American Biscuits in the air fryer are neither crackers nor cookies. They are the soft, unsweetened bread rolls from the American South, which get a crisp crust and distinct butter layers when cold cubes of butter meet hot air. The dough is made from just plain flour, baking powder, salt, cold butter and buttermilk, and it should not be kneaded – it is folded three times and cut out.
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The whole recipe takes 27 minutes from flour to table: 15 minutes of preparation and 12 minutes in the air fryer at 180 °C. The result is eight golden biscuits that you split open with your fingers and eat warm with butter and jam. Below you will find what I have learned in my kitchen, the typical mistakes and answers to the most common questions.
Table of Contents
Why I Love American Biscuits in the Air Fryer
Biscuits are among the quickest breads I know. There is no yeast and no rising time, because it is the baking powder and the steam from the cold butter that lift the dough. That suits the air fryer perfectly, as it heats up quickly and hits the small rolls with powerful hot air from the very first second. The crust turns crisp and golden, while the crumb stays soft and layered.
I also get to skip turning on the big oven for just eight small rolls. That makes biscuits a natural choice for a weekend morning, when it is nice to have something freshly baked on the breakfast table without it taking up the whole morning.
Biscuits Are Not Crackers – and Not Scones Either
The name fools many Danes. In the USA, a biscuit is a soft bread leavened with baking powder, while what Danes call “kiks” and “småkager” (what the British would call biscuits) is known as crackers and cookies. Biscuits are most similar to scones, but there is one important difference: American biscuits are completely unsweetened, whereas scones typically contain sugar. The dough is also folded like a letter, and it is those folds that give the characteristic layers you can pull apart with your fingers.
My Kitchen Test of American Biscuits
I have baked biscuits in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 180 °C, and the recipe’s 12 minutes are exactly right: 9 minutes until they have risen and are golden on top, and then 3 minutes on the other side. The Dual Blaze has heating elements both at the top and the bottom, which gives an even colour, but I still turn them gently with a palette knife so the bottoms get some colour too. The biggest difference in my tests came from the temperature of the butter. When the cut-out biscuits stood in the fridge while the air fryer preheated, they rose higher and got sharper layers than those that waited on the kitchen counter.
I only put the baking paper in the basket once it is hot, and then I immediately add the biscuits in a single layer, about 1 cm apart. That way the hot air can circulate around each one, and the dough keeps the paper in place.
Press the cutter straight down and lift it straight up again. If you twist it, you squeeze the edges together, and then the layers cannot rise.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The first mistake is lukewarm butter. If the butter turns soft before the dough goes into the air fryer, it melts into the flour, and you lose the steam that is supposed to lift the layers. So use butter and buttermilk straight from the fridge, and work quickly. The second mistake is kneading. The dough should only be stirred until it just holds together, and it is fine for it to be sticky and uneven – if you knead it, the biscuits turn tough and dense. If the dough seems too dry to come together, you can add 1 tbsp more buttermilk instead of working it any further. The third mistake is twisting the cutter. That seals the edges, so the dough rises unevenly. Press straight down, and gather the scraps gently without kneading before you cut out the last ones.
How to Serve American Biscuits
Biscuits taste best straight from the air fryer, while the crust is crisp and the crumb is soft. Split them open with your fingers instead of cutting them, and try one of these serving ideas:
- Warm with butter and jam – strawberry and raspberry are natural choices
- On the brunch table with eggs, fresh fruit and a cup of coffee
- As a bread roll with a bowl of hot soup
- In a savoury version with 50 g grated cheddar and some finely chopped chives folded into the flour mixture
Storage and Reheating
Biscuits are best freshly baked, but they keep for 1-2 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 3-4 minutes, until they are warm all the way through. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, and warm them in the air fryer before serving.
American Biscuits require neither yeast nor patience – just cold butter and a light hand. Follow the recipe below, and let the cutter go straight down. Then eight warm, layered bread rolls will be ready for butter and jam.
FAQ
No. In the USA, a biscuit is a soft, unsweetened bread that rises with baking powder. What Danes call “kiks” and “småkager” (what the British would call biscuits) is known as crackers and cookies in American English.
Biscuits are unsweetened, whereas scones typically contain sugar. The biscuit dough is also folded three times, which creates the distinct layers you can pull apart.
Yes, if they can lie in a single layer with about 1 cm between them in the basket. If your air fryer is smaller, bake them in two batches and leave the waiting biscuits in the fridge in the meantime.
Recipe
American Biscuits in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring cup
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Round cutter - 6 cm
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Brush
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Cut 100 g butter into small cubes straight from the fridge, and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with a few pieces of butter the size of peas. Work quickly so the butter does not have time to soften.
- Add 2 dl buttermilk, cold from the fridge, and stir briefly with a dough scraper, only until the dough just holds together. The dough should be sticky and uneven, and it must not be kneaded.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and press it out with your hands into a rectangle about 2 cm thick. Fold the dough in three like a letter, turn it a quarter turn, and press it out again. Do this 3 times in total so the dough gets its layers.
- Press the dough out to about 2 cm thick, and cut out biscuits with a 6 cm round cutter. Press the cutter straight down without twisting it, so the edges are not squeezed together.
- Gently gather the scraps without kneading, press them out again, and cut out the last biscuits so you end up with 8 biscuits in total.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 °C fan. Meanwhile, place the cut-out biscuits in the fridge so the butter stays cold.
- Place baking paper in the hot basket and immediately add the biscuits in a single layer, about 1 cm apart.
- Bake at 180 °C for 9 minutes, until the biscuits have risen and are golden on top.
- Carefully turn them with a palette knife and bake for a further 3 minutes at 180 °C, so the bottoms get some colour too.
- Meanwhile, melt 20 g butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
- Take the biscuits out, turn them top side up, and brush them immediately with the melted butter.
Serving
- Split the warm biscuits open with your fingers, and serve them with 40 g butter and 4 tbsp jam.
Our notes for the recipe
Use butter and buttermilk straight from the fridge, and work quickly. The cold pieces of butter only melt in the air fryer, where the steam from them lifts the dough into distinct layers. Stir only until the dough just holds together – if you knead it, the biscuits turn tough and dense. If the dough seems too dry to hold together, you can add 1 tbsp more buttermilk. Press the cutter straight down without twisting it; if you twist, the edges are sealed shut and the dough rises unevenly. Variation:
Fold 50 g grated cheddar and a little finely chopped chives into the flour mixture for a more flavourful version. Keep the dough unsweetened – that is exactly what sets American biscuits apart from scones, which typically contain sugar. Serving:
Eat them warm, split open with your fingers and spread with butter and jam. They are best straight from the air fryer, while the crust is crisp and the crumb is soft. Serving size:
The recipe makes 8 biscuits, that is 2 per serving. If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches. Leave the waiting biscuits in the fridge in the meantime.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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