With a few simple tips and tricks, you can make the best 3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits from scratch! These fluffy, flaky, buttery treats rise a mile high, creating layers upon layers of old-fashioned goodness.
Table of Contents
- Video: How to Make 3 Ingredient Biscuits
- How to Make Biscuits Rise High
- Ingredients for Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
- How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits with Self Rising Flour
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Tips for the Best Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe
- Recipe Variations
If you love biscuits as much as we do, be sure to try these flaky biscuits, these light and airy angel biscuits, and these easy drop biscuits, too! And when you need a quick option with minimal effort, these three ingredient buttermilk biscuits are the absolute best! They are perfect with country ham, sausage gravy, or jam for breakfast, or equally delicious alongside soup, chili, pot roast, or pulled pork for dinner.
Video: How to Make 3 Ingredient Biscuits
In the Southeastern United States, “biscuits” are typically soft leavened quick breads, similar to scones (but not sweet), and made with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. While the recipe and ingredients are incredibly simple, there are a few tricks to mastering the perfect tall, flaky biscuit recipe. Just stick with it, learn as you go, and follow my tips in the instructions below. You’ll ultimately achieve perfect buttermilk biscuits — and boy, are they delicious!
How to Make Biscuits Rise High
If your ideal biscuits include tall, buttery, flaky layers, then you’ve come to the right place. After years and years of practice, I’ve learned a handful of simple ways to achieve those elusive mile-high treats:
- Very cold ingredients are essential. Biscuits get their light, fluffy texture when cold butter expands in a very hot oven, creating pockets of steam. That’s why this recipe calls for freezing the cut biscuits for about 10-15 minutes before baking.
- The oven must be very hot — in this case, 475°F. When the cold biscuit dough interacts with the high heat of the oven, the water in the butter and buttermilk heats rapidly and releases steam, pushing the dough upward. If an oven is set at a lower temperature (such as 350°F or 400°F), the fat inside the dough heats too slowly and melts before the biscuits can fully rise.
- Folding the dough on itself multiple times builds visible layers.
- Do not twist a round biscuit cutter — just punch straight down and pull it straight back out. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
- Arrange the Biscuits with Sides Touching. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet so that they’re all touching their neighbors. This will help them “climb” in the oven so that you get that great, tall lift!
Ingredients for Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of the best three ingredient biscuits. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Self-rising flour: a common pantry staple in most Southern households, self-rising flour is simply flour with the leavening and salt already added. I prefer an extra-fine soft winter wheat flour made by White Lily. This low-protein, low-gluten flour gives Southern biscuits that perfectly crisp-on-the-outside, light-on-the-inside texture.
- Butter: I like salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you have it on hand. Make sure that your butter is very cold.
- Buttermilk: for its acidity, as well as its fat and liquid content. In conjunction with the leavening agents, the acidity helps the biscuits rise. Buttermilk also gives the biscuits a nice, subtle tanginess and a tender crumb. Keep the buttermilk nice and cold before adding it to the dough!
How to Make Buttermilk Biscuits with Self Rising Flour
Buttermilk biscuits made a regular appearance on our weekend breakfast table when I was growing up. Both my mom and my dad perfected their recipe over the years, using a juice glass to pop out the round little gems on a floured countertop before church on Sundays.
Today, I serve biscuits to my own family at least once a week — most often in the bread basket at dinner. No matter which entrée I’m offering, I know that the boys won’t go to bed hungry if this 3 ingredient biscuit recipe is on the menu!
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine the self-rising flour, grated butter, and buttermilk until a dough comes together. The amount of buttermilk that you need will vary, depending on the day. Start with 1 cup, and then add more if the dough feels too dry and crumbly. If it’s humid or rainy, there’s already moisture in the air and in the flour, so you will likely need less liquid in your dough. On a cold, dry winter day, you may need a bit more buttermilk to bring the dough together.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, fold it over onto itself 6-8 times (adding those flaky layers), and pat into a rectangle. You don’t even need a rolling pin — just your hands will do the trick.
- Use a round biscuit cutter to punch out the biscuits. Re-roll the scraps until all of the dough is used.
- Arrange the biscuits on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or cookie sheet, with sides touching.
- Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake in a 475°F oven for 11-15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.
- Brush the hot biscuits with melted butter and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Buttermilk biscuits are suitable for just about any meal, at any time of day. Serve them on their own for breakfast with honey butter, apple pear jam, this blackberry jam recipe, or apple butter. Add eggs on the side, use them to make an egg sandwich with sausage, bacon or cheese, stir up a skillet of sausage gravy, or top crockpot chicken pot pie or this chicken pot pie with biscuits. In Virginia, country ham biscuits are a classic snack! We also love biscuits as a side dish with supper. Pair them with beef chili, roast chicken and vegetables, pineapple glazed ham, chicken and noodles, Ritz chicken casserole, pan fried pork chops, stuffed pork chops, ham and bean soup with canned beans, senate bean soup, Cajun chicken pasta, tuna noodle casserole, Sloppy Joe tater tot casserole, franks and beans, smoked sausage pasta, slow cooker cabbage soup, seafood salad, or oyster stew!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: While they’re best served warm, straight from the oven, you can bake the biscuits up to 3 days in advance.
