These melt-in-your-mouth no milk biscuits are so tender and light without a single drop of milk.
It’s proof that you don’t need dairy to create flaky biscuits.
While homemade bread seems intimidating, biscuits are as easy as pie. Just mix, roll, and bake. Easy peasy.
So the next time you have a hankering for warm homemade bread, try these no-milk biscuits!
What Are No Milk Biscuits?
No milk biscuits are biscuits exactly as they sound. It’s a simple biscuit recipe that does not use butter or milk.
I know, it sounds a little strange. How can you create buttery biscuits without butter? Trust me, this recipe works!
These biscuits are so good, you won’t even realize they lack these seemingly crucial ingredients.
Ingredients
What I love most about this recipe is it only requires a few pantry staples. Here’s everything you’ll need.
- All-purpose flour. No fancy flour is needed. All-purpose is a great choice for fantastic biscuits.
- Baking powder. The baking powder gives these biscuits a generous rise in the oven.
- Salt. A pinch of salt delivers flavor and also strengthens the flour so your dough binds together.
- Shortening. You can, of course, use butter. But since these are dairy-free, we’re using shortening.
- Water. Traditional recipes use milk to create a soft dough, but today, we’re using water. It’s the liquid component that fuses everything together.
How To Make No Milk Biscuits
All it takes are five basic ingredients, 4 easy steps, and 30 minutes of your time.
Check out how quickly these biscuits come together! Don’t worry, I’ll get into more detail at the bottom of the page.
1. Make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening until crumbly. Then, slowly mix in the water until it comes together in a shaggy dough.
2. Cut the biscuits. Press the dough together on the counter, fold it over to create layers, then cut the biscuits with a cookie cutter (not a glass).
3. Chill. Pop the biscuits onto a tray and chill for 30 minutes. This helps with the flaky texture in the end.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Bake. If needed, spread the biscuits over 2 baking trays. Brush with dairy-free butter (optional), then bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. Dig in! Let the biscuits cool for a few minutes then enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
Here are some great tips and tricks to take these homemade biscuits over the top!
- Quality is key. With so few ingredients, be sure to use high-quality flour, baking powder, and shortening. It makes a big difference!
- Check those expiration dates. Always check the expiration date of your baking powder, especially if you don’t use it often. Expired baking powder yields flat, dense hockey pucks!
- Spoon and level the flour. If you dump your measuring cup right into the flour, you’ll end up with more flour than you need. Instead, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife.
- Sift it, too! This is an easy step to ensure your biscuit dough isn’t lumpy. After measuring the flour, pour it through a sifter so there are no stubborn lumps.
- Do not overmix. Be gentle when mixing the ingredients. You do not want to over-mix the dough because that will make tough and dense biscuits.
- Create a golden crust. Want your biscuits to earn a golden top in the oven? Before baking, brush them with a little dairy-free butter.
- Add fresh herbs. A tablespoon of your favorite herbs will make your biscuits smell and taste so much better. I love adding thyme, chives, garlic powder, and rosemary to mine.
- Make them healthier. Instead of all-purpose flour, you may also use whole-grain flour. It gives you the same great flavor but is also a lot healthier. Use whole wheat pastry flour for lighter and more tender biscuits.
How to Store
While biscuits are best right out of the oven, leftovers are easy to store. Follow these tips to have homemade biscuits on hand for breakfast this week!
To Store. Keep cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or pop them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To Freeze. Freeze cooled biscuits on a tray until solid. Then place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw them in the fridge overnight.
No Milk Biscuit Recipe (Dairy Free)
12
10
minutes15
minutes175
kcalThese no-milk biscuits are golden on the outside and light and fluffy inside. This vegan biscuit recipe proves you don’t need dairy for amazing bread!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons shortening, cold (3/4 cup)
1 cup water, cold
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Add the cold shortening and blend with a pastry cutter or your fingers until crumbly.
- Slowly add the water and mix with a knife or fork until the dough comes together. It should be shaggy – not a smooth ball. You might not need all the water.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together. Pat into a rectangle, then fold it over and press it again until it’s about 1 inch thick.
- Cut the biscuits with a cookie cutter to ensure sharp edges, then transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. If needed, line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. The biscuits should be about 3 inches apart to allow for growth.
- Optional: brush the tops of the biscuits with dairy-free butter.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the biscuits cool for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t use a glass to cut the biscuits. The blunt edge will squash the layers and keep the biscuits from rising properly.
Thank’s for making the biscut recipe simple and available. I made a 12 biscut batch revising your recipe,to see what ingredients and how many were possible. I think your portions yield the best outcome, and I even added 2 eggs.
How is it dairy free if you brush them with butter?
Hi William, the biscuits themselves don’t contain milk, but some people prefer to brush them with butter. You can feel free to use a diary-free alternative!
These are my go-to’s for quick biscuits. I can’t have butter or dairy so these are perfect. I have made them many times. Thanks for creating and keeping up the recipe!
Hello
is it baking powder or baking soda that is added. in the recipe list you say powder, at the top you say to check the freshness of the baking soda you do….
so just to be sure, which one?
thank you 😃
Hi Denise, you’ll want to use baking powder for this recipe. Thanks for catching that!
Can I make these the day before and refrigerate the dough and bake the next morning? If so, do I let the dough come to room temperature?Thinking about these for Christmas Eve brunch for my dairy free, egg free granddaughter.
Hi Linda, yes, you can make these the day before! Just let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling out and cutting (if you haven’t pre-cut them). This makes the dough easier to handle. Bake according to the recipe instructions, adding a few extra minutes if the dough is cold from the refrigerator.
Not sure if I measured incorrectly but all I could taste was baking soda 🙁
Hi Elizabeth, this recipe actually calls for baking powder, not baking soda. Did you maybe swap them by accident?
I just found this recipe using Google. My husband wanted biscuits, I was out of milk and didn’t want to go into town. Thanks for an easy recipe using what I had on hand.
Hi Jessie. So glad you liked the biscuits. This recipe has been a life-saver for whenever I run out of milk!
hello…I was looking for a mix with water recipe I could put in a zip lock or plastic water bottle for hiking. I have a mess kit I modified so that I can bake in it (four 2″ biscuits will fit in it or one big biscuit) I don’t want to carry milk or butter so this recipe would work. I’m gonna try it in the next week or two.
Hi Deran!
How did the biscuits turn out? I’ve never tried them on a hike, but what a great idea!
I have self rising flour, how would I adapt the recipe for that?
Hi Coral!
It’s super easy – just use 3 cups of self rising flour instead of all-purpose.
Also, omit the baking powder and salt.
So the final recipe would be:
3 cups self rising flour
6 tablespoons oil/shortening
2/3 cups water
Hello, can I use the dough and put it on top of a chicken pie as its crust? If so how long would it bake in the oven at 375 degrees? Or would I use pie crust instead? I like the idea of biscuits on top.
Hi there!
Yes, you can use the biscuits as a topping for chicken pie – it’s super yummy.
I recommend rolling and cutting them, then arranging them on the pie filling with some space between each.
That way, you’ll get nice, fluffy biscuits with golden edges. And keep in mind, the bottoms will be soft/wet due to the pie filling.
I usually do this in a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake them at 425°F for about 12-15 minutes.
At 375°F, they’ll probably bake for around 20-25 minutes, depending on how larger they are.
Hope this helps 🙂
Made homemade chicken pot pie and used the last of my milk for the gravy. I did not want to run out for more. Found through Google search. Replaced the shortening with butter and these biscuits were flaky and moist. My new favorite biscuit! Thank you for putting this recipe out there!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Linda!