Jennifer Garner and Her Family Make the Best Farm Biscuits—And They Cook Them on a Grill

If there’s one thing we know about Jennifer Garner, it’s that she loves sharing her favorite homemade recipes on her beloved Pretend Cooking Show. From breakfast bites to fruity desserts, her kitchen adventures always feel warm and inviting. And in her latest episode, she’s bringing a slice of her Oklahoma roots straight to our breakfast tables with a special family recipe: Farm Biscuits. Garner shared a treasured recipe from her Aunt Janet and Uncle Robert. And better yet, it came with a little surprise—these biscuits aren’t baked the usual way. Here’s how to make Jennifer Garner’s farm biscuits.

A Garner family biscuit recipe

On March 4, Garner shared her latest #PretendCookingShow episode on Instagram. “My favorite Aunt Janet makes my favorite biscuits on my favorite farm,” she wrote in the caption. “So I asked for her secrets to share with you. Here you go, from our Oklahoma family farm to your breakfast table. Thanks, Janet and Robert.”

The video opens with a surprised Garner asking, “The biscuits are going on the grill?” The camera then pans to her Uncle Robert, who confirms, “Yeah, we’re gonna smoke our biscuits this morning.”

From there, we get a wholesome montage of Garner and her Aunt Janet making the dough together in the kitchen, rolling it out by hand and cutting the biscuits before placing them in a buttered baking dish. Then, instead of putting them in the oven, they cover the dish and grill them under the hood. When Jennifer peeks in to check on them, the biscuits have puffed up beautifully, turning golden brown.

As soon as they’re done, Aunt Janet flips the biscuits out of the pan, revealing a perfectly crisped bottom. “That’s the part that’s good with butter and jam,” she says with a laugh. Garner wastes no time slicing one in half, topping it with gravy and eggs, and taking a big bite.

Tips for making farm biscuits at home

While grilling might not be everyone’s first thought when it comes to baking biscuits, you can absolutely make these in a traditional oven. Here are a few extra tips to get them just right:

• Use cold buttermilk: Keeping your buttermilk cold helps create a tender biscuit texture.
• Don’t over mix the dough: A light touch will keep your biscuits fluffy.
• Grill for smoky flavor: If you do have a grill, try baking them under the hood for a unique twist!
• Serve warm: These biscuits are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven (or grill), with butter, jam or even a drizzle of honey.

How to make Jennifer Garner’s farm biscuits

If you want to try Jennifer’s family biscuit recipe at home, here’s exactly how to do it. Whether you bake them in the oven or get adventurous and smoke them on the grill like Uncle Robert, these biscuits are sure to be a hit.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• ¾ tsp, salt
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

• Total time: About 1 hour
• Yield: 12 biscuits (or less)

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then make a well in the center of the mix. Pour the oil and buttermilk into the well and gently mix together. If the dough is too dry, gradually add buttermilk until you reach the desired consistency.
2. Pour the batter onto a floured surface and lightly coat it with additional flour. Gently work the dough until fully combined. Roll and cut out, or pinch and pull the dough to shape your biscuits. Then, place them into a lightly buttered or oiled baking dish.
3. Bake at 400℉  in a preheated oven until golden brown—or, if you’re feeling adventurous, smoke them on the grill like Uncle Robert!
4. Enjoy with butter, jam or gravy!

Garner’s followers were all in on this cozy, homey recipe, flooding the comment section with praise. “Ummmm….we’re gonna need that gravy recipe too,” one person wrote. “This could be my favorite one yet! Please, thank your lovely aunt and uncle for this recipe!” another gushed.