Low-fat biscuits can be really good—better than the commercial ones and a lot cheaper. Soft and tender, they’re healthy, low-calorie biscuits for most diets and easy enough to whip up anytime.
With just two ingredients—nonfat yogurt and self-rising flour (or a simple homemade substitute)—they’re on the table in under 25 minutes. Perfect for a lighter breakfast or an easy side for soups and chili.
🤔 Quick Answer: How many calories are in these low-fat biscuits?
Per biscuit: about 135 calories and roughly 0.3 grams of fat (the exact number can vary slightly with different yogurts and flour brands).
That makes them one of the lightest homemade biscuit options you can bake.
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Featured Comment by Linda in Boston:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This was a great recipe, and easy. I have struggled for years with butter-based recipes and was never satisfied. But these are great - soft and slightly chewy... "
TL;DR (Recipe Summary)
What it is: A healthy, low-fat biscuit recipe made with just two ingredients. Very low-calorie and nearly fat-free—an easy option for most healthy diets.
Why you’ll love it: Soft, tender, and one of the lightest homemade biscuits you can bake—great for staying on track with a healthy diet.
How to make it: Mix yogurt with self-rising flour (or the homemade version), drop or cut into biscuits, and bake until golden.
Jump to the Recipe Card or keep reading for the details.
🥣 Nutrition Snapshot: Low-Calorie Biscuits vs. Traditional
These homemade biscuits are low-fat and low-calorie — about 135 calories and nearly fat-free — compared to the 200+ calories and 10–12g of fat in classic buttermilk biscuits.
| Per Biscuit (Approx.) | Low Calorie Biscuits | Traditional Buttermilk Biscuits |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~135 | ~200–220 |
| Total Fat | 0–1g | 10–12g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g | 6–8g |
| Protein | 4–5g | 3g |
🥣 What You Need to Make These Low Fat Biscuits
These are simple two-ingredient biscuits made with nonfat yogurt and self-rising flour—store-bought or homemade.
Nonfat Yogurt
Use plain nonfat yogurt—regular or Greek both work. Greek yogurt is thicker, so you may need a splash of milk or extra yogurt to loosen the dough.
✅ Pro Tip: Don’t use flavored or sweetened yogurt—they’ll throw off the texture and taste.
Self-Rising Flour
If you don’t have self-rising flour (many home cooks don’t), you can make it with three pantry staples:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum-free suggested)
- ½ teaspoon salt
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Low-Fat Biscuits
1. Mixing the Dough
Combine self-rising flour (or the DIY substitute) with nonfat yogurt in a bowl.
✅ Pro Tip: Stir just until combined—don’t overmix, or the biscuits may toughen.
2. Shape the Biscuits
Make 8 drop biscuits and place them evenly on a parchment-lined or non-stick baking sheet.
✅ Pro Tip: A quick spray of PAM or similar adds a tiny bit of oil for extra browning—but it’s optional.
2b. Optional: Want Cut Biscuits Instead?
Pat the dough ¾-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out 8 biscuits with a 2-inch cutter. You’ll need to gather and re-roll the dough scraps one or two times to complete the full batch.
✅ Pro Tip: Press straight down—don’t twist—or you’ll seal the edges and reduce the rise.
3. Baking Until Golden
Bake in a fully preheated oven at 400°F convection (or 425°F conventional) for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown.
✅Pro tip: Always use a fully preheated oven for the best rise and texture.
👇For full step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card—or keep reading for flavor variations, serving ideas, and storage tips.
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🤔 Variations and Add-ins
Want sweet, low-fat biscuits? Add a little honey or sugar to the dough. Top with berries or a spoonful of jam for a healthy treat.
For savory biscuits, stir in herbs, garlic, or even shredded cheese (yes, it adds fat—but it’s worth it).
Looking for a fruity variation? Try my Low-Fat Blueberry Scones, a close cousin of this recipe.
