KFC Buttermilk Biscuits

KFC Buttermilk Biscuits have to be one of my guilty pleasures. They are soft, billowy, and have a crunchy top. You know you don’t have to leave home to enjoy biscuits just like the KFC Buttermilk Biscuits.

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What I really like about making these KFC Buttermilk Biscuits at home means I can make them for breakfast, you can’t buy these biscuits in the restaurant before lunch.

Why This Is the Best Copycat KFC Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

This recipe for KFC biscuits is just about as simple as it can get without popping a tube of premade dough. But simplicity doesn’t mean tasteless. Nope. These KFC copycat biscuits are deliciously buttery and flakey.

What Makes These Biscuits so Flavorful? 

Fat equals flavor and cutting in an entire stick of ice-cold butter instead of oil, margarine, or shortening like some other recipes call for means unbelievably delicate and tasty biscuits.

The relatively large amount of buttermilk lends a substantial tang that adds to the depth of the flavor, giving this KFC biscuit recipe the authentic taste of a country kitchen. 

KFC Biscuits Ingredients

To make the KFC biscuit recipe, you will need:

• Self-rising flour
• Sugar
• Cream of Tartar
• Butter
• Buttermilk

Ingredient Notes

Don’t fear the butter; it is essential for the biscuits to come out properly. When you cut the butter into the self-rising flour, use ice-cold butter to create the air pockets important for the perfect texture.

Self-rising flour contains flour, baking powder, and salt, and it helps biscuits rise in the oven and turn golden brown. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make your own by adding one-and-a-half teaspoons of baking powder and one-quarter teaspoon of fine-ground salt for each cup of AP flour. 

Don’t leave the cream of tartar out. It supercharges the baking powder in the self-rising flour, adding more oven spring and tang to these KFC style biscuits.

It isn’t a Southern-style biscuit without buttermilk. Real buttermilk is the liquid left after churning butter, but the kind you buy in the store is cultured buttermilk, lightly fermented milk. You can use either variety in this recipe or look below for alternatives

Ingredient Substitutes

No buttermilk? No problem. Try one of the following buttermilk substitutions:

• Combine a tablespoon of lemon juice with a cup of whole milk and leave on the counter for about 15 minutes, or until it starts to curdle. You can also use white vinegar instead. 
• Mix three-quarters of a cup of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream with a quarter-cup of whole milk and whisk well. 
• Use unsweetened kefir as a one-to-one replacement for buttermilk.

How to Make KFC Biscuits

Here are the steps for making copycat KFC style biscuits at home:

1. Place the oven rack in the middle and preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Chop the butter into small pieces. Work quickly and avoid touching the butter with your hands to make sure the butter stays as cold as possible.

3. Stir together all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 
4. Add the butter to the flour.

5. Use a pastry cutter or the back of a large fork to cut in the butter until the ingredients resemble coarse crumbs.
6. Pour in the buttermilk and lightly stir to make a dough.
7. Roll the biscuit into a three-quarter-inch thick rectangle on a floured board. 
8. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter or a glass and place on an ungreased baking sheet or lined baking sheet. 
9. Use a pastry brush tops of the biscuits with a bit of melted butter. 
10. Bake the biscuits in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Recipe Variations

You can also make these copycat KFC biscuits in the air fryer to save a few minutes and avoid running the oven.

To make in the air fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees.
2. Spray the bottom of the biscuits with a little oil to keep them from sticking.
3. Cook the biscuits for 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through.

What Goes Well With KFC Biscuits

Biscuits are the perfect side for everything from fried chicken to chicken fried steak. Serve these KFC Butter Milk Biscuits as the base for sausage gravy or a bun for a breakfast sandwich.

How to Serve Biscuits

Just out of the oven is the best way to eat biscuits, but you can make them in advance to save time in the morning. 

How to Store Biscuits

Fresh biscuits may be the best, but sometimes it just isn’t practical. You can keep biscuits in a plastic bag in the crisper portion of your fridge for three or four days. 

How to Freeze Biscuits

To freeze homemade biscuits:

1. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
2. Wrap them separately in aluminum foil.
3. Place the biscuits together in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to three months.

How to Reheat Biscuits

To reheat buttermilk biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking tray and cover them with aluminum foil.
3. Reheat frozen biscuits for about 15 minutes and unfrozen biscuits for around three minutes. 

If your biscuits dry out a little in the fridge, try wrapping them with a damp paper towel and microwaving for about 25 seconds on high. 

Love KFC? Try these KFC Copycat Recipes!

• KFC Chicken Pot Pie
• KFC Coleslaw
• KFC Fried Chicken
• KFC Honey BBQ Strips
• KFC Potato Wedges

More Biscuit Recipes

• Beer Biscuits
• Cracker Barrel Biscuits
• Denver Biscuits
• Freezer Biscuits
• Homemade Biscuits with Crisco
• Honey Biscuits
• Red Lobster Biscuits
• Sour Cream Biscuits

Check out more of my easy bread recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!