteak Braid recipe I found. TIA
I am so glad you loved them. That is a great question on using the recipe like crescent rolls. Let me know if you try it 🙂
I made the biscuits with King Arthur’s Measure for Measure and they were great. In fact, I’ve been cooking gluten-free for more than 20 years and they were the best I’ve ever had. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the high compliment. I am really glad you loved the recipe.
I just made these biscuits with Cup4Cup flour and they are fluffy and so good! Very pleased with the our come. I am going to try the Better Batter artisan flour now with no dairy butter. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Thank you so much, Kimi. I am really glad you loved them.
I have not tired these biscuits but haven’t had great luck with GF biscuits so far. Can you make these by hand, i.e. if you don’t have a stand mixer?
I always mix these by hand, so it is definitely okay.
I tried these scones but they were very dense and grainy in texture, would adding egg help?
Hi Mary, What gluten free flour blend did you use? Usually grainy is from the rice flour in a blend. To combat graininess, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let the biscuit dough sit for 15 minutes to allow the rice flour to soften.
This recipe looks tempting, but I want to check something before I try it.
Is there a typo, or does the recipe actually require 2T of baking power rather than 2t?
Hi David, trust me, it is 2 tablespoons, not teaspoons. It is critical to use aluminum-free baking powder, so there is no metallic aftertaste.
Hello, if I’m using your substitute for making your own aluminum free baking powder as in the notes, is that all I need? Or do I need to double that recipe to get 2Tbsp baking powder?
Hi Jenny, you definitely will need the 2 TBSP of baking powder. It helps the biscuits rise and get super flaky.
The best recipe I have used by far . Thank you for your easy tasty recipes. You make it so easy.
You are very welcome, Amy. Thank you so much for your review.
Can you double or triple this recipe? We LOVE biscuits!
Yes, you can easily increase the recipe. You can freeze these biscuits and just thaw them in the microwave when you are ready to enjoy them.
Could I add more salt or sugar to give them more flavor without it affecting the recipe or are they pretty delicious already? My hubby is such a gluten lover & picky with taste & texture that I want to make sure they are just as delicious on their own as regular biscuits (especially reheated!) They absolutely look amazing
Hi, I haven’t added more salt or sugar. I assume you could.
These were incredibly good. I can’t wait to try your other recipes. The only issue I had was the mix was too wet (I used Cup4Cup) and sticky to roll out, so I used my hands to make “drop” biscuits. Anything I could have tried?
I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you.