- Storage: The biscuits will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- How to Reheat: Place day-old biscuits on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave individual biscuits for 15-30 seconds in the microwave.
- How to Freeze: Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Tips for the Best Three Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- Keep the butter very cold. It doesn’t need to be frozen before grating, since I find that frozen butter is much harder to work with. Just a really firm, chilled stick works perfectly.
- Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour — do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in dense, dry biscuits.
- Keep the dough cold. I’ll say it again — the key to tall, fluffy, and flaky biscuits is cold ingredients. Don’t forget to chill the dough in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.
- Arrange the biscuits with sides touching. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet so that they’re all touching their neighbors. This will help them “climb” in the oven so that you get that great, high rise.
- Don’t twist the round cutter. Firmly press the cutter down into the dough, and then pull it straight back out. Twisting the biscuit cutter seals off the edges of the biscuits and they therefore will not rise as high.
Did you make this recipe?
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Watch How to Make It
3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups self-rising flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
- ½ cup (1 stick) very cold salted butter
- 1 cup very cold whole buttermilk, well shaken
- 2 tablespoons melted salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Using the larger holes on a box grater, grate the stick of butter into the flour.
- Use your fingers to coat all of the butter with flour, and then work the butter into the flour with your finger tips for about 2 minutes. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk, and stir with a wooden spoon (or with your hands) just until a shaggy dough comes together.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Fold the dough over onto itself 6-8 times, just until it comes together. Pat the dough into a rectangle that’s about ¾ inch thick. Use a 2 ½ -inch round biscuit cutter to punch out the biscuits (do not twist the cutter). Arrange the biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet with sides touching. Re-roll the scraps and cut out additional biscuits until all of the dough is used. If time allows, place the biscuits back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill again before baking.
- Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the hot biscuits with the melted butter. Serve warm.
Notes
- In a pinch, you can make your own buttermilk at home to use in this recipe. To do so, pour either 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a large measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 1 cup of liquid. Give it a stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then use it in the recipe as directed!
- If you don’t have a bag of self-rising flour in your pantry, that’s no problem. You can make 1 cup of self-rising flour by placing 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt. This recipe calls for 2 ½ cups of self-rising flour, so you would need to combine 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour with 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
- Recipe adapted from White Lily Flour.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Grating the butter into the flour is easier, in my opinion, than using a pastry cutter, pastry blender, or food processor to cut or pulse the cold butter into the flour. Any method will work, though, so pick whichever works best for you. Ultimately, you should see small pea-size pieces of butter throughout the flour that resemble coarse crumbs.
- Add cheese. About 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack would be delicious.
- Stir in diced pimentos and shredded cheese for “pimento cheese” biscuits.
- Add seasonings or herbs. Try a bit of garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, or chives.
- Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into squares instead of rounds.
More Easy Biscuit Recipes
7UP Biscuits
30 minutes mins
Butter Swim Biscuits {Just 4 Ingredients!}
45 minutes mins
Cathead Biscuits
45 minutes mins
For even more inspiration, check out this convenient collection of 25 Southern biscuit recipes!
This recipe was originally published in January, 2022. It was updated in December, 2024.
Haven’t tried yet but definitely intend to. Sounds very good.
Hope you enjoy, Vicki!
Hi, Nikki! Yes, you can absolutely use a cast iron skillet, or just transfer the biscuits from a smaller plate/tray onto the baking sheet before they go into the oven. Whichever you prefer!
Wow! I am shocked at how well these biscuits turned out. They are just perfect. I added a little kosher salt because why not. I used the frozen and grated butter trick and it worked so well!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them. They’re definitely my go-to!
I made this recipe for the first time. My family absolutely loved the biscuits. My only problem was there are to many pop up adds when trying to follow the recipe on my phone.
Hi Maryann,
Thank you for your feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. We understand the annoyance with the ads. They are how we make money and are able to continue providing recipes for free. We do try to keep them to a minimum and will look into their appearance on this post!
I’ve made these biscuits at least 10 times and they always turn out perfect! I have had leftovers (not often) but they stay for 2 days. Can I make up the dough ahead of time, make it into a ball and freeze it? If so, how long can it stay in the freezer, I’m guessing at least 2-3 months, but want your opinion. Then the night before I want to make them, I’d pull a dough ball out, let it thaw in the fridge and make the biscuits in the am. Hoping this is possible. Thanks and love this recipe!!!!
I’m so glad that you love them, Pam! If you want to prep the dough in advance and store it in the freezer, I would cut out the biscuits first. Then freeze them on a tray until firm, and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Store the wrapped cut-out biscuits in foil or in large Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then bake as many as you need directly from the freezer, adding a few extra minutes of baking time. I do not recommend thawing the dough in the fridge overnight, since the leavening agents will be activated in the fridge and will lose their potency (you won’t get as high of a rise). Keep them frozen and then just bake right from the freezer. Hope you enjoy!
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