Homemade biscuits don’t have to be fussy. This 3 ingredient biscuit recipe is quick, simple, and always reliable!
With just self-rising flour, cold butter, and tangy buttermilk, you’ll have tall, flaky biscuits on the table in about 30 minutes. Perfect for beginners and seasoned bakers, this recipe is one you’ll turn to again and again.
Table of Contents
Before You Get Started
My great Aunt Bee never steered me wrong — especially in the kitchen — and these easy 3-ingredient biscuits are no exception! Here are a few of her best tips to help your biscuits turn out light, tall, and buttery:
- Self-rising flour is key. It already has the leavening and salt included, which gives the biscuits their classic lift. White Lily is my go-to.
- Keep your ingredients cold. Cold butter and buttermilk create the steam that makes biscuits fluffy.
- Don’t twist your cutter. Press straight down and lift straight back up so your biscuits rise high.
- Fold gently. A few turns of the dough builds flaky layers without overworking it.
- Chill before baking. A quick rest in the fridge helps the biscuits puff beautifully in the oven.
Step-by-Step: How to Make This 3 Ingredient Biscuit Recipe
- Cut in the butter. Start with flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces or grate frozen butter with a box grater. Toss it in the flour so every piece is coated.
- Shortcut Tip: grating frozen butter makes the dough come together faster.
- Mix with buttermilk. Stir in the buttermilk until you have a soft dough that just holds together.
- Get the Texture Right: Add a splash more buttermilk if it feels too dry and crumbly, or a little bit of extra flour if it’s too sticky. You definitely do not want a wet dough.
- Shape and cut. Turn the dough out on a floured counter. Fold it over itself a few times, then pat it into a ¾-inch thick slab. Use a biscuit cutter to punch out rounds.
- Remember: press down, don’t twist. Otherwise you seal off the edges of the biscuits and they won’t rise as high.
- Chill and bake. Place the biscuits close together in a cast iron skillet or dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then brush the tops with melted butter and bake until golden. Finish with another swipe of butter when they come out of the oven.
Serving Suggestions
These biscuits work for breakfast, lunch, or supper:
- Spread with honey butter, blueberry jam, this blackberry jam recipe, or apple butter.
- Sandwich with eggs, sausage, or bacon.
- Pair it with fried cabbage.
- Smother with sausage gravy or stuff with country ham.
- Serve as a side with corn chowder, chicken corn chowder, chicken and noodles, crock pot beef stew, Dutch oven pot roast, chili, chili mac, or ham and bean soup with canned beans.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Biscuits are best warm from the oven, but you can bake them up to 3 days ahead. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Warm them in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
- How to Freeze Biscuits: Let baked biscuits cool, then freeze in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in the oven.
- How to Freeze Biscuit Dough: Cut out the biscuits, place on a tray, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and bake from frozen, adding about 5 extra minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Lard or Shortening. You can replace 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of either shortening or lard. While butter has more flavor, the shortening or lard will give the biscuits an even lighter, puffier texture.
- Add Cheese. Stir in shredded cheddar or Parmesan for cheesy biscuits.
- Herbs. Mix in chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or chives for a bright, savory addition.
- Brush with garlic butter right out of the oven.
- You might also like these 4-ingredient heavy cream biscuits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why didn’t my biscuits rise? Usually the flour is expired (so the leaveners don’t activate), you used all-purpose flour instead of self-rising, or the cutter was twisted and sealed the edges.
- Can I make these without buttermilk? Yes, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Can I use all-purpose flour instead? Yes, you can make your own self-rising flour by adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt for every 2 cups of flour.
- How do I get them extra fluffy? Keep the ingredients cold, fold gently, and chill the dough before baking.
- Can I make drop biscuits instead? Yes, spoon the dough onto a sheet pan instead of cutting into rounds.
I just made these biscuits. Not only are they extremely easy to make, but they are the best I’ve ever made! They’re so light and fluffy, they’re like eating clouds. I’ll use this recipe forever!
