If you love biscuits, you will want to try my newest gluten-free biscuit recipe. I tested 11 different gluten-free flour blends, and my readers have tested even more!! I share all of the results with you so that you can make the most delicious biscuits any time! I also include well-tested dairy-free and vegan gluten free biscuit options!
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Testing multiple gluten-free flour blends has been a fun project for my whole Fearless Dining family and me. I create lots of homemade gluten free biscuits, and they eat and rate how they taste. To date, I have tested 11 flour blends, not including the blends many readers have tested. Some flour blends needed some tweaking with the moisture ratio, but every biscuit tasted delicious except one.
For fun, I even tested baking a separate batch of my biscuits in my air fryer. I did not count this air-fried biscuits batch in my gluten free flour test, but I do share the air fryer instructions. This is a great option for making biscuits in the summer when it is too hot to use your oven!
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!
Allergen Information:
These homemade biscuits are gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and oat-free. It is easy to make these gluten free biscuits vegan, which my readers and I tested using dairy-free butter and milk. Note, if you make this vegan / dairy-free, do not use the Cup4Cup flour blend because it contains milk.
I have a lot of incredible gluten free biscuit recipes, including sweet and savory ones!
Watch Me Make This Recipe!
I created a video of me making this video. Click here to watch Gluten-Free Biscuit Tutorial on YouTube! (The video is also on the recipe card below). This is a longer video, about 10 minutes, because I make and talk you through the whole recipe. If you like watching me make my recipes, subscribe to my YouTube channel because I plan to add a lot more videos!
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.
👀 Sandi Says: I felt it was important to use the same recipe for every flour blend so I could measure the results easily. I do include tips for success for each flour blend below.
I used these guidelines to maintain consistency through each flour test:
- The same recipe for each flour blend.
- I used the same
cookie sheet lined with clean parchment paper for each test and the same size biscuit cutter for each biscuit. The dough was rolled to 1 1/2 inches high for all the biscuits so I could compare the rise.
My Tested Flour Blends:
- Better Batter Artisinal Gum Free Blend
- King Arthur Measure for Measure
- Cup4Cup
- Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Blend
- Just About Food Gluten Free Whole Grain Flour
- Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend
- Pamela’s All Purpose GF Flour
- My homemade DIY Gluten Free All Purpose Gum Free Flour Blend
- Namaste
- Gluten Free Bisquick
- Target Good and Gather
Reader Tested Flour Blends:
Readers also got into this test and sent me the blends they have used successfully. I love it when my readers send me the blends they try because it benefits everyone reading the recipe.
- 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!”
- Sunset Divided Flour
- Jules GF
- Mannis
- Life Smart All Purpose Flour Blend
Just made these (vegan version) to go with dinner tonight and they were AHHHMAZINGGG!!! This recipe is a winner! 🏆 They tasted so much like KFC’s biscuits (which I haven’t been able to eat in years, due to celiac). I made these with rice milk, Smart Balance butter substitute. I made some plain and some with Violife shredded cheese.”
Laura, blog comment
The Results:
If you have been wondering what the BEST gluten free flour blend for making biscuits is, I have the answer! Of all the gluten-free flour blends I tested, Cup4Cup Gluten-Free Flour was the best in this biscuit recipe. Please note this blend contains dried milk powder and is not dairy-free!
👀 Sandi Says: 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.
A note about the worst blend: 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 that it left such a bad taste in the biscuits I tossed the bag and biscuits. Don’t buy it if you see this blend.
Here is a photo of the tops of the biscuits in my original test of four gluten-free flour blends.
Gluten Free Flour Blend Test Notes:
Most gluten-free flours behave similarly when mixed with 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. I recommend letting the dough sit for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator. This will allow the rice flour to soften.
- Cup4Cup – The biscuit dough this flour made was fine without adding any extra flour or milk. Again, note this blend is not dairy-free.
- Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour Blend – This flour performed really well without any additional modifications.
- Target Good & Gather Gluten Free Blend – The biscuits tasted great, but they are a little more crumbly than other gluten free blends used. I would recommend adding 2 TBSP additional milk.
- Just About Food Whole Grain Gluten Free Blend – I had to add almost 1/2 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 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. The biscuits turned out really well. 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 – This blend surprised me. It rose very well. I added 1 TBSP of additional milk.
Are you ready to make some gluten free biscuits? If you love baking, I also have an incredible Gluten free Pumpkin Biscuits recipe you need to try!!
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. Just 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. See the related reading for more details and tips.
- 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 use both Rumford 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 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.
