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These tender, buttery gluten free biscuits are just as light and satisfying as the ones you remember. Use this one recipe to make flaky, layered biscuits like Pillsbury Grands—or quick and craggy drop biscuits in under 30 minutes.
“My oh my. Those biscuits were so satisfying.
All y'all need to try this! And I forgot the Star Rating on the comment I just left. Disappointed there are only 5 – should have been 6!”
“I make these frequently! They are reminiscent of my mom’s biscuits.
Guests are surprised they're gluten free!”
BEHIND THE RECIPE
Tips from Nicole
These biscuits are all about flexibility and speed. If you’re making drop biscuits, you can mix, scoop, and bake in under 30 minutes—no softening butter or room-temp eggs. Everything stays cold, which is exactly what biscuit dough needs.
They freeze beautifully, whether raw or baked, and they’re just as good reheated. Use them as a dinner side, a biscuit breakfast sandwich, or anywhere you’d usually reach for pasta, rice, or potatoes.
ingredients
What's in these biscuits
- Gluten free flour – Use a high-quality all purpose blend with finely ground rice flour. If your blend doesn’t have xanthan gum (or doesn’t have enough, like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1), be sure to add it yourself.
- Cornstarch – Lightens the crumb and softens the texture.
- Baking powder + baking soda – Baking powder gives lift; baking soda helps the biscuits brown beautifully.
- Salt + sugar – Salt enhances flavor, sugar adds just enough sweetness and tenderness.
- Butter – Adds flavor and creates steam as it melts, which lifts and lightens the dough. Those steam pockets = flaky layers.
- Buttermilk – Adds tang and tenderness. Drop biscuits use a bit more for a looser, scoopable dough.
How to make gluten free biscuits
Start by whisking together your gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a bit of sugar in a large mixing bowl.
To make drop biscuits:
Grate cold butter directly into the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined—a thick, sticky dough will form.
Scoop the dough into mounds using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, spacing them evenly on a lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter (optional), and bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
To make rolled, layered biscuits (like gluten free Grands):
Use larger pieces of cold butter, toss them in the dry ingredients, and flatten each piece between your fingers. This creates thin sheets of butter that give the biscuits their signature flaky layers.
Add the buttermilk and mix into a shaggy dough. Roll it out, fold it like a letter, and repeat that fold-and-roll process a few times to build layers. Cut into rounds, chill briefly, then bake until puffed and pale golden.
substitutions
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
Replace the buttermilk with ½ cup plain nondairy yogurt plus ½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk. For the butter, try half nonhydrogenated shortening (like Spectrum) and half block-style vegan butter (like Melt or Miyoko’s). You can use all vegan butter, but the biscuits may spread more.
Corn free
If you’re avoiding corn, skip flour blends with cornstarch like Cup4Cup or Nicole’s Best. Try Better Batter or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 instead. Swap the added cornstarch in the recipe with arrowroot or potato starch.
expert tips
For perfect gluten free biscuits
Keep everything cold
Cold ingredients = light, tender biscuits. Don’t let the butter soften while you're working—if it does, stop and chill the dough before continuing.
Choose your biscuit style
- In a hurry? Drop biscuits are ready in 30 minutes, start to finish.
- Want flaky layers? Rolled biscuits take a bit more time, but the buttery layers are worth it.
- Not a fan of rolling pins? Skip it—drop biscuits are scoop-and-bake simple.
- Craving Pillsbury Grands-style biscuits? Go for the layered version for that nostalgic, pull-apart texture.
Don't shape drop biscuit dough
Drop biscuits should be… dropped! Use an ice cream scoop or spoons to portion them. If the dough sticks, dip your scoop in cold water between portions.
Gluten Free Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) 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 (36 g) cornstarch, (or try potato starch or arrowroot)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, melted (optional; for drop biscuits)
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
Short-term:
Store baked biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
Longer storage:
To freeze baked biscuits, let them cool completely, then freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 1 month.
To reheat:
Defrost at room temperature. To refresh, sprinkle lightly with water and warm in a 300°F oven or toaster oven until heated through.
To freeze raw biscuits:
Freeze shaped biscuits in a zip-top bag. Bake straight from frozen: start at 400°F, then increase to 425°F after 5 minutes. Add a few extra minutes to the total bake time.
FAQs
Yes, but the pan will hold heat more aggressively than a baking sheet. Watch closely—they may brown faster.
No. It doesn’t create the thick, tangy mixture you need for this recipe.
Not on its own. Instead, use half plain yogurt or sour cream and half milk by volume for a proper buttermilk substitute.
I haven made them yet.I am looking forward to doing so.I need.to know can they be frozen and how so?
Hi, Julia, yes! They can. Please see the text of the post under the heading “How to store leftover biscuits” for details
I made these using KA GF measure for measure flour were ok
I’m afraid that I recommend against that blend, Sherry. Please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page on the blog for full information. It’s linked in this recipe.
Still eating the biscuits hot out of the oven as I write :) I had my husband take some over to our gluten eating neighbors and they loved them. Nicole I used a ravioli cutter just to see if it would maintain the little ravioli edge for fun and it did! So pretty and so delicious. I doubled the recipe and we’ll be eating them again tomorrow morning :) Thank you Nicole!!
Oh, fun, Peggy! That’s a great idea. Love that you served them to gluten-eaters. That’s the best!
I made butternut squash soup for dinner and the last minute decided I wanted biscuits. I don’t make them often, with gf recipes it’s often more complicated than I want. I looked up your recipe and whipped it up in a very short time. The butter melted a little (ha) in my hand, but I got it grated. They were wonderful!! I didn’t even need to add more butter at the table. When I need recipes I often go to your site first. Thank you for them!
You’re so welcome, Barbara! I’m thrilled you had such a good experience with the biscuits and that you trust me to deliver recipes that work. That means so much to me, and dinner sounds like it was delicious!
My husband dislikes anything gluten free, so after I made these this morning I just brought him one with butter and strawberry jam and he told me how much he liked them and I should make them again, only thicker. WOW! is all I can say. Thanks Nicole.
That’s amazing to hear, Linda! Gluten-eaters are tough critics, but that’s when you really know you have a winner! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Perfect. Made with your better than c4c flour.
Now to decide which pizza dough I’m going to make..
So glad you loved the biscuits, Lori! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I forgot the Star Rating on the comment I just left. Disappointed there are only 5 – should have been 6!
Love it, Jolinda! Thank you so much for coming back to add the rating. It really helps Google value the content highly. :)
My oh my. Those biscuits were so satisfying. I was leery of putting sugar in a biscuit but if Hun (short for HoneyChild) says to add it, I add it. Never even noticed it. I ate my 3 biscuits with a piece of ham sitting in a pool of honey (as you can see I’m sweet-averse].
All yall need to try this!
This is a keeper! I followed the recipe with the exception that I melted the butter and then baked the biscuits in some of that melted butter. These drop biscuits were outstanding! Very tender!
These biscuits were the best GF biscuits I’ve tried. I even had to sub some ingredients because of what I had on hand. I used Bobs Red Mill GF flour blend. I used tapioca starch ans a sub for the corn starch and 3/4 C almond milk and 1/4 C heavy cream with 1 teaspoon vinegar as a sub for the buttermilk. They were light, fluffy and were a little crispy on the outside. Perfect! I will definitely be making these again!