What else is there to say? These vegan dill pickle cheddar biscuits are the best biscuits ever! Plus, this is an excellent way to use up the pickle jar juice.
If you're a pickle person, these are your biscuits. We're talking flaky, golden, buttery biscuits packed with chopped dill pickles, fresh dill, and vegan cheddar shreds! Plus, pickle brine in the dough itself brings maximum tang. They're the kind of snack that disappears before they've even fully cooled!
These vegan dill pickle biscuits started as part of a pickle-themed issue of my former EAT IT by hot for food member site, alongside a dill pickle dip and a dill pickle soup. The concept was simple: pickles deserve way more than a supporting role on a burger. Turns out, biscuits agree!
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why you'll love this recipe
These aren't your standard drop biscuits.A few things make them a little special:
- pickle brine in the dough - mixing soy milk with pickle brine creates a tangy vegan buttermilk that flavours every bite from the inside out.
- frozen butter technique - cubing the butter and freezing it before rubbing it into the flour is what creates those distinct flaky layers. Don't skip this step.
- pickle slice on top - each biscuit gets a round of pickle on top before baking, which gets slightly caramelized and jammy in the oven. It's a look and a flavour moment.
I've been working on my biscuit technique for years now. Turns out I like the method i use in this recipe better than what I did in this recipe, but I know that one is so popular. I'd be curious to know your thoughts if you make the original biscuit recipe often. How does this recipe compare?
ingredients you'll need
Following the method order, here's what goes into these vegan dill pickle biscuits:
- soy milk + pickle brine — combined to make the liquid base. Keep it cold.
- vegan butter — cubed and frozen before using. This is non-negotiable for flaky results.
- all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, sea salt — the dry base.
- dill pickles — chopped for the dough, sliced into rounds for the topping.
- vegan cheddar shreds — any brand works; look for one that melts well.
- fresh dill — dried dill won't cut it here. Fresh makes a real difference!
Of course, if you don't want to use pickles in your biscuits you can use all soymilk for the liquid, combined with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. That will make a vegan buttermilk to react with the baking powder. The mix-ins can really be whatever you want—chopped jalapeño, sundried tomatoes, whatever!
But the overall hot tip here, is never throw out the pickle brine in your empty pickle jar! Not only can you make this recipe, but it's also in my carbonara, and you can replace it for the jalapeño brine in my famous nacho cheese, if you don't want the heat.
tips for the best vegan biscuits
The method for making these higher-rising square biscuits is taken from a Martha Stewart technique I saw here.
Keep everything cold. This is the single most important thing when making flaky biscuits. Cold butter, cold liquid, cold baking sheet. If your kitchen is warm or your dough starts to feel soft at any point, put it back in the freezer for a few minutes before baking.
Don't overmix. Once the liquid goes in, fold just until the dough comes together — a slightly shaggy, crumbly dough is exactly what you want. Overworking it develops gluten and makes the biscuits tough.
The fold matters. After forming the dough into a rectangle, fold it once before cutting. This creates the distinct layers you see when you pull a biscuit apart.
how to make the biscuits
Combine the ingredients for the vegan egg wash/topping in a small mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into small cubes and place in a bowl. Place this in the freezer to chill.
Combine pickle brine and soy milk in a liquid measuring cup. Freeze this while you prepare the rest of the dough so it will also be cold.
Combine the dry ingredients for the biscuit dough in a large mixing bowl.
Slice 6 rounds from a pickle and set these aside for the topping. Chop up the remaining pickles or the biscuit dough.
Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Rub butter and flour in between your fingers to flatten it into petals. You want the mixture to be crumbly.
Combine the chopped pickles, cheddar shreds, and dill into the dry ingredients.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the chilled liquid mixture into it. Fold together until it just comes away from the sides, and no dry flour is visible. Do not overmix.
Place the ragged dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Form a rectangle of dough that's about 6 x 5-inches in size.
Fold that rectangle in half, this will create layers, and then flatten the dough with your hands again to create a rectangle about 6 x 5-inches in size.
Using a lightly floured dough cutter or knife, cut the dough into 6 square biscuits. Separate them on the baking sheet.
Brush each biscuit with the egg wash/topping and place a pickle slice on top.
hot tip: Ensure you're placing the biscuits in an oven that's preheated to 450°F. If the dough seems warm after preparing the biscuits, place the whole baking sheet in the freezer to chill the dough before placing it in the oven. The colder the dough is the better the rise you'll get. The pickle cheddar biscuits take about 20 to 24 minutes or until they look risen, and the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove onto a wire rack to cool before serving. They can still be slightly warm for serving.
equipment
- dough cutter
- large baking sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- liquid measuring cup
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- fork or spatula
how to serve and store
These biscuits are best eaten the day they're made, ideally still slightly warm from the oven. They work great as an appetizer on their own, alongside a bowl of vegan soup or chili, or as part of a brunch spread.