For something different, check out my Gluten Free Cornmeal Biscuits recipe!
My Favorite Biscuit Set:
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 cutters in multiple sizes, and a cutting tool for making square-shaped biscuits. It is all dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
Step-By-Step Photos and 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.
EASY TIP: If you do not own a pastry blender, you can freeze the butter and use a large cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. If you do this, it is helpful to scoop up flour from the bowl and toss it onto the frozen butter shreds. This prevents the shreds from clumping and sticking together!
Step 2: Your flour mix will look like it has crumbs, like in this photo.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix into dough.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your dough is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: Your dough should look similar in consistency to my photo. If your dough is wetter, add more flour, and if your dough is 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.
Step 5: Put the dough on wax paper or 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 1 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit shapes from the dough. You can use a large ice cream 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 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.
Step 7: Bake the biscuits 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.
Directions to bake them in your air fryer:
- 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.
Try some of these flavor 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 many herbs in your kitchen window for baking and cooking.
- Sweeten things up with brown sugar and cinnamon swirled into the batter. I did that for this Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits recipe.
My gluten-free biscuits rise so well that I used this recipe as a foundation for my popular Gluten Free Bread Without Yeast.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can easily make this vegan by using vegan butter and dairy-free milk. Several readers have made these biscuits vegan using brands like Country Crock, Violife, and Smart Balance. They have also used almond milk and rice milk. I have had success with Oatly Oat Milk as well.
Yes, buttermilk adds some great flavor to this biscuit recipe. If you can’t find buttermilk, it is very easy to make buttermilk from scratch. This recipe uses one cup of milk. To make one cup of buttermilk, add one tablespoon of lemon juice to the milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using it.
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 cookie scoop to drop the dough onto a cookie sheet.
I like to use butter for baking biscuits. You can use shortening, but I find the best fats are European butter. One reader uses Crisco and said it works very well.
These biscuits will keep fresh for up to 3 days, but they don’t stay as fluffy as the first day. I advise freezing the extras and then reheating them in a microwave oven.
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
Gluten-Free Related Reading:
More Gluten Free Bread Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
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 unsalted butter COLD
- 1 cup milk * see note
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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!
- *If you don't have a pastry blender, you can freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients.
- 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 1/2 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.
Video
Notes
- In my test, I tested the following gluten free flour blends: Cup4Cup, Better Batter Artisinal Gum Free Blend, Namaste, Target Good and Gather, Bisquick, 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!) My DIY gum-free gluten-free flour blend also works well. Readers have tested Sunset Divided, Mannis, Jules GF, and Life Start GF Blend. Please read the post for some tips for each blend. Some needed additional liquid.
- If your blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or psyllium husk as a binder, 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.
- To make this dairy-free, use non-flavored/sweetened dairy-free milk and vegan butter. Several readers have tested multiple dairy-free brands with great success.
- Each brand of flour blend performed a little different. 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.
- 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, 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.
I’m just now getting stuck in to try this recipe, and wanted to say a big thanks for the comprehensive comparison work and reporting you’ve done here. I’ve not seen anything so thoroughly researched – and shared in easy-to-follow ways. Big, big thanks! Following you now.
You are very welcome. I hope you are having a great weekend.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve been searching for a good biscuit recipe that comes close to my gluten buttermilk biscuits and found it with this one. I used Bob’s 1-to-1 flour. Be sure and form the biscuits nice and thick like Sandi suggested. I made a bacon and egg biscuit and my husband is very happy and satisfied! Thank you, Sandi, for doing all the hard work to create this recipe!
Thank you so much, Pam. I am very glad you liked these biscuits. They really do make great breakfast sandwiches!
curious to know what you think of Kodiak products or if you have a more comprehensive gf list of various products with a grade assigned? all categories of course not inclusive of naturally gf products like meat, vegs, & fruit.. I just found your blog and love it! just starting our gf changes so looking for more info.
Hi Kathleen, I haven’t tried any of the Kodiac products, so I am not able to answer. As for a list of products, I don’t really have lists like this on my blog because products change and it is too time consuming to keep a list like this up. I am really glad you found my blog and that it is helping you adjust to gluten free!
I was so excited to try this recipe! I’m gluten and dairy free, due to Hashimoto’s. I love that I can use alternative milk and vegan butter, but unfortunately the Cup4Cup has milk in it. Ugh. I used to love that blend, before I realized it. Do you have a “second” favorite gf flour?
Hi Annalisa, I tested 10 different flour blends in this recipe. I am sure you will find one you like to use that is dairy-free.
