Home » All Recipes » Breakfast » 5 Ingredient Easy Drop Biscuits
by Baker BettieJune 10, 2019
This easy drop biscuit recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients! In under 30 minutes you can have homemade drop biscuits on your table!
Drop Biscuit Overview
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Techniques Used: Cutting Fat into Flour
Drop biscuits are just like classic butter biscuits, except there is no rolling required. Just scoop out the dough onto a pan and bake! No mess, no fuss!
These biscuits can be made with buttermilk or regular milk and come together so quickly with ingredients you likely already have on hand. In less than 30 minutes, you can have homemade drop biscuits for dinner!
Drop Biscuits vs Traditional Biscuits
Drop biscuits are made with the same ingredients as traditional butter biscuits, just in different quantities. Traditional biscuits are usually fluffier and have a flakier texture, but there is a place for both in your repertoire!
I make drop biscuits by themselves as a side for dinner, or drop them over a casserole, or even a cobbler for dessert. You can eat them for breakfast with sausage gravy, to sop up your runny eggs, or simply with butter and jam. I can always find a use for them!
Ingredients in Drop Biscuits
- Flour:Use all-purpose flour for these for the main structure of the biscuit. Remember when measuring flour to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups and level the cup off with a knife. If you have a kitchen scale, that is the most accurate way to measure flour. (Note: you can also make self-rising flour drop biscuits)
- Baking Powder:Baking does most of the leavening in the biscuit. It gives the biscuit the rise and some fluffiness.
- Salt:Salt is really what gives some flavor to these biscuits. It also helps with browning a bit.
- Butter:Use cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces. You want the butter cold so that when it creates steam when it melts in the oven. This creates flakiness in the biscuits.
- Milk:Milk is our moisture. It brings everything together and you want it cold so that it doesn’t start to bring down the temp of the butter. You can use regular milk, buttermilk, or non-dairy milk for these biscuits.
That’s it! Now if you want a little bit of a sweeter biscuit you can add a few tabelspoons of sugar. You can also throw in some herbs or cheese or diced up jalapeno. the possibilities are endless!
How to Make Drop Biscuits
Drop biscuits, like traditional biscuits, utilize require very cold butter and milk to keep their flakiness. It is also extremely important not to over-mix the dough so the biscuits don’t get tough.
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. If you want to add any herbs or spices you would add those here.
Step 2: Cut in the Butter
Add the pieces of cold fat into the dry ingredients and and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter through. You can opt to pulse this in a food processor if you like, however be careful not to over process.
Once the mixture is the texture of a coarse meal you are ready to move on to the next step. If you wanted to add in cheeses or other add-ins you would stir them in here before adding the milk.
Step 3: Add the Milk
Now its time to add the milk and stir until we get a thick dough. Start with part of the milk and stir until incorporated. Add more milk until a very thick dough forms.
Step 4: Scoop Dough
Use a large trigger scoop or a spoon to scoop large mounds of dough onto a baking sheet or into a greased cast iron skillet. You can make them as big or small as you like but I like really big biscuits.
Step 5: Bake!
Bake the biscuits until they are nice and golden brown. You can brush them with melted butter when they first come out of the oven if you like! A sprinkle of salt over the top would also be nice!
Yield: 8 Biscuits
Easy Drop Biscuits
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
This easy drop biscuit recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients! In under 30 minutes you can have homemade drop biscuits on your table!
Ingredients
- 2 cups(240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup-1 cup (175-240 mililiters) milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F (232 C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt together. If you want to add any herbs or spices you can add them here.
- Add the pieces of cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until the consistency of coarse meal. If you want to add any cheeses or other add-ins you can stir them in here before adding the milk.
- Add 3/4 cup of the milk and stir just until combined. You can use any milk you like or buttermilk if you want a tangy flavor. If the batter is very dry, add a little more milk until the consistency of a very thick batter. Do not over-mix. The batter will be quite lumpy.
- Drop large mounds (about 1/4 cup each. I use a 2 oz scoop) onto a baking sheet. You can also use a cast iron skillet that has been greased with butter.
- Bake at 450 F (232 C) for 18-22 minutes until golden brown
- Brush with melted butter if desired.
