Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits

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Cast iron buttermilk biscuits are incredibly tender and 100% irresistible. A southern staple that everyone knows and loves, now made from love in your own kitchen!

My gosh. Like there are just some things in life that are the ultimate comfort. A warmed-buttered biscuit is high up on that list!

These are so unbelievably tender they are like clouds, with pillowy soft insides that are perfect for butter and honey, and that comforting flavor we all know and love. Today I am sharing one of my southern favorites which is my mom's recipe - cast iron buttermilk biscuits. You're going to LOVE THEM!

They are easy to make, only require 6 ingredients, and will leave you never buying canned biscuits ever again!

A biscuit spilt in half with a butter pad n one side. Biscuit cutters, a knife, and a cast iron skillet of biscuits in the background.

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Equipment Needed
How to Make Buttermilk
Ingredients
How to Make
Helpful Tips for Biscuit Making
Uses for Stale Biscuits
Frequently Asked Questions
More Bread Recipes
Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits

Equipment Needed

You will need a couple of tools that will make this recipe just a bit easier.

Pastry Cutter - this will help cut the fat into the dough making it ultra tender and flaky
Cast Iron Skillet - the key to cooking these biscuits
Biscuit Cutter or Cookie Cutter - the tool needed for cutting out the biscuits

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A pastry cutter in a bowl of flour and shortening.

How to Make Buttermilk

Fun fact...I never buy buttermilk. On the rare occasion, I need buttermilk for a recipe I usually only need like a cup or so and they don't sell it in small enough containers that it would just go bad before I use it - because again I don't use it but for a couple of baking recipes.

But we usually have whole milk on hand and we always have white vinegar - so there is no need to buy actual buttermilk from the store.

To make your own buttermilk at home - fill a glass measuring cup of whole milk almost to the 1-cup mark. Add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar making it one full cup. Let sit and curdle for 5 minutes. Use as needed in the recipe. This can be adjusted more or less depending on how much you need but it is roughly 1 tablespoon of white vinegar added to almost a cup of whole milk.

So easy! And cheap!

Ingredients

You just need 6 staple pantry ingredients for this cast iron skillet buttermilk biscuit recipe:

Flour - I always use King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour for all of my baking and household recipes.
Baking Powder - make sure your baking powder is fresh! I always write the date on the lid of my baking powder and throw it out at 6 months regardless if it is used all up or not. Baking powder will go bad and if you use old baking powder in recipes then your recipe, and in this case biscuits, won't rise as tall and well as they should.
Salt - for flavor.
Baking Soda - to also help with the rise and tender texture.
Crisco, Lard, or Shortening - any of the following will work just fine.
Buttermilk - see above for how to make your own at home.

Clear bowls of flour, buttermilk, salt, baking soda and powder, and lard on a white table.

How to Make

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Using a pastry cutter, cut in Crisco or shortening until the dough has pea-sized clumps in it and is crumbly.
Add in the buttermilk and gently mix with a spatula until the dough has just come together. Do not over-mix!
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together in a round disk.
With a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough until it is about ½-3/4" inches tall.
With a round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut straight down into the dough and lift up. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Place the cut biscuits into a greased cast iron skillet (the biscuits can be close together and touch).
With the remaining dough, gently bring it together and pat it out into a disk again. Cut out more biscuits and place them in the skillet. Repeat this process until all the dough has been used - being careful not to overwork the dough during this process.
Place the cast iron skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately hot and fresh with butter, honey, your favorite jams, or honey butter.

Biscuit dough that has been patted out into a round disk on a floured countertop.

A biscuit cutter cutting out biscuits on a lightly floured counter top.

Buttermilk biscuit dough inside a cast iron pie plate before going into the oven.

Helpful Tips for Biscuit Making

It can be easy to mess up homemade biscuits. Here are a couple of tips that will help you in your baking process.

ONE - do not overwork! This is the most important tip! To keep homemade buttermilk biscuits tender and soft you CANNOT overwork. The dough will turn tough and your biscuits will be flat and hard if you do overwork the dough. Mix the buttermilk in the dough until just combined. Use to hands to bring the dough together on the countertop. Gently roll out with a rolling pin. And when using the last little bit of dough, gently bring it together with your hands and flatten it out and work as little as you can. This is so so important in getting the soft and tender result we all love in a biscuit!
TWO - use cold fats. Using cold shortening or lard will help the biscuits be tender with a flaky texture. I usually keep my container of lard in the fridge so that it is always cold when I need it.
THREE - cutting the fats into small pieces. You want to make sure the biscuit dough resembles a crumbly texture with pea-sized lard cut into the dough before adding the buttermilk. By having small pieces of fat in the dough, you are ensuring a tender and flaky biscuit every time. Use a pastry cutter to make this easy to do.
FOUR - do not twist the biscuit cutter. When cutting out the biscuits, press the cutter straight down into the dough and lift it straight back up. Do not twist. This will help the dough rise tall and not close/pinch off the sides when cutting (hindering the ability to rise tall).

Freshly baked buttermilk biscuits in a cast iron pie plate on top of a tea towel. A bowl of flour and biscuit cutter next to them.

Uses for Stale Biscuits

Leftover biscuits will keep stored in an airtight bag for 3 days. But when they are on their last legs and getting a bit hard and stale, don't throw them out!

Make homemade breadcrumbs: let the biscuits sit out on a baking sheet for 24 hours to harden and stale. Place in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbles with salt, pepper, and whatever herb of choice. Place on a baking sheet and toast at 350 for 10ish minutes until lightly golden brown. Store in an airtight container for a month or in the freezer for up to a year and use in any recipe calling for breadcrumbs.

Use for a Southern-style side dish or Baked Southern-Style Cornbread and Biscuit Dressing for year around or the holidays: let the biscuits sit out on a baking sheet for 24 hours to harden and stale. If not the holiday season yet, then place stale biscuits in an airtight ziptop bag in the freezer until the holidays 0r until needed. Remove and use in a southern cornbread and biscuit dressing recipe that requires stale biscuits and cornbread!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do Leftovers Last and How to Store

Keep leftovers stored in an airtight ziptop bag for 3 days. Use for breakfast sandwiches or pop in the microwave for 10 seconds to gently warm back up.

How to Freeze Cast Iron Buttermilk Biscuits?

Bake and cool biscuits. Place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze. Put the frozen biscuits in a freezer-safe ziptop bag sealed airtight for 6 months. To thaw - move to fridge for 24 hours before use. You can freeze stale biscuits as well to use in Cornbread Stuffing during the holidays.

What is the Best Pan to Bake Biscuits In?

Using a cast iron skillet to bake biscuits is what has been done in my family for generations. It gives it the perfectly baked bottom and just overall better flavor - while I have no way to prove that, it's just is what has been done for generations and I continue to do the same.

Does Buttermilk Make Better Biscuits?

Yes, buttermilk is better for making biscuits and makes them taste better. The acidity and tang of the buttermilk help the flavor and tenderness of the biscuits in a way regular milk or cream cannot. To make your own buttermilk at home, fill a glass measuring cup of whole milk almost to the 1-cup mark. Add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar making it one full cup. Let sit and curdle for 5 minutes. Use as needed. This can be adjusted more or less depending on how much you need but it is roughly 1 tablespoon of white vinegar added to almost a cup of whole milk.

3 biscuits stacked on a white plate. a cast iron skillet with biscuits in it, rolling pin, and biscuit cutters in the background.

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