Making buttermilk biscuits in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to enjoy Southern biscuits whether for breakfast or dinner. With just a few simple ingredients, the air fryer produces biscuits with a perfectly crisp exterior and a fluffy interior that are sure to be a hit with the whole family.
For those of you who have embraced the air fryer, did you know you can make homemade buttermilk biscuits in your air fryer. With just a few changes to my Southern buttermilk biscuit recipe, you can get fluffy, buttery air fryer biscuits that are tender and crispy on the outside and light and flaky on the inside
Everyone loves fresh biscuits with their dinner or breakfast, but if your oven is full of a lasagna or scalloped sweet potatoes, it can be difficult to find space for a pan of biscuits. But because these are cooked in your air fryer, they can be ready with the rest of your meal.
Or maybe you just don’t want to turn on the oven, the air fryer is a great alternative when it’s 100º outside.
Depending on your air fryer, you can bake an entire batch at the same time. If you have a basket type air fryer, you will need to make them in two batches, but if you have shelves in your air fryer, you can bake this entire batch at one time.
Just like classic drop biscuits and square biscuits, this recipe uses butter, buttermilk, flour, and other pantry staples for a traditional Southern biscuit flavor.
If you want something a little different, you can make sweet potato biscuits, cheddar bay biscuits, sour cream biscuits or strawberry biscuits in the air fryer. You just need to adjust the cooking time. Since the air fryer cooks differently than a traditional oven, the biscuits will not take as long to bake. Check them at 8 minutes.
Pro tip: Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk, learn how to make your own buttermilk with what you have in your kitchen.
These biscuits will be a welcome addition to just about any meal and are perfect for dipping in chicken soup or short rib chili, serving with a holiday meal, or with steak marsala or slathering in sausage gravy.
In the South, we eat biscuits with just about anything, they’re just so quick and easy to make and other than buttermilk, we generally have all the ingredients on hand.
Is it hard to make homemade biscuits?
Because homemade biscuits are SO delicious, there’s a misconception that they’re difficult to make. Let’s be honest, it’s possible to make biscuits that are flat and hard. But by following the recipe carefully and paying attention to a few tips, making homemade biscuits should be as easy as pie.
What temperature do I use for air fryer biscuits?
This air fryer buttermilk biscuits recipe calls for you to bake your biscuits at 400°F for 10 minutes. This could vary depending on your air fryer and how big you make the biscuits. You will want to remove them when they start to turn brown.
Why you’ll using the air fryer to make biscuits
- You’ll keep your oven free for other dishes
- You won’t heat up the kitchen
- They taste every bit as delicious as oven-baked biscuits.
- Air fryer biscuits cook up quickly – in just 10 minutes – and come out light and fluffy.
Why do biscuit recipes require me to use cold butter?
Cold butter is a necessity for making biscuits with a light and flaky texture. In fact, did you know that cold butter is the secret to light and fluffy biscuits? When you make biscuit dough, you begin with a dough that still has chunks of butter in it. Then, when you add your wet ingredients, those chunks of butter remain.
Biscuit dough gets kneaded, rolled, and cut gently and minimally to keep those small chunks of cold butter inside. Then, when your biscuits make it into the oven, the cold butter pieces begin to melt and steam the inside of the biscuits. That’s why they stay so light, flaky, and moist inside.
Air fryer biscuit ingredients
- Cold Butter – Keep your butter stored in the fridge until you’re ready to begin, then cut it into chunks before adding it to your recipe. You’ll also use 1 tbsp of melted butter in this recipe.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, learn how to make your own buttermilk with ingredients you have in your pantry.
- Sugar – For biscuits to have the classic Southern taste, don’t skip the sugar and don’t use sugar substitutes, it adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is perfect for this recipe. You can substitute with gluten-free flour if you need to or use bread flour.
- Flaky Salt – This is sprinkled on top at the end of baking and adds to the flavor and texture of the biscuits. You can omit this is you would like.
- Pantry Staples – baking powder, baking soda, salt
How to make easy air fryer biscuits
Step 1: Begin your biscuit dough.
Use a food processor to pulse together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the chopped butter and process it again until there are small, pea-sized chunks in your dough mixture. You can also use a pastry cutter instead.
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients.
Slowly pour the buttermilk over the mixture and pulse again just until the mixture begins to form a consistent dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter or cutting board and use your hands to shape it into a rectangle.
Step 3: Roll and cut the dough.