– Sandra
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
3 Ingredient Biscuits
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Chilling Time 10 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Easy, buttery biscuits that bake up tall, fluffy, and golden with only 3 simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
- ¼ cup very cold butter, cut into pats, plus additional for brushing (I prefer salted butter)
- ⅔ – ¾ cup very cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch round pan with a light coat of cooking spray and set aside. Place flour in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or forks to work the butter into the flour until the lumps are about the size of large peas. Alternatively, you can freeze the butter and use the large holes on a box grater to grate the butter into the flour. Then use your hands to make sure that the flour pieces are coated with flour.
- Add ⅔ cup of buttermilk to the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until a soft dough forms. It should hold together when pressed, but shouldn't be too wet. Add small amounts of additional buttermilk slowly, as needed, until the dough reaches this consistency.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 1 minute (folding the dough back over on itself), adding flour to the counter and your hands, as necessary, to prevent sticking. Pat the dough to ¾-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the individual biscuits. Firmly press the cutter down into the dough, but do not twist. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high. I used a 2 ½ -inch cutter here, which yielded 6 large biscuits. You can also use a smaller 1 ½- or 2-inch cutter to cut out more biscuits. Roll out the dough once or twice more to use up the remaining dough scraps.
- Arrange the biscuits in the prepared pan. At this point, the dough will be a bit warmer from working with it, so I like to place the pan of biscuits in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill again.
- Just before you put the biscuits in the oven, brush the tops with melted butter.
- Bake for 14 -15 minutes, or until the biscuits are a light golden brown on top. Brush the tops of the biscuits with additional melted butter when they come out of the oven; serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure that your self-rising flour is fresh. When the package is old or expired, the leavening agents in the flour may not activate properly and your biscuits will not rise.
- How to Make Buttermilk at Home: You can make 1 cup of homemade buttermilk by using regular milk + either lemon juice or white vinegar. To do so, pour 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 1 cup. Give it a stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then use it in the recipe as directed.
- How to Make Self-Rising Flour: If you don’t have a bag of self-rising flour in your pantry, that’s no problem. Combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Nutrition
Serving: 1biscuitCalories: 235kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 6gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 281IUCalcium: 39mgIron: 0.4mg
I have always wanted to learn to make biscuits! Thanks to you and Aunt Bee for super recipe! See old dogs can learn new tricks! 61 years young!
– Stacy
More Popular Biscuit Recipes to Try
Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon
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Sweet Potato Biscuits
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Flaky Biscuits
45 minutes mins
If you love biscuits as much as we do, be sure to try these farmhouse-favorite flaky biscuits, a batch of these 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, and these classic Southern buttermilk biscuits, too!
Originally published in September, 2018, this post was updated in October, 2025.
Trying these for the first time. Making tonight, and putting in frig uncooked overnight. Will bake in the morning. Any idea if this will work?
Hi, Dorothy! I would pop them in the freezer overnight — not the fridge. The refrigerator won’t stop the leavening from activating, but the freezer will. Then just bake from frozen in the morning and extend the baking time by a few minutes to make sure that they’re cooked through. Enjoy!
I am 72 years old and have, over the years, attempted biscuits many times. Usually the results were somewhere between hockey pucks and clay pigeons. I was almost in tears when my husband could eat these without cracking a tooth. WE LOVED THEM, especially the buttermilk tang.
That’s amazing, Sue! I’m so glad that they were a success! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Any adjustments needed for high elevation? I live at about 7,000 feet.
This recipe is identical to the one my grandmother gave me. I’ve yet to have biscuits that rise but the flavor makes up for it.
Hi, Jenna! I’ve never baked at high elevation, so I have no idea. I found this helpful article on King Arthur Flour’s website, which might give you some adjustments to try: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Hope that helps!
I have always wanted to learn to make biscuits! Thanks to you and Aunt Bee for super recipe! See old dogs can learn new tricks! 61 years young!
That’s wonderful, Stacy! I’m so glad that this recipe was the winner. 🙂
This is the best recipe! Tried numerous recipes and this is far the best! Mahalo (thank youJ for sharing!
Thank you!! So glad that you love the biscuits!
Can the dough be frozen for later, or should I bake them and freeze them after
Hi Nellie! You can freeze the dough before baking the biscuits. After cutting out your biscuits, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop the tray in the freezer for an hour or so. Once the biscuits are frozen, transfer them to a gallon-sized freezer bag or airtight container. Store the frozen biscuit dough for up to 3 months. Hope this helps!
