Soft & Fluffy Cream Cheese Biscuits

Jump To Recipe by Cindy @mycountrytable

These Soft & Fluffy Cream Cheese Biscuits are delicious, whether you serve them with butter and jam, gravy, or as a dinner side. They are also super easy and can be prepped a day in advance.

Cream cheese in a biscuit? You heard right!! When you see the three-ingredient combination in this biscuit recipe, you’ll know they have to be undeniably delicious!

I’ve been making homemade biscuits for several decades but never thought of adding cream cheese to my biscuit dough. That is until several years ago when I saw a recipe for cream cheese biscuits in a Cook’s Country publication. I had to take a second look.

I originally posted this easy and delicious recipe back in 2017, and have made it so many times since. When I made them just the other day, I felt it was time to update my recipe with some new and improved photos. Sorry, my old pictures just didn’t do these biscuits justice.

So I have to ask…are you a flaky layers biscuit fan or a soft and fluffy biscuit fan? Or maybe both? I like both, and both are great with syrup or jam. However, when I want a biscuit for gravy or sausage/bacon biscuit sandwiches, I reach for this recipe. Besides, I don’t need flaky layers when I’m pouring gravy over a biscuit, I just need a soft and fluffy biscuit.

Okay, let’s talk about these Soft & Fluffy Cream Cheese Biscuits. There are 5 main ingredients in these biscuits, that contribute to the wonderful texture and flavor.

Buttermilk: Reacts with the leaveners to help the biscuits rise and be fluffy.
Butter: Gives structure to the biscuits and adds flavor.
Cream cheese: Adds softness and fluffiness.
Cake flour: Creates a lighter and more tender texture.
All-purpose flour: Provides structure.

Can I use cream cheese in a tub?

No! You can use cream cheese in a tub to spread on your biscuit but don’t add it to your biscuit dough. Cream cheese in a tub is more spreadable than a brick of cream cheese, and it is formulated for spreading on things like bagels or toast. When we use cream cheese in biscuits, we want it to be very cold and cubed, just like butter in biscuits, and we don’t want it to soften and begin to spread until it’s in the hot oven. If you start with softened/spreadable cream cheese, the result will be heavy and short biscuits.

Can I use reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese?

No! Not if you want the best flavor. You’re using full-fat buttermilk and real butter in this recipe, so don’t compromise on the cream cheese flavor.

How to make Soft & Fluffy Cream Cheese Biscuits

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold and cubed butter and cream cheese until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the buttermilk and mix until the mixture comes together and transfer it to a floured working surface. The mixture will be shaggy.
Knead the dough for about one minute, on a floured surface, until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 6″ x 8″ rectangle, about 3/4″ in thickness. Option #1: Use a bench scraper and cut the dough into 12 equal 2″ squares. With this option, you shouldn’t have any leftover dough to rework. Option #2: Using a 2-inch square biscuit/cookie cutter, cut the dough into 12 biscuits. If you have any scraps, lightly reroll them and cut additional biscuits, working the dough as little as possible.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until biscuits are light brown. Brush with butter and serve hot.

Why should I use a bench scraper or square biscuit/cookie cutter?

Cream cheese contains a higher water content than butter, thus creating more gluten. Therefore, if overworked it quickly becomes tough. If you roll or pat the dough into a rectangle and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into equal squares, you won’t have any leftover dough to rework. If you don’t have a bench scraper, using a square cutter, and cutting the biscuits close together, will result in very few rework scraps.

CAN I PREP UNBAKED BISCUITS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can. Cut the biscuits and refrigerate them on a baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 day. Preheat an oven to 450 and bake as directed in the recipe.