Most vegan biscuits spread into flat pucks before they ever reach the oven, and the fat is usually the reason. Butter that has softened on the counter smears through the flour instead of staying in distinct pieces, so there is nothing left to create steam and lift. I keep the vegan butter in the freezer until it is hard, grate it straight into the flour, and then fold the dough twice. Those folds stack thin sheets of fat and flour on top of each other, and every sheet pries open in the heat.
The buttermilk matters just as much here. Soy milk mixed with apple cider vinegar thickens in about ten minutes, and that acidity works with the baking powder and baking soda so the biscuits climb instead of sitting flat. I cut these into squares with a knife rather than stamping rounds, because squares use every bit of dough on the first pass and you never have to re-roll trimmings that have already been handled. Serve them hot with vegan gravy for biscuits and gravy, or split one next to a bowl of lentil soup.
Vegan Biscuits
Ingredients
Method
- Stir the apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of the unsweetened soy milk and set it aside for 10 minutes, until the milk looks slightly thickened and curdled at the surface.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes along with the stick of vegan butter if you have room.
- Take the frozen vegan butter and grate it on the large holes of a box grater directly into the flour. Toss the shreds with your fingers until every piece is coated and the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-size lumps left in it.
- Pour in the soy buttermilk and fold with a spatula just until no dry flour is left at the bottom of the bowl. The dough should look shaggy and slightly tacky, not smooth.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and pat it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Fold the rectangle in thirds like a letter, pat it out again, and repeat the fold once more.
- Pat the dough to 1 inch thick and cut it straight down into 8 squares with a sharp knife, pressing down without dragging the blade. Chill the squares for 15 minutes if the dough feels warm at all.
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Set the squares on the sheet so they touch each other, brush the tops with the remaining soy milk, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until they are tall and golden on top.
- Let the biscuits rest on the sheet for 5 minutes, then pull them apart and serve warm with softened vegan butter.
Notes
What to Serve with Vegan Biscuits
- Biscuits and gravy – warm vegan gravy poured over a split biscuit is the classic pairing, and that mushroom-heavy gravy has enough body to cling to the layers instead of pooling on the plate.
- Soup night – a split biscuit beside a bowl of cozy vegan lentil soup does the job bread usually does, and it thickens the meal without any extra cooking.
- Gumbo – vegan gumbo is thin enough that a biscuit on the side soaks up the broth and still holds its shape after a minute in the bowl.
- Broccoli cheddar soup – roasted vegan broccoli cheddar soup is thick and rich, so one biscuit per bowl is plenty and the crust stays crisp for dipping.
- Butter and jam – split a warm biscuit, spread softened vegan butter across both halves, and spoon on whatever jam is already open in the fridge.
Tips for Vegan Biscuits
- Freeze the vegan butter until it is genuinely hard, not just cold from the fridge. A firm stick grates into clean shreds, while a soft one gums up the grater and disappears into the flour.
- Use a stick-style vegan butter rather than a soft tub spread. Tub spreads carry more water and a looser set, so they melt into the dough instead of leaving the pockets that turn into layers.
- Toss the grated butter with the flour as soon as it hits the bowl, because coating the shreds keeps them from sticking together into one buttery lump.
- Stop mixing when the dough just comes together. A shaggy dough bakes tender, and a smooth, fully worked dough bakes tough.
- Cut straight down and lift the knife instead of dragging it through the dough. Twisting or sawing pinches the cut edges shut and the biscuits bake lopsided.
- Set the squares touching on the pan. They lean on each other as they rise, which keeps the sides straight and pushes the height upward.
- Pull the pan when the tops are golden and the sides look set. Biscuits keep firming as they cool, and a few extra minutes in the oven turns the crust hard.
Storage
Keep cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for four. Reheat them at 350 degrees F for about five minutes, wrapped loosely in foil, so the crust crisps again without drying out the middle. For longer storage, freeze the baked biscuits in a bag for up to two months and reheat them at 350 degrees F until they are hot through. Unbaked squares freeze well too: cut them, freeze them on a tray, bag them, and bake them from frozen with a few extra minutes in the oven. Warm biscuits are never as good as fresh ones, so reheat only what you plan to eat.
FAQ
Can I use soft vegan margarine instead of stick butter?
You can, but the biscuits will be flatter and less layered. A soft tub spread has more water and a looser set, so it blends into the flour instead of staying in distinct shreds. Use a firm stick-style vegan butter if you can find one, and keep it frozen until the moment you grate it. Refined coconut oil, chilled until solid, also works and gives a slightly different flavor.
Why did my vegan biscuits turn out flat?
Warm fat, overmixing, or expired baking powder are the three usual causes. If the vegan butter softened before it went into the oven, it smears through the dough and there is nothing left to create steam. If the dough was worked until smooth, the gluten tightens and holds the biscuits down. Check the date on the baking powder too, since an open tin loses strength after a few months.
Can I make these biscuits gluten-free?
I haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten-free flour blend, and biscuit dough reacts strongly to how a particular blend absorbs liquid, so I won’t promise a straight swap. If you want to try, use a blend that’s designed for baking and expect to adjust the soy milk by a few tablespoons until the dough looks shaggy. The folding steps stay the same.
Can I cut the dough ahead of time?
Yes, the dough holds up well. Cut the squares, set them on a parchment-lined sheet, cover them, and chill for up to 24 hours. Bake them straight from the fridge and add a couple of minutes to the time, since cold dough takes longer to heat through. You can also freeze the cut squares on a tray and bake them later without thawing.
