Oat Flour Biscuits (Dairy Free)
These homemade oat flour biscuits are a tasty alternative to traditional biscuits and are the perfect breakfast or snack! They are super tender and flaky and taste amazing topped with butter or jam.
This easy recipe can be made from start to finish in just an hour with 7 simple ingredients. What’s great about this recipe is that it is both gluten and dairy free.
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Why this recipe is the best!
Unlike this traditional biscuit recipe, these oat flour biscuits do not form a dough that has to be rolled and cut out before baking. These drop biscuits just simply have to be scooped onto a pan and put in the oven to bake. Besides being super easy, this recipe is also:
- Simple to prep with just 7 ingredients (just like these breakfast sandwiches!)
- Made in just one bowl
- Gluten and dairy free
- Easily stored in the freezer
Pro tips for making the perfect oat biscuits
If you’ve ever tried your hand at gluten free baking, you know it can be tricky to get the perfect outcome. But don't worry! The pro baking tips below are sure to help you make the perfect oat flour biscuits. And if you need more comprehensive info on gluten free baking, check out these baking tips.
1. Use room temperature ingredients (except the butter)
Make sure the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, milk, and egg are at room temperature to ensure they mix together well. The butter should be cold so it can be cut into the flour mixture.
2. Measure by weight
Use a digital scale like this one to measure all of your ingredients. Measuring by weight is more accurate than measuring by cup and can greatly affect the outcome of your baked goods. This is an essential step in successful gluten free baking.
3. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes
Allowing the batter time to rest ensures the oats fully absorb the liquids, lending a light and fluffy texture to your biscuits.
4. Make or buy gluten free oat flour
Oat flour is a great option for gluten free baking because it is extremely versatile and provides a soft and fluffy texture to baked goods. You can make your own oat flour by grinding rolled, gluten free oats in a food processor for 5-6 minutes until they reach a fine flour consistency.
If you prefer store-bought oat flour, I recommend using the Bob’s Red Mill brand of gluten free oat flour. Not all oats and oat flours are created equal, so be sure to choose those that are labeled “gluten free”.
5. Helpful tools
Here are some tools to make prepping these oat flour biscuits much easier (I'll link to some of the best ones for the money):
- Digital scale
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Pastry blender
- Spoon
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
How to make this recipe
Ingredients & substitutions
- Oat flour - I do not recommend substituting the oat flour in this recipe. If you are looking for an alternative, you can check out my Buttery Gluten Free Biscuits Recipe or my Almond Flour Biscuits.
- Salt - There are no substitutions for salt in this recipe.
- Baking powder - There are no substitutions for baking powder in this recipe.
- Granulated sugar - For a sugar free option, Swerve granular sweetener is a great replacement in these biscuits.
- Almond milk - This can be swapped for oat milk or coconut milk. Note that coconut milk may have a stronger flavor than oat or almond milk.
- Vegan butter - The Earth's Balance brand was used in tis recipe. Regular butter or margarine also work well though.
- Egg - If you need to substitute the egg, JUST egg is the best egg substitute to use. Check out other ways to substitute eggs in this guide!
Making the batter
Mixing up the biscuit batter can be done in just one bowl and only takes about 15 minutes. Start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (step 1 above). Using a pastry blender, cut the chunks of cold butter into the flour mixture (step 2) until the texture becomes coarse and crumbly (step 3). Add the egg to the milk (step 4) and beat slightly before adding to the flour mixture (step 5). Stir the mixture together until the ingredients are fully combined (step 6). The batter will be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes before baking.
Portioning and baking
Once the batter has rested, portion six full spoonfuls of batter onto a lined baking sheet to make 6 biscuits. Using a spatula, form the scoops of batter into tall mounds, using a rubber spatula to smooth the tops.
Bake the biscuits for 16-18 minutes at 425°F until the edges turn golden brown. Note that the tops of the biscuits will not turn brown.
Serve the biscuits warm with butter or jam.
FAQ's about this recipe
Any type of gluten free rolled oats are great for homemade oat flour.
Allowing the batter to rest contributes to a lighter and fluffier biscuit and keeps them from being too dense. During the resting period, the flour becomes hydrated by the liquids and they are able to fully come together.
Drop biscuits contain more liquid than traditional biscuits resulting in a thinner, batter-like dough that cannot be kneaded or rolled. Spoonfuls of batter are simply dropped onto a baking sheet rather than being rolled and cut.
Other biscuit recipes you may like!
You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.Recipe
Oat Flour Biscuits {Dairy Free}
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium bowl, combine the oat flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Whisk until fully combined.
- Cut the butter into smaller chunks and using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mix. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
- Add the egg to the milk and beat slightly. Add to the flour mixture.
- With a spoon, stir until the mixture comes together. The batter will resemble thick pancake batter.
- Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place parchment on a baking sheet.
- Portion one full spoonful of batter into 6 biscuits. Use the back of a spatula to form them into a tall mound and smooth the tops.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown (these biscuits will not get brown tops).
- Serve warm with butter or jelly.
Video
Notes
- You can easily make oat flour by processing gluten free oats for 5-6 minutes on high in a food processor.
- Unlike other gluten free recipes, the butter should be cold for cutting it into the flour.
- These are drop biscuits so the batter will not be dough, it will be more like thick pancake batter.
- The biscuits are best served the same day. Freeze them for longer storage.
So I made these biscuits and they turned out very bitter. I used coconut oil for the butter, I don’t know if that’s the reason why. Did that happen to anyone else?
Hi S O,
I have never substituted the vegan butter here for coconut oil, but coconut oil is very neutral so I would not imagine it would lend a bitter flavor.
However, coconut oil can be bitter if it's past its prime. Was it fresh?
That's the only thing I can think of.
Christine
Usually don't leave comments, but have to say this recipe worked like magic! I found that letting the biscuits rest a good bit after baking yields perfectly, not-crumbly
biscuits. Loved these! Had to write to thank you for such a good recipe. ☺ 👍
Hi Marie, thank you for commenting!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
~Christine
Can this recipe be added to…like orange zest and craisins, or lemon and poppy seed?
Hi Jamelle,
Absolutely - I haven't tested, so I don't have measurements, but yes, those would be great additions.
Christine
Hi Christine,
Wonderfully tasty. The "nuttiness" of the oat flour makes these really really good.
Any thoughts on how to get them to bind a little better? Although they stayed together quite well while baking, in the hand while being consumed, they had a tendency to fall apart.
I used oat milk as the wetting agent. Perhaps that might be the problem?
Hi!
So it could be, but it's likely the flour - did you make or buy the flour? I've found making oat flour can vary greatly, even 30 seconds of processing time makes a difference.
If you used storebought oat flour, it might need a little longer rest time. To give the flour a little more time to hydrate.
Let me know how that works.
Christine
What could be substituted for vegan butter? Possibly coconut oil?
Hi Alaina,
Yes, coconut oil should work great - just make sure it's solid, not melted or soft.
Christine
What can I sub for almond milk?
Hi June,
Coconut, oat or even dairy milk will work nicely.
Christine