Vegan Biscuit Recipe (Gluten-Free Option) (2024)

These rich buttery flakyvegan biscuitsare unbelievably just as good as regular biscuits. The secret to fluffy dairy-free biscuits is using rich and creamycoconut cream. They are ready in just 30-35 minutes and are made with 7 simple ingredients that are pantry staples. This easy recipe is made in one large mixing bowl for easy clean up and doesn’t require any special equipment like a food processor.

An American Classic

Biscuits are the quintessential American comfort food. Hot flaky buttery layers of deliciousness slathered with butter and jam or dipped into gravy – what’s better than that? Making vegan biscuits is easy and all you need are 7 simple ingredients that are probably in your pantry already. The best part is they are ready in just 30-35 minutes.

This vegan biscuit recipe is based off a traditional cream biscuit recipe made with heavy cream. Thick rich and creamy coconut cream is used in place of heavy cream in this vegan version.

Ingredients

Coconut Cream:Use canned coconut cream straight from the can or refrigerate cannedcoconut milkovernight and scoop out the hardened coconut cream that separates out from the water. You can also make homemadecoconut milkand refrigerate it to let the cream separate. To make homemadecoconut milkuse the meat from a mature dry coconut and blend it with water then strain out thecoconut milkthrough a nut milk bag or finecheesecloth.

Apple Cider Vinegar:A dash of apple cider vinegar will thicken and sour the coconut cream and produce a slightly tangy flavor in the biscuits similar to using buttermilk. Lemon juice may be used as an alternative to vinegar in an equal amount.

Vegan Butter:Use any vegan butter or plant-based butter alternative. Or use veganshortening. Vegan butter is usually salted so you can omit or reduce the amount of salt added to the dough. Veganshorteningis unsalted so be sure to add the full amount of salt to the dough if using it. Suggested vegan butters for this recipe include country crock plant butter, earth balance buttery sticks, and miyokos vegan butter.

Flour:Unbleachedall-purpose flouris best to use when making biscuits. It contains less protein thanbread flour, which means it will produce less gluten and in turn result in a lighter and more tender crumb structure. To make these healthier you can replace half of theall-purpose flourwith whitewhole wheat flouror whole wheat pastry flour, which are made from whole grain soft wheat berries. To make gluten free dairy-free biscuits simply replace the flour with a gluten-free baking flour alternative such asbob’s red mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

Baking Powder:Baking powderis used to leaven the biscuits and helps create airy and fluffy biscuits.

How To Make Coconut Cream Biscuits

Step 1: Make the Biscuit Dough

Start by preheating the oven. First stir the apple cider vinegar into the coconut cream and let it sit while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork in a large bowl then cut cold vegan butter orshorteninginto the flour mixture. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger pea-sized pieces.

Pour the coconut cream mixture into the flour and butter mixture then mix it together with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.

Step 2: Shape and Cut the Cream Biscuits

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 14 times, no more no less. Over-working the dough will develop gluten and make dense tough biscuits so be sure not to knead it any more than necessary.

Press the biscuit dough out into a round that is ¾” thick. Use a 2″ round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Push the cutter straight down into the dough and do not twist it at all. This will ensure clean cut edges that will rise and become very flaky. If you twist the cutter it will smush the layers together at the edges and the biscuits won’t rise as much.

Step 3: Bake the Vegan Biscuits

Place the cut biscuits onto a an ungreased baking sheet (or line it with parchment paper for easy clean up) so that the edges just touch each other. Then brush the tops of the biscuits with non-dairy milk such as soy milk or almond milk or more coconut cream.

Bake the biscuits on until they rise up and have crusty golden brown tops with visible flaky layered edges. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to awire rack.

Serve the biscuits warm from the oven or at room temperature.

Storage

Just like traditional biscuits, vegan biscuits are best eaten the day they are made and are best when they are just baked and still warm. Leftover biscuits can be stored in a sealed bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven, toaster oven or microwave before serving.

Tips for Flaky Vegan Biscuits

For best results follow these pro tips:

• Use cold ingredients. Vegan butter tends to soften quickly so to keep it form and cold freeze it first. I like to keep a package or two of vegan butter in the freezer for when I need to make anything that calls for cold butter, like pie crust.
• Don’t over-work the dough. Keep some larger chunks of butter intact when cutting the butter into the flour. Knead the dough for 14 turns only. Any longer will work the dough too much and gluten strands will start to form, which will develop a tougher crumb structure in the final biscuits.
• Don’t twist the biscuit cutter. Make sure to push the cutter straight down into the dough to create a clean cut where the layers can rise and become flaky. Twisting the cutter will smush the layers at the edges and they won’t be able to rise as well.

What To Serve with Biscuits

These vegan coconut cream biscuits are perfect to serve at breakfast, as a snack or with dinner. Use them to make breakfast sandwiches, or simply slather them in butter and jam for a delicious treat on their own. Serve them with hearty fall soups or stews like this Vegan Buttercup Squash Soup, Vegan Mung Dal or this yummy Everyday Vegan Chili. Serve them in place of bread rolls with a Sunday dinner such as this Sumac and Herb Roasted Chicken with Vegetables.

This recipe is also great to use for vegan shortcakes. Simply add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the flour mixture before cutting in the butter. Then sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with more sugar before baking them.

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