Vegan Buttery Biscuits (Flaky, Tender, and Easy to Make)

Biscuit Memories - we go way back

The fact is, I have made more biscuits in my life than I could ever count, and I can't write a biscuit post without a quick walk down memory lane.

When I was fresh out of my first year of the Culinary Arts program at the CIC in Charlottetown when I was 29 years old, I started my internship at the Pearl Eatery in North Rustico, PEI.

The Pearl was a farm to table restaurant, created and owned by Maxine Delaney. The space was filled with art and sculpture. Everything was chosen and purposeful. The food we served over my years there had the same level of intention behind it as the artful decor. Everyone who dined at the Pearl were served a plate of freshly made biscuits with whipped butter, a gesture signaling more good things to come. 

I'll never forget Maxine giving me my first biscuit making lesson. Cutting in the cold butter... the finished dough folded over itself several times before being cut. The folding and pressing serving an important purpose: Lift. We made beautifully flaky, sky high, buttery biscuits fresh every single day. The ritual would begin at 3 pm in time for 4 pm dinner service. I can also recount making hundreds of them for different functions and food shows. 

Needless to say, a simple biscuit recipe holds more than just butter and flour in my mind, they will always transport me to those early restaurant kitchen days.   ​

Veganized Biscuit Notes

This recipe is the veganized version of the hundreds of biscuits I made all those years ago. I omitted the egg (which I remember happening accidentally when a younger employee made them one time, and they were still good.)

I've swapped the buttermilk for plant milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar, and the butter is easily replaced by your favourite plant based butter. 

​This makes a small batch of biscuits. Feel free to double the recipe. 

Tips for Success

Hot Oven: It is important to have your oven properly pre heated when baking biscuits. The initial high heat allows the moisture in the dough to turn to steam quickly, helping get a higher rise. 

Folding the dough: The method in the recipe instructions serves to create more flaky layers. I will say my vegan biscuits have never reached the heights of the original ones I made in the restaurant. I typically roll the dough to be about 1 inch thick, if you want really high biscuits, I would suggest rolling the dough to be a bit thicker. 

Don't Overwork The dough: While the recipe requires folding the dough over itself several times, you don't want to knead the dough before hand. Once you bring the dough together into a solid mass, do the folds, roll it out and that's it. Overworking will make your biscuits tough instead of tender. 

Serving and Variations

Butter: I grew up eating butter and honey on biscuits, so perhaps that is why I gravitate towards a bit of sweetness on top. You don't have to do that of course, but these days I love whipping butter and maple together to spread over top. I enjoy the biscuits as is with their whipped butter counterpart, or served as a side to soup or stew. 

Variation: Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits I love mixing in 1/2 cup of grated vegan cheddar (ideally a really good brand like Parmela Creamery), and 1/4 cup chopped fresh jalapeno pepper into the dough. It's a delicious variation to serve with Chili. It's not spicy, just flavourful. 

Storage and Freezing

Can I freeze the biscuits? Yes absolutely. Freeze flat then transfer to bags or containers. To serve after frozen. Simply thaw, then pop in the oven for a few minutes to warm and refresh. Use up within a couple months of freezing ideally. 

Regular Storage: Store in a sealed food container. They are best eaten within a day or two but I think they could be left out for up to 4 days and heated to serve, but if your kitchen is really hot, like in the summer, maybe best just to freeze what won't be eaten straight away. 

Step By Step Instructions Vegan Biscuits

1. Add dry ingredients to a large bowl, whisk. Cut in cold butter.

2. Use your fingers to break up the butter into smaller pieces until evenly distributed throughout the flour. 

3. Pour in the "buttermilk", stir together until dough forms, (I always use the back of a wooden spoon) adding a splash more liquid as needed to incorporate all the flour. ​

4. When dough is formed transfer to a floured work surface, use your hand to press dough to flatten into a disc shape. Fold over itself like you are closing a book. 

5. Press down and repeat the folding and pressing process several times. This creates flaky layers.

6. When folding is complete, roll dough to 1 inch thick. Dust with flour as necessary. Cut out circles using a biscuit cutter. Re roll scraps. You should have about 10 biscuits. 

7. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 F for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden. Serve simply with butter, honey, jams, preserves and or a drizzle of maple. Or alongside your favourite soup or stew.