How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

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From a tea time snack to entire pie crust, my Digestive Biscuits recipe is as versatile as it is delicious and can be made in no time.

By Gemma Stafford | | 264

Last updated on January 29, 2024

How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (1)

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I’ve wanted to make Homemade Digestive Biscuits for you for a long time now because they are a very popular biscuit in Ireland and are used in many recipes. We utilize them for the base of Cheesecakes like my No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake or in biscuit cake like my Chocolate Salami. They are also can also be appreciated simply with a cup of tea.

With the ubiquitous popularity of McVitie’s digestive biscuits, a lot of people understandably wonder where to buy digestive biscuits. Well, I’m here to tell you how to assemble them yourself.

What Are Digestive Biscuits?

Digestive biscuits are used in an interchangeable way as graham crackers in the U.S. They are best described as whole wheat shortbread, and are crisp like shortbread and equally as buttery. Biscuits in Ireland are not equivalent to soft American biscuits, they are a type of cookie. However, cookies can be soft and chewy whereas biscuits are mostly semi-sweet, crisp, and crunchy, with no softness.

Why Are They Called Digestive Biscuits?

The term “digestive” comes from the 19th century and means that it aided digestion. In 1839, a pair of Scottish doctors invented the digestive. Digestive biscuits were thought to have the same fundamental properties and health benefits you might find in an antacid due to the usage of sodium bicarbonate in the digestive biscuit recipe.

Sodium bicarbonate is the sole ingredient for baking soda. We’ll be using baking powder, which in addition to sodium bicarbonate, also contains monocalcium phosphate and either sodium acid pyrophosphate or sodium aluminum sulfate.

In 1892, Alexander Grant developed and patented the original, prototypical recipe for McVitie’s digestive biscuits.

How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2)

What You’ll Need To Make Digestive Biscuits

  • Cookie sheet and parchment paper
  • Mixing bowl
  • Floured surface
  • Rolling pin
  • Measuring cups

How To Make Digestive Biscuits

It’s so easy to make these that you’ll never wonder why you ever bought them in the first place! Here’s how you make them (and get the full, printable recipe with measurements below):

  1. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine and mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  3. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.
  4. Add milk and work through to form a dough.
  5. On a floured surface, turn out the dough.
  6. Roll out the dough using a floured rolling pin and cut into rounds.
  7. Transfer to the cookie sheet and bake until pale gold.

When To Eat Digestive Biscuits

Biscuits are made to be enjoyed with a cup of tea. Dunking them in your tea is what softens them. The Irish are a nation of tea drinkers. Tea is customarily consumed morning, noon, and night in my house.

Even living in the States now I still carry on the tradition and have tea time every day around 3 o’clock. I sit down, watch my stories, and have a cup of Irish tea.

What Can I Make With Digestive Biscuits?

These can be ground up into crumbs and used in place of Graham cracker crumbs to make no-bake pie crusts for a whole variety of pies and cheesecakes.

They can also be crushed into larger chunks and added into ice cream or trifles for unbelievable texture and flavor.

Are Digestive Biscuits Good For Weight Loss?

As far as cookies and biscuits go, these are a dessert with benefits. The whole wheat flour that is the base of these cookies makes for a nutty rich flavor but also contributes fiber and nutrients.

Fundamentally a dessert, digestive biscuits won’t magically help accelerate weight loss but are a more nutritious alternative to a standard cookie.

How to Store Them

These biscuits will last for 3-4 days. To keep them fresh, just cover and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Try These Other Recipes!

    • Homemade Biscoff Cookies
    • Homemade Graham Crackers
    • 3 Ingredient Shortbread Cookies

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!

Full (and printable) recipe below!

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Digestive Biscuits Recipe

4.58 from 422 votes

Print Recipe

From a tea-time snack to an entire pie crust, my Digestive Biscuits recipe is as versatile as it is delicious and can be made in no time.

Author: Gemma Stafford

  • Dessert
  • Oven
  • Baking Pans

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

From a tea-time snack to an entire pie crust, my Digestive Biscuits recipe is as versatile as it is delicious and can be made in no time.

Author: Gemma Stafford

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups ( 8 1/3oz/236g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (3oz/85g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup (4oz/115g) butter (cubed)
  • 1/4 cup (2floz/57ml) milk

Instructions

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How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (9)

3 years ago

Omg, this recipe is the best. I could not stop eating them. I made them for my grandfather’s birthday, he died a few months ago.👍🏻

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Antony

4 years ago

Recipe works great, quick to make and tastes just as expected.
My only complaint is the reference to butter on the biscuits!
Everyone knows digestives are custom designed as a delivery vehicle for Nutella 😉
Thanks for posting this!

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Tanya

3 years ago

Great recipe – super easy and delicious, and I’ll definitely make these again! I loved that the dough was so easy to work with and barely needed refrigeration. I did make some substitutions: I didn’t want to use powdered sugar, so I used 109g of honey instead and reduced the milk by half. In the future, I think I’ll reduce the milk by 75%. I also reduced the baking time by a few minutes. The honey flavor goes really well with black tea, and honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar for those who might be concerned about that.Read more »

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How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (12)

Sally

3 years ago

Thank you, fantastic recipe. I have a real sweet tooth so add 120g icing sugar. These are a real winner. My family love them 🙂

12

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How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (13)

Stella

3 years ago

Hi Gemma, Like everyone else we’re currently on lockdown. Love to try this recipient but only have plain flour and self raising flour in the house. I have fine porridge oats available- can I substitute any of the above or do you have any alternative suggestions?

