Name: Dairy Free Biscuits
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsweetened soy milk; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp lemon juice; 2 cups white whole wheat flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 5 tbsp coconut oil (in it's solid form, not melted)

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These vegan friendly dairy free biscuits are crisp on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. Serve with your favorite jam, or vegan butter. Perfect for your breakfast or as a side dish for your holiday meal!

dairy free biscuits on wood serving platter

I’m not much of a biscuit gal. When it comes to a morning baked treat I usually opt for one of my vegan muffin recipes, or a quick bread loaf!

However, my husband is all about the buttery biscuits! He loves them warm out of the oven on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

He can’t say no to a plate of biscuits and gravy.

And when it comes to a breakfast sandwich, there’s only one way to enjoy them, and that’s between a puffy, fluffy, buttery biscuit!

Maybe it’s because he has southern roots, and I’m a northerner through and through, but I thought it was about a time I try creating a dairy-free vegan version of his favorite savory bread!

This dairy free biscuit is super simple to make! Even I can do it, and I’m far from an expert bread baker!

You need only a few simple pantry ingredients, and a little patience! There are a few steps involved, and you want to follow them closely so that you end up with a nice flaky result!

dairy-free biscuits on wood serving tray with jam and butter

Why you’ll love these Dairy-Free Biscuits…

Uses simple pantry ingredients.
Healthier than the traditional recipe.
Whole grain flour is used for added fiber.
Only 30 minutes from start to finish.
Light, fluffy, flaky, and buttery (without the butter)!

Ingredients

flour, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, baking powder, coconut oil, and lemon on counter

Unsweetened Soy Milk is used instead of buttermilk for a dairy-free version.
Apple Cider Vinegar is combined with soy milk to create a dairy-free buttermilk in minutes!
Lemon Juice is another acid that is used with the apple cider vinegar to make the buttermilk.
White Whole What Flour is used instead of all purpose flour to make these biscuits a little healthier and add some fiber!
Baking Powder is necessary to allow the biscuits to rise.
Baking Soda is used in conjunction with the baking powder to leaven the biscuits.
Salt
Coconut Oil in it’s solid form, not melted or liquid. This is used instead of butter to create that rich texture.

Tools and Equipment

Two mixing bowls (one medium, one large).
Pastry cutter or fork to combine the flour with the coconut oil.
Mason Jar or other round cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits.

How to Make Dairy-Free Biscuits – Step by Step

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450 F. Combine soy milk with apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk together and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until combined. Add coconut oil. Using a pastry cutter (or fork or food processor) cut the oil into the flour until it resembles a crumbly mixture.

Step 4: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in soy milk (after it has sat for 10 minutes) into the center. Fold the milk into the flour until just combined. Don’t over mix!

bowl filled with flour with soy milk in the middle

Step 5: Lightly flour counter or work surface. Remove dough from bowl onto floured work station. Lightly flour the top of the dough and hands. Gently flatten dough until until it’s about 10 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick.

Step 6: Using a mason jar, lid, or circular cookie cutter, cut biscuits out of dough. It helps to flour the cookie cutter.

Step 7: Place biscuits on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you have extra dough, carefully flatten it out, and cut out additional circles, until most of the dough has been used. Pierce each biscuit with a fork. This will help the biscuits get more height!

biscuits on baking sheet ready for the oven

Tip: Handle dough carefully. The more you manipulate the dough, the tougher the biscuits will become when baked.

Step 8: Bake for 10 minutes at 450 F or until lightly browned on top. Serve warm!

Top Tips for Making Dairy Free Biscuits

Use cold coconut oil or vegan butter. Freeze and grate the vegan butter. A flakier biscuit will result from the grated and frozen oil.
Sift your dry ingredients together. This more evenly distributes the baking powder and baking soda for a nice even bake.
Freeze your dry ingredients. Why not stop when it comes to freezing your dairy-free butter or oil? Freezing your dry ingredients will also help create a flaky biscuit. The flakes result from a cold dough!
Mix your dry ingredients and oil/butter with a pastry cutter, do not use your hands! Your hands are warm and will melt the ingredients.
Make a well when combining the wet and dry ingredients. You don’t want to over mix the dough.
Use a cold work surface when rolling out and flattening your biscuits. This will help keep that dough cold. A cold marble surface works best!
When cutting the biscuits into circles, don’t twist. Just cut straight down. This will help keep the layers.

These tips were adapted from Cupcakes and Cashmere’s 8 Tips for a Perfect Biscuit.

opened dairy-free biscuit with jam and butter

Dairy-Free Biscuits Flavor Variations

This is a basic recipe, however, you can make them your own by adding some additional flavorings. Here are a few of my favorites!

Cheddar and Chive Biscuits-Add 2 tablespoon of nutritional yeast to your dry mixture, and 4 tablespoon of chopped fresh chives after folding the wet and dry ingredients together.

Vanilla Cinnamon-Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to your dry mixture and 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla to your soy milk.

Rosemary and Thyme-Fold in fresh herbs such as 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme after you combine the dough.

FAQs

What can I use instead of milk for biscuits?

In this recipe I used soy milk because it is creamy like buttermilk. However, you can also sub the soy milk for almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.

What can I use instead of butter to make biscuits?

I used coconut oil in these biscuits, but you could also use a vegan butter. My favorites are Miyokos and Earth Balance. They are healthier than other brands since they do not use trans fats.

How to Store and Keep

Store the biscuits at room temperature in an air tight container.

They will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, but are best enjoyed warm out of the oven!

Can I freeze these biscuits?

Yes! You can freeze these. In order to keep them from drying out, wrap them in saran wrap and store in a freezer safe air tight bag. Be sure that biscuits are completely cool before transferring them to the freezer.

How to Serve

Serve this with strawberry chia jam and a pat of vegan butter. They make a delicious breakfast with a warm cup of coffee like this oat milk latte, or pumpkin spice latte.

This is also delicious to serve around your Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas table as a dairy-free and vegan alternative to crescent rolls.

Use them to create a breakfast sandwich or serve with my favorite silken tofu scramble!

Check out these other simple quick bread recipes!

If you’ve tried these Dairy Free Biscuits, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!

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