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Sweet and tangy buttermilk is a classic country favorite. Who else grew up loving a cold glass on a hot day? When it’s used for baking, not much flavor is transferred BUT the milk gives baked goods a great rise and extra fluffy texture. My 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits recipe with self-rising flour is easy to make in only 20 minutes, so it’s perfect to serve with a comforting meal any night of the week. Just stir, drop, and bake for the tastiest homemade biscuit ever. The whole family is going to love this easy buttermilk drop biscuit recipe!
I was just a toddler when my grandpa introduced me to buttermilk. It was love at first sip! Since he loved buttermilk, we indulged in it together at their farmhouse. It was always our thing since no one else in the family cared for it the way my grandpa and I did.
When I grew up and started cooking a lot, I discovered that buttermilk isn’t just delicious to drink – it’s also a fantastic ingredient for baking!
It has just the right amount of fat to give baked goods a fluffy rise, and makes them have that flaky homemade biscuit texture you know and love.
I decided to incorporate my fondness for buttermilk with my tried-and-true drop method for making biscuits. And it worked! Wonderfully, I must say.
The result of my testing (and tasting, of course) is this amazing 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits recipe that everyone in your family will love.
Although you can’t taste the buttermilk in these biscuits when I pull the buttermilk container out of the fridge to make them, I pour myself a glass for old-time sake.
Why You’ll Love this Buttermilk Drop Biscuit Recipe
The fat in the buttermilk makes for extra soft and tender biscuits, and helps to keep them from being dry and crumbly.
I make these buttermilk biscuits with self-rising flour, so the recipe only includes 3 wholesome ingredients. (But keep reading for tips to make your own self-rising flour blend with simple pantry staples.)
This is also the easiest buttermilk drop biscuit recipe. Because they are just scooped and plopped right onto the baking sheet, drop biscuits don’t require any dough folding or cutting. Prep is done in 5 minutes, and then they bake for only 15 minutes. Before you know it, hot and flaky buttermilk biscuits are ready to enjoy with your favorite main dishes.
Recipe Ingredients
Yes it’s true, there are just 3 simple and wholesome ingredients needed to make the most tender and delicious biscuits from scratch.
They are:
- Self-rising flour – see below for using all-purpose flour
- Butter – lightly frozen butter works great
- Buttermilk – at least 2% milk fat
Tip: If buttermilk goes slightly bad before you can use it, don’t get rid of it! Pour your buttermilk into ice cube trays, freeze, and keep in a freezer safe sealed bag or container. Then, just thaw and use as you need them in a recipe.
How to Make Self-Rising Flour from All Purpose Flour
Self-rising flour is an enhanced ingredient that is made with a combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Together these make a ready-to-go baking mix that has everything needed to get the perfect rise.
You can purchase bags of self-rising flour, or easily make your own blend at home. For this recipe, combine 2 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour with 4 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
My favorite brands of self-rising flour are: WhiteLilly flour, King Arthur flour, and Gold Medal flour. I order WhiteLilly flour and King Arthur self-rising flour online from Amazon. Gold Medal self-rising flour is available in my local grocery store.
How to Make Drop Biscuits
This 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits recipe is made in 4 easy steps. Start to finish you need just 20 minutes before piping hot biscuits are fresh from the oven.
Follow these steps to make the best drop biscuits with buttermilk:
Prep – Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Gather the 3 ingredients. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with nonstick spray.
Mix – Add the self-rising flour to a medium-sized bowl. Create a well in the center of the flour, and add your grated butter. Stir together until just barely formed into a sticky dough. Only mix for about 30 seconds so that you don’t over mix.
Drop – Use an ice cream scoop or tablespoon to scoop and drop the biscuit dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake – Bake the biscuits in the preheated for 15 minutes. The tops should be light golden, but not brown. Keep an eye on them for the last few minutes of the baking time to make sure they don’t get over baked.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have fresh buttermilk, it’s actually pretty easy to make a substitute at home. Simply combine 1 cup of regular whole fat milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let sit for a minute or two before using.
A bit of lumpiness is completely fine! Not to worry. It’s better that the dough be on the lumpy side rather than over-mixed.
These classic southern biscuits go great with just about any comforting main dish. Serve them with Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops or Crock Pot Smothered Chicken, Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Breasts, or Bisquick Chicken Tenders.
Absolutely. As-is the recipe makes about 8-10 generous-sized biscuits. However, you can easily double the ingredients and make a larger batch.
They will keep well for several days at room temperature. Store in a sealed airtight bag on the counter or in the cool pantry. I don’t recommend you put them in the fridge.
Yes! Wrap the cooled biscuits in a layer of aluminum foil, then seal in an airtight freezer-safe zipper bag. They will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. Reheat from frozen by baking in a 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
Here Are More Buttermilk Recipes for You to Try:
3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Buttermilk Biscuits
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 2½ cups self rising flour (for all purpose flour, see notes below)
- 1/2 cup butter, grated using lightly frozen butter is easiest to grate
- 1 cup buttermilk (At least 2% milkfat)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Using a medium-sized bowl, add self-rising flour. Create a well in the center of the flour. Pour the milk and add grated butter to the well and stir, just until the dough comes together and away from the walls of the bowl – about 30 seconds. For the flaky, tender biscuits, do not over mix.
- Grease or line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto the baking sheet. This recipe makes 8 – 10 biscuits.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden in color. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
You’ll love these biscuit recipes without buttermilk:
- Easy 3 Ingredient Biscuits (with cream)
- Drop biscuits (with milk)
- Cheddar Jalapeño drop biscuits (with milk)
- Mini cheese biscuits (with half-and-half)