It is easy to make homemade buttermilk biscuits with pancake mix. Simply add butter and milk, then bake them in the oven for ten minutes!
This is such a simple recipe when you want some delicious biscuits to serve with a meal, but you don't want to go through all the fuss of making traditional biscuits from scratch. The boxed pancake mixes already contain most of the ingredients you need to make this breakfast staple, all you need to do is add butter and milk.
What is it?
Making biscuits with pancake mix results in the same delicious homemade biscuits that are commonly smothered with fixin's like peppered gravy. The main difference is using pancake mix greatly simplifies the process by eliminating a half dozen other ingredients that need to be measured out and added.
These are great to serve with your breakfast favorites. My personal favorite way to enjoy buttermilk biscuits is smothered in sawmill gravy loaded with crumbled breakfast sausage! When I am craving a little more heat I've even been known to whip up a batch of cajun gravy instead! They are equally great to use for breakfast sandwiches as well!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pancake mix - You can use any of the major pancake mix brands, however, I prefer Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix because they use all-natural ingredients and I love the flavor buttermilk brings to the party.
- Cold Milk - You can substitute buttermilk in equal quanities.
- Butter - Butter adds flavor and helps the biscuits rise, don't substitute this.
Customize this easy recipe - This can be used as a base recipe to make flavored biscuits by adding your favorite ingredients, such as cheddar cheese, fresh herbs, or garlic.
How to make it
To make this biscuit recipe with pancake mix begin by pouring two cups of pancake mix into a large mixing bowl. Next, cut your cold butter into small pieces. My favorite way to do this is using a box grater. The pieces of butter can be added to the pancake mix and further broken down with a pastry cutter.
Now you can start adding your milk. I don't recommend adding it all at once to your biscuit mix because you don't always need every drop of milk, and sometimes you may need a splash extra. Pour it in while mixing with a wooden spoon and stop adding more milk when the dough starts coming together.
Sprinkle flour, or pancake mix, on your work surface and transfer dough onto it. Form the dough into a ball and then cut the dough in half. Place one half on top of the other and repeat four more times. This creates layers that help the biscuits rise.
Using a rolling pin flatten the dough to a one inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, or another biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuit rounds from the dough. Place the raw biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven set at 450 degrees.
Tips and Tricks
To make the best homemade pancake mix biscuits there are a few tips and tricks to follow.
- Spraying parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray will prevent the raw dough from baking onto the sheet pan.
- Avoid working the dough with your hands. The warmth from your hands will melt the butter. You want the butter to melt in the oven instead because that is what helps your biscuits to rise.
- For fluffy biscuits with more rise, bake the biscuits close enough together so they are gently touching. They will help each other rise as they bake. Admittedly, I typically adhere to this rule but I forgot to do this step for the biscuits in the photos, so you can use that as a comparison.
- If you need to stop while making the biscuits or working the dough, place the dough in the fridge or freezer to keep the butter cold.
Recipe FAQs
If you plan to enjoy the leftover biscuits in the next day or two, storing them at room temperature is fine as long as they are covered, or in a sealed container, to prevent them from drying out. Otherwise, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Yes, biscuits freeze well. You can freeze the cooked biscuits or the raw biscuit dough and just take some out of the freezer as needed.
Reheating biscuits in the microwave results in a soft mushy texture. Instead, the best way to reheat biscuits is in the toaster oven or conventional oven. Simply heat them at 350 degrees for six minutes, or until they are warmed through.
Biscuits with Pancake mix
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups pancake mix
- ¾ cup milk
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Add pancake mix to a large bowl, then shred the butter into little pieces with a box grater and place the butter in the bowl.
- Work the butter mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is in small crumbles and dispersed throughout the mixture.
- Add milk, while stirring to incorporate it until the dough starts to come together. You may not need all of the milk, and it is OK to add a bit more if needed too.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and form it into a ball.
- Cut the dough in half with a knife or dough scraper and place one half on top of the other. Repeat this four times.
- Gently roll the dough out until it is 1" thick. Then cut it into rounds with a round cookie cutter.
- Place the raw biscuit rounds on a baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper close enough they touch each other and bake in the oven for ten minutes, or until turning golden brown.
J london
Noted that the pancake mix was “just add water” type. Can you use the “justadd eggs and milk” type also?
Chris
I was hesitant to make these but figured I’d try it. These were SO sweet and not in a good way. They might work if you’re making shortcakes for strawberry shortcake, but this was not a biscuit.
Tinamarie Rinkiewicz
Can you use butter in a tub, instead of using stick butter?
,
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, the shape of the butter doesn't matter, only the overall quantity.
Julia
The "dough" came out VERY soupy - but no problem! I added some flour (1/2 cup-ish) as I gently kneeded, and then I made the dough extra buttery: I rolled the dough into a square, grated about 4 TBSP more butter on top, and 'envelope' folded the dough, turned, envelope, etc (quick lamination) and then cut into 8 square biscuits. They puffed, with visible lamination, no butter melted out, bottoms browned. With a few more min, I would've brushed melted butter on top, for more browning. They were dry and SO DELICATE crumbly but in the best way! 10 min was perfect bake time, and cut in half with more butter in between to melt upon serving: CHEFS KISS PERFECTION! This is my ONLY biscuit recipe from now on! Lees than 20 min from box to home made(ish) biscuits!
Keith Quinette
Ummmmmm, don't do these. Or you will never turn back. Only difference I did was a little olive oil on my hands (being lazy) so they wouldn't stick. Grab a little ball quick form and drop it on a sheet, flatten slightly to get rid of ball shape. I used Krusteaz pancake batter. I feel lied to by big biscuit. Never again one of those cans.
Brittany
Yep amazing. Follow all the tips and tricks if you want to be impressed by the results. I added shredded cheese right before the dough finished forming and paired with sausage gravy. One of the best, easiest breakfasts I ever made.
Kristi
These are super easy. I usually make biscuits with bisquick or from scratch. I was out of flour and Bisquick so I tried these. I made them with vegan butter and oat milk. I also just made them drop biscuits because I hate the extra steps. They are sweeter because I too use Krusties pancake mix so they were great with butter and jam but a little too sweet for biscuits and gravy.
Thank you for sharing. Very clever.
Cathy
Love this recipe!!! I have even incorporated this into the biscuit gravy casserole it made it so much better!!!
Catherine
Thank you!!! These were so simple! My family absolutely loved the biscuits & I loved how easy it was to throw together. I will admit, with 3 hungry kids to feed, I wasn't interested in kneading & rolling, so I did drop biscuits & they were the best biscuits I've ever made! My husband raved about them for at least 2 hours after dinner! Thank you again!!
Eileen Haslof
Thank You!
They came out awesome!!!
BTW... I made drop biscuits....
They were Perfecto Mundo!!!!!
Ron
Too sweet. Not for me.
Steph Trinker
Hey Ron, this isn’t my recipe but I would recommend just using a pancake mix that doesn’t have sugar or sweetener in it.
Cheryl
Delicious! I added a cup of Italian shredded cheese and basted them with garlic butter prior to baking and immediately after removing them from the oven. So good!
I just did drop biscuit as well, I will definitely be making these again
Nancy S. Gray
Wow! I had so much fun making these biscuits. Now I can make really good, tender biscuits.