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Air Fryer Biscuits are the easiest way to bake up perfectly golden, buttery biscuits from scratch! With just a few pantry staples like flour, butter, and buttermilk, you’ll have warm, flaky biscuits that are light, tender, and full of classic homemade flavor. This foolproof recipe proves that anyone can master biscuits in the air fryer.
Once you learn how to make your own biscuit dough, you’ll never want to go back to canned biscuits or frozen biscuits again.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by making biscuits from scratch, this recipe will change that. The air fryer creates the perfect environment for even baking and a beautiful golden crust, all in a fraction of the time it takes in the oven.
There’s no need to heat up the whole kitchen. All you need to do is mix, shape, and air fry! Whether you’re serving them for breakfast, brunch, or alongside dinner, these fluffy biscuits are a simple way to bring homemade comfort to your table any day of the week. In a hurry? Try these air fryer frozen biscuits or air fryer canned biscuits instead!
Quick Look At This Recipe
- ✨ Flavor: Buttery flavor and tender, flaky texture.
- ⏱️ Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook time: 8-10 minutes
- ⏲️ Total time: 18-20 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 8
- 🥄 Tools: Air fryer, air fryer parchment paper, biscuit cutter, and a fork or pastry cutter.
- ❄️ Freezer-friendly: Yes, you can freeze uncooked air fryer biscuits or freeze leftovers!
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: Make sure to give the space in the air fryer for the best results.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Warm and buttery: Every bite is soft, flaky, and full of classic homemade biscuit flavor.
- Simple ingredients: Just flour, butter, milk, and a few pantry staples, plus no fancy tools required.
- Quick and easy: Ready in under 15 minutes.
- Versatile: Great for breakfast sandwiches, with gravy, or served as a cozy side for any meal.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter to better control the saltiness of the biscuits. It’s important to use cold butter for a flaky texture.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with the baking powder to help biscuits rise while keeping them soft and tender. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the buttery flavor perfectly. If you don’t have buttermilk, measure 3/4 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a glass measuring dish and then fill it up to 3/4 cup with milk. Let it sit for five minutes.
- Basic baking ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt add flavor and give the biscuits structure. If you want to use self-rising flour, you can simply omit the baking powder and salt.
Variations
- Cheddar Chive Biscuits: After partially mixing the buttermilk into the biscuit dough, add ½ cup sharp cheddar and 2 tablespoons chopped chives, and finish mixing.
- Sweet Cinnamon: Add 2 tablespoons sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the biscuit dough. You can even sprinkle a bit on top. These are great served with honey butter.
- Garlic Parmesan: Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder to the biscuit dough. Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top before air frying.
How to Make Air Fryer Biscuits From Scratch
To get started, preheat your air fryer to 350°F. As a note, I make this recipe in my Cosori Basket Air Fryer. Depending on your air fryer size and wattage, you may need to adjust the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the slices of butter and use a fork or pastry blender tool to cut the butter into the flour. The mixture should be crumbly.
- Add the buttermilk to the mixture and slowly stir it together until a soft dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough until it is about ¾ inches in thickness. Use a biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut the dough into round shapes.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray or a brush of olive oil, or line it with an air fryer parchment paper. Place the biscuit cutouts into the air fryer basket without stacking or overlapping. Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk.
- Air fry biscuits at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until the homemade biscuit dough is golden on top. Enjoy them with a side of air fryer breakfast potatoes and air fryer sausage links.
Recipe Tips
- Butter Temperature: Cold butter is the secret to flaky biscuits. You can freeze the butter 5–10 minutes before cutting it into the flour for the best results.
- Don’t Overmix: You only want to knead a couple of times. The dough may still be a bit shaggy. Overworking the dough leads to tough biscuits.
- Air Circulation: Make sure to leave space between the biscuits in the air fryer basket. Over-crowding means less air circulation, which limits browning.
- Check at 8 Minutes: Since different models brown faster or slower, check their progress early. Your biscuits are ready when they have golden tops, no damp spots on the sides, and register an internal temperature of about 200°F.
- Cutting Biscuits: Press straight down when cutting the biscuits and don’t twist.
Serving Suggestions
These homemade air fryer biscuits are delicious any way you enjoy them! Serve them warm with butter, honey, or jam, or smother them in savory gravy as a side dish for an air fryer breakfast bowl.
You can also turn them into air fryer breakfast sandwiches by loading them up with eggs and sausage.
They also make a perfect side for soups, stews, or classic Southern dinners such as air fryer chicken fried steak.
Storing & Reheating
- Store: Leftover biscuits are still delicious! Once you air fry biscuits, all you have to do is let them cool down. You can then store these easy biscuits in an airtight container or sealable bag and keep them at room temperature for the next day. You can also add this air fryer biscuits recipe to a freezer bag and freeze some for later!
- Reheat: To enjoy warm the next day, reheat them in your air fryer at 330°F for 2–3 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Not necessarily! You can use a cookie cutter or the opening of a glass to make round biscuits. You can also use a knife to cut the dough to make square biscuits.
While most air fryers have a non-stick coating, I prefer to add a little nonstick cooking spray or line the basket with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
The most common causes are warm butter, overmixed dough, and a cold air fryer. Make sure you use very cold butter and preheat the air fryer before cooking homemade biscuits in the air fryer. Also, make sure to mix just enough to bring the dough together to avoid tough, flat biscuits.
Yes, you can, but it’s key to bake them in separate batches for even air flow.
Yes, you can freeze unbaked biscuit dough for up to 2 months. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and freeze. When hard, transfer to an airtight container or bag. Air fry frozen biscuits straight from the freezer, adding 2–3 minutes.
More Air Fryer Bread Recipes
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Air Fryer Biscuits (From Scratch)
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Biscuit Cutter
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading the dough
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cut into slices
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a fork to mix together, and then add in slices of butter. Continue mixing until the butter is flaky.
- Add buttermilk to the mixture, and slowly stir together until a soft dough forms.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough until it is about ¾ inches in thickness.
- Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into round shapes.
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with non stick spray, or a brush of olive oil. Place biscuit cutouts into the air fryer basket, without stacking or overlapping.
- Brush the tops of each biscuit with milk and then air fry at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is golden on top.
Notes
- Keep the Butter Cold: Cold butter creates steam as it melts, making biscuits light and flaky. Freeze it for 5–10 minutes before cutting into the flour.
- Don’t Overmix: Gently knead just until the dough comes together. Overworking makes biscuits tough.
- Give Them Space: Arrange the biscuits in a single layer with room for air to circulate for even browning.
- Check Early: Start checking around 8 minutes. Biscuits are done when golden on top, dry on the sides, and about 200°F inside.
- Cut Straight Down: Press the cutter straight down without twisting for the best rise and clean edges.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