Cut your rectangle into 3 sections, then stack them on top of each other. Roll the dough out. Repeat this process 3 times, then roll it out until it’s 1 inch thick. Cut into rounds and freeze for 10 minutes before baking.
Step 4: Bake.
Brush the tops of your biscuits with melted butter and place them on the air fryer racks or in the air fryer basket. Bake until they are golden brown, it will take between 8-10 minutes. Check at 8 minutes to see if they will need additional time. Remove the biscuits, brush them with a bit more butter, and sprinkle salt over the top while they are still warm.
Instructions for making perfect biscuits without a food processor
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Chop the cold butter into small chunks and drop them into the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter to mix the dough together. You can also use your hands to gently rub the butter and the flour, allowing the butter to break into small pieces. Make sure your hands are very cold and try not to melt the butter as you mix the dough together.
- Add the buttermilk. Stir or use your hands to incorporate the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, then continue the steps as instructed above.
Tips for making air fryer biscuits
- When handling biscuit dough, you want your hands to be cold. If your hands are warm, run them under cold water for 5-10 seconds, then dry them well. Repeat as necessary.
- Keep your buttermilk and butter in the fridge until you need to use them so they stay as cold as possible.
- For best results, cut straight down with the biscuit cutter, don’t twist.
- Leave plenty of room between your biscuits so the air fryer air can circulate around them. If you have a basket air fryer, you may have to make these in batches.
- Spray the rack or basket of the air fryer with cooking spray to keep the biscuits from sticking or place a piece of parchment paper down before adding the biscuits.
How to store leftover biscuits
We all know that biscuits are at their most delicious when they’re fresh from the oven. But if you have leftovers, you can still use them. Place them in a Ziploc bag. Store them on the counter (not in the fridge) for 2-3 days.
You can freeze your leftover biscuits as well. Just pull out as many as you need and reheat them in the oven when you’re ready to eat.
Can I make biscuit dough in advance?
Yes, you can make this biscuit dough in advance and freeze it for use. Cut your biscuits, then lay them in a single layer on a baking tray. Freeze them for about 30 minutes. When they are hard to the touch, transfer them to a Ziploc or storage container and place them in the freezer. Remove the frozen biscuits all at once, or take out just what you need. Let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours, then bake them fresh in the air fryer.
If you just want to make them in advance, cut them into rounds and refrigerate them in an airtight container until you are ready to bake them.
Air fryer biscuit FAQs
How to reheat biscuits in an air fryer?
Biscuits can get dried out easily so if you are going to reheat biscuits in the air fryer, first wrap them in foil to keep them from drying out.
How do I prevent my biscuits from being hard and dry?
When biscuits bake up hard and dry, it’s usually because your butter has melted during the baking process. Try not to overhandle your dough, and bake them right away. If you need to bake your biscuits in batches, keep your uncooked biscuits in the fridge, not on the counter.
What air fryer is best for biscuits?
All air fryers have their pros and cons. I like to use an air fryer that has racks instead of baskets as I can fit more food in it at a time, and I don’t need to bake in batches as often.
Can you put canned biscuits in the air fryer?
Canned biscuits can be baked in the air fryer, but because they have a different consistency then a buttermilk biscuit, you may have to flip them half way through to make sure the center is cooked.
More biscuit recipes to love
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Homemade Buttermilk Air Fryer Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter cold
- ¾ cup buttermilk cold
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- flaky salt
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Air fryer
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- In a food processor combine flour, baking powder, soda, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Or whisk them together in a large bowl. Add butter cubes and process until it is incorporated and you still have pea-size chunks. Or use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter.
- Add buttermilk and mix until it just starts to come together. Place on a floured surface and form it into a rectangle.
- Cut the rectangle into 3 sections and stack them on top of each other. Roll it out and repeat 3 times. Then roll to a 1-inch thickness.
- Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter and cut straight down, don’t twist. Place biscuits on parchment paper and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400º.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with butter and place them on the rack or in the basket of an air fryer. If using a basket you should be able to fit 6 biscuits at a time. If using racks you can put ut to 6 biscuits on each rack and bake them all at once.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and immediately brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Since each air fryer is different, check the biscuits at 8 minutes, you don’t want to over bake them.
- Keep your buttermilk and butter in the fridge until you need to use them so they stay as cold as possible.
- Leave plenty of room between your biscuits so the air fryer air can circulate around them. If you have a basket air fryer, you may have to make these in batches.
Nutrition
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