How to Make Skillet Biscuits: Helpful Guide + 8 Recipes
What are Skillet Biscuits? If you’ve never tried a skillet biscuit, you’re missing out. These tender, flaky, golden-brown bites of perfection make the ideal breakfast, lunch, dinner, and anything in between. Top with butter and a spoonful of jam to make your morning start with a bang, smoother them with sausage gravy for a sustaining midday meal, or pair them with a hearty beef stew for a comforting supper.
Whenever you eat them, and whatever you eat them with, you’ll love how quickly and easily these little beauties can be whipped up in a skillet.
Skillet Biscuits 101
How to Make Skillet Biscuits
With a little know how, making skillet biscuits is a breeze. You can still use the same dough recipe as you would normally (you can even use a pre-made, store bought version if you want to make things super-easy on yourself). The only real difference between making these beauties and their oven baked equivalents is that you’ll be using a skillet as your baking tool, rather than a cookie sheet.
How to Make the Easiest Ever Homemade Skillet Biscuits
There’s 101 ways to make skillet biscuits, but if you’re looking for the quickest, easiest, most foolproof method, try this simple, 3- ingredient recipe. Your taste buds will thank you for it, I promise!
Ingredients
Makes approx. 8 biscuits
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup cold, grated butter, plus extra for greasing
1 cup buttermilk
Prep
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Grease the bottom and sides of your skillet well with butter
With your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together in a bowl
Add the buttermilk and stir until just combined
Use a cookie/ ice cream scoop to portion out rounds of dough into the skillet
Pop the skillet in the oven, and bake for 16-18 minutes (or until golden brown)
Remove from the oven and brush lightly with butter.
Tip: Add a sprinkling of sea salt to the finished biscuits for extra “Yum”.
Can I Bake Biscuits in an Electric Skillet?
An electric skillet is an incredibly versatile device, and can be used to bake all sorts of goodies, from cornbread to cookies, from cakes to biscuits. You’ll need to make a few adjustments to the skillet before you start cooking, but once these are done, you’ll be able to whip up your favorite biscuits in no time.
How to Make Biscuits in an Electric Skillet
You won’t need to make any changes to your usual recipe when you make biscuits using an electric skillet. You will, however, need to make a few adjustments to the skillet itself. Grab a wire rack and a baking tray, and get ready to cook:-
The Baking Tray Method
Add the lid to the electric skillet and heat to the required temperature (450°F is the norm, but refer to the particular recipe you’re using in case of any difference)
Prepare the dough mix using your preferred recipe
Cut out the biscuits, and place in a baking pan
Remove the skillet lid and pop a wire rack inside the base
Add the baking pan to the center of the rack, and cover with the skillet lid (leave it a little ajar)
Bake for the required time (20 minutes will usually do the job, but again, consult the individual recipe for details)
Remove the biscuits and leave for 5 minutes before serving.
The Best Skillet Biscuits Using Bisquick
These buttery, light- as- air biscuits can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. The secret to their fluffiness? A can of Sprite….
Ingredients
Makes 8- 10 biscuits with a 2/12-inch round cutter
2 cups Bisquick, plus extra for dusting
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Sprite
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
Flaky salt
Prep
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Combine the Bisquick and sour cream with a fork in a bowl. Finish working the Bisquick into the cream with your fingers
Add the Spite, and stir
Lightly dust the working surface with Bisquick and turn out the dough
Pat the mixture into a rectangular of approx. 8.5x11”, and ½" to ¾" thick
Lightly dust the surface of the dough with Bisquick
Fold the dough into thirds
Flatten into a rectangle, then fold again into thirds. Repeat the process 2 more times
After the last fold, pat the dough into a size that’s just slightly larger than the base of your skillet
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Pull the scraps together to make the final biscuit by hand
Add the butter to the skillet, before popping it into the oven. Give the butter enough time to melt (about 3 minutes), then remove the skillet from the oven. Swish the butter around so that the bottom of the pan is evenly coated
Add the biscuits to the buttered pan. Pack them in a closely together as possible
Pop the skillet back into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown
Remove the skillet and brush the biscuit tops with melted butter. For added texture and crunch, dust with a sprinkling of flaky salt
Tip: If you can’t get hold of Sprite, a can of 7-up will do just as well
The Best Buttermilk Skillet Biscuits
Ingredients
Makes 8- 10 biscuits with a 2/12-inch round cutter
2 cups self-rising flour, plus extra for flouring the work surface
½ cup of grated, chilled, unsalted butter
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons shortening
¾ cup buttermilk
Prep
Preheat the oven to 450°F, and pop the skillet in to heat
Rub the grated butter into the flour with your fingertips
Once the butter and flour are mixed, pour in the buttermilk and stir until just combined
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work top
Pat the mixture into a rectangle
Lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour
Fold the dough into thirds then flatten into a rectangle
Repeat steps 10 – 12 two times. After the 3rd time, pat the dough into a size that’s just slightly larger than the base of your skillet
Cut out the biscuits
Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, and add the shortening. Return the skillet to the oven just long enough for the shortening to melt
Drop each biscuit into the skillet, making sure to cover both sides with shortening
Pop the skillet back in the oven and turn the temperature down to 425°F
Bake for between 12- 18 minutes (or until the biscuits turn a golden brown)
One cooked, remove from the oven and brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter
Tip: if you’re all out of buttermilk, make you own by combing 1 tbsp of vinegar with 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes and voila… DIY buttermilk!
