Biscuits Without Milk

Looking for Biscuits Without Milk that taste like the real deal? This recipe is your answer! High, flaky, rich and delicious, these dairy-free biscuits are made with vegan butter and unsweetened plant milk. Absolutely perfect for a Sunday breakfast with kids, family gatherings or as a holiday dinner side.

Jump to:

• Can you make biscuits without milk?
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredient notes
• Substitutions and special diets
• How to make easy biscuits without milk
• Air fryer method
• Expert tips
• Storage and freezing
• Reheating tips
• What to serve with no milk biscuits
• Recipe FAQs
• More dairy free baking
• Recipe
• You may also like
• Meet the Author

Can you make biscuits without milk?

You definitely can! Traditional biscuits are made with butter and milk or buttermilk but it is very much possible to create delicious, buttery and flaky biscuits without dairy. I’ve tested this recipe experimenting with different ingredients and ratios and came up with a biscuit that is as good as the “real deal”.

Some recipes for no milk biscuits call for water and shortening but to me they don’t really taste or feel like biscuits. They tend to resemble tough rolls that taste flat.

 When I think biscuits, I expect rich, buttery flavor and the best way to achieve this is to use vegan butter, from my experiments. I also found that adding an egg to the dough creates higher, fluffier and richer biscuits.

Note: If you’re going for biscuits that are vegan, feel free to skip the egg and add two additional tablespoons of plant milk instead.

Making these biscuits for Thanksgiving? Try these Crack Green Beans for another easy side dish, too!

Why this recipe works

• These biscuits taste very close traditional buttermilk biscuits but are made without milk or dairy
• Vegan butter makes them flaky, rich and well… buttery
• They are quick and easy to make
• Small batch recipe – this recipe makes 6 biscuits. If you want to make more, use the scale function in the recipe card below (click on “x2” or “x3” and it will double or triple the amounts of ingredients)
• They come out high with flaky layers – just split it and smear with more vegan butter, jam or your favorite spread
• Perfect for a festive weekend breakfast or as a Holiday side dish
• Kid-approved recipe!

Ingredient notes

• All-purpose flour: I like King Arthur’s
• Vegan butter: it gives the biscuits their signatory buttery flavor without the use of dairy. I like to use frozen grated plant-based butter which makes making the dough fast and easy
• Baking powder: to help the biscuits raise
• Unsweetened plant milk: almond, soy or oat milk will all work
• Egg: it gives the biscuits a richer flavor and impressive height
• Salt: kosher or sea salt is best for baking
• Sugar: to balance out the flavors
• Cream of tartar: acts as another leavening agent

Substitutions and special diets

• You can skip cream of tartar if you don’t have any on hand. It won't affect the recipe much.
• Use gluten free flour to make these biscuits gluten free
• You can also swap all-purpose flour for white whole grain flour, if you want to add some fiber to your biscuits
• For flavored biscuits, add herbs such as Italian seasoning, fresh minced garlic, cheddar cheese or all 3

How to make easy biscuits without milk

Step 1: Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cream of tartar.

Step 2: Grate frozen vegan butter and add to the dry ingredients. Work the dough with a pastry cutter until combined and evenly distributed. The butter tends to stick together so make sure you don’t have any large clumps. Pea-sized butter pieced are fine. If you prefer, you can use diced very cold butter from the fridge but it takes more time to work with.

Step 3: Add liquid ingredients. Lightly whisk together plant milk and egg in a cup or a small bowl. Pour into the butter flour mixture and mix together using a metal spoon until dough forms. Avoid using your hands.

Step 4: Roll the dough. Transfer the dough (which will be a bit clumpy and sticky) onto a floured surface. Dust the top with more flour. Using your hands shape the dough into a rectangle or a square. Don’t work it too much though. Roll the dough using a floured rolling pin one-inch thick.

Step 5: Cut out biscuits. I use a 2.6-inch round cutter which I dip in flour to keep the edges clean. You should be able to cut out 4 biscuits. Then take the remaining dough, form a ball, roll and cut out two more.

Step 6: Transfer to a baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper first and space the biscuits apart. Brush with melted butter to promote browning. This step is optional but I recommend it if you like golden brown tops.

Step 7: Bake until golden, about 15 minutes in 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the biscuits cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.

Air fryer method

You can also make these dairy free biscuits in the air fryer, which is a great option if you don’t have an oven. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to air fry the biscuits in two or more batches.

Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit, line the basket of your air fryer with parchment paper (try these useful liners) and air fry for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. You can flip the biscuits after 5 minutes although it's not necessary.

Note: Make sure the biscuits are not touching each other. I air fry 3-4 at a time in my 7-qt GoWise air fryer.

Expert tips

• Use frozen vegan butter. The grated frozen butter method is by far the easiest and fastest way to make flaky, non-dairy biscuits in no time.
• Make sure all ingredients are cold. This is the number one rule for making any biscuits – you want the butter in very small pieces in the dough. If you use your hands and overwork the dough, the texture will be all wrong (caky and dense). I keep my egg and plant milk in the fridge until it’s time to add it to the flour butter mixture.
• Check the baking powder's label. If it's expired, don't use it for this recipe. Just get a new container.
• Don’t overwork the dough. For all the reasons listed in the tip above!
• Use flour to prevent sticking. The biscuit dough tends to be sticky so make sure your surface and utensils are floured. Coating your rolling pin and round cutter with flour really makes a difference!
• Use very hot oven. Let it preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit while you’re preparing the dough. Cold ingredients + super hot oven = delicious, flaky biscuits!

Storage and freezing

These biscuits taste best slightly warm fresh from the oven. If you don't eat them all at once, store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

To freeze, place in an airtight container or a freezer safe bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Reheating tips

If you store the biscuits in the fridge, I recommend reheating them before serving. Here's how:

• Oven (preferred): place biscuits on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warm, about 5-10 minutes
• Microwave: place on a paper or microwave-safe plate and nuke the biscuits for 20-30 seconds
• Air Fryer: place the biscuits in the basket of an air fryer and air fry for 3-5 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't reheat at a higher temperature or for too long because the biscuits will turn hard.

What to serve with no milk biscuits

My kids love these biscuits as breakfast or snack smeared with butter and jam. They will also work great with sausage gravy for a lazy Sunday breakfast.

My favorite way to enjoy these is as a side for creamy soups. Try them with this aromatic Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup, this Creamy Vegan Tomato Bean Soup (made with canned cannellini beans or my Loaded Cauliflower Soup sprinkled with crispy bacon.

Recipe FAQs

More dairy free baking

• Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins with Almond Flour
• Healthy Banana Oat Bread
• Avocado Brownies with Raspberries
• Easy Rhubarb Cake

Recipe

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