✅ Pro Tip: For the lowest fat biscuits, stick to herbs or garlic instead of cheese — still flavorful, but keeps them low-calorie and diet-friendly.
Healthy Sausage Gravy and Biscuits ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This healthy, low-calorie version of Biscuits and Gravy uses low-fat sausage gravy with these yogurt biscuits, so you can enjoy your favorite breakfast without bypass surgery.
↕️ How to Adjust the Number of Biscuits
Cooking for two? Or a crowd? This recipe scales easily.
- In the recipe card, adjust the number of servings to match how many biscuits you want.
- Follow the ingredient list only—the written instructions don’t scale.
- Baking time stays the same.
✅ Pro Tip: If you're making fewer biscuits, you can still use the full batch of self-rising flour mix—just store the extra dry mix in an airtight container for next time.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
These low-fat biscuits are great with soups, breakfast sandwiches, or alongside a bowl of chili. Try them with Healthy White Chicken Chili, Texas Style Chili for a full comfort-food meal that still fits your plan.
❄️ Storage
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps for 3–4 days, tightly sealed.
- Freezer: Wrap each biscuit in plastic, then seal in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
✅ Pro Tip: For the best texture, reheat in the oven or toaster oven. Microwaving softens the outside.
❓FAQs
Yes. These are homemade low-fat biscuits with no butter or oil—about 135 calories each and almost no fat. A simple, healthy option if you're watching fat or calories.
They’re soft and fluffy, but not flaky. You might notice a slight tang from the yogurt—especially if using Greek yogurt.
Not quite. Bisquik™ is similar to self-rising flour but includes fats, making it a ready-to-use mix for quick biscuits, quick breads, and other baked goods. If you’re looking for low-fat options, it’s better to stick with self-rising flour.
Yes, in the DIY substitute version, but add extra yogurt or a splash of milk for more moisture. Expect a denser, less fluffy biscuit.
Not exactly. They’re made with no-fat yogurt instead of butter or oil, so they’re very low in fat — about 0.3 grams per biscuit. That’s still a fraction of the 10–12 grams in traditional buttermilk biscuits.
📖The Recipe Card
Low Fat Biscuits (Healthy, Low Calorie Recipe)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup non-fat yogurt
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° convection or 425° regular. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicon mat, or a light coat of PAM cooking spray.
Mixing the Dough
- Use 2 cups of self-rising flour, or make your own by combining 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Add 1¼ cups of nonfat yogurt. Mix just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated—do not overmix. If you're using Greek yogurt, you may need to loosen the dough with 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or additional yogurt.
Shaping the Biscuits
- For drop biscuits (the easiest method), scoop the dough into 8 equal portions and place them evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- For cut biscuits, pat the dough out ¾ inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out 8 biscuits with a 2-inch cutter (or 6 with a 2½-inch cutter). Gather and re-roll the scraps once or twice to use all the dough. Larger biscuits may take 1–2 minutes longer to bake.
Bake until Golden Brown
- Place your biscuits (dropped or cut) on the prepared baking pan. Make sure the oven is fully preheated. Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The exact nutrition values depend entirely on the ingredients you choose. Different yogurt brands have varying nutritional values and continually update their products over time.
- Greek yogurt works fine. However, it will have a stronger yogurt flavor and may require a touch of milk or an additional amount of yogurt. It may vary by brand, but 1-2 tablespoons of milk is the probable range.
- Store sealed at room temperature for 2-3 days, refrigerate for a week, or freeze for 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on March 16, 2013. It has been updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help with navigation.
Boni Watkins says
I and my husband love the biscuits made with plain yogurt! They are so Light and fluffy. I will be making them by your recipe all the time! Thank you for sharing!
Penny says
My body thanks you for creating a nonfat biscuit!! My cholesterol spiked and my doc has ordered a low fat diet.