My favorite gluten-free flour is gluten free Mamas brand. I order it online. It’s a combination of almond and coconut flour. It’s great In baking!
I haven’t tried that mix in this recipe. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Do you use an exact measurement or did you tweak the amount a little? I know coconut flour needs a lot more moisture.
I use King Arthur baking mix vs the regular gf flour as it has baking powder in it. I find it works well when I modify regular recipes to gf recipes and turns out the most like gluten consistency.. How do you think it would work with this recipe? and still follow your ingredients?
Hi Linda, Is the baking mix the flour blend that has no binder added? I would assume it is okay, I haven’t experimented with it. Which binder do you plan to add?
Their description
King Arthur baking mixes can contain a variety of ingredients depending on the type of mix:
All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix
Contains whole grain brown rice flour, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, cellulose, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and a vitamin and mineral blend. This mix is non-dairy, non-GMO, and certified gluten-free by GFCO. It’s also fortified with calcium, iron, and vitamin B, and contains at least 50% whole grains per serving.
So is there a binder?
Hi Linda, in reading the ingredients, I see xanthan gum in your list. This is the binder.
Husband needs low sodium so the tsp salt is not an option. We have a good no sodium baking powder, but I wonder how these will turn out without the salt.
Hi, You should be able to greatly reduce the salt…it may affect the rise a little. If your baking powder has aluminum, I would recommend greatly reducing the amount to avoid a metallic aftertaste.
These are great. I will definitely make them again
I am so glad you loved this recipe. I can’t wait to hear which of my recipes you try next!
I plan to make these but I was wondering if it were to be possible to use frozen coconut oil instead of butter before making it. What do you think? I can’t use butter so I’m trying to look for possible alternatives.
Hi Faith, I haven’t tested frozen coconut oil. I know others have used very cold vegan butter. If you try the coconut oil, please do let me know how it turns out.
These are so good! I make them for my GF family members and the rest of us don’t mind them. Great for biscuits and gravy! Sometimes we do biscuits and gravy for dinner and serve little fried chicken breast pieces in the middle. My family goes crazy for these everytime!
I am so glad you love this biscuit recipe. I love serving it with fried chicken as well!
Can you please tell me what size biscuit cutter was used?
Hi Lucy, I have made this with all sizes. I have a set of cutters. How many biscuits are you trying to make?
I just made these and they are FANTASTIC! Tasty, light and fluffy. A keeper. Will definitely make these again. Thank you for the recipe.
I am so glad you loved these biscuits, Dorothy. Thank you!
Just made these (vegan version) to go with dinner tonight and they were AHHHMAZINGGG!!! This recipe is a winner! 🏆 They tasted so much like KFC’s biscuits (which I haven’t been able to eat in years, due to celiac). I made these with rice milk, Smart Balance butter substitute (and Cup4Cup flour). I made some plain and some with Violife shredded cheese. Everyone loved them! It made a batch of 8 fluffy biscuits. Thank you for this recipe!! <3
You made my day. I am so glad to know VioLife worked well as a dairy-free cheese option. That is my favorite vegan cheese by far. Thank you!
These are the best gf biscuits! I used Cup 4 Cup flour. I did make a few changes based on dietary preferences. I used oat milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice, one tablespoon of baking powder, and a country crock olive oil stick (5 Tablespoons) in place of butter. Melted Smart Balance in a cast iron pan before putting the biscuits in. I also folded the biscuit dough a few times. They came out moist and fluffy in the middle with a buttery crunch on the tops and bottoms. Definitely a keeper! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, Janette. I am so glad it worked well.
Will they still work if I leave the batter over night in the fridge then bake in the morning?
Hi Rebecca, It should work.
I have been using this recipe with Pamela’s flour for a while now. All of a sudden, the last few months they go flat while cooking them. I use the same amount of all the ingredients. I make sure the butter is cold (I have always used a shredder to make it into chunks). I use buttermilk. Then only thing that I do different but have been doing it and it was fine is adding sugar. Do you know what I am doing now that might make it go flat?
Hi Lynn, That is odd. Which Pamela’s blend do you use? They make a few. The first thing I think of is to check to see if your baking powder is expired. That is really the leavener and controls the rise. Sugar shouldn’t weigh down these biscuits. I make a sugar cinnamon biscuit, which is based on this recipe and it rises well. Also verify that Pamela’s didn’t change their recipe.
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. We ate them with the chicken pot pie mixture over them and they did not get soggy. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
You made my day. I am so glad you all loved this recipe. It is good to know Country Crock worked well!