The Best Skillet Cheddar Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Is there anything as delicious or comforting as homemade cheddar biscuits smothered in tasty sausage gravy? If there is, I don’t think I’ve tried it….
Ingredients
Makes 8-10 biscuits with a 2/12-inch round cutter
Sausage gravy:
1 lb ground pork
1 cup strong, cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon flour
½ tablespoon herbs of your choice (sage works very well, but oregano or thyme also go well with pork)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring the work surface
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ cup of grated, chilled, unsalted butter
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
3 tablespoons shortening
¾ cup buttermilk
1 cup strong cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
Biscuits
Prep
Sausage gravy
Preheat the skillet to a medium heat
Add the pork and cook for around 8-10 minutes, or until browned
Sprinkle the flour over the pork and mix. Add all the other ingredients expect the cheddar cheese and stir well to combine
Cook on a medium heat until it begins to thicken. While it still looks slightly soupy, add the cheddar cheese and mix well
Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside
While the sausage gravy rests, start preparing the biscuits
Cheddar biscuits
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
Rub the butter into the dry mix, using your fingertips to ensure an even distribution
Stir in the cheddar cheese
Make a well in the center of the mix and pour in the buttermilk
Stir until just combined (don’t over mix: it should still look crumbly at the end)
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface
Pat the mixture into a rectangle and fold into thirds
Flatten into a rectangle, and fold into thirds again. Repeat the process 2 more times
Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about ½ inch thick
Cut the dough into rounds using a biscuit cutter
Cover the sausage gravy with the biscuits
Brush the biscuit tops with melted butter
Pop the skillet in the oven and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, or until golden
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving
Tip: If you want to speed up the process, use a food processor during steps 1 and 2 of the biscuit prep. Pulse in short bursts to avoid over mixing; the consistency should be coarse and crumbly.
The Best Skillet Biscuits Without Buttermilk
If you’ve run out of buttermilk but are dying for a biscuit, don’t panic. This recipe will give you an out- of- this world taste sensation without requiring even a drop of buttermilk in the making.
Ingredients
Makes approx. 14 biscuits with a 1 3/4-inch, or 8 with a 2/12-inch round
2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 ounces cubed, unsalted butter
9 ounces plain yogurt
Prep
1) Preheat the oven to 400°F
2) Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
3) Knead the butter into the dry mix, using your fingertips to ensure an even distribution
4) Add the yogurt and combine until the mixture forms a rough ball
5) Turn out the mixture onto a lightly dusted work surface
6) Use your hands to pat the dough into a rectangular shape around ½ inch thick. Fold the dough in half, flatten, and fold again. Repeat
7) After the third fold, pat the dough into a ¾ inch thick rectangle. Cut out the biscuits
8) Arrange the biscuits in the pan. Pack them in tightly: the closer they are, the less they’ll spread. The less they spread, the taller they’ll rise!
9) Place the skillet in the warmed oven and bake for around 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown. Once cooked, remove the skillet and allow the biscuits to rest for around 5 minutes before serving
Tip: wipe the cutter down with a paper towel after cutting each biscuit. This will ensure a neat, clean round and help give the biscuit a better rise.
