These soft and delicious buckwheat biscuits are made without gums or starches, and each one is around 100 calories. No eggs or dairy needed!
These biscuits are a great way to enjoy some bread, particularly if you have trouble with gluten.
They're soft, tasty, and with just enough biscuit "crumble" to satisfy. And, of course, they are scrumptious with a slather of soft butter!
They would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread or even just as a side to some baked chicken breasts and side salad.
I can also see these smothered with sausage gravy (Turkey Sausage, anyone?) or as a side to a bowl of homemade soup.
They're very versatile!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Light buckwheat flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Applesauce
- Brown rice syrup - Optional; honey or maple syrup will also work.
- Buttermilk - See Recipe Notes or recipe card for how to make your own.
Recipe steps
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until the batter is well combined.
The batter will be wet and sticky.
Dollop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You should get 8-10 biscuits.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the tops are springy to the touch and the biscuits are lightly golden.
Recipe notes
Be sure to use light colored buckwheat for best taste.
To make your own buttermilk, add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a measuring cup. Then, add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup total.
If you don't care for buckwheat, try my Spelt Pumpkin Biscuits or my Corn-Free Cornbread.
100 Calorie Buckwheat Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup light buckwheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons applesauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons brown rice syrup optional; omit if you don't like sweet biscuits
- ½ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
- Stir in the oil, applesauce, and syrup (if using) until the mixture looks 'pebbly' in appearance.
- Stir in the buttermilk. To make your own, mix one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with just enough milk to equal 1/2 cup.
- The batter will be fairly wet and sticky, but it will thicken up a bit as it sits.
- Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, dollop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet into 8-10 equal biscuits.
- Bake the biscuits for 8-10 minutes, until puffed and springy to the touch (mine are done in closer to 8 minutes, but my oven runs hot).
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Josie
These look delicious!:)
Jennifer Bliss
Great biscuits and tips and tricks on this recipe!
Lynda
I can't wait to try these! Do you have to add the rice syrup?
Lauren
Hi Lynda,
I think they'd work without it! 🙂
Lynda
Thanks Lauren!
Kelli
would honey work?
Lauren
It should be fine 🙂
michelle
tried these with sweet potato and they were fantastic 😀
Catherine
Made these this weekend and they are delicious!! Thanks for giving me a way to use that bag of buckwheat flour I got when I visited a grain mill last Christmas 🙂
Lauren
Thank you for the comment and the rating, Catherine! 🙂
Jedda
Will they taste sweet with applesauce in it? I wanted to make some to go with soup.
Thank you for the recipe!
Lauren
They didn't for me, the applesauce helps with moisture and to make them fluffy. You could try something savory like pumpkin if you're worried?
Jedda
I wasn't quite sure how pumpkin would be used, is it like mashed pumpkin used?
Lauren
Yes, it's a puree, usually sold in cans. You can make it yourself as well, if you prefer.
anne trinh
Strange it turned out too liquidy had to add 1/2c of almond flour to make it thick enough to scoop onto the tray as biscuit. It turned out like a light muffin in texture!
Lauren
Did you make any changes? It is a bit wet, which is why I say to let the batter sit for a minute. They are a bit like a muffin top, as stated in the post, so your texture sounds accurate.
Lisa J
These were simple and delicious. I used date syrup as the sweetener. I also used a small ice cream scoop and didn't flatten them so they ended up like soft rolls. I think next time I will make them for dinner and add some onion powder or Italian seasoning. Thanks for the recipe!
Lauren
Thanks for the comment, Lisa, I'm so happy you enjoyed the biscuits!
Sandra yaniv
Wonderful delicious and simple . I will recommend them to friends.
Maggie
I added 1/4 cup almond meal and used raw milk yogurt. Topped with pumpkin seeds for crunch. They were fantastic.
Kara
The image is labeled vegan, and yet when I read the recipe it calls for buttermilk... so not vegan unfortunately. Unless you stated a substitute that I missed maybe.
Lauren
Hi Kara,
There are directions for the buttermilk in the Notes.
Joanne
These are great. I have made them three times in a week and a half. They are easy, fit my diet and I love the taste and texture! Thanks so much1
Lauren
Oh, that's great, Joanne! Thanks for the comment and rating! 🙂
Laura
My favorite thing in the whole wide world is buckwheat, fresh ground groats from my coffee grinder makes me so happy. I love to make fresh cashew milk (full of calcium) by soaking raw cashews for 15 mins, then add cashews to the Vitamix plus 4-6 cups water, 2 or more squirts of raw (the dark non processed one) Agave plus 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Also I tried a buckwheat waffle recipe that Jade might like at Making Thyme For Health @ https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/?s=buckwheat+waffles&submit=%EF%80%82. My waffle maker has a 1/2 cup measure cup included. Thank you for all your hard work, I love your website.