Leftovers can be stored at room temperature in a container for up to 24 hours. The biscuits also freeze well! You can reheat straight from frozen on a baking sheet at 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
frequently asked questions
Yes! These biscuits are completely vegan. The recipe uses vegan cheddar shreds, vegan butter, and unsweetened soy milk in place of dairy, so they're fully plant-based without compromising on that classic flaky, cheesy biscuit texture.
Flaky layers in biscuits come down to keeping everything cold and not overworking the dough. In this recipe, the butter is frozen before rubbing it into the flour, the liquid mixture is chilled, and the dough is folded once to create distinct layers before cutting. If your kitchen is warm, pop the shaped biscuits in the freezer for a few minutes before baking as cold dough going into a hot oven is what gives you that lift.
Dill pickles work best here. They add that sharp, tangy flavour that really comes through in every bite. You'll use both the chopped pickles in the dough and a few pickle slices on top as part of the topping, so grab a jar with good-sized spears or chips.
Absolutely, and you should! The recipe calls for pickle brine in both the dough liquid and the topping wash. It deepens the pickle flavour throughout the biscuits and adds a subtle tang that really sets these apart.
Cold dough is key to getting a good rise and flaky layers. Keeping the butter frozen, chilling the liquid mixture, and even popping the baking sheet in the freezer before baking all help the biscuits puff up properly in the oven. If your dough feels warm after shaping, chill it again before it goes in.
Store any leftover biscuits in a container at room temperature and aim to eat them within the first 24 hours for the best texture. If you need to keep them longer, they freeze well. Just reheat on a baking sheet at 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes until heated through.
vegan dill pickle cheddar biscuits
Ingredients
topping
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk
- 1 teaspoon pickle brine
- ½ teaspoon granulated cane sugar
- 1 small pickle, sliced thinly (optional, for garnish)
biscuits
- ⅓ C + + 1 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
- ⅓ C + + 1 tbsp dill pickle brine, liquid only, strained of solids
- 6 tablespoon very cold salted vegan butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ C finely diced dill pickles, about 3 small-medium pickles (pat dry)
- ¾ C vegan cheddar shreds
- ¼ C tightly packed fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- To make the topping, combine soy milk, pickle brine, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set this aside. Alternatively, you could use liquid Just Egg as an egg wash instead.
- To make the biscuit dough, use a liquid measuring cup and stir together unsweetened soy milk and pickle brine. Place this in the fridge to keep cold and allow the liquid to thicken slightly. Cut the butter into cubes and place in a freezer-safe bowl or container. Freeze for about 10 minutes while you continue prepping.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have room in your freezer, place this in the freezer to chill as well.
- In a small bowl, combine diced pickles, cheddar shreds, and fresh dill. Set this aside until ready to combine into the biscuit dough.
- In a large bowl, add all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, granulated garlic powder, and sea salt. Add the very cold cubed butter and coat cubes with flour using your fingertips. Rub each cube of butter in between your fingers to flatten it into petals. You want the mixture to be crumbly with small and larger pieces of butter. Gently mix in the cheddar shreds, pickles, and dill and coat with flour.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the cold liquid mixture in and use a fork to gently fold the mixture together, until you have a ragged dough that’s still slightly crumbly. Turn out the dough into the center of the chilled parchment-lined baking sheet. Lift the sides of the parchment to gather the dough together and gently press with your hands to form a mass of dough. Continue to form it, as best you can, into a 6 x 5-inch rectangle.
- Fold the dough onto itself from the short side and gently press your hands over the parchment paper to form another 6 x 5-inch rectangle or 6 x 6-inch square. Use a floured dough cutter or knife to cut the large piece into 6 even biscuits – which may be square or rectangular depending on how you formed the dough. Place the tray back in the freezer or fridge to keep the biscuits chilled, if necessary. You'll want to do this if the dough has warmed up or feels too soft. The biscuits will have the best texture if they're chilled going into the hot oven.
- Brush the tops of the chilled biscuits with the topping mixture (or liquid Just Egg) and top with a pickle slice, if using. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes until they look risen, and the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove onto a wire rack to cool before serving. They can still be slightly warm for serving.
- Leftovers can be frozen if needed. Reheat the biscuits on a baking sheet in a 450°F oven for about 10 to 12 minutes.
Björg
Delicious! I was kind of intimidated by the process but the video really helped. First time making biscuits but definitely not the last!
Lauren Toyota
WOO HOO!!! Glad they turned out 😀