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Home » Cooking & Entertaining Essentials

Published: May 2, 2023 · Modified: Sep 3, 2024 by Pam

The Best Biscuit From a Mix

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pin image of 4 biscuits made with mixes.

We tested making biscuits from 4 popular baking mixes. It may surprise you to discover which one came out on top!

Disclosure: We have no prior affiliation with any of the products used in this test. We conducted our testing using controls of the methods to be as fair as possible. We wanted to know the answer, just like you do. Which mix produces the best biscuit?

Below is a sneak preview look at one biscuit made from each mix.

4 biscuits in a collage.

Table of contents

  • Why test biscuit mixes?
  • How we tested
  • The ones we tried
    • Bisquick
    • Jiffy
    • Pioneer
    • Southern Biscuit Company
  • How we rated
  • Our comments on each
    • Bisquick
    • Jiffy
    • Pioneer
    • Southern Biscuit
  • The final results of the biscuit mix test
  • Related Recipes

Why test biscuit mixes?

We're no strangers to shortcuts, even though we love, love, love our southern foods and many of those recipes can take some time. The number one biscuit recipe on our site is 3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits and it has, well - just 3 ingredients.

Several of our other recipes, including Cinnamon Biscuits and Mexican Biscuits use the two ingredient base of heavy cream and self-rising flour.

So we know there are times a freshly baked biscuit is what you want on your table, but you have little time available. Therefore, keeping the best biscuit mix in your pantry is the way to go.

How we tested

We made one batch from each of 4 baking mixes.

We followed the directions on the package for rolled biscuits with one exception. That one only had drop biscuit directions on the box, but their associated website had the rolled biscuit recipe, so we went there to get it.

We used the same insulated baking pan for all 4 tests. We also lined the pan with parchment paper each time.

We used a two and one-half inch biscuit cutter in every case. Each time we cut straight down and back up, which is the standard for cutting biscuits and getting the best rise.

We brushed all with melted butter when they came out of the oven.

The ones we tried

These were all available at our local grocery store, though you could certainly order them from Amazon if you like. We'll link at the bottom for convenience.

In no particular order, the baking mixes we used:

Bisquick

box of bisquick.

Quite possibly the best known and most universally available - Bisquick comes in a familiar yellow box. It's widely used for lots of recipes, including pancakes, sausage balls, waffles and more. We even use it in our Apple Cobbler!

Jiffy

box of jiffy baking mix

Jiffy is probably best known for their sweet yellow cornbread mix. The brand also has cake mixes (single layer, small mixes) and this baking mix that can be used for making waffles, cinnamon rolls, etc. in addition to biscuits.

Pioneer

box of pioneer baking mix

Seems to be most widely available next to Bisquick, but that could be just from our southern states perspective. The box had a couple of intriguing recipes that we'd like to try - Brownie Cupcakes and Cranberry Orange Scones.

Southern Biscuit Company

bag of southern biscuit mix.

This is the only one that came in a bag versus a box. This is also the only one actually named "biscuit mix" though there are other recipes on the package, like cobbler and pancakes.

How we rated

We used three main criteria for rating each biscuit:

  1. How easy is it? Were the added ingredients something the average home cook will have in their fridge/pantry, or do they need to go out and buy something? Also, how easy is the dough to work with after the ingredients are blended?
  2. Performance and Looks: Did it brown evenly on top and bottom, rise an appropriate amount? In general, did it make a good looking biscuit?
  3. Taste: Was it dry, pasty, rich, buttery? In general, is this a good tasting biscuit?
collage of 4 biscuits with the name of baking mix they're made with.

Here's your first look at a biscuit and the mixes they were made from. What are your impressions?

Our comments on each

Bisquick

biscuit in front of bisquick

How easy is it? Very. It was mixed with milk and the dough was easy to work with.

Performance/Looks? It browned evenly, but had an exaggerated rise. We've never made a homemade biscuit with this kind of rise.

Taste? It was somewhat dry and tasted "floury".

