Blueberry biscuits are tall, tender buttermilk biscuits bursting with juicy blueberries and finished with a thin, sweet lemon glaze. They are a weekend breakfast, a brunch treat or a bake-sale favorite, and one pan makes two dozen.
How to make blueberry biscuits: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in cold butter and shortening, gently mix in cold buttermilk and vanilla, then fold in blueberries. Press the dough 2 inches thick, cut 24 biscuits and bake in a buttered 9 x 13-inch dish at 425°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Drizzle with lemon glaze if you like.
Why You’ll Love It
- Tall and fluffy. The dough is pressed 2 inches thick before cutting.
- Fresh or frozen berries. Use whichever blueberries you have.
- A full pan. One batch makes 24 biscuits.
- An easy glaze. Powdered sugar, lemon juice and cream, and it is optional.
Ingredient Notes
All-purpose flour. Four cups. Fluff it, spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off. Do not scoop and pack.
Granulated sugar. Three-quarters of a cup. These are sweet biscuits.
Baking powder and baking soda. Two tablespoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Unsalted butter and vegetable shortening. A 1/2 cup of each, cold and cubed. You can use more butter in place of the shortening.
Buttermilk. Two cups, cold.
Blueberries. Two cups, fresh or frozen.
For the glaze. One cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
- 2 cups buttermilk, cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
For the optional glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
How to Make Blueberry Biscuits
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Generously grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Fluff the flour, spoon it into measuring cups and level it. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cut in the cold fats. Add the cubed butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter until the pieces are small and the mixture resembles oatmeal.
4. Add the buttermilk and berries. Gently mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until the dough comes together. Add the blueberries and gently fold them in without popping them.
5. Cut the biscuits. On a floured work surface, gently press the dough into a disc about 2 inches thick. Cut out 24 biscuits with a 2-inch cutter and place them in the prepared dish. Or cut the dough into 24 2-inch squares with a sharp knife.
6. Bake and check the center. Put the dish in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 425°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. At 30 minutes, insert a toothpick deep into the center of a biscuit. It should come out clean. If needed, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Loosely cover with foil if the biscuits darken before they are done.
7. Glaze if desired. Let the biscuits cool in the pan. When they are mostly cool, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream until smooth, then drizzle the glaze over them.
The Secret to Fluffy Blueberry Biscuits
There is no single secret. Fluffy biscuits come from four small habits, and dense, hard biscuits come from skipping them. Warm butter and overmixing are the two usual reasons a biscuit turns out heavy.
| Habit | Do this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Measuring flour | Fluff, spoon into the cup, level | Scoop the cup through the bag |
| The fats | Keep the butter and shortening cold and cubed | Let them soften on the counter |
| Mixing | Stop when the dough comes together | Stir or knead until smooth |
| The berries | Fold them in gently, whole | Mash or pop them into the dough |
Browning does not tell you these are done. They are thick, and the center is the last part to bake. Push a toothpick deep into the middle of a biscuit at 30 minutes. If it comes out clean, they are ready. If not, give them 5 to 10 minutes more, with a loose sheet of foil over the top if they are getting dark.
Tips for Success
Why does the oven temperature change?
The recipe preheats to 450°F and drops to 425°F as soon as the dish goes in. Turn the dial down the moment you close the door.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes. Fresh or frozen both work. Keep frozen berries in the freezer until the moment you fold them in.
Do I need a biscuit cutter?
No. You can cut the dough into 24 squares of 2 inches each with a sharp knife.
When should I glaze the biscuits?
When they are mostly cool. If you are saving some for later, glaze only the ones you are eating now and glaze the rest just before you eat them.
Can I use all butter?
Yes. The recipe permits more butter in place of the shortening.
Can You Add Blueberries to Canned Biscuits?
This recipe is a from-scratch dough, and I do not have a method for working blueberries into refrigerated canned biscuits. If you want blueberry biscuits, the scratch dough here takes about 30 minutes to put together.
How Long Does It Take?
About 60 minutes: 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of baking. Allow up to 10 minutes more if the centers need it, plus cooling time before the glaze.
If you’d like to switch from biscuits to muffins, Snickerdoodle Muffins are soft, buttery, and ready in 28 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
These biscuits are best the day they are baked. The recipe does not give a keeping time, so I will not invent one. Store leftovers covered, keep the glaze off any biscuits you plan to save, and add it just before eating. If you freeze them, thaw them in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
What to Serve With It
For a plain biscuit to go with eggs and bacon, make butter biscuits. For another sweet one, try cinnamon sugar biscuit bites. More blueberry baking: blueberry pie bombs, Bea’s blueberry sheet cake and the lemon blueberry cake. And for a warm breakfast bowl, there is slow cooker Amish blueberry oatmeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the secret to fluffy blueberry biscuits?
Measure the flour lightly, keep the butter cold, mix the dough gently and fold in the berries without popping them.
What is an easy recipe for blueberry biscuits?
This one: a buttermilk dough with blueberries folded in, cut into 24 biscuits and baked in one 9 x 13-inch dish.
Is the glaze required?
No. The lemon glaze is optional.
How do I know the biscuits are baked through?
A toothpick pushed deep into the center of a biscuit comes out clean.
Final Notes
I cube the butter and shortening and put them back in the refrigerator until the dry ingredients are whisked, so they go in as cold as possible. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Blueberry Biscuits
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Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt for the biscuits
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening cold and cubed; more butter can be used instead
- 2 cups buttermilk cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the biscuits
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup powdered sugar for the optional glaze
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh; for the optional glaze
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream for the optional glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Generously grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
- Fluff the flour, spoon it into measuring cups and level it. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the cubed butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter until the pieces are small and the mixture resembles oatmeal.
- Gently mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until the dough comes together. Add the blueberries and gently fold them in without popping them.
- On a floured work surface, gently press the dough into a disc about 2 inches thick. Cut out 24 biscuits with a 2-inch cutter and place them in the prepared dish. Or cut the dough into 24 2-inch squares with a sharp knife.
- Put the dish in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 425°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. At 30 minutes, insert a toothpick deep into the center of a biscuit. It should come out clean. If needed, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Loosely cover with foil if the biscuits darken before they are done.
- Let the biscuits cool in the pan. When they are mostly cool, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream until smooth, then drizzle the glaze over them.
