Gluten-Free Vegan Biscuits

Take it from a Southern who never went a day without a buttermilk biscuit for most of their life, these are everything you want without everything you don't.

I bought my own recipe. One that I developed and tested for years, a decade really. For $300, the same amount I sold it for and then kicked myself over and over again until I reached out to the client and asked to be able to use the recipe for commercial purposes. They graciously agreed but after a few years of scoping out what it would take to launch a biscuit company, I quickly realized the CPG market is bonkers and my nervous system can’t take the hustle that it would require. Plus, you know, start-up costs and all that. 

So, you get the next best thing. The recipe. Unfortunately, you’ll have to make them from scratch instead of popping a frozen one into your oven but I think you can manage. And, you’ll be rewarded with the best gluten-free plant-based biscuit there is. 

It’s no secret that Southerners love their biscuits. I grew up eating biscuits and gravy on most holiday mornings as well as the occasional Saturday morning breakfast at my great-grandmother's. She’d be wrist-deep in a shaggy bowl of biscuit dough when we arrived, ready for me to help cut them out, my favorite part of the process. She’d show me just how much milk to add, just how much to knead the dough without melting the tiny pieces of cut butter. Once baked, the buttery crisp outer layer paired with the fluffy delicate inner structure of the biscuit made them perfect for drenching in gravy, smearing with jam and jelly, making a breakfast sandwich, or eating plain with butter. 

Hardee’s bucket of fried chicken and Biscuits was synonymous with every church potluck, summer picnic, and family reunion. My high school years once I could drive were spent getting two bacon egg and cheese biscuits from McDonalds every morning, with a slice of tomato of course. Don’t forget the sweet tea, thank you very much. 

Once I went gluten-free and then eventually plant-based, I realized there were absolutely no good options on the market either in recipe form or a packaged product.

My partner Alex and I with our shared love for biscuits, his love also stemming from his grandmother who sandwiched slices of salty country ham into mini buttermilk biscuits, set out to perfect a recipe of our own.

Once we nailed it, I ended up selling it to the previously mentioned client. When they decided to sell their company, I quickly purchased the rights back to the recipe. It belongs to me. Letting it go made me realize that. A profound life lesson really, what’s meant to be yours will be yours. 

I recently saw a snippet of an interview with artist, Tracey Emin, who said “You’ve got to stand by your work and understand that it’s a part of you. It’s like a limb in a way”. 

I couldn’t agree more.

My art includes recipes that I’ve labored over, cried over, and eaten with pure joy once nailed. I’ve written before that selling recipes sometimes feels like selling parts of myself. Which to be honest, doesn't feel great. There’s a balance there that I haven’t quite struck. The balance between creating for me and creating for money. One of the main reasons I’m back to writing Salubrious, is to be able to share myself, for myself. 

This biscuit recipe is a part of my soul and I’m so excited to share it with you. I hope you get as much joy out of them as I do. 

I encourage you to let your imagination run wild with how you use them. I have a running list of ideas that include everything from miso sweet corn, basil “blue cheese” and strawberry, and some sort of pimento “cheese” mix-in situation. 

Alex’s dad loved what he coined a “Seaboard Special” which was a biscuit cut in two, smeared with apple butter - another Southern staple, and drizzled, ok drenched, with maple syrup.

Join the comments below with any ideas you have, creativity breeds creativity.

---

southern

breakfast, side

Southern

Yield: 6

Author: Lauren Lester

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Gluten Free Vegan Biscuits

Take it from a Southern who never went a day without a buttermilk biscuit for most of their life, these are everything you want without everything you don't.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend*
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ cup unsalted dairy-free butter, frozen*
• 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk*
• Additional butter or cooking spray for brushing

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking powder.
2. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into fine shreds. Add the butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or a fork (using hands will cause the butter to melt) to combine until it resembles coarse sand.
3. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add in the almond milk. Mix well until all the flour is incorporated but be careful not to overmix. Form the mixture into a ball and knead 4-5 times.
4. Press or roll the dough out into a 2” tall rectangle on a floured surface. Use a biscuit cutter or one-cup measuring cup to cut out the biscuits.
5. Place the biscuits onto a greased baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
7. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown, brushing the tops with butter or spraying with cooking spray in the last 5 minutes.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving for the crumb to set.

Notes

• I exclusively use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour 
• For butter, I use Miyoko's unsalted butter blocks
• For almond milk, my go-to is the organic 365 jug at Whole Foods, I find that it has the best consistency for baking
• If you have a nut allergy, you can use any other milk in place of the almond milk. Soy works well, as does a thin coconut or oat milk. 

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container, once cooled, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat like you would tortillas in a dish towel in the microwave in 30-second increments.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

170.82

Fat

2.69 g

Sat. Fat

0.38 g

Carbs

34.69 g

Fiber

5.09 g

Net carbs

29.59 g

Sugar

2.55 g

Protein

5.47 g

Sodium

675.93 mg

Cholesterol

2.44 mg

Nutritional values are estimates only

https://www.laurenlester.net/recipes/gluten-free-vegan-biscuits

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @eat____plants on instagram and hashtag it #eatplants