Vegan Biscuits

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Take it from a Southern who never went a day without a buttermilk biscuit for most of their life, these vegan biscuits are everything you want without everything you don’t and can easily be made gluten-free too!

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I bought my own recipe. One that I developed and tested for years, a decade really. For $300, the same amount I sold it for and then kicked myself over and over again until I reached out to the client and asked to be able to use the recipe for commercial purposes. They graciously agreed but after a few years of scoping out what it would take to launch a biscuit company, I quickly realized the CPG market is bonkers and my nervous system can’t take the hustle that it would require. Plus, you know, start-up costs and all that.

So, you get the next best thing. The recipe. Unfortunately, you’ll have to make them from scratch instead of popping a frozen one into your oven but I think you can manage. And, you’ll be rewarded with the best gluten-free vegan biscuit there is.

It’s no secret that Southerners love their biscuits. I grew up eating biscuits and gravy on most holiday mornings as well as the occasional Saturday morning breakfast at my great-grandmother’s. She’d be wrist-deep in a shaggy bowl of biscuit dough when we arrived, ready for me to help cut them out, my favorite part of the process. She’d show me just how much milk to add, just how much to knead the dough without melting the tiny pieces of cut butter that now resembled coarse sand in the bowl. Once baked, the buttery crisp outer layer paired with the fluffy delicate inner structure of the biscuit made them perfect for drenching in gravy, smearing with jam and jelly, making a breakfast sandwich, or eating plain with butter.

Hardee’s bucket of fried chicken and Biscuits was synonymous with every church potluck, summer picnic, and family reunion. My high school years, once I could drive, were spent getting two bacon egg and cheese biscuits from McDonalds every morning, with a slice of tomato of course. Don’t forget the sweet tea, thank you very much.

My partner Alex and I with our shared love for biscuits, his love also stemming from his grandmother who sandwiched slices of salty country ham into mini buttermilk biscuits, set out to perfect a recipe of our own when we realized there were absolutely no good options on the market either in recipe form or a packaged product. Even a non GF but vegan biscuit is hard to find and the ones that come to mind are not great.

Once we nailed it, I ended up selling it to the previously mentioned client. When they decided to sell their company, I quickly purchased the rights back to the recipe. It belongs to me. Letting it go made me realize that. A profound life lesson really, what’s meant to be yours will be yours.

I recently saw a snippet of an interview with artist, Tracey Emin, who said “You’ve got to stand by your work and understand that it’s a part of you. It’s like a limb in a way”.

I couldn’t agree more.

This biscuit recipe is a part of my soul and I’m so excited to share it with you. I hope you get as much joy out of them as I do.

I encourage you to let your imagination run wild with how you use them. I have a running list of ideas that include everything from miso sweet corn, basil “blue cheese” and strawberry, and some sort of pimento “cheese” mix-in situation.

Alex’s dad loved what he coined a “Seaboard Special” which was a biscuit, halved then smeared with apple butter – another Southern staple, and drizzled, ok drenched, with maple syrup.

How would you serve them? Join the comments below with any ideas you have, creativity breeds creativity.

Vegan Biscuit FAQ’s

No, yes, and no. But, the end result will be at least 40% better IMO.

Freezing the butter ensures that the butter stays together and doesn’t melt in the mixing process which then allows the flaky layers we all love in a biscuit to form. If your butter is cold and you use a dough / pastry cutter or a fork to mix and not your hands, then it’s not super necessary.

Sifting the flour, yields such a different texture in the biscuits that it’s essential to make sure the flour isn’t clumped together which can create dry pockets in the biscuits. If you don’t have a flour sifter, a fine mesh sieve works great too! And in a real pinch, simply use a whisk to fluff up the flour a bit before cutting in the butter.

Chilling the dough helps the butter stay cold longer so when they go into the oven, the hot blast causes the butter pockets to expand, leading to those lovely layers. Even 10 minutes in the fridge or freezer can help but it’s not 100% necessary if you butter stayed cold through the mixing process.

If you are making the gluten free version of this recipe, yes, please still use the xanthan gum if your flour has it. I typically use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour which includes it but it’s not enough for the recipe so you’ll need to add it in. One bag will last you a lifetime though and it’s great for gluten free baking.

If you are making the regular non-gf version, the recipe does not call for xanthan gum.

I’m the queen of using random kitchen items to get the job done. I think I have a photo somewhere of me using a drill with a whisk as an electric mixer in my college apartment…

If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, a glass will work, just be careful not to twist regardless of what you use. Twisting seals the sides and prevents the biscuits from rising as high. Simply push straight down and give it a little wiggle to release the dough.

You can use a variety of bakeware. I typically opt for a sheet pan or a cast iron skillet. Glass or ceramic bakers work as well.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container, once cooled, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat like you would tortillas in a dish towel in the microwave in 30-second increments.

Take it from a Southern who never went a day without a buttermilk biscuit for most of their life, these are everything you want without everything you don't.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Servings: 6 biscuits

Course: Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, for gluten-free, sub 1:1 GF flour blend*, sifted
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, only for gluten free version
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup unsalted dairy-free butter, frozen*
1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk*
Additional butter or cooking spray for brushing

Method

1 teaspoon xanthan gum
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking powder.
Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into fine shreds. Add the butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or a fork (using hands will cause the butter to melt) to combine until it resembles coarse sand.
Make a well in the center of the bowl and add in the almond milk. Mix well until all the flour is incorporated but be careful not to overmix. Form the mixture into a ball and knead 4-5 times.
Press or roll the dough out into a 2” tall rectangle on a floured surface. Use a biscuit cutter or one-cup measuring cup to cut out the biscuits.
Place the biscuits onto a greased baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown, brushing the tops with butter or spraying with cooking spray in the last 5 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving for the crumb to set.

Notes

For GF, I exclusively use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
For butter, I use Country Crock Plant-Butter Sticks
For almond milk, my go-to is the organic 365 jug at Whole Foods, I find that it has the best consistency for baking
If you have a nut allergy, you can use any other milk in place of the almond milk. Soy works well, as does a thin coconut or oat milk.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container, once cooled, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat like you would tortillas in a dish towel in the microwave in 30-second increments.