Gluten Free Biscuits Recipe

4.99 from 371 votes

These gluten free biscuits bake up light, buttery, and tender—whether you make quick drop biscuits or flaky layered ones. No special tools, just cold ingredients and the right flour blend.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Chilling time15

Course: Pastry

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baking powder, baking soda, butter, buttermilk, cornstarch, gluten free biscuits, gluten free flour, white sugar, xanthan gum

Servings: biscuits

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (See Recipe Notes)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
¼ cup cornstarch (or try potato starch or arrowroot)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled
1 cup buttermilk chilled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted (optional; for drop biscuits)

Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Make Drop Biscuits

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Grate the cold butter using a standard box grater. Chill if it starts to soften.
Add the grated butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
Create a well in the center, add the buttermilk, and mix just until the dough comes together.
Using a medium ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop mounds of dough about 1½ inches apart on the baking sheet. Don’t pack the dough into the scoop.
Optional: Brush the tops with melted butter for a golden finish.
Bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Cool briefly before serving.

To Make Rolled, Layered Biscuits

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Cut the cold butter into ¾-inch cubes. If it begins to soften, chill until firm again.
Add the butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Flatten each piece between your fingers to create thin shards.
Pour in all but 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add more buttermilk as needed to bring the dough together.
Press the dough into a rough disk. If it no longer feels cold, chill for 5–10 minutes.
Dust lightly with flour and roll the dough into a rectangle about ¾-inch thick. Fold into thirds like a business letter, then roll out again.
Repeat the fold-and-roll 1 or 2 more times to build layers, chilling as needed if the butter begins to soften.
After the final fold, roll the dough 1 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds using a floured biscuit cutter.
Place the rounds 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gather and reroll scraps as needed. Chill the shaped biscuits until firm.
While the biscuits chill, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Cool briefly before serving.

Video

Notes

Flour blends

For best results, use a high-quality all purpose gluten free flour blend. I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour can work, but you’ll need to add ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum or the biscuits will be crumbly.

Cup4Cup has changed its formula and doesn’t perform well here, so I don’t recommend it. To make your own blend, visit my all purpose gluten free flour blends page for DIY “mock” recipes.

Nutritional information.

Nutrition information is approximate per biscuit, including the additional tablespoon of melted butter which is only used for the drop biscuits.

Nutrition