A delicious sugar-free version of our Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, these Honey Buttermilk Biscuits are pillowy soft, light biscuits with crispy crusts and lots of flakey layers. They are so good, no one is going to believe they were homemade!

Honey Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Buttermilk biscuits are one of my family’s favorite foods. Whether we’re slathering them with sausage gravy, making them into breakfast sandwiches, or serving alongside anything from soup to fried chicken, these are a staple in my house that always seems to disappear within a day or two of making them.

I usually make this buttermilk biscuit recipe but I thought I’d try to see if I could adapt my recipe to use honey instead of refined, white sugar – and clearly, it worked beautifully!

The natural sweetness of the honey works wonderfully with the tang of buttermilk, and there was absolutely no difference in texture compared to my original recipe. These honey buttermilk biscuits were soft and light, with flaky layers and that perfect golden outside – pure heaven in a biscuit!

Can you freeze buttermilk biscuits? This recipe yields about 12 biscuits.. which doesn’t last very long in my house. I now double the recipe and freeze half of the uncooked biscuits by placing in ziptop freezer bags, separating the layers with a sheet of parchment paper. When ready to enjoy, there’s no need to thaw – just place them directly from the freezer onto a baking sheet and bake as directed in the recipe below.

(You can also freeze cooked biscuits, just be sure that they are fully cooked before freezing so you don’t trap extra moisture in them which will ruin the texture.)

How do you make fluffy buttermilk biscuits from scratch?

There are a few simple aspects of this recipe that ensure fluffy buttermilk biscuits:

• Cream of Tartar: The cream of tartar combines with the baking powder to create carbon dioxide gas that creates aerated pockets in the biscuits. It also prevents the white sugar from crystallizing, ensuring you have soft, tender biscuits. 
• Cold Butter and Buttermilk: For biscuits, you want cold butter and buttermilk so that the butter doesn’t incorporate fully into the dough before baking. This way, the butter will melt and create little steam pockets in the biscuits that help give them that light, flaky yet fluffy and tender texture.
• Not Over-mixing Dough: While most bread doughs require some generous kneading, biscuits (and other “quick doughs”) should be handled minimally. You want the dough to retain as much air as possible and you don’t want to heat up the dough with kneading, which will start to melt the butter. The dough will look a little scraggly, which is totally okay. Over-mixing will lead to tough, dense and flat biscuits.
• High Baking Temperature: Baking buttermilk biscuits at a high temperature helps create those airy pockets in the biscuits.
• Don’t Twist the Cutter: A lot of us twist our wrist when we go to remove a cookie cutter from dough, but try to avoid doing that with these biscuits as it will “seal” the edges and reduce how much your biscuits rise.

Honey Buttermilk Biscuit Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Cream of Tartar
• Salt
• Honey
• Butter, cold and cut into cubes
• Buttermilk, cold <– I always have this powdered buttermilk in my fridge to make instant buttermilk whenever I need it.

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: ensure your buttermilk and butter are super cold when making this recipe to yield the best results.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Pastry Cutter <– I find using a pastry cutter easiest, but you can use a large fork, if necessary
• Pastry Brush <– I like these because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
• Mixing Bowl
• Rolling Pin
• Cast Iron Skillet or Cake Pan <– I love the versatility of a good cast-iron pan – you can make everything from eggs to dessert in them and they transition easily from the stove to the oven. This one is pre-seasoned and great for even heating

How to Make Honey Buttermilk Biscuits

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Grease a round 9” cake pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut the butter into 1/2” cubes and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly.

Stir in your buttermilk and honey until everything is well-combined and no dry spots exist, avoiding the urge to overmix.

Flour a clean working surface and turn your dough out onto it.

Roll the dough out to a 1 1/2” thickness and cut with a round cookie cutter.

Place the cut biscuits in the prepared cake pan. You want them close or touching.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown on top and raised.

If you are brushing with butter, remove them at 10 minutes to brush and then return for the remainder of the baking time.

Pin this Amazing Honey Buttermilk Biscuit recipe for your next special brunch:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our honey buttermilk biscuit recipe:

I hope your family loves this easy honey buttermilk biscuit recipe as much as mine does!

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