Cathead Biscuit Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 25, 2026 
I make my cathead biscuit recipe when I want big, fluffy southern-style biscuits that truly impress. I use cold butter and a simple, tried-and-true method to create those buttery golden tops that bake up flaky on the outside and perfectly pillowy soft on the inside. These ginormous breakfast biscuits are surprisingly easy to make and require just a handful of pantry staples, which makes them perfect for busy mornings or weekend brunch.
There are biscuits, and then there are biscuits like these giant Cathead biscuits, which get their name because they’re pretty much the size of a cat’s head. Nothing compares to making a buttery biscuit from scratch, and this recipe makes a seriously fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside version of this Southern favorite. I split them open straight out of the oven and watch the steam rise up before I lather it with creamy butter, jam or a drizzle of honey. The best part is that these are made with simple ingredients and they’re ready in under an hour, just like my jalapeño cheddar cornbread! This dish is pure comfort, and trust me when I say that you won’t believe how quickly these disappear.
Kindra – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Made these biscuits as a test run before Thanksgiving and they were a hit!!!! I planned on testing a few recipes but was done searching after this one. The biscuits have such a nice crust on them and oh so delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Easy to Make – From the simple pantry ingredients to the easy-to-follow steps, these biscuits are foolproof. You don’t need any fancy tools or techniques to make this fluffy and delectable southern favorite. However, I do suggest using speed and a gentle hand. *wink*
Feeds a Crowd – When it comes to bread, I believe bigger is better, especially when feeding a crowd. Whether you’re entertaining for brunch or having the entire family over for dinner, unlike traditional biscuits, these are big enough to share.
Versatile – Whether you’re using these biscuits to scoop up something sweet, like a jam, or something savory, like my famous sausage gravy, these are the perfect accompaniment to any dish!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- All-purpose flour – To make the foundation of this bread recipe you need a classic all-purpose flour. You can use your favorite brand. However, I have found the WhiteLily is great for biscuits. It’s slightly lighter than traditional AP flour, but not as light as cake flour. It’s a southern favorite for baking.
- Granulated sugar – Just a touch of sugar gives the right amount of sweetness to every bite. It also helps the crust to crisp.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Definitely don’t skip out on these! To get the biscuits super fluffy, you need this dynamic duo so that the dough rises as it bakes. Make sure your leavening agents are fresh. Old ingredients are often the culprit of flat baked goods.
- Sea salt – I love using a little sea salt because it delicately balances all the flavors.
- Butter – Using cold butter is key to getting those drool-worthy flaky layers we all love. I suggest keeping the butter in the fridge until just before its needed.
- Butter-flavored shortening – Like Crisco. Using this, along with butter, helps balance the outer crisp and the fluffy interior. Alternatively, you can use lard.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is essential because it gives that tangy flavor and, most importantly, it keeps the biscuits nice and moist. Buy it, or learn how to make buttermilk in minutes.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep the oven – The first thing I do is get the oven nice and hot so that those biscuits rise beautifully. Then I grease my cast-iron skillet with some butter.
Mix the dry ingredients – After I sift the flour, I add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a food processor, and I pulse that with the flour a few times to get it combined.
Make the flaky layers – Now it’s time to make those flaky, buttery layers we all love. It starts by adding the cold shortening and some of the cold butter, then mixing well. I keep pulsing as I slowly add in the cold buttermilk. The dough should be nice and sticky at this point, with small pieces of butter in it.
Shape the dough – Once the dough is ready, I scoop it up and throw it onto a surface, where I even it out. Then, I use a drinking glass (or a large biscuit cutter) to cut out 8 even biscuits.
Into the skillet they go – Once the biscuits are shaped, I place them into the greased skillet and I brush the tops with melted butter so they form a golden crust when baked.
Bake – Let the biscuits bake for about 35 minutes until they’re golden brown. I know that they are ready when they have risen about an inch above the skillet.
Pull ’em apart – I use a spatula to break the biscuits apart before removing them from the skillet.
Expert Tips
Biscuits bake up with the best texture when:
- The flour is properly sifted
- The dough is not overmixed and/or overworked
- And the dough is cold going into the oven
Start with cold ingredients and work quickly to keep everything chilled. Be careful not to overmix the dough, whether you’re using a food processor or cutting it by hand. For the most tender biscuits, I try to cut them all out at once without reworking the scraps. If needed, I shape the biscuits and pop them in the refrigerator for a quick chill before I bake them, to make sure the dough stays nice and cold.
Recipe Variations
- Cheddar – Make a cheesy version of this biscuit by folding in some shredded cheddar.
- Bacon – I love to mix in crumbled bacon, especially in combination with cheddar. This makes the ultimate savory biscuit.
- Honey – Sweeten up the base of this biscuit recipe by stirring a drizzle of honey or extra sugar into the dough.
- Herbs – If you want to serve these biscuits with soup, add some fresh herbs like rosemary or chives to the dough before baking.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve these biscuits that you will be making them ALL the time! You can eat them on their own with butter and honey, or your favorite jam. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy these:
- Paired with sausage gravy for amazing biscuits and gravy
- As a side to parmesan kale soup, chicken tortellini soup, or beef stew
- Or as a side with fried chicken or chicken fried steak, and cheesy grits
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking this recipe in a deep skillet serves two purposes. First, the sides of the skillet offer support so that the biscuits rise to ethereal heights. Second, the biscuits edges on the outside of the pan turn crispy, while the center edges are soft and feathery. That way you get a little crunch and a whole lot of tender goodness.