Lauren
Thanks Laura! I'll give the waffles a peek, though I'm out a waffle maker for the moment, lol. 🙂
Jo
I just made these but tweaked the recipe with ginger and lemon myrtle and macadamia nuts on the top. Quite delightful.
My first time using buckwheat flour. I like the texture and flavour and all the better knowing it's a healthy option.
Thankbuou Lauren.
MariaL
I am a bread lover but sadly about a year a ago started working with a nutritionist battling rosacea and eczema in the winter. Naturally, gluten-free and dairy free was the first thing prescribed to eliminate inflammation. I am not a huge fan of GF stuff but these biscuits are superb! Really moist, super versatile and so easy to make! There is hope to survive without bread:)) Thank you!
Lauren
Oh, yay! Yes, I love this recipe. I'm hoping to play with it a bit more in the future! 🙂
Kristine
I baked these cookies but unfortunately they were falling apart like sand. I made small cookies ( half of an ice cream scoop) other than that I did not change anything. What might be the reason?
Lauren
Hi Kristine, did you mean to leave this comment on the buckwheat cookie recipe? This recipe is for the biscuits.
Am
I’m so confused, the majority of these comments refer to biscuits? I thought this was a cookie recipe??
Kay
Is this a US vs UK English problem?
In the UK, we don't have cookies, we call them biscuits.
I know you also have biscuits in the US, but I haven't worked out what that those are yet lol. Just have the impression it is not a health food...
Lady E
Great recipe! I made these tonight, and they were delicious! I used thinned out coconut milk yogurt for the buttermilk, and the 4 year old and I loved them! I’m sure these will be great for gf df peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is my intent for making them. Thank you!
Rebecca
Hey thanks for the recipe.
I made 3 batches of biscuits.
1st batch without syrup and used silk nut milk and a/c vin with a 1tab of golden ground flax let set 5 min. My oil was extra virgin olive oil. I finished biscuits by sprinkling w/ pumpkin seeds before baking . (Best batch!)’ crunchy and not a vinegar taste.
2nd & 3rd batch no flax used different oils: one with soy free earth balance stick grated & the other spectrum shortening. Both with maple syrup. Allergic to rice..
They both had a taste of the a/c vinegar. Our second favorite was the one with spectrum shortening.
Do you think the first batch didn’t taste the vinegar because of olive oil and possibly the flax?
Dorothy
What brand is good to use for these? Mine came out black and my kids wouldn’t eat them and I think it’s because the kind of buckwheat flour I got is unrefined and very corse. Is there a brand that doesn’t come out black and corse?
Lauren
I link to the exact grains and flours I use below the recipe in the Notes.
Elaine
Bouchard light buckwheat flour.
Rick
I made this recipe today. The mix was a dark grey after adding liquid, looked like cement. I did not add rice syrup. Cooked 11 minutes and they looked done. Sample was very neutral in flavor, nice nutty after taste. I will make them again with a sweetener next time. 4 star rating because of the dark color.
Elaine
If they came out grey, you probably used regular buckwheat flour instead of light buckwheat flour. They bake about the same. Regular has a buckwheat taste that some of us like. Light is blander and tastes more neutral (closer to wheat flour). Bouchard makes a nice light buckwheat flour that I use in pie crusts and general baking. I prefer regular buckwheat for pancakes. You can purchase Bouchard online directly or through the big vendor based in Seattle.
Jan Ellen Honeycutt
I made this now I was so glad I did.
I put almond butter on it and it was the best comfort food..
I cooked mine on the stove top for 4 minutes on each side
Lauren
That's great, Jan, I'm so happy you liked them!
Aurora
Hi and thanks for sharing your recipes.
My biscuits turned out grainy. I used Anita's sprouted buckwheat flour and two tbsp mushed banana, as no applesauce.
Would anything make these more holdy together, like Xanthan Gum? Agar Agar?
Have you tweaked this recipe since 2018 and if so, may I see the links please?
Lauren Goslin
Hi Aurora,
I'm not familiar with that flour, is it light in color? It sounds like the flour is the culprit, as there isn't anything in the recipe that should be grainy. I'm not sure on the xanthan gum, etc., as I can't eat those things. The main difference in the updated recipe is the addition of baking soda.