Easy Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
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These buttermilk drop biscuits are incredibly easy to make – no rolling or cutting required! They’re light, buttery, and tender with crispy golden edges. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or serving alongside soups and stews.
Last week, as I was enjoying a bowl of my favorite broccoli cheddar soup, I couldn’t help but wish I had something warm, buttery, and flaky to soak up every last drop. That’s when it hit me – homemade buttermilk biscuits were exactly what was missing.
Fresh from the oven, they’re golden on the outside, soft and pillowy inside, and the perfect sidekick to any creamy soup or hearty meal. Just like cornbread, these buttery drop biscuits are great for potlucks, holiday tables, weekend family meals, or holiday gatherings.
Why My Recipe Works
- Ready in under 25 minutes
- Soft and flavorful: Each bite is tender, slightly tangy, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery.
- Great for a crowd: This recipe makes enough to share and doubles easily for brunches, holidays, or big family dinners.
- Pairs with everything
- Make-ahead friendly
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits
This recipe for buttermilk biscuits is as simple as mix, drop, and bake! They always come out with a crisp, buttery top and soft, fluffy center that look bakery-worthy but feel homemade. You can bake these in a cast iron skillet for even crispier edges.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with a full list of ingredients, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help the biscuits rise and add fluffiness.
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter: Use very cold butter. That’s the secret to tall, flaky biscuits.
- Buttermilk: Use store-bought or homemade. I first learned how to make buttermilk by mixing vinegar and milk, but there are other ways to do so.
- Lemon juice
- Honey: For that subtle sweetness and golden finish.
For brushing:
- Melted butter
Step-By-Step Instructions
Making buttermilk biscuits from scratch is surprisingly easy. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, combine, drop the dough onto the baking sheet, and bake! Once out of the oven, give it brush of butter and it’s ready to enjoy.
Step 1: Preheat and prepare
Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Step 3: Cut in the butter
Add cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers to work it into the flour until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
Step 4: Add wet ingredients
Pour in the buttermilk, lemon juice, and honey (if using). Stir gently until just combined. The dough should be sticky and shaggy. Don’t overmix.
A “shaggy” dough looks rough, uneven, and a little messy. The dough should just come together into a loose mass but still have visible streaks of flour and small bits of butter peeking through.
Step 5: Drop the biscuits
Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Step 7: Brush with butter and serve
Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter. Serve right away with your favorite spreads.
Substitutions
- All-purpose flour: You can use self-rising flour, just omit the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Granulated sugar: Swap in honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Lemon juice: Replace with vinegar (white or apple cider) if you don’t have lemon juice.
- Honey: Maple syrup can work too.
Expert Tips
- Keep everything cold: Cold butter and buttermilk are the secret to the biscuits’ perfect texture. If your kitchen is warm, chill the flour mixture for 10 minutes before adding the butter.
- Use a light touch: Overmixing the dough can make biscuits tough. Stir just until the flour disappears, then gently pat, not roll, the dough.
- Add a hint of sweetness: After brushing the tops with melted butter, brush with a little bit of honey for a bakery-style finish that pairs beautifully with savory soups.
- Make ahead and freeze: Unbaked biscuits can be frozen on a tray, stored in a bag, then baked straight from frozen.
How to Store This Recipe
Let the biscuits cool completely before storing to prevent sogginess. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days for longer freshness. To bring back their soft, buttery texture, warm them in a 350 F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through.
For longer storage, freeze the biscuits, either baked or unbaked. To freeze baked biscuits, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to a month.
To reheat, bake directly from frozen at 350 F for about 10 minutes or until warm. For unbaked dough, freeze cut biscuits on a tray, then bake straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes to the baking time.
How to Serve Buttermilk Biscuits
Buttermilk biscuits taste best fresh from the oven, when the layers are warm, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. They pair beautifully with butter, honey, jam, or even a slather of gravy.
For breakfast, enjoy them as is or served with jam or apple butter, sausage gravy, or sheet pan eggs. For dinner, pair with fried chicken, roast beef, rump roast, or hearty stews.
More Easy Side Dishes To Try
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- ¾ cup buttermilk cold
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey optional
For Brushing:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Add cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers to work it into the flour until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.
- Pour in the buttermilk, lemon juice, and honey (if using). Stir gently until just combined. The dough should be sticky and shaggy. Don’t overmix.
- Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to drop mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter. Serve right away with your favorite spreads.
Notes
- A “shaggy” dough looks rough, uneven, and a little messy. The dough should just come together into a loose mass but still have visible streaks of flour and small bits of butter peeking through.
- Keep the butter and buttermilk cold for the best texture. If your kitchen is warm, chill the flour mixture for 10 minutes before adding the butter.
- Mix the dough lightly. Stir only until the flour is incorporated, then gently pat the dough instead of rolling it.
