These Buttermilk Drop Biscuits are as easy as biscuit recipes come! With just 4 simple ingredients, you can make these biscuits in less than 30 minutes. No fancy shaping or rolling required, just mix the dough, drop it onto the baking sheet or skillet and bake!
If you've been frustrated by biscuit making in the past, these Buttermilk Drop Biscuits are the simplest version of a biscuit recipe. They have all the flaky layers and buttery flavor in an easy to make dough that you just scoop onto the baking sheet or cast-iron skillet and bake.
As a Southerner, these buttermilk drop biscuits have been passed down through my family for generations. We love to serve them at any meal all times of the year as a side dish everyone loves.
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If you're a biscuit lover, be sure to try our Easy Whipping Cream Biscuits and Pimento Cheese Biscuits.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easiest biscuit recipe. These are so simple and quick to make in about 20 minutes! Have biscuits any day of the week.
- Perfect for any meal of the day. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, these drop biscuits are delicious any time of the day.
- Customize with spices, herbs, or cheese. You can add different flavorings to the dough to make new and unique flavors all the time.
Laura Ashley's Pro Tip: Make sure your butter is frozen before making these biscuits. This guarantees they will be super flaky and soft after baking.
Ingredients
Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card
- All-purpose flour: The base flour of the recipe to give the biscuits their structure.
- Baking powder: The leavening agent that helps the biscuits rise.
- Salt: Seasons the biscuit dough perfectly.
- Salted butter: We like using salted butter here for the extra flavor it has. Make sure it's frozen before prepping the biscuits.
- Whole buttermilk: Liquid that binds the dough together. You'll want to also keep this cold in the fridge until you're ready to use.
Tools You'll Need
- 9"x9" Baking Dish or 9" Cast Iron Skillet
- Mixing Bowl
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Scoop
- Basting Brush
How to Make Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. Alternatively, you can preheat a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with a tablespoon of butter.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture. Chill 10 minutes.
- Pour buttermilk into the flour mixture. Gently fold until just combined. The dough should be sticky and wet, but do not overmix.
- Using a spoon or a large cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet or skillet, leaving a little space between each.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet. Optional, brush with additional melted butter.
Expert Tips
- Chill the buttermilk and freeze the butter. The secret to the ultimate biscuits is having chilled wet ingredients. The steam from the cold ingredients allows the biscuit dough to rise perfectly making those signature flaky layers.
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own! Just mix 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Wait 10 minutes and then chill your buttermilk mixture until you're ready to add to the dough.
- Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. This is a tried-and-true Southern biscuit technique. It adds those flakes of butter throughout the dough so it's evenly mixed for perfect biscuits.
- You'll want to chill the grated butter in the flour mixture for foolproof biscuits. This is just another quick step to ensure your butter stays cold after grating.
What to Serve with Easy Drop Biscuits
There are so many options, we love any kind of jam, softened butter, honey butter, sausage and eggs, and more! Here are some other ways to serve:
Storage and Freezing
Store any leftover biscuits in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days. We love to reheat our biscuits in the oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
You can freeze the biscuits as well! Store them in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven before serving.
FAQs
Yes, simply mix 1 cup of whole milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and wait 10 minutes. This will create buttermilk right at home.
Having cold ingredients releases steam when the dough is baked in the oven. The steam allows the biscuits to rise, making the flaky layers.
Yes, we recommend eating them the same day they are baked, but you can prep them the day before too and warm in the oven before serving.
More Easy Biscuit Recipes
- Bojangles Blueberry Biscuits
- Bacon Cheddar Biscuits
- Easy Whipping Cream Biscuits
- Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits
Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons salted butter frozen
- 1 cup whole buttermilk chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. Alternatively, you can preheat a 9-inch cast-iron skillet with a tablespoon of butter.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture. Chill 10 minutes.
- Pour buttermilk into the flour mixture. Gently fold until just combined. The dough should be sticky and wet, but do not overmix.
- Using a spoon or a large cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet or skillet, leaving a little space between each.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet. Optional, brush with additional melted butter.
Video
Notes
- Chill the buttermilk and freeze the butter. The secret to the ultimate biscuits is having chilled wet ingredients. The steam from the cold ingredients allows the biscuit dough to rise perfectly making those signature flaky layers.
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own! Just mix 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Wait 10 minutes and then chill your buttermilk mixture until you're ready to add to the dough.
- Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater. This is a tried-and-true Southern biscuit technique. It adds those flakes of butter throughout the dough so it's evenly mixed for perfect biscuits.
- You'll want to chill the grated butter in the flour mixture for foolproof biscuits. This is just another quick step to ensure your butter stays cold after grating.
Karen Usevitch
I followed the recipe except I had buttermilk bought from the store and it was a reduced fat buttermilk. These turned out so good and were a huge hit. I will be making these again. So easy and with the buttermilk recipe I don't have to rely on store bought. A winner!
Laura Ashley
YAY!! I love that you made these and liked them so much! It means a lot to me! Thank you SO much!!!🥰