These Air Fryer American Biscuits made with buttermilk and baking powder shouldn’t be overlooked, even by those less familiar with this classic quick bread from the US. The easy scone-like dough is simply folded a few times to create flaky layers before the biscuits are air fried to golden perfection.
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I’m going to try and explain biscuits to a non-US audience and explain to my US folks why you are wrong to take offense to my explanation. Here goes.
An American biscuit is a quick bread (one that doesn’t contain yeast) which is very similar to a British scone. There are two main differences. The first is that there is no sugar in the recipe so they are savoury rather than sweet. That doesn’t mean that you can’t serve a biscuit in a sweet way but it is not sweet in and of itself.
Secondly, biscuits are a little more flaky than a slightly crumbly British scone. You don’t need to laminate (layer) the dough and many biscuit recipes don’t. But I find you get the best results if you fold the dough a few times – a little like how you would when making puff pastry or Danish pastry.
So why do Americans often get upset when I describe biscuits as “like savoury scones”? It’s because US scones are different to UK scones. And American biscuits aren’t so similar to American scones. The differences are for a deep dive another day but the headline is that US scones are denser, more crumbly, made with more fats like double cream and are often served with a sugary glaze and additions to the dough.
So if you haven’t tried them before, you really should. American style biscuits are truly delicious!
It is worth taking a second to point out that this recipe is identical to my original biscuits recipe which is baked in the oven. It is also worth pointing out that because to the way that the different heat sources cook, this air fryer recipe takes longer to bake than the oven version. This is due to needing a lower cooking temperature to bake evenly.
So it is worth considering which option you want to use. Of course there is barely any pre-heating time required for the air fryer compared to the oven so that can be factored in. But if the oven is already on, or if you are going to make a larger batch where you need to cook in batches in the air fryer, using the oven might be the better option.
You can find my original recipe with oven cooking instructions here:
Breakfast Biscuits (Savoury American Scones)
How to Serve
The way that most Brits have come across these biscuits is as “biscuits and gravy” which gets a bad rap for no really good reason. Well ok, the white sauce based sausage gravy isn’t always the most visually appealing dish but it is absolutely delicious.
Simply split the warm biscuits and pile on the hot sausage gravy – a very hearty and tasty breakfast. I do like to add a fried egg too. I make creamy mushrooms as a vegetarian version of sausage gravy which is also not to be missed.
There are lots of other ways to serve biscuits – for starters you can simply eat them warm with butter. Or add a drizzle of honey as well. As a note, as a Brit, I instinctively split my biscuits like I would a British scone. But in the US, they are often broken apart in chunks rather than split. You eat them how you prefer!
Biscuits are also a common side served with many American meals, a bit like how I would add a slice or two of bread and butter or a bread roll to many everyday British meals. So you might end up with a plate of BBQ pork ribs with a side of macaroni cheese, sweet and smoky Boston baked beans and a biscuit on the side. They’re often served at holiday meals like Thanksgiving too.
Biscuits are a bit of a fast food staple in the US too, even in chains that we have in the UK too. You might think that our McDonalds and KFC are fully Americanized but they are not! Biscuits are a staple side dish in American KFCs. Try making larger biscuits, splitting and stuffing with crispy fried chicken, a little coleslaw and drizzling with hot honey garlic sauce. Delish.
As for McDonalds, they serve biscuits as an alternative to McMuffins on their breakfast menu. This inspired me to make a ham, egg and plastic burger cheese sandwiches. You could also use pork sausage patties, bacon and a runny fried egg rather than the omelette type egg that I made.
Ingredients
Flour
I like to use plain flour (all-purpose flour) and add baking powder separately. This ensures that I can use exactly the right amount of raising agent that the recipe needs.
If you need to use self-raising flour instead, you can do but you will need to add a little extra baking powder. The recipe ratio is 225g plain flour + 1 tbsp (3 tsp) baking powder. There is only 2.25 tsp of baking powder in 225g of self raising flour. So you will need to add 0.75 tsp extra baking powder to the self raising flour.
There is no need to sieve the flour in this recipe but it won’t harm if you wish to.
Baking Powder
Talking of baking powder, it is important to note that this is not the same as baking soda/bicarbonate of soda. Baking powder does contain bicarb but it also contains cream of tarter and the chemical reaction it creates in baked good is different.
Butter
I always use salted butter when cooking or baking. If you only have unsalted butter, you will need to add a little extra salt to the recipe. It is also important to use proper block butter, not a spreadable option or margarine. The butter is a big flavour of the biscuits and they can be a little bland or odd tasting without it.
It is important that the butter is cold. This will help to keep the biscuits fluffy rather than stodgy. And it is quite difficult to rub soft butter into flour evenly.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is what you get when you make butter out of cream. Take the butter out and you are left with the buttermilk. I also use buttermilk to marinade my Southern Chicken Wings. If you don’t have homemade buttermilk, you can buy it in any supermarket right next to the cream.
But it is worth noting that bought and homemade buttermilk do have different consistencies. I don’t know why but the stuff you buy is much thicker. As I think you are more likely to buy it than make it, I have written the recipe based on the thicker commercial buttermilk.
Because it is thicker, you need more to achieve the correct consistency of the dough. So if you use homemade buttermilk, expect to use up to half less. Either way, make sure to add it a little at a time.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can alternatively use plain yoghurt or milk with a little lemon juice mixed in. I explain this method more in my recipe for Chilli & Oregano Soda Bread. This option will be on the thinner side so for best results use whole milk or you can even add a bit of cream to make it thicker.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg (see note) and nuts.
Gluten Free: To make gluten free American biscuits, simply substitute the plain flour for a good gluten free flour. You don’t want a lot of gluten in the Biscuits so the texture shouldn’t be overly affected. Also check that your baking power is suitable for gluten free diets.
