Happy Black History Month, y’all! This is one of my favorite times of year because, in the words of Monique, “I love us for real.” Our history is so rich and I’ll take any opportunity to highlight it. Black history is integral to everyone’s current reality and should really be celebrated each and every day. Unfortunately, American history is notoriously revisionist and we don’t learn about even a fraction of it in school. That’s probably a topic for another day. Today’s topic is two-fold. First, the fluffiest, most pillow-like buttermilk biscuits you’ll ever try. And they just so happen to be vegan. Secondly, the fourth annual Black History Month Virtual Potluck! Not only are you about to get the recipe for my delicious vegan buttermilk biscuits and spiced pear compote, I’m also going to put you onto 28 plant-based creations from a collective of amazing black food creators. It’s a leap year so we’ve got 29 recipes, including mine, to celebrate every single day of Black History Month! Start scrolling for all the delicious details.
If you’re like me, you grew up on your granny’s biscuits. And in 2020, our grandmas are probably tired of making them! With this vegan buttermilk biscuit recipe, you can recreate the comfort of your childhood with no dairy. If you’re into plant-based eating, these dairy-free biscuits are all for you, boo. Even if you aren’t vegan, this fluffy plant-based biscuits recipe is definitely worth your time. And it likely takes less time than you’d expect–under 40 minutes, to be exact. Nothing marks a slow, cozy weekend morning quite like homemade biscuits and these are leagues better than anything you’d roll out of a can. The process is basically combining ice-cold ingredients to make a dough, rolling it out, cutting out your biscuits, and baking them. These vegan buttermilk biscuits are delicious all on their own but if you want to top them with something, I’ve got that covered next.
What is Pear Compote?
Jam, honey, and syrup are all well-known biscuit toppings but don’t sleep on compote! It’s the best of all three. Compote is essentially fruit cooked in sugar and water–think of it as a quick jam. I’ve shared a few different compote variations before, with my luscious blueberry compote being the most popular. The spiced pear compote you see today is inspired by fond childhood memories making pear preserves and syrups with my mom, aunt, and grandma. Growing up, we had a pear tree in the backyard that produced lots and lots of pears. The only thing is that they were really hard. As in, we worried about chipping our teeth by biting into them. So we’d make pear cobblers for immediate consumption the cook and jar the rest in the form of spiced pear preserves and pear syrup for later.
There are a few preparation steps and techniques that will help you get these biscuits perfectly fluffy. Here are my expert tips for fluffy biscuits of any kind.
Tips for Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
- Temperature is key when making biscuit dough. The colder the better. To create a nice cold environment for your dough, place everything you can in the freezer ahead of time. This includes your:
- Mixing Bowl
- Food Processor Bowl
- Mixing Spoon or Spatula
- Try not to twist the biscuit cutter when cutting into your dough. This can seal the edges and hamper rising.
- Put them straight into the oven after cutting. Don’t let them hang out and get warm. That cold to hot transition is conducive to fluffy little biscuits.
I hope you’ll whip up a batch of fluffy vegan buttermilk biscuits in your own kitchen soon and don’t forget the pear compote. 🙂 Sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Here are my past Black History Month Virtual Potluck submissions:
Now, onto this year’s full lineup just below the recipe card!
Homemade buttermilk biscuits with no dairy in sight perfectly complemented by warm spiced pear compote
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter cut into cubes and chilled in freezer for about 20 minutes
- 1 3/4 cup almond milk or plant-based milk of your choice
- 1 3/4 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups flour
- 1 3/4 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- 2 pears peeled and chopped into half-inch pieces
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- zest of one small lemon
Cut butter into cubes and place in freezer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Add apple cider vinegar to almond milk to make vegan buttermilk. Place in fridge.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and sea salt. Add dry mixture to food processor then add ice-cold butter. Pulse for 20-30 seconds or until the texture resembles a coarse sand.
Transfer to mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in cold vegan buttermilk and stir gently until dough forms. Dough will not be perfectly smooth.
Flour your hands and a clean surface (like your counter or a cutting board). Turn dough out onto surface.
Sprinkle a bit of flour over top and fold dough over on itself about four or five times. Gently pat into a flat disc about one-inch high.
To cut out biscuits, push biscuit cutter straight down into dough and pull straight back up without twisting. Combine scraps of dough and repeat process of patting and cutting to use as much as possible.
Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops of biscuits with melted vegan butter then place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes or until liquid is thickened.
Black History Month Virtual Potluck Lineup
- Honey Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes by Beautiful Eats & Things (vegetarian)
- Vegetarian Chili by D.M.R. Fine Foods (vegetarian)
- Mushroom and Okra Po’Boy by Dish it with Tisha (vegetarian)
- Dirty Rice by Domestic Dee (vegan)
- Vegan Curry Cauliflower by Food Fidelity (vegan)
- Wakanda Cake by Kenneth Temple (vegan)
- Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Fritters by Marisa Moore Nutrition (vegan)
- Cajun Shrooms & Grits with Collard Green Chow Chow by Meiko and the Dish (vegetarian)
- Vegan Bread Pudding by Rosalynn Daniels (vegan)
- Haitian Black Rice (Du Riz Djon Djon) by Savory Thoughts (vegan)
- Vegan Collard Greens by The Hungry Hutch (vegan)
- Vegan Jollof Rice by Whisk it Real Gud (vegan)
- Southern Sweet Fried Corn by A Little Food (vegan)
- Pound Cake by A Girl Called Adri (vegetarian)
- Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas + Greens by Baum Ass Foods (vegan)
- Red Beans and Tri-Color Quinoa by Collards are the Old Kale (vegetarian)
- Black Eyed Pea Hummus by FoodLoveTog (vegetarian)
- Rice Pudding by Her Mise En Place (vegetarian)
- Yeasted Cornmeal Dinner Rolls by Kalisha Blair (vegetarian)
- Sweet Potato Biscuits by Kenya Rae (vegetarian)
- Collard Greens Salad with Orange Vinaigrette by On Ty’s Plate (vegetarian)
- Banana Cake + Cinnamon Browned Butter Buttercream by Orchids + Sweet Tea (vegan)
- Roasted Garlic White Veggie Lasagna by Razzle Dazzle Life (vegetarian)
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Topping by Sweet Tea and Thyme (vegetarian)
- Southerner’s Banana Cheesecake Bites by Orchids + Sweet Tea (vegetarian)
- Crispy Roasted Okra with Peanut Sauce by Marisa Moore Nutrition (vegan)
- Vegan File Gumbo by Kenneth Temple (vegan)
- Sweet Potato Pancakes by Meiko and the Dish (vegetarian)
This round up is amazing!
Thanks, Adrianne!