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These all-butter Air Fryer biscuits are so flaky, soft, and completely made from scratch. An easy, homemade recipe that is so simple to make!
Our homemade Air Fryer biscuits are made with only a few simple ingredients that I bet you already have on hand – no shortening involved! Just like our Air Fryer Churros and Air Fryer Donuts, this baking recipe is made completely from scratch but
They bake up in minutes and get crispy and flaky on the outside and tender and soft on the inside!
These biscuits are SO delicious and easy to make from scratch, even if you’re a beginner. I’ve included plenty of tips and step-by-step instructions to make it easy for you! You won’t buy canned biscuits ever again, after trying my simple recipe – I promise!
Why make this recipe
- Only 6 simple ingredients – no shortening needed!
- Taste so much better than canned biscuits
- Plenty of tips so they will be a hit on the first try
- Mile high, buttery, and flaky biscuits – just PERFECT!
Ingredient Notes
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour and measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and level it with a knife.
- Baking Powder – Leavening agent for this recipe!
- Sugar – I don’t like overly sweet biscuits, so 1 tsp is plenty in my opinion. But you can to add up to 1 Tbsp if you prefer them sweeter.
- Salt – Very important for the flavor, nobody likes bland biscuits!
- Butter – The butter needs to be very cold, put it into the freezer for 15 minutes before using it. I use unsalted butter, so I can control the amount of salt. If you want to use salted butter, reduce the amount of extra salt you add.
- Milk – I use whole milk but 2% milk or buttermilk work too. The milk needs to be very cold just like the butter!
How to make this recipe
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
- Prep: Preheat your Air Fryer to 390 F. Some Air Fryers don’t need to be preheated, check your manual.
- Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together. (Image 1)
- Add Fat: Grate the ice-cold butter using a box grater or cut butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork. (Image 2) I prefer the grater because it’s a lot easier and faster.
- Add Liquid: Pour in the cold milk (Image 3) and stir gently with a fork until just combined. (Image 4) The dough will look shaggy and lumpy.
- Fold dough: Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to press dough together into a rectangle. (Image 5) Fold dough over a few times and flatten it with your hands to get it into a 1-inch thick layer. (Image 6)
- Cut biscuits: Cut 6 biscuits from it using a 2 3/4″ round biscuit cutter. (Image 7 & 8) Press scraps together to use up all the dough. Don’t twist the biscuit cutter, just push it down, this helps the biscuits to rise and get extra flaky.
- Air Fry: Transfer biscuits to the Air Fryer basket, you don’t need to grease it or use parchment paper. Air Fry for 9–11 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through. Brush biscuits with melted butter and serve.
Look at those beauties! Because we use all butter in this recipe, the biscuits rise mile-high and brown nicely all around because of the milk solids that caramelize during baking.
You might also notice that I couldn’t wait and already ate a biscuit before taking the photo on the right, they are just that tasty!
Expert Tips
- Make sure your ingredients are very cold! This is key to flaky biscuits that bake up mile-high.
- I recommend grating the butter, but you can also cut it into small cubes and use a pastry cutter or fork to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
- Do NOT over-handle the dough! Biscuits get their flakiness and texture from reducing the amount of gluten that develops during handling of the dough.
- Do NOT use a food processor or stand mixer for this recipe! They make it too easy to over-mix the dough, which results in tough, dense biscuits.
- You actually want to see some butter pieces in the dough because during baking they will melt and create little pockets of flakiness. The dough will not look homogenous like cookie dough.
- Don’t use a rolling pin to flatten the dough! After folding the dough, use your hands to flatten it.
- Don’t open the Air Fryer for at least half the baking time, this helps the biscuits rise.
- To bake these in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and bake biscuits for about 14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Remember every air fryer runs a bit differently, watch your biscuits and check on them.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can cook canned or refrigerated biscuits in the Air Fryer. Preheat your Air Fryer to 320 degrees F and bake biscuits (in batches depending on the size of your Air Fryer) for 11–13 minutes.
For perfect biscuits that are tender, fluffy, and flaky, you want to keep gluten development to a minimum. Ingredients that are not cold enough, over-mixing the dough, and over-handling can all increase gluten development and result in tough and dense biscuits. Also, make sure your baking powder is fresh and that you don’t twist the biscuit cutter because that fuses together the layers.
