Why I love these dairy free biscuits
The base for this recipe comes from my strawberry blueberry shortcake recipe. It started as a sweeter biscuit meant to be topped with seasonal fruit and loads of whipped cream, but I decided that it would be perfect for a quick, traditional biscuit, too.
In place of the butter, I used vegetable shortening straight from the freezer. It’s my favorite swap for baking because I always have it on hand, but you could easily use whatever butter substitute you like.
Just make sure whatever you use is super cold, and don’t forget to check out my favorite options for dairy free butter. Other than the butter, I just needed to swap the milk, so I used full fat, canned coconut milk, but any dairy free milk would work.
More dairy free biscuit recipes: easy drop biscuits / cheddar bay biscuits / vegan soda bread / apple scones
Ingredient notes:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the coconut milk make these biscuits sweet?
As long as you’re using unsweetened coconut milk, you shouldn’t have any issues with these biscuits being sweet. If find they are too sweet for your liking, I recommend using a little bit less sugar (try 1 tablespoon instead), or adjusting the salt amount to balance that out.
What else can I do with these dairy free biscuits?
Use them to top homemade peach cobbler or berry cobbler. Split them in half and make some blueberry shortcake. Top them with some sausage gravy for a southern style breakfast. Put them on top of chicken pot pie.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening - or vegan butter, chilled
- 3/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk - or dairy free buttermilk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour - for rolling
- 1 large egg - optional, for egg wash
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 450˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate.
- Cut in the fat. Add the cold shortening to the bowl of dry ingredients and, using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the shortening. It should form into small crumbs, resembling a sand type texture.
- Mix in the liquid. Stir the coconut milk into the mixture until a dough is formed. Removed the dough ball and place on a floured surface for the next step.
- Knead the dough. Push, fold and turn the dough, repeating a few times without overworking the dough. Roll out the dough on the floured surface and cut the biscuits into equal sizes (or use a circle cutter). Place each biscuit on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake the biscuits. Place the baking sheet into a 450˚F preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes or until the biscuits have golden tops. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
- Top with egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a few tablespoons of water until smooth. Brush over the tops of your biscuits before baking.
