Canned Biscuits, Ranked Worst To Best
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First thing in the morning there are few things as comforting as freshly baked warm buttery biscuits, but unless you're really into making biscuits by hand, it might not be worth the effort it takes to make them — which is obviously why canned biscuits are so popular and have been for decades. And these days there's a canned or frozen biscuit available to satisfy just about every biscuit need, whether it be taste and style, cost, or specialty ingredients.
While looking at the biscuit brands that are currently available, we noticed that two major styles of canned biscuits dominate the market: traditional buttermilk and flaky/buttery. We're not here to tell you which style is better, as they're both incredibly popular, but instead, let you know which biscuit brands are making the best versions of your favorite biscuits. If you've only ever experienced the ubiquitous Pillsbury biscuits, we've got a few more biscuit recommendations that you might want to try. No matter which biscuit you choose, you're going to have hot biscuits coming out of the oven in less than 30 minutes with next to no effort, which is how we think every morning should start. Here are the most popular canned and frozen biscuits, ranked worst to best.
Walmart/Great Value
Walmart's Great Value store brand sells thousands of products at prices noticeably lower than most grocery stores, which makes cooking on a budget a lot more accessible for many people. As of this writing, Walmart has Jumbo Biscuits available for just over a buck per standard 16-ounce can containing eight biscuits. Even more of a value is the 4-pack of traditional buttermilk-flavored biscuits that has 10 smaller biscuits per can, for a total of 40 biscuits, all available for only $2.20. We're not sure how Walmart is able to price the biscuits so incredibly low, but we can't argue that it's an incredible value.
But just because the products are a great price doesn't always mean that they're great tasting. Reviews on the Walmart website run the gamut from five stars to one, with the most positive reviews referencing how versatile the biscuits are to cook with, mostly when making other dishes like southern chicken and dumplings or casseroles. Unfortunately, the negative reviews mention that the biscuits themselves are mostly flavorless besides a hint of chemicals and bake with little to no color. We'd recommend skipping these in favor of one of the other brands of canned biscuits, and if a low price is what's important to you, we've got some recommendations for that on this list too.
Amazon/Happy Belly
It's hard to deny the slow creep of Amazon-branded products into our daily lives, and with the rapid growth of Amazon Fresh services, we're finding more and more Amazon groceries in our refrigerators and on our plates as well. It's fair to assume that if your grocery store sells a generic version of something, Amazon probably does too — including biscuits. Happy Belly is one of the Amazon brands that sell grocery items. Like other brands, they sell two variations of the classic pop-can biscuits: jumbo flaky butter-flavored biscuits and jumbo buttermilk biscuits.
At the time of this writing, one can of biscuits cost an impressively low $1.37, but like many grocery items around the country, price and availability vary by location and supply chain flow. The ingredient lists look nearly identical to some of the other lower-priced biscuits on the market, which have several oils, stabilizers, and artificial flavors listed. These are certainly better than Great Value's biscuits, but they still taste kind of cheap, although we'll admit that it's really convenient that they're delivered straight to your door if you're an Amazon Prime member.
Mary B's
If you haven't heard of Mary B's, it's probably because the biscuits are found on the freezer aisle instead of the refrigerated dairy section. According to the company's website, Mary B's has been making biscuits since 1997. They currently makes several styles of biscuit, including buttermilk, southern made, butter taste, thin biscuits, tea biscuits, and jumbo buttermilk biscuits. They're also an economically-priced option, with Walmart currently offering a 20-pack of Mary B's biscuits for just under $4 (which we think is a much better option than the Walmart Great Value store brand).
A quick look at the ingredient list let us know that real buttermilk is actually used in these biscuits, but there's also a lot of additional oils and artificial flavors that we don't absolutely love. The brand isn't available everywhere, but you can see if a store near you carries Mary B's biscuits by using the store locator on their website.
Trader Joe's
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Trader Joe's has their own store brand of biscuits and that there's a loyal following for them. There's just one regular biscuit in the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's, and it's a classic buttermilk biscuit. A 16-ounce can has eight biscuits, which is pretty typical for most biscuit brands, and Trader Joe's Grocery Reviews reports that a can costs less than $3, which is a pretty good deal. The buttermilk taste is especially apparent with these biscuits, so if you enjoy that particular style of biscuit over super buttery biscuits, this might be the can you want to check out.
These biscuits don't actually have any butter in them at all, instead using buttermilk, nonfat milk, and oils. Unlike some of the other biscuits on this list, these aren't especially flaky, but more like fluffy Southern drop biscuits. "They were edible, but absolutely nothing special," writes Become Betty. "There were no delicate layers and they were neither light nor dense. They landed somewhere in the middle. These are ok in a pinch; fine if you are never going to make your own, but I really think there are better canned biscuits out there." So while Trader Joe's hits it out of the park pretty often, their version of buttermilk biscuits seems to be more of a mediocre offering.
Annie's
Annie's has become one of the most reliable brands for people who want organic pantry items, and it's also one of the cornerstone brands for gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan food options. The Annie's Organic Flaky Biscuits are no different, providing a delicious vegan alternative to canned biscuits made with dairy products (although, strangely, the can says there may be milk ingredients present even though no dairy ingredients are listed, so strict vegans may want to steer clear).
Like other brands, there are eight biscuits per 16-ounce can, and at the time of writing this article, Amazon sells the cans for $3.29 each. That is slightly higher-priced than some of the other biscuit brands, but surprisingly low for an organic option. Tasters enjoyed the noticeable layers of the biscuits and mentioned that they're slightly less sweet than some of the competitor's brands. We appreciate that Annie's has been able to make a quality vegan biscuit, and we think that many people may not even notice the difference unless they were told. However, for people who love ultra-buttery homestyle biscuits, these may fall a little short — although no one says you can't slather them with some lovely organic butter when they're fresh out of the oven!