Biscuits will rise higher if you bake them in a fairly hot oven, at least 425 degrees. That way the butter melts and evaporates quickly, creating tall, flaky biscuits. It also helps to bake biscuits in a deep-dish cast-iron skillet because the sides will support the biscuits and encourage them to rise instead of spreading out!
You can make a double batch in a 9×13 or 10×15-inch baking dish and refrigerate it overnight if needed. Just make sure to cover them well with plastic while in the refrigerator!
Storing
Store any leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days! Reheat them in the microwave or pop them in a warm oven.
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Cathead Biscuit Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, well-sifted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter, divided (half cold, half melted)
- 1/3 cup butter-flavored vegetable shortening, cold
- 2 cups buttermilk, cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 12-inch deep dish cast iron skillet and set aside.
- Sift the flour, then scoop and level. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix.
- Next, add the cold shortening and 1/4 cup cold butter. Pulse again until the fat is mixed into the flour creating a pebble texture. Continue pulsing as you add in the cold buttermilk.
- Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, stop pulsing. The dough should look wet, but even.
- Dump the dough out onto a floured work surface. Press it flat with your hands until it is smooth, in an even 2-inch thick disk. Use a drinking glass, or 3-inch cutter, to cut out 8 biscuits. If needed, cut out 7, then gather the dough and cut out the last biscuit.
- Place the biscuits in the skillet. Then brush the tops with the melted butter, and place in the oven immediately.
- Bake in the center of the oven until the tops are golden and the biscuits have risen at least 1 inch above the top of the skillet. Around 30-35 minutes. Make sure to move the oven racks, if need, to allow room for growth.
- Use a spatula or knife to separate the biscuits before lifting out of the pan.
I’ve been looking for the perfect biscuit recipe. And I think I found it! These biscuits sound like a dream! Yum! I love the fact that they’re as big as a cat’s head !!!
will enjoy baking!
Great recipe made it today 12/30/2017…used a mixer as I didn’t pull out the food ptocessor and used all butter and no butter shortening…I received great reviews!!!!
I was just wondering if anyone had used all butter! Yeah! That’s how I will be doing it!
Hi Sommer, My first time making these– Thank you for the great recipe! These are easy and soooo delicious!
Hi Kathy,
So glad you like them!! :) :)
I want to make these for a large family dinner. Can I mix and cut them out early in the day or the day before and keep in fridge. any ideas for making a large batch at once? They sound delicious!!!
Hi Margene!
Yes, you can make a double batch in a 9X13 or 10X15 inch baking dish and refrigerate them over night if needed. Just make sure to cover them well with plastic while in the refrigerator. :)
Makes me doubly sorry for the folks in France who are facing practically a butter famine. If it can be found at all you might have to pay $10 for a pound of butter. No croissants, no cat-head biscuits, …
That’s a scone not a biscuit.
Hi Andrea!
Technically, southern biscuits are ancestors of scones brought over by Scotch immigrants. Therefore all American biscuit varieties are a modern form of scones. Adding a little sugar to a biscuit recipe does not automatically make it a scone, just like taking the sugar out of a scone recipe doesn’t make it a southern biscuit.
Actually, in this recipe the sugar helps create the outer crispy texture, as well as keeping the interior moist. Texturally, these biscuits are very un-scone-like in the traditional sense. ;)
These biscuits are like crack cocaine to us biscuit-loving carb junkies! I strongly suggest making two batches instead of one–that way you can sneak a couple while they’re still hot from the oven and still have enough left to serve with your meal. (Hey, munching on hot biscuits is the cook’s prerogative, right?)
I just made these biscuits. My food processor isn’t large enough so I used a stand mixer with bread hook. Worked perfectly. Easiest biscuits I’ve ever made. Of course the best also. Thanks for a great recipe. I’m making your fried steak fingers and country gravy to go with the biscuits tonight. I’m not planning on calorie counting today.
LOL! Wow David, you are fast! Thanks for reporting back. I hope you like the steak fingers just as much!
Calories-shmalories.
I wouldn’t think a stand mixer with bread hook would cut in cold butter and shortening. Did you change the order of addition?
Do these biscuits have to be made in a cast iron skillet or can some other type of skillet be used?
Hi Gail,
As long as your skillet is large, deep, and oven-safe it should be fine. Happy baking! :)
Great explanation on the art of making great biscuits. I shared to my readers on my face book page thanks for the added details that will help them this holiday season and perhaps during the cold morning ahead. I see a sausage patty and an egg in mine or may just some homemade apple butter.
I just purchased my first cast iron skillet, but it is 10.5 inches. Can I make the recipe using this size? If not, can you tell me how to alter it so it will fit the pan I have. I would love to make these for Thanksgiving……
HI Lorraine,
Absolutely! Your biscuits will just be taller than shown in the images. Make sure to adjust the oven racks accordingly. :)
Don’t have a food processor or mixer with hook can these be done by hand mixing
Hi Michael,
Yes, if you have a pastry cutter that would be the best way to hand-mix the butter into the flour mixture. :)