Biscuit Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

A biscuit is a popular quick bread. How you like your biscuit may depend on what part of the country you come from. If you are from the South, you may like your biscuits dense and crumbly. If you are from the North, you may prefer light and airy biscuits.

No matter the style of biscuit you prefer, most recipes for this popular quick bread contain many of the same ingredients—flour, fat, leavening agent, and milk or water. Here is a look at the nutrition facts, health benefits, and uses of biscuits. 

Biscuit Nutrition Facts

This nutrition information for one biscuit (45 grams) is provided by the USDA.

Carbs

With flour as the main ingredient, carbohydrates are the most abundant macronutrient in a biscuit. One biscuit provides over 19.3 grams of carbohydrates, 1.2 grams of fiber, and 1.8 grams of sugar.

Most biscuits are made with refined white flour. Though flour is a starch and a complex carbohydrate, a traditional biscuit has a glycemic index of 70. This means biscuits digest quickly.

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary source of fuel. Foods with a high glycemic index act as a quick source of energy, but may leave you feeling hungry not too long after eating. 

Fats

The fat content in a biscuit varies depending on the recipe. However, according to the USDA, one standard biscuit has 8.5 grams of total fat.

Most of the fat in the biscuit comes from saturated fat with 5.3 grams per serving. For health and wellness, no more than 10% of your total calories should come from saturated fat. On a 2,000-calorie diet that means no more than 22 grams of saturated fat a day. One biscuit provides nearly 25% of the daily recommendation. 

Protein

One biscuit has 3.2 grams of protein. The protein in the biscuit may not provide all the essential amino acids, so it is an incomplete source of protein.

Vitamins and Minerals

Biscuits contain many essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, zinc, and some of the B vitamins like folate. However, one biscuit provides less than 10% of the daily value of these nutrients.

Biscuits also are high in sodium. One 45-gram biscuit has 441 milligrams of sodium, providing nearly 20% of the daily value. Though your body needs small amounts of sodium to maintain fluid balance and support communication between nerves and muscles, most people get more sodium than they need. Getting too much sodium in your diet increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Ideally, you should limit your daily sodium to 2,300 milligrams a day. 

Calories

One 45-gram biscuit has 166 calories. Most of those calories come from a mix of carbohydrates and fat, with 76 calories from carbs and 76.5 calories from fat. The rest from protein. 

Health Benefits

Biscuits are often considered comfort food, but there also can be some benefits to biscuits. Here is an overview of the potential health benefits of biscuits.

Offers Quick Source of Energy

When working out, it is important to eat right before and after you exercise so you gain the most benefits. Pre-workout meals can be a bit trickier than post-workout meals, especially if you work out first thing in the morning.

Not eating before your workout may affect your energy and your body’s ability to build muscle. Ideally, you should eat a balanced meal with a healthy mix of carbs, protein, and fat 3 to 4 hours before your workout.

But if you are short on time, you may be looking for a quick source of energy to get you through. Though a biscuit may not make the most nutritious pre-workout snack, it supplies your body with a quick source of energy. Even so, to prevent a stomachache during your morning workout, try to eat your biscuit at least 30 minutes before your workout and drink plenty of water. 

Supplies Essential Vitamins and Minerals

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage you to choose more whole grains over refined grain products. This means selecting whole-wheat bread instead of biscuits made from white flour. Though whole grains provide many essential nutrients, you may be falling a bit short on meeting your daily vitamin and mineral needs when you cut out refined-grain foods made from enriched flour.

Enriched flour must contain thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and iron, and may contain calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Including refined grains made with enriched flour, like biscuits, helps you meet your daily vitamin and mineral needs. 

Provides Easy-to-Digest Option

Fiber is an essential nutrient that offers many health benefits. However, when recovering from stomach surgery or when experiencing a flare-up of irritable bowel syndrome, a healthcare provider may recommend you temporarily follow a low-fiber diet.

A low-fiber diet includes foods that are easy to digest. When following a low-fiber diet, you need to look for bread and grains that have less than 2 grams of fiber per serving, like biscuits. 

Offers Concentrated Source of Calories

Though most people struggle with losing weight, some have a hard time gaining weight or maintaining weight. Whether due to cancer or stress, being underweight weakens your immune system and affects your hair, skin, and nails.

When you are struggling to eat enough to maintain your weight or gain weight, you need to fill your diet with calorie-dense foods. Look for foods that provide the calories and nutrients you need without making you feel too full. With 166 calories per serving, biscuits pack a lot of calories in a small serving. 

Provides Fiber (Digestive Biscuits)

Traditional biscuits, like the ones you eat with biscuits and gravy, may not be a good source of fiber. But there are other types of biscuits. In fact, digestive biscuits are hard biscuits designed to help you get more fiber in your diet.

According to nutrition information from the USDA, one 30-gram digestive biscuit has 150 calories, 20 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fiber. The fiber in the biscuit comes from wheat bran, which is the outer shell of the wheat grain. 

Diets rich in fiber may help prevent constipation, lower cholesterol, and aid weight maintenance. However, the digestive biscuit also contains added sugar, with 5 grams per serving, and may not make the most nutritious source of fiber but it can provide a few extra grams if it is all you have access to. 

Allergies

Biscuit recipes vary and may contain wheat, dairy, or eggs, which are some of the most common food allergens. If you have food allergies, carefully read the recipe or the food label of your boxed biscuit mixed or refrigerated biscuit dough.

Food allergy reactions vary from mild to life-threatening. Avoiding allergens is the best way to prevent a serious allergic reaction. You can also look for biscuit recipes that omit the food you are allergic to, such as gluten-free biscuits for those who have a wheat allergy, celiac disease, or gluten sensitivity.

Varieties

A biscuit refers to any small baked good with flour, sugar, and fat as the main ingredients. You can find all types of biscuits at the grocery store, including fresh-baked, refrigerated biscuit dough, and dry biscuit mix.

A 1-ounce serving (28.35g) of biscuit made from a dry biscuit mix has 95 calories, 3 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. One refrigerated biscuit dough (43g) has 132 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 20 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

Storage and Food Safety

You can store your fresh-baked biscuits in the pantry for up to 18 days. Biscuits have a low moisture content, which increases shelf-life. Refrigerated biscuit dough is best before its use-by-date while boxed biscuit mix stays fresh in the pantry for up to 9 months. 

How to Prepare

There are many ways to prepare biscuits after mixing together the principal ingredients—flour, sugar, fat, and water. When making them from scratch, replace some of your white flour with whole-wheat flour to add more fiber.

You can also try Greek yogurt in place of some of the fat. Bake your biscuits in the oven and serve with sugar-free jam. Or, serve them with your roasted chicken and homemade gravy.