Homemade Bisquick Mix

With only 4 ingredients, this homemade bisquick mix is a versatile baking staple that combines flour, baking powder, salt, and butter for a convenient base used to make a variety of baked goods like pancakes, biscuits, and coffee cake!

While baking from scratch is wonderful, sometimes it’s nice to take a shortcut or two and that is when having this homemade bisquick mix on hand is convenient! It tastes just as great as the store-bought mixture but there is no need to actually run out and buy it. 

Growing up my mom made this baking mix in bulk and when I recently came across a box of Bisquick at an Italian grocery store but didn’t want to pay the high price tag, I made it at home. Fast, easy and perfect! 

The next time you are craving a flaky homemade biscuit with strawberry jam for breakfast or lazy Sunday mornings, this copycat recipe for classic Bisquick mix can help you get it on the table faster! Simple to make, money saving and tastes great, this recipe checks all the boxes. 

Why This is the Best Homemade Bisquick Mix

• A classic shortcut: Using a DIY Bisquick mix can help you bake from scratch but without the added kitchen time!
• Butter: This recipe uses butter for the best rich flavor. 
• Easy to make: It’s simple to make your own homemade Bisquick with only 4 ingredients and 15 minutes of your time.
• Versatile: Use this mix to make pancakes, biscuits, muffins, pie crusts and more. It’s so convenient to have on hand. 

What is Bisquick?

If you are not familiar with it, you may wonder what bisquick actually is! It’s a baking mix sold by General Mills under their Betty Crocker that dates back to the 1930s. This shelf stable boxed mix is made with common pantry ingredients such as flour, shortening, a leavening agent and salt. It can be found easily in stores throughout the United States and Canada but may be harder to find in other countries. 

That is why learning how to make homemade bisquick mix comes in so handy when making pancakes, waffles, biscuits and even muffins. All you need are a few minutes of time and 4 simple ingredients and then it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or the freezer for a few months. 

Ingredients Needed

• Flour: All purpose flour is best in this homemade baking mix but you can use self rising flour. If you use self rising flour you do not need to add the additional baking powder and salt. 
• Baking powder: Always ensure your baking powder is fresh, especially if you plan to store this mix for a longer period of time.
• Butter: You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. Your butter will need to be cold, not at room temperature and cut into cubes. 
• Salt: If you have used salted butter you will need ¾ tablespoon of salt. If you have used unsalted butter, use up to 1 Tablespoon of salt.

How to Make Homemade Bisquick Mix

In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients of flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.

Cut cold butter into the flour mixture using two forks, pastry cutter or a pastry blender and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

Ingredients for the biscuits

• Bisquick mix
• Cheddar cheese
• Milk

How to make Bisquick Cheddar Biscuits

In a large bowl mix together the biscuit mix and cheese, add the milk and mix just until the flour has been combined, it will be lumpy.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 8-12 minutes or until the biscuits are a golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature. They can be brushed with melted butter before serving. 

Using Shortening vs. Butter

I used butter in this recipe for homemade biscuit mix as shortening is hard to come by in Italy, that is if you can find it at all! Butter adds a rich flavor and leads to baked goods that have a slightly denser texture but are also light and delicate in texture. 

Using butter in homemade Bisquick does mean that it will spoil faster and it will need to be stored in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. 

Shortening can also be used to make this homemade Bisquick recipe. Because vegetable shortening has a higher melting point than butter, you may find that your biscuits or pie crust made with bisquick are flakier, lighter and more tender. 

Shortening has a longer shelf life and bisquick made with shortening can be stored for up to 3 months in the refrigerator!

Can I add flavorings or herbs to the mix?

Absolutely, feel free to add dried herbs, garlic powder, or cheese to personalize your biscuit mix.

How to Store Homemade Bisquick

Store homemade bisquick made with butter in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

For longer storage, place in a freezer safe container and store frozen for up to 3 months or 4 months.

Ways to Use Homemade Bisquick

There are so many ways to use bisquick mix from fresh biscuits to homemade pancakes, waffles, cobbler, strawberry shortcake, brown sugar pinwheels or orange drop biscuits. Anytime a recipe calls for all-purpose baking mix you can use this homemade Bisquick substitute. It really is the best baking shortcut. 

When I am short on time, I love to make this cinnamon streusel coffee cake with Bisquick! It’s simple to make with a Bisquick cake batter, streusel topping and vanilla glaze. 

I also have used it to make simple ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches! Just add some shredded cheese to the biscuit mixture and add a chopped ham filling in between two biscuits and bake until golden. 

Recipe FAQs

More homemade mix recipes you may want to try are Homemade Powdered Sugar, Hot Chocolate or a Mix Homemade Allspice. I hope you enjoy making homemade mix recipes like me and enjoy using it to make biscuits and much more. Enjoy!

Updated from March 9, 2016