My husband grew up eating biscuits, but I didn’t, so when we first got married the learning curve was a struggle! My husband and I still laugh about the “hockey pucks” I would make! I eventually gave up. Several years ago I learned about the science behind cold fat and a hot oven and created our 3 ingredient biscuit recipe. This recipe is so easy my granddaughter regularly asks to make biscuits with me.
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3 Ingredient Biscuit Recipe Video Tutorial
Why We Love Our 3 Ingredient Biscuit Recipe
- Simplicity: This 3 ingredient biscuits recipe is incredibly straightforward, making it perfect for beginners or anyone short on time. Whenever we make chili or soup and need a side, I always think of this recipe, there is nothing better than having a warm biscuit on the side of any dish!
- Quick Preparation: Our biscuits are ready fast, allowing you to enjoy warm, homemade goodness without spending hours in the kitchen.
- Convenience: The small ingredient list means you likely already have everything you need in your pantry, so there’s no extra trip to the store. Heavy cream is something we stock regularly in our home because I use it in my coffee, but if you don’t keep it in your home, Trader Joe’s sells shelf-stable heavy cream as a seasonal product in the fall. You’ll still need to chill it in the fridge overnight if you pull it straight off the shelf. The cream needs to be cold for this biscuit recipe to work.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Self-rising flour – although this ingredient is a must for this recipe, I have an easy substitution using all-purpose flour (or 00 flour). Make a batch of self rising flour. It’s less expensive than buying it premade, and you’ll have it on hand whenever you need it. Mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt together and you’ll have the 2 cups of self-rising flour needed for this recipe.
- Heavy cream – heavy cream works the best for this recipe. If you don’t have heavy cream, try this swap instead: 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) whole milk mixed with 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Stir quickly while the butter is melted because it will solidify once it hits the cold milk. Place it back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill again and give it a quick stir before use.
- Salt – just a little bit helps bring more flavor. Since there’s already salt in the self-rising flour, just a pinch is all you need.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
I love hacks that save on food waste! If you don’t regularly keep heavy cream on hand, you can freeze the leftovers! Freeze in whatever portions of heavy cream you’d like and defrost in the refrigerator the night before.
Love biscuit recipes? Try these!
Tender buttermilk drop biscuits use buttermilk instead of cream. Or, make these biscuits from self rising flour that use milk and butter. For a little spicy kick, try our jalapeno biscuits with cheese.
Tips For Making Perfect 3 Ingredient Biscuits
Read on to discover my 3 simple tips for creating the perfect from-scratch biscuits in only 20 minutes.
Baking Tip #1: The Flour
Initially, I thought self-rising flour was the secret ingredient for making the perfect biscuit. Then I began using organic flour, and I couldn’t find an organic self-rising flour. So, I did what anyone would do and turned to Google.
Through a little research, I found that soft winter wheat is an ideal flour for making biscuit recipes. It’s low in protein and has a lower gluten content.
A search for organic soft winter wheat brought me to organic 00 flour. I already use that for pizza dough. But, after testing it out on the 3 ingredient biscuit recipe, it’s now one of my favorite types of flour to use.
Although my daughter still uses all-purpose flour with success, so I recommend all-purpose or 00 flour. It is very important if you aren’t using self-rising flour to include 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp fine salt in your 2 cups of flour to create “self-rising flour” for this recipe.
Baking Tip #2: The Fat
Heavy cream is high in fat and is easy to use. You could use a combination of butter and buttermilk or milk to get that amount of fat. But it requires more mixing.
Pouring in cold cream is just easier.
Here’s a quick comparison: heavy cream contains 36-40% milk fat, while whole milk has 3.5-4% milk fat. When making biscuits with just 3 ingredients, the right amount of fat is essential for the flakiest texture!
See our substitutions above for more information on a heavy cream substitute.
Baking Tip #3: The Techniques
The first important technique is folding.
The dough is patted out flat and folded like a letter several times over to create those beautiful layers.
The second technique to perfection is properly cutting the dough.
When cutting out the biscuits from the dough, simply press down and come straight back up. Try not to twist the cutter, as moving it side to side can seal the edges and stop your biscuits from rising.
How to Make 3 Ingredient Biscuits
- Keep cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Add self-rising flour and salt to a medium bowl. Pour in cold cream and stir with a heavy wooden spoon until mixed. Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Dump bowl onto a counter and scrape out any remaining dough or flour. Pat into a rectangle about 1.5” thick. Fold in thirds, turn 1/4 and fold again, continuing 3 times.
