What Type of Fat is Used in Biscuits? A Baker's Guide to Texture

December 26, 2025 •

4 min read

The fat content in biscuits is a defining characteristic, with some commercial brands containing up to 25% fat. Knowing what type of fat is used in biscuits is crucial for achieving the desired texture, as it fundamentally dictates whether the final product will be light and flaky or soft and tender.

Quick Summary

Biscuits use different fats like butter, shortening, and lard, with each choice significantly impacting texture and flavor. The right fat choice depends on the desired outcome, such as flaky layers with butter, a tender crumb with shortening, or a uniquely savory flavor from lard.

Key Points

Fat as a Shortener: Fat prevents extensive gluten development, ensuring biscuits have a delicate and tender texture instead of becoming tough and chewy.
Butter's Role in Flakiness: The water content in butter turns to steam during baking, creating air pockets and separating dough layers for a flaky result.
Shortening for Tenderness: Being 100% fat, shortening produces a soft and tender crumb with less spread, which is ideal for a specific biscuit texture.
Lard for Traditional Flakiness: Lard, a traditional fat, is renowned for yielding biscuits with exceptional flakiness and a unique, savory character.
Flavor Profile: Butter provides a rich, complex flavor from its milk solids, while shortening is neutral, allowing other flavors to dominate.
Combined Fats: Using a blend of fats, such as butter and shortening, is a popular technique to balance flavor and texture characteristics.

The Science Behind Fat in Biscuits

Fat's primary role in biscuit making is to 'shorten' the gluten strands that would otherwise develop when flour is hydrated. By coating the flour particles, fat prevents them from absorbing water, which in turn inhibits the formation of a long, elastic gluten network. This process results in a more delicate, tender, and crumbly texture. Without enough fat, a biscuit can become tough and chewy.

Beyond just tenderness, the type of fat and how it is incorporated also influences the biscuit's flakiness, rise, and flavor profile. Solid fats, which remain firm at room temperature, are essential for creating the classic flaky layers, while liquid fats provide moisture and a more tender crumb.

How Solid Fats Create Flakiness

For flaky biscuits, the key is to keep the fat very cold and work it into the flour so that small, distinct pieces remain. As the biscuit bakes, the water content within the fat turns to steam, which forces the dough layers apart. The melting fat then lubricates these layers, preventing them from fusing together. This process creates the characteristic air pockets and separate, flaky layers associated with high-quality biscuits and pastries.

Common Fats in Biscuit Making

Several types of fat are used in biscuit recipes, each with a unique impact on the final product. The choice of fat depends on the baker's preference for flavor, texture, and rise.

Butter

Butter is a favorite for its rich, creamy flavor and ability to create beautifully flaky biscuits.

Composition: Typically 80-82% milkfat, 15-18% water, and milk solids.
Texture: The water content creates steam during baking, contributing to impressive lift and tender, flaky layers. The butter's lower melting point results in a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Flavor: Adds a distinct, savory-sweet flavor from its milk solids that caramelize during baking.

Vegetable Shortening

Shortening is a 100% fat product made from hydrogenated vegetable oils, which gives it a higher melting point than butter.

Composition: 100% fat, no water or milk solids.
Texture: Produces a very tender, soft crumb because it lacks the water to create flaky layers via steam. The higher melting point means less spread during baking, which can result in taller biscuits.
Flavor: Has a very neutral flavor, making it ideal for recipes where you want other ingredients to stand out.

Lard

Lard is rendered pork fat that has been used in traditional biscuit making for centuries.

Composition: 100% fat, similar to shortening, but with a different fatty acid profile and a distinct flavor.
Texture: Famous for producing an exceptionally flaky and tender biscuit, often considered the gold standard by many Southern bakers.
Flavor: While some lard has a distinctive savory aroma, high-quality, refined leaf lard has a very mild flavor.

Margarine

Margarine was originally developed as a cheaper alternative to butter but its performance in baking can vary significantly depending on its fat content and composition.

