Easy Air-Fryer Biscuits

Bake up a batch of homemade happiness with this easy recipe that delivers light, fluffy biscuits in less than half an hour!

My mother often made homemade biscuits when I was a kid. We didn’t live in the South, but we loved our comfort food! I have fond memories of dipping her flaky biscuits into thick sausage gravy and the spicy, light-pink sauce of chicken paprikash. But the best part of her baking was the aroma—it wafted out our windows to fill our entire neighborhood with the rich, buttery smell of unconditional love.

Biscuits are one reason I’ll never fully opt for that low-carb life. And this easy air-fryer biscuit recipe makes baking a batch of homemade comfort an everyday thing! The buttermilk, butter, and flour magically transform into mouthwatering deliciousness in mere minutes—without heating up the oven—thanks to that amazing appliance, the air fryer!

In the fall, I like to make these biscuits while a pot of soup bubbles away on the stovetop. Sometimes, they’re the star of a late Sunday morning brunch, complemented by creamy butter and an array of locally made jams. Whatever you pair them with, you’ll love the airy texture and sweet scrumptiousness of these incredibly easy biscuits.

Are Easy Air-Fryer Biscuits Healthy?

These biscuits can be enjoyed as a comforting element of an overall balanced diet—though their carb load, higher saturated fat content, and moderate sodium content require portion control. They offer some calcium and iron, but they are not a significant source of fiber or vitamins. The recipe is naturally lacto-vegetarian-friendly, containing no meat or animal-derived ingredients beyond dairy.

You can adapt this recipe to be gluten-free by using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. If you opt for almond flour, expect much denser biscuits with a nuttier flavor profile. Make it vegan by substituting plant-based butter and homemade vegan buttermilk—which you can make by mixing plant-based milk with vinegar or lemon juice.

The Evolution Of Southern Biscuits

The Southern-style biscuit we know and love today has evolved significantly from its early ancestors. In the 19th century, Southern cooks often made what were called “beaten biscuits.” These unleavened biscuits required a great deal of physical effort—sometimes beating the dough for hours—to achieve their signature dense, cracker-like texture. Yeast was rarely used, as it could be expensive or difficult to obtain, and the region’s hot, humid climate made yeast-leavened baking a challenge. Abby Fisher, one of the first Black women to publish a cookbook, included a recipe for beaten biscuits in her 1881 work, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. The arrival of chemical leaveners, like baking powder and baking soda, on grocery store shelves later in the century transformed biscuit making. These modern-day kitchen miracles made it possible to create tender, fluffy, and buttery biscuits—without all the hard labor. This air fryer biscuit recipe continues that tradition by skipping the yeast and harnessing the latest culinary tech to yield delicious, airy biscuits with minimal effort.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your easy air-fryer biscuits with a variety of spreadables, like butter, honey, jam, homemade Walnut Butter, or Slow-Cooker Apple Butter. You could offer more plant-based spreads by trying this Vegan Butter Recipe or this Avocado Butter Recipe. Biscuits also make an excellent pairing for soups, especially hearty types like this Chicken And Orzo Soup, this rich Yellow Squash Soup, or a wholesome Potato Corn Chowder.

Recipe