- Cut biscuits with a 3″ biscuit cutter. Press down and bring straight up. Do not twist biscuit cutter. Pat excess dough out, cut, and repeat process again.
- Place biscuits on a cookie sheet about 2″ apart. Bake on the center rack for 12 minutes, until golden. Brush with butter. Serve warm.
Recipe FAQs
Space the unbaked dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. This allows air to circulate around and between the dough, creating more rise!
If you want the most luscious results ever, brush the tops with melted butter after they come out of the oven. It will melt into the bread, resulting in a buttery flavor in every bite.
While we highly recommend the heavy cream, we understand not everyone keeps this stocked. Here is our substitute for heavy cream: To replace 1.5 cups of heavy cream, mix together 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) whole milk and
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Mix immediately while the butter is still melted. It will begin to solidify when mixed with the cold milk. Put the butter and milk mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill before use. Give it one more stir before using in the recipe.
You can make your own self-rising flour! Starting with 2 cups all-purpose or 00 flour, mix in 1 tbsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp fine salt. Now you’ve got the 2 cups of self-rising flour needed for this recipe.
These Recipes Made With Self-Rising Flour Are A Must-Try…
- Banana Bread With Self Rising Flour Recipe
- Self Rising Cornmeal Cornbread
- Almond Cranberry Scones
- Old Fashioned Sourdough Cake with Apples
If you tried this 3 ingredient biscuit recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
3 Ingredient Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour *See notes below for making with all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream *See notes below for more information
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Keep cream in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- Add flour and salt to a medium bowl. Pour in cold cream and stir with a heavy wooden spoon until mixed. Preheat oven to 475°F.
- Dump bowl onto a counter and scrape out any remaining dough or flour. Pat into a rectangle about 1.5" thick. Fold in thirds, turn 1/4 and fold again, continuing 3 times.
- Cut biscuits with a 3" biscuit cutter. Press down and bring straight up. Do not twist biscuit cutter. Pat excess dough out, cut, and repeat process again.
- Place biscuits on a cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake on the center rack for 12 minutes, until golden. Brush with butter. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- How to make self rising flour with all-purpose (or 00 flour) mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fine salt together. You’ll then have the 2 cups of self-rising flour for this recipe.
- Heavy cream works best, as a substitute try this swap instead: 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) whole milk mixed with 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Stir quickly while the butter is melted because it will solidify once it hits the cold milk. Place it back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill again and give it a quick stir before use.
- Store leftover biscuits in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Chelsey says
This is my first time ever making biscuits.. should I be sprinkling the counter and roller with extra flower so it doesn’t stick? Or will that mess up the consistency?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Yes, you may add flour. Check our videos in the recipe card.
Chelsey says
I definitely meant to type “flour”… 🤣
Rebecca Hood says
Love this recipe! I had to use the 00 flower and a tablespoon of baking powder and my recipe turned out perfect. Lightly crispy biscuits on the outside, good rise, and very fluffy on the inside. These were perfect with sausage gravy And I can’t wait to try a version with added cheddar cheese and chive.
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
So glad you loved the recipe and that your adjustments worked out perfectly—those biscuits sound absolutely dreamy with sausage gravy! Adding cheddar cheese and chives will take them to the next level for sure. If you’re looking for more inspiration, you might enjoy this Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits recipe—https://thefeatherednester.com/cheddar-jalapeno-biscuits/ it’s got a nice kick and would pair so well with your cheddar-chive idea! Let me know how your version turns out.
sally schoen says
This recipe is perfect! I can’t give enough thumbs up. From a former ( hockey puck) make to a biscuit maker.
Sooooo good, easy to do. The instructions are perfect. Thank you so much!
Diana says
2” thick? Video looks thinner. Tried 2” and made less biscuits, rolled to 1” and made more, still rose up tall!
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
Hi there! Great question! The video may look a little deceiving, but 2 inches is the recommended thickness for this biscuit recipe to ensure they turn out tall and fluffy. That said, if you prefer rolling the dough to 1 inch, you’ll end up with more biscuits, and they can still rise beautifully—so it’s really up to your preference! The key is not overworking the dough and making sure you get that nice, even cut for the best rise. Happy baking! 😊
lori barnes says
Can you use water instead of milk period?
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
We haven’t tried it with water.