This recipe for easy buttermilk biscuits has just three ingredients and comes out flaky and perfect every time. Video instructions are included.
FEATURED COMMENT: "I made these today. Total time including baking, 20min. They are beautiful , light , flaky, and delicious !"
Basic buttermilk biscuits are a homemade southern staple
We have some fun and unique biscuits here on our site. Sweet Potato Biscuits are a fall favorite, but really they're good any time of year.
Asiago Cheese and Black Pepper Biscuits are another super easy recipe with a twist. They go perfectly with lots of soups and stews. Cinnamon Biscuits are made with a very similar recipe and are great with a little icing on top.
Mexican Style Biscuits will make you think of Mexican Cornbread, but in biscuit form. If you love a spicy kick you'll love them. And then there are Cajun Hush Puppies and Pimento Cheese Biscuits, oh my!
But, we thought it was high time we had a recipe here for basic but easy buttermilk biscuits. We worked a while perfecting the recipe because we want you to be sure your biscuits will come out just right every time.
It's true! This is a 3 ingredient biscuit recipe:
All you need to make them is self rising flour, buttermilk and butter.
If needed you can make a buttermilk substitute with plain milk and either lemon juice or white vinegar. Just put a Tablespoon of one of those acidics in a measuring cup and then fill it up with milk to make one cup. Stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
You can easily make a self rising flour substitute too. For every cup of all purpose flour add two teaspoons of baking powder and one-half teaspoon of salt. Stir well and then re-measure before adding to your recipe. This works for all your recipes that call for this flour, like Brown Butter Pecan Cookies.
How to make these flaky biscuits (be sure to watch the video):
THE NUMBER ONE TIP FOR MAKING PERFECT BISCUITS EVERY TIME IS TO KEEP YOUR INGREDIENTS COLD!
Follow these steps
- Freeze the butter.
- Chill the buttermilk in the measuring cup.
- Measure the flour into a bowl and chill the bowl.
- Lightly flour a surface for rolling and cutting the biscuits.
- Grate the butter with a box grater on the side with the larger holes.
- Add the butter to the flour a little at a time tossing after each addition.
- Stir in the buttermilk just until blended.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat down until it's about ½ inch thick.
- Fold the dough over in half and pat down, repeating this step four times.
- Roll with a rolling pin or pat down until about ½ inch thick and then cut with biscuit cutter in desired size. Use a straight down and up motion with the cutter - do not twist.
- Place biscuits nearly touching on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter if desired.
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Why it's so important to keep the ingredients cold:
The little grated pieces of butter are what creates the flakes in your biscuits. If it starts to get warm the butter will just sort of "melt" into the flour.
Keeping everything cold means the butter will remain intact. When you pat down the dough you are flattening the butter bits. Your biscuits will then bake into flaky pillows of southern buttermilk goodness!
Even though we know there are times a freshly baked biscuit is what you want on your table, sometimes you just don't have the time to dedicate to them. That's why we recommend this Best Biscuit From a Mix.
Sliced open your biscuits are going to make a classic southern meal when topped with homemade sausage gravy, Cajun gravy, or old fashioned tomato gravy.
THIS RECIPE MADE OUR "BEST OF THE YEAR" LIST. ALL THE OTHERS CAN BE FOUND HERE.
📖 Recipe
Easy Buttermilk Biscuits: 3 Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2½ cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 stick butter 1 stick equals ½ cup
Instructions
- Freeze the stick of butter. Chill the measured flour and buttermilk.
- Grate the buttter, tossing it with the flour a little at a time.
- Stir in the buttermilk just until the ingredients are blended. If dough feels dry 1-2 Tablespoons additional buttermilk can be stirred in.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat down to about ½ inch thickness. Fold in half and pat to ½ inch again. Repeat the fold and pat down step 4 times.
- Roll with a rolling pin or pat down with hands until about ½ inch thick.
- Cut with a biscuit cutter using a straight down and up motion (do not twist). Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheet nearly touching.
- Bake at 450 degrees 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Items you may need for making your easy buttermilk biscuits:
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- Glass measuring cups
- Box grater for grating the butter
- Rolling pin (we love a traditional wooden one)
- Biscuit cutters
- Parchment paper
- Sweet Potato Butter for spreading on those biscuits
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Elena says
what to if you not have buttermilk?