The Best Skillet Camping Biscuits
On your next camping trip, be sure to whip up some camping skillet biscuits… your tent- mates will love you for it!
Ingredients
Makes approx. 10 biscuits
¼ cup butter
¼ teaspoon onion salt
¼ garlic salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
2 cups pre-mixed baking mix
½ cup of water
Prep
1) Heat the skillet to around 350°F
2) Melt the butter in the pan with the onion salt, garlic salt and paprika
3) Prepare the dough by combining the baking mix and water
4) Roll the dough into a rectangle around ½ thick and just slightly longer and wider than the skillet
5) Cut the dough into biscuits
6) Add the biscuits to the skillet, flipping as you add them to ensure both sides are coated in butter
7) Cover the skillet with a sheet of aluminum foil, and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until golden brown
8) Once cooked, allow the biscuits to rest for 5 minutes before tucking in
Tip: If you forgot to bring a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass will do just as well.
Can You Cook Biscuits on a Griddle?
When you want a warm, tender, flaky biscuit, reach for the griddle. Cooking biscuits on a griddle is one of the easiest, simplest cooking methods available … trust me, once you’ve tried a biscuit fresh from the griddle, you’ll never go back to baking trays again!
Key Tips for Cooking Biscuits on a Griddle
For the best griddled biscuits you’ll ever eat, just remember a couple of key tips:
For a perfectly even rise, gently press your thumb into the center of the dough mound before cooking.
Stop your biscuits sticking to the griddle by thoroughly buttering both its base and sides before adding the biscuit dough.
If the dough starts to tighten up as you prepare it, don’t mess with it anymore; there’s nothing like overworked dough for making a tough biscuit!
Allow the biscuits a 5-minute resting time after they finish baking. This will help them firm up slightly and stop them being so soft they fall apart.
Why a Griddle Makes the BEST Biscuits
If you fancy cooking up a batch of tasty biscuits, a cast iron griddle is the way to go about it:
Ready in Minutes: Thanks to its fabulous heat conducting properties, a cast iron griddle heats up quickly and evenly, resulting in perfectly baked biscuits each and every time.
A Perfect Rise: for the best rise, biscuits should be baked without any space between them. This helps them “pull” each other up, resulting in tall, fluffy mounds of deliciousness. A griddle pan is the perfect appliance to ensure a tight, closely packed bake; with nowhere for the biscuits to escape on the sides, they only thing they can do is rise!
Crispy AND Tender: The hot base of the griddle will crisp up the bottoms of the biscuits in no time at all. Meanwhile, the edges will stay beautifully flaky and tender.
How to Cook Canned Biscuits on a Griddle
If you’re in need of a quick, warming breakfast, try these Fried Canned Biscuits. Eat them sweet with maple syrup, or add a savory twist with sausages and gravy.
Ingredients
Makes 16 biscuits
1 16.03oz pack of refrigerated Grans Flaky Biscuits
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Prep
Split the biscuits in two
Heat the griddle to about 350°F and add the butter
Swirl the melted butter around the base of the pan until evenly coated
Add the first batch of biscuits and fry for around 10 minutes or until they turn a golden brown. Flip, and cook for another 10 minutes. If you prefer a darker biscuit, add more butter to the pan as they cook
Turn the biscuits out onto a plate, and repeat the process with the next batch until all the biscuits are cooked
Tip: If you’re making these in advance, wrap them in aluminum foil to stop them drying out. When it comes time to serve, sprinkle with some water before warming them up in the oven or microwave.
How to Cook Fried Biscuits on a Griddle
Nothing beats a fried biscuit straight from the griddle. Top with honey for an easy- to- make, meltingly- delicious sweet treat.
Ingredients
Home- made biscuit dough (see one of the previous recipes for instructions)
2 tablespoons butter
A sprinkling of flour
Prep
On a lightly floured cooking surface, cut the biscuit dough into 2-inch mounds
Heat the griddle to around 350°F
Melt the butter in the griddle. Swirl the butter as it melts to ensure an even coating around the base and sides
Add the biscuit mounds to the griddle, flattening each one to around ½ inch high with a spatula
Cook for 10 minutes until the one side is a rich, golden brown. Flip, and cook for another 10 minutes
Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Serve up and enjoy!
Tip: If you’re short on time, substitute home-made biscuit dough with a store-bought version.