Dairy Free: You can use a plant based milk, or even better, cream to make the biscuits. Add a little lemon juice like you would if you were making homemade buttermilk sub. I’ve not seen a dairy free substitute for buttermilk available but if you see one, you can of course use that. You will also need to use a dairy free butter – look for one that is a block and declares that it has a buttery taste.
Egg Free: Adding an egg wash to the biscuits before baking is an option I’ve given. Don’t do this!
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry American Biscuits
As I mentioned at the top of this post, the air frying time for biscuits is slightly longer than when using the oven. This is due to the lower cooking temperature. With the main heat source in an air fryer coming from above, baked good can often overcook on the top but remain raw or doughy underneath. The lower/slower bake combats this.
I say this like it is a huge deal but it is not. The oven version has a 12 minute bake time and this air fryer version bakes in 15 minutes.
If you want to make larger biscuits, eg. 6 or even 4 instead of the 9 in the recipe, you will need to bake the biscuits for slightly longer. It is also a good idea to turn them over for those extra few minutes of cooking, just to ensure a very even bake.
How to Air Fry Buttermilk Biscuits From Frozen
You can absolutely make the dough, cut out the biscuits and then free freeze them. This means you freeze them on a tray with the dough pieces not touching. Once they are fully frozen you can move them to an air tight bag or box. This method prevents the biscuits from sticking to each other. You can then air fry however many biscuits you want directly from frozen.
Air fry at the same temperature as from raw but add 2 minutes to the cooking time.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Biscuits are by far best baked and eaten as fresh as possible. They’ll be fine to eat for a couple of days after baking but they do benefit from being heated slightly before eating.
If you find the biscuits are too stale to eat, you can blitz them up and use just like breadcrumbs.
Top Tips for Air Frying American Biscuits
Your butter does need to be cold. If it is an especially warm day, you can freeze then grate the butter into the flour. It then only really needs to be stirred in rather than rubbed.
The butter does not need to be rubbed in all that well. Some lumps won’t hurt, just like with the grating method.
I make sure to bake any offcuts of dough. They won’t be quite as fluffy as the actual Biscuits but it still tastes great and waste is very very bad!
Whilst the dough does need a bit of a knead to make it come together, try not to overwork it. Be gentle and stop as soon as it comes together. Overworking it will make the baked biscuits tough.
You can cut the dough rectangle into 3 pieces and stack them rather than folding to make the layers. Stick to 3 layers at a time, maybe 4 at a push. I tried more and it didn’t work out well!
The cuts around the edge of each biscuit want to be sharp. So use a sharp knife or cutter rather than a blunt glass. Also avoid twisting a cutter. Sharp straight edges allow the biscuits to rise high and even.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
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What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer American Biscuits (UK Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 225 g Plain Flour - plus extra for rolling & kneading
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Sea Salt Flakes
- 75 g Salted Butter - cold
- 250 ml Buttermilk - less if thinner and homemade
Optional
- 1 Egg - to glaze before baking
- 15 g Salted Butter - to glaze after baking
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Measure 225g Plain Flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp Baking Powder and ½ tsp Sea Salt Flakes directly to the flour.
- Weigh out 75g Salted Butter and use a sharp knife to cut it into small cubes. Add the cubes to the flour.
- Use the tips of your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it has the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You do not need to rub in as well as if you were making British Scones. Some small lumps are fine.
- Slowly add 250ml Buttermilk to the flour mix a little at a time.
- Keep stirring until a soft dough forms. It will be soft and a little sticky. You may not need to add all the Buttermilk. You will need to add much less if it is homemade and on the thin side.
- Bring the dough together with your hands. Knead it lightly to form a smoother dough.
- Dust a clean flat surface with flour and empty the dough onto the surface.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle about 2cm thick. Dust with more flour as needed.
- Fold one third of the dough on top of the rest of the rectangle.
- Fold the remaining uncovered third on top of the last fold.
- Roll the dough back out into a rectangle of the same size. Repeat the folding and cutting twice more.
- Finally roll the dough back out to a depth of roughly 2 cm. Use the sides of your hands to bring in any thin edges so you have a square that is equally thick right to the edges and is nice and neat.
- Trim the very outside edges of the dough with a sharp knife. This will help the biscuits to rise properly. Use the knife to lightly mark the dough into 9 squares.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough.
- Or use a cookie cutter to make rounds.
- Move the biscuits to the air fryer basket. They can be placed quite close together.
- Optional – Brush the tops of the biscuits with any leftover buttermilk if available or 1 Egg beaten.
- Air fry for 15 minutes at 175c until golden brown.
- Check the underside of the biscuits are fully cooked. If not, you can turn them over and air fry for another minute or two. I didn't need to do this but it may depend on your air fryer and how packed in the biscuits are.
- Carefully move the biscuits to a cooling rack.
- Optional – Melt 15g Butter in the microwave or in a small pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter whilst still hot.
- Serve while still warm.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can fit 9 square in the basket at a time. The fit is quite snug. You should also be able to fit in 9 biscuits if you have cut them into rounds.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
- I do not line my air fryer basket when cooking these biscuits. The crisper rack that they sit on is non stick and I have have never had a biscuit stick. If you are less confident in your air fryer performance, you can sit the biscuits on baking paper. Make sure that you only add the paper after the air fryer has preheated. If you can find or make paper with holes in it, this will provide better circulation of the heat.
Karen says
I’ve seen recipes for American biscuits before but never tried them. Gave your recipe a try as it was really easy to follow. Really pleased with how they turned out and a lot flakier than I thought they’d be. I’ll definitely make these again.
Hazel says
This is such a great recipe! I can’t believe how defined the layers are and the buttery taste is divine.