I live at 5100 feet, will I need to adjust my ingredients ?
Thanks
Hi, John! I’ve never actually baked at high elevation, so I’m no expert when it comes to making modifications. I’ve never had the opportunity to test at the higher level. That said, this article is really helpful in that regard: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/high-altitude-cake-baking/
You might start by trying a couple of those suggestions, for instance raise the oven temperature by 25 degrees and increase the buttermilk by 1-2 tablespoons. Hope that gets you started!
Would love to have this this reciepe to try (seeing this on my phone). Never had a recipe that worked. Based on the reviews this the one I nreed
That’s great, Patsy! I hope you’ll give these biscuits a try. Let me know how you like them!
I have celiac but my daughter doesn’t. I made these using bobs redmill extra fine pastry flour and David’s baking powder bc I couldn’t find self rising. They came out amazing for my daughter and my guests. Currently trying them with bobs red mill gluten free one to one. Will let you know if it translates. Thanks for a super quick and easy glutenfilled recipe! My dinner guests thanked me graciously
That’s so great to hear, Camille. Thank you! Definitely let us know how the gluten-free version works. I’ve never baked with that flour, and I know that it might be helpful to others. 🙂
Your recipe turned out heavy and didn’t rise like other recipes I’ve tried. My ingredients were all fresh so I don’t know why and they were a little heavy and tough
Can I freeze these ahead and warm up for my Thanksgiving meal?!
Yes, absolutely! Have a great holiday!
Patsy. The secret to making bisquits is to make them quite soft. You may have to add more milk.
Very disappointed. Wish I could show picture. Biscuits look anemic. I make good homemade buttermilk biscuits but was looking for a quicker recipe. This did not work at all.
Hi, Charlotte! I wonder if maybe the leavener in the self-rising flour was old and therefore didn’t activate the biscuits to rise? I’ve never had them come out flat or “anemic” looking. Sorry that they weren’t a hit.
Needs at least 1 cup milk or 1.25 cups. I go by looks & feel but, .75 is not enough! And they didn’t rise very much even though I added baking powder. Going back to my tried & true recipe using AP flour. SR just doesn’t do it for me. They tasted good though!
Really easy and very tasty! We even made it into one big biscuit and cooked it that way. Everyone agreed we will make this one again! FYI excellent with some honey!
Yum! Thank you, Michele! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and agree that you can never go wrong with a bit of honey.
My husband tried a long time to find a biscuit that would work without shortening and still be soft and flaky; he never found one till now. 🙂 I gave up making biscuits years ago because that was one thing I never got the hang of cooking. He did add an egg the second time he made them bc they were more crumbly than he wanted. I don’t know if he tried any of the other tips. He has mentioned that he wants to try them with cheese. This is how he makes biscuits now, and we’ve had them several times since I ran across your recipe. Thanks so much for sharing with us!!
That’s so good to hear, Kathyren! Thanks for your note, and I’m glad to know that you’re enjoying the biscuits. 🙂
Has anyone tried with cheese?
Hi, Surpe! Yes, cheese is a great addition. You’ll need about 1/2 cup (more or less, to taste) of grated cheddar (or other similar cheese). Enjoy!
Why is there no salt or even sugar in this recipe??? I can’t imagine biting into a biscuit and not being able to taste sweetness or saltiness. What kind of white people flavorlessness is this?
Hi, Taylor! The self-rising flour and the butter both include salt.
I know this comment is old but I just can’t read this and not comment….
Its ignorant people like this guy in the world that cause alllllllllll the problems!
Get some intellect and make your own darn biscuits!
Geesh! Lord give me strength!
Bless us all……
Blair….thank you for sharing your recipes with us all.
WOW!
I add a little salt, but no sugar. I have another recipe that calls for just a little sugar and I actually like this one better because you really get a good buttermilk flavor. Just put some butter and molasses or jelly if you want some sweet-you should just try it!
“WHITE PEOPLE” flavorlessness. They are delicious and my doctor approved them for me considering that I cannot have very much salt. The PERFECT healthy biscuit.
@Taylor if you knew half of what you thought you did, you’d know the butter is salted, as is self rising flour. Why make it about race?!
