We all love biscuits straight from the oven. Make your go-to recipe even better with biscuit tips from our Test Kitchen pros.

Make no substitutions

In a pinch, milk with a squeeze of lemon juice is a fine buttermilk substitute. However, in a simple recipe like biscuits, Prep Kitchen Manager Catherine Ward advises against it. “This is not the time for substitutions,” she warns.

Instead, be sure to add buttermilk and all the appropriate ingredients to your grocery list. Your biscuits will taste better for it. If you run out of it, then here are a few substitutes for buttermilk that taste the same.

Use good butter and dairy

“Use the best butter you can afford,” Catherine recommends. Because biscuit recipes call for so few ingredients, it’s important that every one is high quality—you’ll really taste the difference.

Catherine recommends splurging a bit on a grass-fed butter or European-style butter (now’s the time to reach for Kerrygold!). Same goes for buttermilk and cream. Snag a pint of the good stuff.

Taste of Home