I Tried Our 5 Most Popular Biscuit Recipes and There Was One Clear Winner

Having grown up in the Deep South where butter and buttermilk are basic refrigerator staples, I am a certified biscuit enthusiast. I also happen to be a pastry chef. Suffice it to say that biscuits are important to me, so I tried the five most popular biscuit recipes from Allrecipes.com in search of the best. 

Is Butter or Shortening Best for Biscuits? 

Before we dive in, let’s address the elephant in the room: butter or shortening? An all butter biscuit holds the most flavor potential but can be tricky to work with and does not respond well to overhandling.  Shortening is cheaper than butter, easier to work into your dry ingredients, and results in a biscuit that is light and fluffy. I think both ingredients have their place, as you will see in the results section. 

What Biscuits Did We Test? 

1. Never Fail Biscuits by Dakota Kelly 
2. E-Z Drop Biscuits by Angela
3. Chef John’s Buttermilk Biscuits by John Mitzewich
4. J.P.’s Big Daddy Biscuits by John Pickett 
5. Basic Biscuits by lenihan5 

The Criteria

So what makes the perfect biscuit? I judged these recipes using three basic criteria: flavor, texture, and versatility. 

• Flavor: While it is possible to achieve biscuit perfection without butter, I propose that butter is the magic that separates the great from the good. The best biscuits also benefit from a generous dose of salt. 
• Texture: The perfect biscuit has a nicely browned, crisp top, with a tender, flaky center. They should also be split-able. Biscuits are rarely eaten on their own. They are baked for topping soups, sopping up gravies, or to be split apart and slathered with jam or made into breakfast sandwiches. The perfect biscuit can be opened up easily with the tines of a fork or your fingertips. 
• Versatility: A good biscuit lends itself to variety. I went looking for a recipe that not only holds its own, but can handle small tweaks like herbs, cheese, or additional sugar for shortcakes. 

The Results 

Best for First Timers: Never Fail Biscuits

• The recipe: Never Fail Biscuits, from Dakota Kelly
• Average rating: 4.7 stars 
• Rave review: “Buttery and delicious! Easy to whip together and oh so tasty; I will keep making these from now on!” —MzPamD

Dry ingredients are mixed together, cold butter is cut in, and milk is added to create the dough for this recipe. No kneading or rolling is required, as these biscuits are simply turned out, pressed, cut and baked. I immediately bookmarked this recipe for the novice because it highlights a few of my favorite techniques. I was taught to never come near a biscuit with a rolling pin, especially with a butter-based recipe for fear of overworking and toughening them. These beauties came out of the oven golden, fluffy, and bursting with buttery flavor. 

Best for Emergencies: E-Z Drop Biscuits

• The recipe: E-Z Drop Biscuits, from Angela
• Average rating: 4.6 stars
• Rave review: “I have been making this recipe for over a decade. Easy, delicious, satisfies the craving for biscuits right quick!” —Jessica

This recipe is the simplest, fastest, and easiest to execute of the lot and does not sacrifice flavor in the process. Dry ingredients are added to one bowl and mixed with melted butter and milk. The dough is then spooned directly onto a sheet pan and baked for an under 15-minute process from start to finish. The result is a lightly browned craggy top with tender centers—perfect for topping a pot pie or fruit cobbler. 

Most Versatile: Basic Biscuits

• The recipe: Basic Biscuits, from lenihan5 
• Average rating: 4.6 stars
• Rave review: “Did not change a thing. Great recipe, I made them for my strawberry short cake and tomorrow will be biscuits and gravy! —Laurie Bowie

This recipe calls for all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and milk. The dough is kneaded five to seven times, rolled, cut, and baked at 450 degrees F. These came out of the oven tender and uniformly shaped. This recipe would be ideal for breakfast sandwiches or fruit shortcakes topped with a bit of turbinado sugar. 

Best for Sandwiching: J.P.’s Big Daddy Biscuits. 

• The recipe: J.P.’s Big Daddy Biscuits, from John Pickett 
• Average rating: 4.6 stars. 
• Rave review: “My husband is very picky when it comes to biscuits, and he had to leave the kitchen so he didn't eat the ones made already. Definitely gonna have this as my go to for my family!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe.” —Allrecipes Member

For this recipe, dry ingredients are combined with shortening and milk. J.P. instructs the reader to knead the dough 15 to 20 times. Kneading tightens the gluten structure, lending stability to the final product. The sturdiness of these biscuits makes them the perfect canvas for any and all of your breakfast sandwich fantasies. 

The Overall Winner: Chef John’s Buttermilk Biscuits 

• The recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits, from Chef John
• Average rating: 4.7 stars
• Rave review: “Every time I make this recipe it gets better. The instructions with pictures (for those of use who are not bakers) are excellent. Love it.” —Carrie S.

Chef John’s biscuits were the clear winner in all four categories. He starts with flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cold butter is cut into these dry ingredients and buttermilk is added to make a shaggy dough. At this point I want to highlight a technique that he uses that I have coined “cowboy lamination.” He instructs the baker to turn out the dough, pat it out, fold it into thirds, pat it out, and repeat the process a total of three times. This technique is what gives this biscuit its height and gorgeous, flaky layers. These biscuits are brushed with a bit more buttermilk before baking, resulting in beautifully golden tops. Chef John’s biscuits won the taste test around our dinner table and is the recipe I will keep on file for future use.