Vegan Biscuits ~ Southern Style Biscuits that Taste Like Home

I only make palm oil free foods because my son has a palm oil allergy. Sometimes I make vegan dishes as well. However, many vegan foods contain palm oil. Learning to make vegan biscuits and other foods takes a bit of patience if you want to eat vegan and avoid palm oil.

You need to be able to read ingredient labels when making vegan foods as palm oil often creates the mouthfeel in vegan dairy products and other vegan ingredients. It’s also added in the form of Vitamin A Palmitate to fortify foods. But you can do it!

There is nothing quite like freshly baked vegan buttermilk biscuits right out of the oven. They are a southern tradition that is timeless. Vegan biscuits are wonderful on Saturday mornings. Serve topped with fruit preserves for a delectable treat.

They can also carry you into lunch and dinner as well. Serve them as biscuits and gravy or with your favorite beans.

You can also add some spices to the biscuits as well. A little fresh basil, garlic and sundried tomatoes mixed into the dough gives them a Mediterranean vibe. Or you can add blueberries to the batter for an entirely different taste and to brighten them up. This recipe for vegan biscuits is an easy, basic recipe so go ahead and get creating. Make it your own.

Vegan Biscuits

Whether you want to make vegan biscuits and gravy for a bit of your childhood or want to enjoy them plain, use these step-by-step directions. This recipe makes 10 – 12 biscuits, depending on how much dough you use to shape them.

It takes just 15 minutes of prep time to prepare the ingredients and 15 minutes to bake them. This means you can whip them up after work or make them when you have some extra time to enjoy in a day or so. 

Vegan Biscuits Recipe

To Make Vegan Buttermilk

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

Be sure to choose buttermilk without Vitamin A Palmitate. Here are some milks that are palm oil free and vegan to choose from. Califia Farms Almond Milk may be one to consider; however, I don’t know the source of the Natural Flavors.

Other Ingredients to Make the Biscuits

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, plus some for dusting your workspace
• ½ cup vegan butter, palm oil-free, very cold
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

Just as with finding vegan milk, you need to read ingredient labels to find palm oil free vegan butter. Palm oil is a common substitute in vegan butter because it’s plant-based and considered to be “all natural”.

To make these gluten free as well, use gluten free flour.

How to Make Vegan Biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.

2. Cut the ½ cup (8 tablespoons) vegan butter into small pieces. Place in the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Make the vegan buttermilk by combining the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Set aside to allow it to curdle.

4. In a large mixing bowl or food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

5. Add the vegan butter to the dry ingredients and mix. If using a food processor, pulse several times. If mixing by hand, use a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

6. Pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl, over the flour and butter mixture. If using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a bowl first, then add the buttermilk. Reserve a little buttermilk to brush the tops. You only need about 2 tablespoons for this.

7. Stir gently until the mixture is almost combined. It should be very sticky and moist right now.

8. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Begin gently working it by hand, shaping it into an oblong or rectangle shape. Use flour on your hands to keep it from sticking. Be careful that you don’t add too much though or your biscuits will be dry.

9. Using your hands, gently flatten the dough into a rectangular shape. Fold one side to the center, then the other side to the center. Turn the dough 180 degrees and flatten it once more into a rectangular shape. Fold each side over to the middle. Repeat this process two more times to create the flaky layers.

10. On the final folding, gently press down the dough until it is flattened to about an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or glass to cut circles. Use a firm downward motion to cut them, then bring it straight back up. Do not twist or turn the cutter. Get as many biscuits out of the dough as you can on this first pass. If you have any dough left over, gently re-roll it and cut out more until you have 10 to 12 biscuits.

11. Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet so that they are touching.

12. Brush the tops of the biscuit dough with the remaining buttermilk.

13. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they are nice and tall with golden brown tops.

Storing

You can keep these biscuits at room temperature for 3 or 4 days but longer in the fridge. You can also freeze them.

Serving Ideas

There’s lots you can do to adapt these with whatever you are serving. They are very versatile and make a great “side” for meals. Serve them for a light breakfast as vegan biscuits and gravy. Or serve them as is with a little orange marmalade or strawberry jelly. Of course, you can serve with vegan butter as well. Again, just read labels to be sure it is palm oil free. 

Also, if you wish to make gluten free vegan biscuits, you can replace the all-purpose flour with gluten flour. I love using Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 Gluten Free Flour. It works well for making biscuits, muffins, cakes, and more.

How to Make Fluffy Layered Biscuits

To make a tall, layered biscuit, all you have to do is flatten the dough with your fingers and shape each biscuit into a rectangle. Next, turn the dough, press down again and fold each side of the dough into the middle. the dough to the middle. Refer to steps 9 and 10 above to make biscuits that have fluffy layers. 

When baking biscuits, the layered dough that’s flakey to the touch is delectable. It’s what’s often missing when buying store-bought dough and also often missing in homemade biscuits. It doesn’t require special ingredients, luckily. It’s all about how you flatten and fold the dough.

Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Avoiding palm oil is a priority in my house because it makes my son sick. He has a palm oil allergy and palm oil intolerance. We often eat vegan — and sometimes gluten free — as well. That’s a lot to consider when planning a grocery list and a meal plan.

Reading ingredients is key. I also bake all bread products from scratch (except I buy Dave’s Killer Bread because it doesn’t contain palm oil). Baking biscuits and muffins at home is easy to do. It also works as a side for meals instead of the desserts I bake which are just extras. Anything to have a well-rounded and satisfying dinner plate!

If you are looking to make vegan foods at home, consider these dessert type vegan recipes for a single-serving of vegan mug cake and this vegan bars recipe. If you use vegan condiments, try this vegan worcestershire sauce as well.

Thanks for baking and making vegan and palm oil free foods from scratch. It can be done! If you make these homemade vegan biscuits, please drop a note in the Comments to let me know how it went and what you served them with. I hope it can become a recipe in your rotation.