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Tamika W

3 years ago

Great recipe this tasted just like the digestive I buy at the store 👍🏼

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How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (15)

Nicole

3 years ago

Delicious biscuits! Next time I’m going to add lemon zest. What do you think?

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sony

4 years ago

Hi Gemma, is it possible to cut the sugar in half and still have good results?

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Elizabeth

4 years ago

Best digestive biscuit recipe I have tried. I felt no need to make any changes. Just the right amount of sweetness, not too much at all. I will use this recipe all the time now instead of searching around for a better one. Thank you!

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Ursh

3 years ago

Great recipe! I melted some semi-sweet chocolate and coated these in that. Rather ashamed to say my family ate the entire batch in one day!

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About Us

Meet Gemma

How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (25)

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

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How to Make Digestive Biscuits Recipe - Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in digestive biscuits? ›

Flour (54%) (WHEAT Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Vegetable Oil (Palm), Wholemeal WHEAT Flour (16%), Sugar, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Malic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt, Dried Skimmed MILK. Allergy Advice: Contains: Milk, Wheat.

What is the American equivalent of a digestive biscuit? ›

Digestive biscuits are used in an interchangeable way as graham crackers in the U.S. They are best described as whole wheat shortbread, and are crisp like shortbread and equally as buttery. Biscuits in Ireland are not equivalent to soft American biscuits, they are a type of cookie.

What is a good substitute for digestive biscuits? ›

Graham crackers, BelVitas, or Marie biscuits are all useful substitutes for digestive biscuits. Keep reading to get more alternatives for your dessert making.

Are graham crackers and digestives the same? ›

Are digestive biscuits the same as graham crackers? Absolutely not! Graham crackers are made in the US real Mcvities digestive biscuits are made in the UK.

Are digestive biscuits good for your bowels? ›

These biscuits are prepared with whole wheat flour which is known to be a good source of dietary fibre. This nutrient is considered essential for digestive health and promotes regular bowel movements while preventing constipation.

Is eating digestive biscuits healthy? ›

While not packed with vitamins and minerals, if you eat digestive biscuits in moderation they can fit perfectly into a balanced diet. The fiber content can aid digestion, and they make for a better choice when compared to other cookies filled with refined sugars and unhealthy fats.

What do the English call digestive biscuits? ›

Digestives are a particular kind of biscuit. There are a few variations, my favourite are the dark chocolate covered ones. People call “Cookies” Biscuits in the UK.

Can you buy digestive biscuits in the US? ›

In the United States, you can typically get digestive biscuits at most major grocery stores near the cookies and the crackers, though the selection is usually fairly small.

Why are digestive biscuits so addictive? ›

Sweet, fatty biscuits trigger our brain's reward circuit, flooding it with dopamine and making us feel good. We also tend to find crunchy foods satisfying to eat, from a sensory perspective. So, it's easy to see why we soon reach for another biscuit seconds after the first.

What are the new digestive biscuits? ›

GALAXY Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits and GALAXY Orange Digestive Biscuits will be available exclusively at Asda from December 29 2022 for three months. RRP £1.89 (300g pack). From March both will be available across multiple grocery stores, and available to purchase through wholesale and convenience channels.

Why do digestive biscuits taste so good? ›

The typical digestive biscuit contains coarse brown wheat flour (which gives it its distinctive texture and flavour), sugar, malt extract, vegetable oil, wholemeal, raising agents (usually sodium bicarbonate, tartaric acid and malic acid), and salt.

Are digestives junk food? ›

The addition of any kind of refined flour indicates that it is not very healthy. In the context of sugar, the amount of sugar used to make these biscuits is comparatively less. These biscuits are made with saturated fats and may contain around 3-5 grams of fat per biscuit, which may not be a healthy choice.

Why do the British call them digestives? ›

The term digestive is derived from the belief that they had antacid properties around the time the biscuit was first introduced due to the use of sodium bicarbonate as an ingredient.

Is Biscoff a digestive? ›

while they may look like digestive biscuits they are actually Speculoos which is the gener… Q: Why such a fluctuations in price, in October $18.00, Nov $23.00 and now $28.00? Inflation and Covid !

Are digestive biscuits full of sugar? ›

Digestive or diabetic-friendly biscuits are not calorie-free or necessarily healthy. They may contain just 15-20 per cent fewer calories than the regular variety and may encourage you to consume large portions, thinking that they are safe. Many of them are loaded with sugar.

Which biscuits are good for diabetes? ›

10 honestly delicious biscuits that actually meet the low sugar guidelines
  • Malted milk biscuits. ...
  • Jacobs Mini Cheddars. ...
  • Rich Tea biscuits. ...
  • McVitie's Digestives. ...
  • Fruit Shortcake biscuits. ...
  • Belvita Soft Bakes Chocolate Chip. ...
  • Nice biscuits. ...
  • Shortbread fingers.
Mar 30, 2017

What are British digestive biscuits? ›

These biscuits were developed during the latter part of the 19th century to increase fiber in Victorian diets — something that still might be appealing to us today. Digestive Biscuits are really just sophisticated graham crackers and are very simple to make. They're delicious with tea and fruit. 15 mins.

What are Nutri Choice digestive biscuits made of? ›

Refined Wheat Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Edible Vegetable Oil (Palm), Sugar, Wheat Bran, Liquid Glucose, Milk Solids, Maltodextrin, Raising Agents, Iodised Salt, Emulsifiers, Malt Extract and Dough Conditioner.

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