Jiffy

biscuit in front of jiffy box.
  1. How easy is it? Very. The only added ingredient was milk and the dough was easy to work with.
  2. Performance/Looks? It made a beautiful biscuit, browned evenly top and bottom, and rose an appropriate amount. There were a few dry lumps still in the mixture after stirring according to directions.
  3. Taste? The taste was good, though if you bit into one of those dry lumps you definitely knew it. One taste tester said it was a bit floury tasting, though not as much as the Bisquick biscuit.

Pioneer

biscuit in front of pioneer package.

How easy is it? Very. The only added ingredient was milk and the dough was easy to work with.

Performance/Looks? It made a beautiful biscuit, browned evenly top and bottom and rose an appropriate amount.

Taste? Overall, the biscuit was excellent in taste. It wasn't quite as rich and buttery as another one.

Southern Biscuit

biscuit in front of southern biscuit mix

How easy is it? This one rated least easy of the 4. It required buttermilk which not all home cooks keep on hand. The dough was also a little wet and messy to work with.

Performance/Looks? It browned evenly top and bottom and rose an appropriate amount though was a little flatter than the others. It had a "lumpy" appearance, probably due to the buttery "bits" in the mix.

Taste? This biscuit was excellent in taste. It had a good texture and the richest taste of the 4.

graph of biscuit mix test.

The final results of the biscuit mix test

Most like homemade biscuit graphic.

If you keep buttermilk on hand and don't mind working with a sticky dough, this one looked and tasted most like homemade.

best overall graphic for biscuit test.

Pioneer Baking mix was easy to work with, needed only milk added, and produced a beautiful biscuit with good flavor.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on an affiliate link and buy something, we may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra. Click here for our full privacy and disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

For your convenience, we're linking below to each of the mixes below.

  • BISQUICK
  • JIFFY
  • PIONEER
  • SOUTHERN BISCUIT

You're probably going to have some mix left over if you try this yourself. If you're looking for another yummy breakfast option for these mixes, check out these easy, 5 ingredient Cranberry Orange Scones and Cinnamon Scones.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amy Joseph says

    May 05, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    Thanks for this info. Iam a cook , but i am not a good biscuit maker now you have made it simple for me. We will be having biscuits and gravy for breakfast. I will let you know how it came out.

    Reply
    • Pam says

      May 05, 2023 at 6:23 pm

      Please do, Amy!

      Reply
  2. Aunt Susan says

    May 06, 2023 at 8:30 am

    Maybe this is the solution to my biscuit making problem. I am going to look for the Pioneer mix. Thanks for the insight!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      May 06, 2023 at 1:48 pm

      We think you'll like it!

      Reply
  3. Cynthia says

    May 12, 2023 at 7:02 pm

    Thanks for doing all the hard work! I've never used a biscuit mix before. This is helpful!

    Reply
  4. Marley says

    May 12, 2023 at 7:52 pm

    This is a super informative post! I am tempted to test out different biscuit mixes now!

    Reply
  5. Neha says

    May 12, 2023 at 8:45 pm

    WOW!! You have made it so easy for everyone! What a wonderful and informative post. I am saving it right away.

    Reply
  6. Saif says

    May 12, 2023 at 9:00 pm

    Thanks for sharing your experience on using the best biscuit mix. Definitely going to give it a try.

    Reply
  7. Elisa says

    May 13, 2023 at 1:58 am

    Thank you for sharing this information, is good to know the difference and all the tips that was given in the post. I have never made biscuits from a box. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  8. Carla P Brooks says

    May 28, 2024 at 9:18 am

    I'm a baker & I love the Southern Biscuit mix & it's easy to make buttermilk if you don't have it, just mix milk with lemon or vinegar & let it sit for 5 minutes. The result are some of the best biscuits ever & just as good as homemade. Just don't over mix & don't over knead.

    Reply
    • Pam says

      May 29, 2024 at 7:35 am

      So very true Carla! We have that formula in our 3 Ingredient Biscuit post.

      Reply

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