Composition: A blend of vegetable oils, emulsified with water. Baking margarine sticks typically contain around 80% fat, but spreads in tubs have higher water content.
Performance: Can be used in place of butter, but often results in less flavor and a softer, less flaky texture due to its different composition and fat profile.

Butter vs. Shortening: A Comparison


Feature	Butter	Vegetable Shortening	Lard
Flavor	Rich, creamy, and distinct due to milk solids.	Neutral and flavorless.	Savory or neutral depending on quality.
Texture	Flaky, tender, and light; results in a melt-in-your-mouth feel.	Softer, more uniform crumb; can sometimes leave a greasy mouthfeel.	Exceptionally flaky and tender.
Flakiness	Excellent, due to its water content creating steam.	Less flaky due to its 100% fat content, no steam effect.	Excellent; a classic choice for maximum flakiness.
Spread	Spreads more quickly due to lower melting point; chilling dough is often recommended.	Spreads less due to higher melting point, resulting in taller biscuits.	Lower melting point than shortening but contributes less spread than butter.
Primary Function	Flavor and flaky structure.	Tenderizing and controlling spread.	Flakiness and tradition.

Selecting the Right Fat for Your Biscuits

The optimal fat for your biscuits depends entirely on your priority:

For maximum flakiness: Use a combination of fats. Many bakers swear by a blend of butter for flavor and a solid fat like shortening or lard for superior flakiness. Using cold, grated butter can also enhance flakiness.
For rich, deep flavor: Stick with all butter. Its natural dairy notes and milk solids provide a flavor that no other fat can replicate.
For a soft, tender crumb with a neutral flavor: Opt for vegetable shortening. It's a reliable choice for a classic, uniform texture, and it's also a vegan option.
For a traditional Southern-style biscuit: Lard is the classic choice. High-quality leaf lard, in particular, is highly prized for its mild taste and unmatched ability to produce flaky layers.
For a lighter biscuit: If you are using a liquid oil, be aware that you will get a denser, cakier result with no flakiness. Cream can be used as a liquid and fat in a simple recipe for rich, tender biscuits.

Conclusion

The choice of fat is a single, yet profound, variable that dictates the character of a biscuit. From the rich, flaky layers produced by butter's water and milk solids to the tender, high-rising crumb delivered by pure shortening, each fat serves a unique purpose. The best way to determine your preference is to experiment with different fats and see for yourself how they alter the final texture and flavor. Understanding these differences empowers any baker to create their perfect biscuit, whether it's for biscuits and gravy or a jam-filled treat. To explore more about the functions of fats in baking, visit BBM Magazine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Butter contains water and milk solids, which contribute to flakiness and flavor. Shortening is 100% fat with a higher melting point, resulting in a more tender crumb and taller biscuit with less spread.

Yes, keeping the fat cold is crucial for creating flaky biscuits. Small, solid pieces of cold fat melt slowly in the oven, creating steam that separates the layers of dough. If the fat is too warm, it will be absorbed by the flour, resulting in a denser, cake-like texture.

You can, but the results will differ. Stick margarine (80% fat) is the best substitute, but it will not provide the same rich flavor or flaky texture as butter. Tub margarines have too much water and are not recommended for biscuit baking.

Biscuits can turn out tough if you overwork the dough. Overworking develops too much gluten. The fat's purpose is to 'shorten' the gluten strands, so gentle mixing is necessary to prevent a tough result.

While lard is high in monounsaturated fat, similar to olive oil, it is still high in saturated fat and should be consumed in moderation. Butter and lard are richer in saturated fats than most modern margarines.

Butter has a lower melting point and more water, causing it to spread more. Shortening, with a higher melting point and no water, causes biscuits to spread less and rise taller. Chilling the dough helps control the spread of any biscuit.

Many recipes use a combination of fats, such as butter and shortening, to get the best of both worlds. For example, using both provides the rich flavor of butter with the superior flakiness and controlled spread of shortening.