Southern “Buttermilk” Biscuits – Gluten Free & Vegan
This is going to sound silly, but I could have cried when I finally figured out this biscuit recipe! Let me explain. Biscuits and gravy were one of my favorite meals before I developed food allergies. I could have eaten them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
When I first made the switch to gluten free, I tried biscuit recipe after biscuit recipe, each with a different failed result (gummy or hockey pucks every time!!). So I decided biscuits probably just weren’t going to happen and I got over it (not really!).
A few years ago, we went to Portland to visit family and I was really nervous about what I would eat while we were there. It was the first long trip we had taken since I went gluten and dairy free. Turns out, Portland is an AWESOME place to visit if you have allergies.
We found an amazing bakery down there called Petunia’s Pies & Pastries and they had biscuits and gravy!! Not only did they have biscuits and gravy, but they had cakes, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls and they were all gluten free and vegan! Needless to say, we took piles of baked goods back to the hotel to enjoy.
So when we got home I was determined to find a recipe that would work since I knew it was possible. So after a ton of research I found a recipe I thought was worth a try. It wasn’t vegan, but I had vegan substitutes that I had learned from other recipes (tip: the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar are what replace buttermilk).
So I made them, and they were pretty good! I was so excited and knew exactly what I wanted to adjust the next time I made them to make them even better.
The magic is in the flour blend!!
This is the flour blend I use for cinnamon rolls, pancakes, waffles, and pizza so I wanted to give it a try for biscuits. They turned out PERFECT! I could not ask for anything more from a biscuit.
They have a slight crisp on the outside and are soft and pillowy on the inside. They remind me of the southern buttermilk biscuits I used to eat before food allergies.
What are some of your favorite recipes to have biscuits in? I can’t wait to hear about it and hope you enjoy these biscuits as much as my family does!
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Biscuits – Gluten Free & Vegan
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup (100g) millet flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) arrowroot flour/starch
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Wet Ingredients
- 6 tbsp vegan butter, cubed (I use “Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Sticks”)
- 1 cup of dairy free milk of choice (I use “So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk”)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Put the cubed butter in a bowl and place in the freezer.
- Mix together the milk and apple cider vinegar and set to the side.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined. I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out the flour for this recipe.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. You should have pea sized balls of butter throughout the flour.
- Add the milk and vinegar mixture to the dry ingredients and combine using a rubber spatula.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I use a little more brown rice flour for this) and roll into a square about 1 inch thick.
- Use a biscuit cutter or a round glass to cut out the biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
Hi, This is a fantastic quick recipe, thank you for taking the time to write the article. I am a food lover and I like making bread and butter pudding.
Hi Rondald! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like the recipe.
Have you tried freezing these- either before or after cooking?
Hi Janice, I haven’t tried freezing these before. I would recommend freezing the dough once you have formed biscuits (before baking). I think if you freeze them after they have been baked, the texture will be off once defrosted. If you give it a try I would love to hear how they turned out.
I can’t find the earth balance soy free buttery sticks anywhere near me and was wondering if the earth balance soy free spread can be used interchangeably?
Hi Kacie, the spread should work just fine. Just make sure it’s very cold and cut into small chunks. Then just blend it into the flour as described in the recipe.
Going to try this tomorrow! Just curious what the butter in the freezer is for? Is that what makes the biscuits soft inside when baking?!
Hi Amanda, the butter being extra cold helps the biscuits to have a bit of a flaky texture. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
can we leave out the apple cider vinager or use lemon ?
Hi Wendy, yes lemon will work as a substitute for the apple cinder vinegar.
Hello, I haven’t yet found millet flour locally. Could I grind the millet into flour myself, would this work ok? Maybe the same with the brown rice?
Hi Dottie, as long as you could get the millet ground down into a very fine flour then that should work. You can also buy these specialty flours on Amazon.com if that is an option for you.