Red Lobster
You might not have expected Red Lobster to make this list, but in October of 2021, the company launched a store-bought version of their famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Talk about the ultimate comfort food at home! The biscuits are only available at Walmart (although they've also made a Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix that's available in more places online), and currently retail for around $5 per box. Each box contains eight frozen biscuits that bake up in about 25-30 minutes directly from frozen.
The recipe for these biscuits is closely guarded, but a quick look at the ingredients shows us that they're made with real shredded cheddar cheese, buttermilk, and a specialty garlic herb blend. If you're a big fan of these biscuits but can't make it into one of the restaurants, a package of Cheddar Bay Biscuits in the freezer at home seems like a fantastic alternative. This is currently the only flavor Red Lobster offers in frozen form, and with a product so singularly popular, why mess with success?
Pillsbury
Pillsbury is the easiest of all the canned biscuits to find, available in nearly every grocery store, big-box store that sells groceries, or convenience store. Not only are Pillsbury biscuits the most widely available, and some of the tastiest, but the company also makes the widest selection of biscuit flavors and styles on the market. The four types of biscuits that you can buy from Pillsbury include traditional-sized canned biscuits (each about 1.2-ounces), Grands! Biscuits (each about 2 ounces), sweet biscuits, and Grands! frozen biscuits. All of the biscuits except the sweet biscuits are available in either Flaky Layers or Southern Homestyle, and in flavors that include Original, Buttermilk, Butter Tastin', Honey Butter, Southern Recipe, and Sweet Hawaiian. The sweet biscuits are available in Chocolate Chip and Blueberry. Since there are so many options, your grocery store probably doesn't sell every single style and flavor, but there's a good chance they sell one you're going to like.
As of the time of this writing, a can of Pillsbury biscuits costs anywhere from $1.50 to $2.60, which is still on the lower end of the spectrum. With a product that's been popular for generations, you'd think that would be all Pillsbury needs to offer, but they've actually gone a step further and created hundreds of recipes and posted them on the Pillsbury website, many of which include ideas on meals you can create with their biscuits. These biscuits aren't just for breakfast, but for lunch, dinner, and dessert as well.
Immaculate Baking Company
Immaculate Organic Flaky Biscuits are made by General Mills, which purchased the Immaculate Baking Company in 2012. For those looking for an organic alternative to some of the larger brand-name biscuits, Immaculate Baking Company has made a biscuit that bakes up perfectly golden on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, with noticeable pull-apart layers. Each biscuit is about two ounces each, which is on the larger side for biscuits and comparable to the Pillsbury Grands! Size. They're only available in a can of eight, which should comfortably feed a family of four to six. If you've got extra biscuits you can freeze them either uncooked or cooked for your next breakfast.
Whole Foods lists these biscuits as being dairy-free, kosher, vegan, and vegetarian, and one can of eight biscuits costs about $4.69, although they can also be found on sale from time to time. While no specific dairy products are listed in the ingredients, there is an allergy warning on the website and the can that the biscuits may contain milk ingredients, so it's debatable whether or not the biscuits are actually vegan. If you're comfortable with possible trace amounts of dairy and you're looking for an easy organic canned biscuit option, you might want to try the Immaculate organic flaky biscuits next time you're at your organic market.
Aldi/Bake House Creations
Aldi is known for taking name-brand products and creating grocery items that are often just as good, if not better than the original, at a much lower price than you'd find in a typical grocery store. Part of that comes from the wholesale-style layout of the stores, and part of it is by owning and manufacturing their own store-brand products. We were delighted to see that Aldi makes canned biscuits under the Bake House Creations store label. There are two options available, Jumbo Flaky Biscuits and Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits, which we can only assume were created to compete directly with the popular Pillsbury Grands! biscuits. Each can is 16 ounces and contains eight biscuits, which lines up with what the other brands are offering, but it's the price that might actually shock you. According to Aldi Reviewer, one can of biscuits cost only .99 cents before tax, which is one of the lowest prices available on this list.
"These biscuits are outstanding. They're buttery, flaky, and everything else you want in a biscuit. I've used them with biscuits and gravy, and to make breakfast sandwiches, and they come out perfectly every time," AldiReviewer says of the Bake House Creations Jumbo Flaky Biscuits. Most of the ingredients are similar to what other canned biscuits are made of, although they don't contain any butter and have a few more preservatives than we've seen in other options — but for the incredible price, we really can't complain.
Mason Dixie
Mason Dixie was founded in 2014 and produces real-deal biscuits, as well as scones, rolls, and breakfast sandwiches, all available in the frozen section of the grocery store. They may have left the pop-open cans behind in favor of freezing, but these are as close to homemade biscuits as you're going to get without actually making them yourself. The ingredients list only includes ingredients you'd actually cook with at home, including flour, buttermilk, butter, milk, sugar, baking powder, and salt. There are no preservatives or artificial flavors anywhere. The biscuits are also a little larger than most of the other "jumbo"-sized biscuits. Each package contains six biscuits that weigh over 2⅔ ounces each before cooking. All of those real ingredients come at a cost, however. One package from Whole Foods currently retails at over $6 before tax, which is one of the most expensive options available.
Mason Dixie makes biscuits in a wider variety of flavors than most of the competition, with varieties like buttermilk, cheddar, garlic parmesan, jalapeno cheddar, cheddar chive, savory herb, and even pumpkin spice. According to Mason Dixie, you can go from pulling the biscuits out of the freezer to fully-baked in about 25-30 minutes, with none of the effort that it takes to make the biscuits from scratch. So while the price per package is a little steep, we think it's worth it if you want the pleasure of real handmade biscuits, but don't have the time or energy to make them yourself.