Easy Air Fryer Biscuits

Baking canned biscuits in the air fryer is a quick and easy way to make tender, flaky biscuits without turning the oven on! Ready in under 10 minutes, these fuss free refrigerator biscuits are beautifully golden, flaky, and delicious served warm with salted maple butter, homemade jam or alongside your favorite vegan dinner.

Why Should You Try This Recipe?

As a busy mother of 3, I understand, there’s not always time to make everything from scratch. Air frying makes it fast, and ready-to-bake refrigerated dough makes it easy to put freshly baked biscuits on the table in a fraction of the time. 

• Quick and convenient. Made using everybody’s favorite, Pillsbury ready-to-bake refrigerated biscuits, these flaky, air fried biscuits are ready to devour in minutes. They are the quickest and best alternative to homemade vegan biscuits. 
• No need to thaw. Bake straight from the freezer or fridge!
• Hassle free. Cooking biscuits in the air fryer is totally fuss free - no mixing or kneading, no dishes, and no waiting! Just set it and forget it.
• Fun for the Kids. Kids love to pop open the cans of biscuits and help cook them for the family.

Ingredients

When making biscuits in the air fryer, you’ll need one can of store-bought refrigerated  biscuits (vegan*). There is a growing number of brands offering vegan biscuits with Pillsbury Biscuits being the most popular and widely available.

Happily, many of their biscuits are vegan (milk free, egg free, and butter free) for example: Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, Southern Homestyle Original and Buttermilk, Flaky Layers Sweet Hawaiian.

*Just be sure to double check the ingredient label (see recipe notes for tips).

How to Make 

I think we can all agree that refrigerator biscuits are a time saver! Below are the easy steps for cooking them using the air fryer method. I’ll let you in on a secret: the air fryer does all the work!

1. Preheat the air fryer to 300º F for 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Prepare the biscuits. Open the can of premade biscuits by peeling away the outer paper then tapping the can on the edge of the counter. Be Warned: it pops open suddenly and is kind of surprising (like a jack in the box)! Twist the can and remove the biscuit dough.
3. Arrange the biscuits. Put the biscuits into the air fryer in a single layer, leaving space around each biscuit for best results. 
4. Bake. Air fry the biscuits until fluffy and lightly golden.
5. Different air fryer brands and styles. Basket or oven style air fryers may produce slightly different results. I use the Kalorik Basket Air Fryer from Costco.

6. Remove the biscuits from the air fryer. Use tongs (or two forks), the surface of the air fryer is hot! Or wait for it to cool down (I never can tho!).

How to Serve

These flaky biscuits are delicious and versatile. Enjoy them hot or cold, sweet or savory, as a snack or serve alongside cauliflower kale soup or Tex Mex salad. Below are a few ideas to get you started:

• Plain and simple. Enjoy warm biscuits brushed with salted maple butter (recipe below), garlic herb butter or homemade jam.
• Breakfast sandwich. Serve with tofu scramble, a slice of vegan cheese or a vegan sausage patty.
• For dessert. Add a dollop of dairy-free Chantilly cream and a handful of fresh berries.
• For dinner. Smother your biscuit with gravy or enjoy as an accompaniment to a bowl of vegan chili, vegetable bean soup or lentil bolognese.

How To Store, Freeze, and Thaw

Cooking for one or two? Don’t worry, store any leftover, unbaked biscuit dough in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to cook. Some guidelines:

• Storing and reheating baked biscuits. Fresh is best! But store leftover, air fried biscuits on the counter (wrapped) for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. To reheat the baked biscuits, pop them into the microwave in 10 second intervals or in the air fryer @350º for ~1-2 minutes.
• Storing extra unbaked biscuit dough. Once you’ve opened the canned biscuits, any unbaked dough can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. If you don’t use them within two days, pop them into the freezer.
• Freezing unbaked biscuits. Place any leftover, unbaked biscuits onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.
• Thawing unbaked biscuits. Frozen biscuits can either be thawed in the fridge or at room temperature before air frying, but they can also be baked from frozen!

Expert Tips 

Keep your air fryer hot and your biscuits cold! Here’s a few more helpful tips for perfectly cooked, fluffy, air fryer biscuits that will have everyone asking for more:

• Single layer. Place the biscuits in the air fryer in a single layer with space between each biscuit for the best results. The magic of air fryer technology is hot swirling air so the food cooks fast and even.
• Oven-style air fryer. If using an oven style air fryer, use the middle rack only for the best evenly cooked biscuits. You may have success using two racks by rotating them halfway through the cooking time.
• Air fryer temperature. If the air fryer is too hot, the outside of the biscuits cook too fast, get very dark, and the inside is underbaked. Keeping the temperature lower achieves the best results: evenly golden crust and baked all the way through.
• Testing Testing 1,2,3. Do a test run with one biscuit to see if you need to make any time or temperature adjustments for your specific air fryer.
• For the BEST air fryer biscuits. Serve them fresh - same day! While leftover biscuits are good, they are superior when enjoyed hot and fresh.

FAQs 

More Air Fryer Recipes

These days I’m obsessed with my air fryer. It’s quick and easy, doesn’t heat up the house, and clean up is a breeze. Here’s a few more recipes to try:

• Crispy Chickpeas in Air Fryer (that stay crispy for days!)
• Vegan Falafel (2 ways)
• Cauliflower Quinoa Meatballs

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