Shortening is cheaper and easier to work with than butter, but biscuits made with shortening don’t rise as high and don’t brown as much as all-butter biscuits. Butter biscuits, on the other hand, are flakier, have golden tops because the milk solids in the butter caramelize, and tend to be sweeter. Which one is better, is a question of taste, but I prefer all-butter biscuits.
What to serve with Air Fryer Biscuits
These Air Fryer Biscuits taste delicious on their own, smothered with some butter or topped with jam. But they also make a great side for stews, soups, or other entrées, here are some suggestions:
Main Dishes
Instant Pot Chili Recipe
Main Dishes
Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Main Dishes
Roasted Tomato Soup
Leftovers
These Air Fryer biscuits taste the best fresh out of the oven but will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing
These all-butter biscuits also freeze well. Put the cooled biscuits in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the Air Fryer at 350 F for a few minutes if desired.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Garlic Bread
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Meatballs
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Bacon
Air Fryer Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold plus more for brushing
- 3/4 cup milk, full fat or 2%, very cold
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 390 F.
- Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together.
- Grate butter using a box grater or cut butter into small cubes and cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork.
- Pour in milk and stir gently with a fork until just combined.
- Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to press dough together into a rectangle. Fold dough over a few times and flatten it with your hands to get it into a 1-inch thick layer.
- Cut 6 biscuits from it using a 2 3/4" round biscuit cutter.
- Air Fry for 9–11 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Brush biscuits with melted butter and serve.
Notes
- Make sure your ingredients are very cold! This is key to flaky biscuits that bake up mile-high.
- You can use full-fat or 2% milk. Buttermilk works too.
- I recommend grating the butter, but you can also cut it into small cubes and use a pastry cutter or fork to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
- Do NOT over-handle the dough! Biscuits get their flakiness and texture from reducing the amount of gluten that develops during handling of the dough.
- Do NOT use a food processor or stand mixer for this recipe! They make it too easy to over-mix the dough, which results in tough, dense biscuits.
- You actually want to see some butter pieces in the dough because during baking they will melt and create little pockets of flakiness. The dough will not look homogenous like cookie dough.
- Don’t use a rolling pin to flatten the dough! After folding the dough, use your hands to flatten it.
- Don’t open the Air Fryer for at least half the baking time, this helps the biscuits rise.
- To bake these in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and bake biscuits for about 14 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
- Remember every air fryer runs a bit differently, watch your biscuits and check on them.
Thank you so much for putting this recipe here at the biscuits are delicious again thank you
Amazing results. These are the best biscuits that I have ever made. What makes them even better is being able to bake them in an air fryer.
I followed the directions faithfully. YUM!
After looking for a recipe that sounded good to try in the air fryer, I found this lovely recipe :) Just fresh from the fryer, and they turned out so yummy- I think this is my(new) favorite way to make them!!Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!!
They turned out good but there was way too much salt.
Did you perhaps use a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon? This recipe calls for 1 tsp (teaspoon).
As easy as it gets. We don’t have an oven in our apartment in Vietnam and my family and I missed having biscuits for biscuits and gravy. Flaky and crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.
Thank you!
Tim
I know our Ninja air fryer cooks faster than most, so I pulled the first 4 out at 8.5 minutes, and they were very dry. I cooked the last 2 for 6.5 minutes, and the outside was plenty done while the inside of 1 had a tiny bit of goo. Next time I’ll try 8 minutes at 350. I would recommend a note on how to substitute self rising flour (which is simpler if you have it), and I disagree with the note to not use a food processor. I usually use the food processor to cut the butter into flour mixture only, and then mix in the liquid by hand, and I’ll do that the next time I make them. Grating the butter was a pain! (It’s over handling the dough once the liquids have been added that develops the gluten and toughens them.)
Try using frozen butter
Excellent, lofty rise–my new go-to biscuit recipe!
If you follow the directions as written, they will come out PERFECT!
Thank you for sharing <3
I just made these gluten free they are wonderful
These were easy and came out perfect at 9 minutes. I brushed the tops with cream and sprinkled some sugar on top and they were wonderful with jam.
Hi 9 minutes was that in air fryer or oven, just curious?
SO good!! This will be my go to biscuit recipe. Husband thought they were awesome!
Great recipe! Biscuits came out nicely brown and flaky.
Biscuits came out good. Didn’t rise as high as yours but tastes great! Thank you for the recipe as this was my first attempt at making Biscuits from scratch.