These Cinnamon Raisin Yogurt Biscuits are one of my new favorite biscuit recipes, and it all came together by accident. I was making a different biscuit recipe (always such a quick and easy addition to any dinner) that called for buttermilk. Side note: I know a lot of times buttermilk is the same thickness as whole milk, but when you buy REAL buttermilk, it’s actually about as thick as yogurt.
Anyway, I did not have any buttermilk on hand (I only buy it for biscuits and sometimes homemade ranch dressing—what do you use it for?) and while my first thought was to sub in regular milk (like so many other biscuit recipes), I decided to try yogurt instead because of the thicker consistency. The outcome was such a hit that I’ve decided that my new obsession was going to be trying different yogurt biscuits! Haha, it’s the little things in life, right?
Our Weekday Breakfast Struggle
The timing of this experiment could not be any more perfect. My daughters (both middle schoolers) have been turning down breakfast more and more on school mornings. They just aren’t in the mood, and I know, I know…it’s the most important meal of the day! However, I’ve learned that they WILL actually eat breakfast if I have something magically prepared that is so delicious, they just can’t resist.
So, that’s led to me racing into the kitchen and throwing together homemade avocado toast as fast as I can in the mornings—alternatively, all sorts of egg dishes, oatmeal, power balls, you-name-it. We do have the frozen breakfast burritos that I make about once a month, but some mornings are so rushed that there’s often not even time for them to heat and eat them. Not to mention, it’s a lot of food for someone who claims they’re not even hungry (they have been taking, and loving, the burritos in their lunches).
And here’s the thing, I don’t particularly like to race into the kitchen like there’s a fire drill first thing in the morning so I can have something ready (before the pressure of the bus’s morning arrival—hello childhood nightmares!) in hopes it’ll be appealing enough for them to decide to eat it. Which is why I’m so excited to have a new, super easy option—we might as well call it “breakfast in a biscuit”—that I can make in advance and basically throw at them as they walk out the door.
That reminds me of a waffle that actually WAS thrown across the mud room one morning when I tried to hand it off upon their exit (how dare I think it could be eaten without syrup!). LOL, gotta love those moody middle schoolers! So now you further understand the struggle here and why this new combo that they both love (and would never pass up!) is a welcome one.
Cinnamon Raisin Yogurt Biscuits
Make mornings easy and delicious with these Cinnamon Raisin Yogurt Biscuits. I've replaced the buttermilk with yogurt, and they came out amazing!
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, plus extra for patting out the dough
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk plain yogurt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
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Cut the butter into tablespoon size chunks and sprinkle on top of the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter tool, the back of a fork, or by pinching it into small pieces with your fingers. You could also use a food processor with a dough blade.
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Stir in the raisins with a fork or spoon, and then add in the yogurt. Use your hands to squeeze the dough to help bring it together.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, sprinkle the top with more flour, and pat it out by hand to about 1" thickness. Cut out pieces with a cookie cutter of choice (any shape will work!), fold over scraps, and repeat until all the dough is used.
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Space out pieces on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. My daughters think these are best served warm so eat right away or reheat before eating any leftovers.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
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Homemade Chocolate Pudding Pie (YUM!)
Are you able to post of video of you making these? I am a bit of a visual learner.
Hi Rosaria, we’ll definitely pass this along to Lisa. – Nicole
We could only find a whole wheat pastry flour so we used an enriched cake/pasty flour by Monarch and the dough was very sticky…..kept adding more flour to no avail. We did bake them up and they tasted good…a little dense but still good. Any ideas?
Yes, if you used a different flour it could end up needing more (or less) so you did the right thing by adding more when it felt sticky. I think regular whole-wheat flour would be a better substitute over an enriched white flour. It would be a more real food choice, that is for sure!
I just made these for the first time and also found it very sticky. What I did was add more flour, then used wet hands to bind it. Took a while of adding flour little bits at a time to get it into a dough, but to me, it was worth it. Mine came out very flaky. My only complaint with the recipe is that the cinnamon was too little. I would double or triple the amount, and maybe add some maple syrup to the yogurt before adding the yogurt to give it a bit more of a breakfast/sweet flavoring instead of a buttery biscuit (though there is nothing wrong with buttery flavor :) )
Thanks so much for the feedback. I’m glad you were able to make them to suit your tastes! – Nicole
Could I freeze these before baking? Trying to prepare food for a trip.
I have not tried it with this exact recipe, but I do think it would work!
Having made Lisa’s other biscuits many times, I recommend freezing after baking. I warm it up in the microwave for about 1 minute with a moist paper towel. Comes out hot, and doesn’t dry up because of the wet paper towel.
We try to limit our saturated fat intake so do you have any recommendations on a substitute for butter? I typically use nonfat yogurt and fat free buttermilk when recipes call for those full fat ingredients. Thanks.
I have not tried any of those. Only sub I’m sure about is solid coconut oil, but doesn’t sound like what you are looking for.
Oh, what an interesting recipe! I really like cookies, any cookies! I often bake oatmeal cookies, with spices, with raisins, with fruits, berries and dried fruits – they are always delicious with a large cup of herbal tea, a small cup of coffee or a cup of milk :) I have never made cookies with yogurt, I’ll definitely try to bake them today, they look super appetizing ! Thank you for your blog!
I use buttermilk in smoothies and they are delicious.
Can you use Whole Wheat Flour and just process it until its a finer grind? I read that the only difference between whole wheat and whole wheat PASTRY flour was that pastry flour was ground a little finer. I have King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour. Can’t find the pastry
We haven’t tried that yet, but if you can grind it, then yes, give it a try. Let us know how they turn out. – Nicole
These were great! I love how quick and convenient they are. I used greek yogurt, about 10 oz and they came out great. I will definitely make them again.
Awesome. Glad to hear they came out great using Greek yogurt. – Nicole
We just made these for Easter breakfast and they were delicious! Thanks, and Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who are celebrating!
Wonderful! Glad to hear you loved them. – Nicole
These are delicious! I made a batch and my boys polished them off, so we made another batch the same day! They are yummy right out of the oven. The raisins add just a touch of sweetness and they hardly take any time to whip up! The first batch I used half buttermilk and half yogurt. Second batch I only used buttermilk. Both came out great. Thank you for the recipe.
Glad to hear delicious and the boys liked them :) – Nicole
Did you use 1.5 cups of buttermilk?
My favorite banana bread recipe calls for either sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk. So far sour cream has been our favorite and I usually have that on hand. I can’t wait to try these biscuits. I make your whole wheat biscuits all the time and serve with sausage gravy for breakfast.
I’ll have to try sour cream next! :)
Just fyi, you can make “buttermilk” by adding a tablespoon of either plain white vinegar or lemon juice to a scant cup of regular milk. Let it sit a few minutes, it will thicken and curdle slightly, and you are good to go.
Yes, true! Thanks for the reminder :)
No egg?
Not for this recipe! – Nicole
Could you make your own whole wheat pastry flour and if yes, what would you recommend?
I have not tried that, but I would avoid red wheat berries – see if you can get anything lighter.