My husband and his family who are black love these biscuits. They say they have good flavor. I’m white and when I’m mad at my husband I don’t use salt or other seasonings in our food so he will know I’m mad lol. Seriously though, they do have flavor and if you choose, you can put a tablespoon of sugar or an extra 1/2 tsp of salt if it’s not to your liking as is. It’s called tweaking a recipe
Thank you, Sherry! I’m glad to know that your family enjoys them! 🙂
LOL this is the same recipe my Gramdmama had and she was from Kentucky. They are DELICIOUS!!!
You can’t beat a classic recipe!
Just wondering: should these biscuits be baked in a glass pan, or will a square metal pan be OK to use? I don’t happen to have a round glass pan for this recipe, but do have a square 8″ glass pan.
Really would like to try these.
Thank you ahead of time for the answer
Sandra W.
Hi, Sandra! You can use a metal pan, a cast iron skillet, or even just a baking sheet. I like to pack them in a pan fairly tightly to help them rise high, but even the flat baking sheet is fine so long as the edges of your biscuits are touching. Hope you enjoy!
This is truly a wonderful, easy biscuit recipe. As a young girl, I won a blue ribbon from my biscuits entered into our county fair. All that to say, I made biscuits many times in early adulthood and then just stopped.
This recipe has changed all that. Thank you, and if you have not tried it, you should! Have a blessed day!
Thank you SO much, Jennie! It makes me happy to know that this recipe has brought you back to your biscuit-baking roots! 🙂
A great recipe. A keeper. I put my buttermilk (I like whole buttermilk, nothing low-fat) in the freezer for 10-15, then melted my butter and added it to the super cold, ice forming around edges of buttermilk. It clots into tiny pieces perfectly for stirring into flour! Yeah! Also, I froze some unbaked biscuits for later. They rose nicely as well. I live at 9300 ft, so rising can be a concern!
Thanks Aunt Bee!
Thanks for all of your helpful feedback! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the biscuits!
Can hardly wait to make these!! Thank you for great recipes and instructions.
Wonderful! Hope you enjoy, Gail!
I followed the recipe exactly, except I set the oven at 330 degrees. I used a cast iron skillet. The biscuits took a long time to cook, say 20-22mim. I finally took them out of the oven. The tops were as white as when I put them in and the bottoms were only slightly browned. The texture was very dense, sort of like hockey pucks. I threw them all out. The flour was fresh. Dunno what happened.
After freezing them cut out, how long would you say that they need to bake at? Same temp & a longer time? Making these this week!
Hi, Erin! Same temp, but you’ll likely need to add a few extra minutes (maybe 3-5 minutes more?). Just keep an eye on them as they get close! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! If going the froze dough route, could you bake these from frozen or do you need to thaw?
Hi, Tina! Yes, you can definitely bake them from frozen. Just add a minute or two to the suggested cooking time, and they should be perfect. 🙂
I’m so excited to find the perfect buscuit! I have tested many recipes and this is my favorite. Writing it down to save! Thank you for sharing!
That’s great, Lindsay. I’m so glad that you love them. Thank you!
I just made these biscuits. Not only are they extremely easy to make, but they are the best I’ve ever made! They’re so light and fluffy, they’re like eating clouds. I’ll use this recipe forever!
Yay! So glad that you love them, Sandra!
I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly and my biscuits turned out very heavy, no flavor, and did not rise at all. I opened a brand new bag of Pilsbury self rising flour, used salted butter, and full fat buttermilk. I just don’t get it. I was so excited.
My husband said they were the best biscuits he has ever had! I did freeze the butter and grated it into the flour. Very easy and tasty biscuits!
Yay! That’s wonderful, Sandra!
These are perfect! I use the frozen butter trick and add a little kosher salt for taste.
Thank you so much, Phillip!
Tasty but didn’t raise much even though I just bought the baking powder. I did have to sub. sour cream with milk for buttermilk(too expensive for me). I added a little grated cold cheese and garlic powder. Don’t you feel bad if these are not like the picture. I have been baking for 45 yrs. and was a pastry chef. BUT I can’t make biscuits that look like this! It is super frustrating! I had no trouble making eclairs, danish etc.
Hi Kat,
We’re sorry they didn’t rise much. We do try to provide as many tips as possible in the post. However, we’re glad you enjoyed the taste!
Very easy to make with lots of great hints. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Diane!