Pam says
Hi Elena, There are substitution instructions within the post for using either vinegar or lemon juice and plain milk for making a buttermilk substitution.
Aline says
Great biscuits!
Pam says
Thanks so much, Aline!
Deb says
I made these biscuits this morning. The only thing I did differently was add a heaping tablespoon of sugar to mixture and brushing tops with melted butter. My apologies for not posting picture but they were just too enticing not to immediately dig into. I was not disappointed. The inside of the biscuit was soft and fluffy with a crispy crust! Soooo good! I think I have my new go to biscuit recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Pam says
Thanks so much for letting us know, Deb! We do suggest an optional brushing with butter but have never tried adding sugar So glad you loved then!
Karyn says
OMG!!! I have been home baking/making for the last ten years, every time I have tried making biscuits it has been an EPIC FAIL!!!! Well, fail no more!!! Thanks to y’all’s amazing instructions and recipe I have finally been able to produce a batch of flakey and delicious buttermilk biscuits that my boys will enjoy (as will I)!! This will now be my go to recipe and I no longer have to fear the dreaded biscuit!
Pam says
Yay! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know, Karyn. Your comment gives us happy hearts!
Gwen K. says
Have you tried making the biscuits in a food processor? I can grate with mine.
Pam says
No, do you just mean grating the butter? That might work, but I would not try to stir the biscuits up in a food processor. If you try it let us know how it turns out. I think the dough would get overworked.
Marilyn says
Thanks for sharing and adding the tips for substitutes. I am not a baker, but do bake sometimes for my guys. I have gotten into a habit of forgetting to get my butter to room temp. for most recipes,that call for it. I always freeze my butter as I stock up when on sale,we use creamy butter a lot. I learned years ago, to grate frozen butter sticks, its a life saver!!
Leah says
I followed the directions and mine turned out flat and not done in the middle?????
I might try again another day but not happy.
Leah
Pam says
Fantastic, easy biscuits! Thank you so much this recipe.
Pam says
Thank you for letting us know! It would mean a lot to us if you could come back and leave a star rating.
Sandra says
These look delish! My momma made buttermilk biscuits with Crisco not butter, and she never measured. LOL We always told her that her secret ingredient was the sip she would always take out of the cup of buttermilk. I will have to try your recipe!
Pam says
Awww... that's so sweet. We used to make biscuits with shortening too, but found that butter has so much more flavor. We'll never go back now.
Ann says
Can you add a little more buttermilk to make drop biscuits?
Pam says
Hi Ann, We've never tried it, but the dough is quite wet anyway. If I wanted to make drop biscuits I don't think I would add more liquid. Let us know how it turns out.
Shari L Kalous says
This is the WORST biscut recipe ever~ Followed to a T and after 30 minutes still were gooey in the middle! Wow, so disappointed!
Pam says
We are so sorry to hear this happened to you Shari! After so many people have successfully made these biscuits we can't help but think there is a culprit other than the recipe. Have you checked to see if your oven is properly calibrated? It doesn't seem possible that you could bake biscuits of any type at 450 degrees for 30 minutes and have gooey centers. Better check that oven!
Annette says
Hi! Your recipe calls for 1 cup of butter. 1 cup of butter is equal to 2 sticks of butter, being one stick is only 1/2 a cup .Also, is that unsalted or sweet cream butter being used?
Pam says
Hi Annette,
Please look at the recipe again. It calls for 1 stick of butter, with a notation that 1 stick equals 1/2 cup. You can use either type butter and your biscuits will be delicious.
Claire says
I've tried quite a few and most were really good but this will be my keeper!! So good and easy
Pam says
Yay! Thank you for taking the time to let us know Claire!
Mona says
Super easy biscuit recipe! My family loved them and they had Great flavor and texture. Will definitely be my go to recipe from now on!
Pam says
Yay! Thanks for the star rating and for letting us know.
John says
Thanks so much for the great recipe! So quick & easy, & they came out perfect & delicious! I didn’t have any buttermilk on hand, so I used 1 tablespoon white vinegar, mixed with 1 cup heavy cream.
Pam says
Thanks for letting us know John, and thank you for the 5 star rating! It really means a lot to us.