The Genius Trick For Making Sky-High Canned Biscuits

I love making biscuits, but I'm not great at making them rise tall and fluffy. But in my internet travels I discovered a simple trick to make homemade biscuits fluffier: placing toothpicks in them as they bake! I found this great tip on King Arthur Baking's site. The brand is known for its great recipes, plus smart tips and trick, so I was excited to give this one a try.

There was just one problem—I don't have time to make biscuits right now. Naturally, I started wondering… could this work with canned biscuits too? They're convenient, but they don’t always have the same rich, buttery flavor and fluffy texture as homemade. Canned versions can also bake up denser or drier, lacking that soft, melt-in-your-mouth feel. If this trick could give them more height and fluffiness, it might be a total game-changer.

Here's what happened when I tried this trick in my kitchen.

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How to Use Toothpicks to Help Your Biscuits Rise

Biscuits rely on steam and trapped air to rise. As they bake, the heat causes the dough to expand, but sometimes biscuits collapse or spread too much before they fully set. The toothpick acts like a tiny support beam, helping the dough hold its shape while the structure firms up in the oven. This keeps them from flattening out and gives them that beautiful, bakery-style lift.

Related: I Made Dolly Parton's Famous Biscuits and They Taste Just Like My Grandma's

Why The Toothpick Trick Works So Well

The trick works for homemade biscuits because it slows the collapse of steam pockets, allowing the biscuit to stay light and airy instead of dense. The small hole also allows some steam to escape evenly, preventing an undercooked center. Plus, that extra steam makes the biscuits softer.

But how will this work with canned biscuits?

Related: This Mamaw-Approved Method for Making Biscuits Is Perfect For People Who Hate Rolling Dough

What Happened When I Tried the Biscuit Toothpick Trick at Home

I picked up a can of biscuits from Aldi, and while I have tried this brand before, I don't always care for it because the biscuits tend to be a little flat after baking. Still, it was convenient and cheap, making it the perfect can of biscuits for this test.

I placed three toothpicks in each biscuit before baking, spacing them about an inch apart (I didn't measure and I wasn't too focused on making sure it was exactly an inch).

The verdict? It worked!

These biscuits came out taller, softer and way fluffier than usual. Even my kids noticed the difference and said the tops were soft, but they would spring back into shape after the kids poked them.

The toothpicks seemed to keep them from collapsing as they baked, giving them that perfect homemade-style lift. Instead of being dense or doughy in the middle, they were light, buttery and tender all the way through. Now, I’ll never bake canned biscuits without this trick. Aldi biscuits + a toothpick = total upgrade! If you haven’t tried it yet, you absolutely should.

It’s such a simple hack, but the difference is huge! If you love soft, sky-high biscuits, this trick is a must-try every time you bake. Now I can't wait to use this trick with homemade biscuits.

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