Fitness / March 21, 2024

Easy Air Fryer Biscuits

Simple, Scratch-made, and Scrumptious~

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Growing up in the south, biscuits were a staple of every one of my grandmother’s homemade breakfasts. Holidays, birthdays, or any day celebrations – whenever the entire family was in, the smell of freshly baked, crumbly biscuits has always been an unmistakable reminder of grandma’s dedication to delivering delicious dishes piled high with that buttery goodness. Raised on biscuits, I always took for granted the labor of love that went into my Meemaw’s baking – nor did I realize just how far back biscuits cut into Southern cooking!

The Southern-style biscuit we know today is far from the flattened, unleavened biscuit of yester-century. For one thing, yeast was often too expensive for southern cooks and the labor of beating the dough (sometimes for HOURS) before cooking puts the old biscuit into a category more resembling crackers. Abby Fisher, author of one of the first cookbooks published by a black woman, included the beaten biscuit as one of the staples of her recipes in 1881. Our recipe shares the yeast-less bake but resolves to reduce the rough work and yield some fluffy, buttery biscuits that are easy as pie (or, perhaps, a lovely pairing of just-as-easy pumpkin pie dip!)

Our recipe for easy air fryer biscuits is gonna help you explore the buttermilk flavors of the south with the ease of your favorite appliance! Since an air fryer shares the same cooking conventions as a countertop convection oven, you might be surprised just how much you can bake (or just how easily)! The buttery goodness of these biscuits is a staple of any comfort food be it savory biscuits and gravy or paired with sweet jam.

Are Air Fryer Biscuits Healthy?

One of the fantastic features of an air fryer is how controlled your oil/fat content can be while achieving crispy exteriors on everything from protein-packed pork belly to vegan fried okra – and delicate biscuits are no different! While the fat content in air fryer biscuits can be relatively high, you can always substitute butter for avocado puree for a healthier source of cholesterol-friendly unsaturated fat that’s totally vegan!

If butter isn’t in your bread and butter, then you can use olive oil, plant butter, or margarine to keep your comfort food guilt-free! If bread isn’t a part of your bread and butter (and you’re trying to avoid gluten in your biscuits), there are alternatives to all-purpose flour that can be substituted 1:1. Try making some nutty, sweet biscuits with almond flour or some denser savory biscuits with buckwheat flour (don’t worry, despite the name, there’s no actual wheat grain in buckwheat).

How do I get that perfect flaky biscuit?

Abby Fisher’s beaten biscuit recipe was written with instruction to beat your biscuit dough for 15 minutes or more “to put life into it”. By doing this, she was imbuing live cultures and promoting gluten chains by incorporating air into the folds of her dough; however, Mrs. Fisher lived in a time before food processors and other simple amenities we have common in today’s kitchens. As such, it’s recommended you handle your dough gently to maintain its flakiness during the baking process. By handling your dough (especially for extended periods of time) you risk deflating your final product.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
3/4 cup cold buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix Dry Ingredients

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Cut in Butter

Work in the cold butter until the mixture has small, pea-sized crumbs.

Form Dough

Add buttermilk and mix to form a thick dough. Handle the dough gently for flakiness.

Shape & Cut

Knead briefly, shape the dough, and cut out the biscuits. Make sure you have space between your biscuits for any expansion. You may have to bake in small batches depending on the size of your air fryer (and your appetite!)

Air Fry

Place biscuits in the air fryer and cook until they’re golden and delicious.

Butter & Serve

Brush with melted butter and enjoy your homemade biscuits.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How to Make air fryer biscuits Ahead and Store?

Some air fryers are smaller than others – as such, you may have to get a head start on your baking to ensure you have enough time to produce as many as you need for later consumption! If you need to store your biscuits, it’s best to do so in a covered bowl at room temp for up to 2 days. If you refrigerate your biscuits, make sure to moisturize them with wetted paper towels or added butter during the reheating process to prevent them from drying out!

How do I keep my biscuits from getting too dense?

Beaten biscuits require a lot of extra effort and time when kneading the dough, hence the name – our air fryer biscuits are a totally different story! When we say easy, we mean it! Gently knead our dough until it still has pea-sized crumbles in it to ensure you get that delicate, flaky texture.

What happens if I overwork my dough?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a useful way to rescue over-kneaded dough. Kneading your dough is the sort of thing for which too little can be easily fixed and too much is too late to save. That’s not to say that overworked dough is a waste, though! Heavily kneaded dough can still be made into sandwich bread and other small-crumb loafs!

How can I make these in batches?

Since you’re going to need to space your biscuits in the air fryer to ensure their full bake and expansion, you might need to portion your dough into biscuits appropriate to bake a few at a time. Having a cooling rack ready helps keep fresh-out-the-fryer biscuits cooling while you bake more.

Serving Suggestions

Our easy air fryer biscuits are perfectly served with any fruit jam of your choice and, while the original recipe calls for butter, any delicious savory spread can be used to make these babies really pop (better than any pop-can of biscuits, too!)

Savory biscuits and gravy can be served alongside any one of our 45 delicious egg breakfast recipes or as a southern comfort to any upcoming holiday supper (I know I’ll be seeing these at my family’s Easter gathering for sure!)

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, why not pair your air fryer biscuits with a dollop of your favorite jam and a slather of clotted cream? Or, if you’re up for more scratch recipes, check out our slow-cooked apple butter – perfect for spreading on your fresh made crumblies!

Sweet and decadent biscuits don’t have to be coupled with sugary fruit jellies and jams, though! Nut butters like peanut and almond are packed with protein and make air fryer biscuits deliciously sweet and salty treat! Try adding your own homemade nut butter using our instructions on how to make your favorite nut into a dreamy, creamy spread!

Easy Air Fryer Biscuits

Simple, Scratch-made, and Scrumptious~

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 272kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold salted butter cubed, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing
3/4 cup cold buttermilk

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in 6 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter using a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces.
Gently stir in the cold buttermilk until a thick dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead 6-7 times, then shape into a 1 1/2-inch thick circle. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter.
Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray, place biscuits 2 inches apart, and air fry at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush over the hot biscuits before serving. DEVOUR!