The biscuits are just the way I like them... not fluffy and not soggy, a perfect biscuit! I made 1/2 unbleached flour and 1/2 whole white wheat and enjoyed the hearty flavor. The top crust turned brown but not hard and they taste good. I'm sure my family will load them up with butter but that's better than baking in the butter! I baked them on parchment paper cuz I hate spray oil.
4.5/5!! It will be my go to biscuit recipe!
Iris says
Just made these - they are light, fluffy and have a wonderful crispy bottom to them. Finally, I can make biscuits. I made them just as the recipe stated. I did use spray coconut oil on the pan. They are very satisfying. Thank you. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. 5/5
Mr. M says
Wow! These are seriously good. Every bit as good as those loaded with fat. Thank you for this amazing recipe! This will be a staple in our household!
DrDan says
Hi Di and Mr. M
Thanks for the notes. I discovered to take pictures even with "experiments" like this. It just worked out so well
Dan
Di says
Tried this recipe today and the results were amazing!!!! Thank you so much........5 stars
Trish says
Have you thought about using a butter extract for that buttery flavor?
DrDan says
I thought about it but I don't usually keep it around. A little would be nice.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Liz says
I only had a single serve cup of ff Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. So I halved the recipe and only added 1 tsp of baking powder to the flour. I had to use 2 TBSP of milk because I was a bit short on the Greek yogurt and the batter was too dry. It made 4 good sized drop biscuits and cooked perfectly in 12 min on a double layer baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. The texture was a bit chewier than old fashioned-very fattening biscuits but they were quite good! Not too dry and light and fluffy. Thanks for the recipe!
jim says
I have made these twice now. It is easier to make them right than to make them wrong. The first batch I over kneaded the dough, rolled it out, then made about a dozen round dough balls that cooked up like bricks. They barely rose, and were basically pretty bad.
So I decided to try it again. I barely kneaded the dough, just fully incorporated the ingredients, patted it down to about 1/2 inch, not 1/4, and cut the dough in 6 equal parts with a pizza cutter. Success!!!
Easy excellent recipe, over kneading, over handling the dough, = BAD, result, Sort of like pancakes, over beat pancake batter and yuk. Just get the batter together and leave it alone. THIs IS NOT like BREAD, knead, rise, punch, etc., I treated it that way the first go. OLD DOGS DO LEARN.
Thanks for the recipe.
DrDan says
Hi Jim,
Yep, old habits die hard. I have been doing biscuits for many years but initially over mixed. So one of the secrets is to just mix until all the flour is incorporated. If you are adding things like cheese, I put it in with the flour. The exception would be like blueberries (see zero fat blueberry scones) then just gently fold them in at the end.
Thanks for the comment.
DrDan
Vaness says
***** Delicious! and so very easy!!
Philip says
Awesome biscuits, easy to make, delicious taste. I added some herbs on top before baking. Will experiment with other flavours.
DrDan says
I have been adding garlic and some low-fat cheese (I know... not zero fat) Kind of a Red Lobster type thing.
Glad it worked well for you.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
James Guzman says
I'm on a low fat diet due to gallstones. These are a delicious godsend! I'll be sharing this recipe with family and friends. Thank you!!
Jody says
These are the best. I knead mine 10 or 12 times. I will never use another biscuit recipe again
Ann says
Tried your recipe and enjoyed them quite a bit. Thank you for posting.
DrDan says
I did a low fat version of biscuits with sausage gravy that drops the calories by over 50% at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/healthier-sausage-gravy-biscuits/ if your interested.
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Dianna says
I was a bit skeptical as to how these would turn out. I gave them a try be a use of how fluffy they looked in the picture. Mine did not turn out fat free as I only had regular yogurt in my fridge. Additionally, I added half a table spoon of butter because...well...butter. These biscuits turned out fantastic. They we even better slathered in sausage gravy.
Rhonda says
Wow! For fat free, these are great! Thank you! Super simple. Only thing I suggest is adding the comment next to yogurt....do not use Greek style. I did and had to add a little milk to get the right biscuit consistency.