Notes
- If you have self rising flour on hand you can substitute the ap flour, baking powder, and salt with 2 cups of self-rising flour.
- If you only have salted butter you can use that and leave out the additional salt in the recipe.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 103
Breads Breakfast Savory Side Dishes
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Dija —Reply
Hi I live this series! Beautiful photos as well. This is great because I’m so intimidated by cooking. I can learn step by step with these tutorials
Baker Bettie —Reply
Thank you Dija! I hope I can make you less intimidated by baking! That is always my goal. If you know a few basic things it is so much easier to follow recipes and then to start creating your own!
Susan M Grimes —Reply
I’m gonna go make these these right now! With Blue cheese and jalapeño ! Thank you!
Baker Bettie —Reply
That sounds amazing Susan! I hope you loved them!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) —Reply
Yayyy! Always love these posts!
Baker Bettie —Reply
Thank you my love! xoxo!
Rodney —Reply
Great biscuits with garlic and cheese.
Baker Bettie —Reply
completely agree!
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Ashley —Reply
Made with Colby jack and garlic…delicious and so simple, love these!
Kathy J. Ramsey —Reply
Bettie, A perfect biscuit. I kicked it up another notch by placing precooked bacon in a muffin tin and dropping the biscuit dough inside the bacon circle. 400 F for 15 min. Bam!
Oyebode oyebola —Reply
Good job.
Sus —Reply
Oh my! The tastiest homemade biscuits ever!!!
I added cheddar, thyme, chives, rosemary and a little black pepper. Whole family loved it!
The toughest part was using a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Could you recommend a good pastry cutter? Thank you!Baker Bettie —Reply
That’s awesome Sus! Honestly, I just use a very generic pastry cutter that I got at Target. A pastry cutter isn’t one of those kitchen tools that you need to be fancy or expensive. Any kitchen store should have a fairly cheap one that will work well!
Your variation of this biscuit sounds absolutely divine!
shira L Krieger —Reply
Someone once told me to try grating the butter once its been in the freezer for a short while and it is honestly the best way to incorporate cold butter into flour. Give it a try!
Becca Cleary —Reply
Great suggestion, Shira. Thank you!
Marcela Freedman —Reply
I used a mashed potato masher and it worked great!
Sandy Vallati —Reply
Thank you! I've been making the drop biscuit recipe from my Fannie Farmer cookbook, and where they were good, I knew I was doing something wrong because they could have been better. It calls for shortening instead of butter and that is the first change I'll make. I also think I was over stirring. I'll try to remember to come back and let you know how they come out next time.
monay28 —Reply
I made these tonight. The recipe was perfect and simple hub loved them!! I added some Parmesan cheese and basil it was great! Keep up the good work!
Darin —Reply
Excellent biscuits. I was looking for a easy way to make these and it doesn’t get any easier than this. Very good.
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Libby —Reply
This is my go-to biscuit recipe. I don’t have a pastry cutter and am clumsy with the forks, so I just use my fingers to mix in the butter and try to be quick about it. Doesn’t seem to affect the delicious taste at all! I’ve eaten these as a side at dinner and as a strawberry shortcake biscuit. Just upped the sugar for dessert. Great, easy recipe.
Eliza —Reply
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Catherine —Reply
Way too much salt!
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi Catherine,
Make sure you are using unsalted butter, or the salt in the recipe will be too much. If you are using unsalted butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons still feels like too much, then you can definitely cut it back. However, I make these frequently and have never gotten feedback that the salt was too much.
Britney —Reply
Can you substitute the milk with water?
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi Britney,
Water would not be the best substitute as it would likely lead to a very tough biscuit with little flavor. If you are unable to have dairy, you could change the milk out for a non-dairy milk! Hope that helps!
Libby G —Reply
I make these all the time to serve with dinner (chicken, chili, etc.). Uncomplicated and tasty! I also use these with extra sugar for strawberry shortcake.
Baker Bettie —Reply
Such a great idea for strawberry shortcake!!
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Mona Wells —Reply
How would you change this to make them in high altitude like Steamboat Springs
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Ichi Tokyo —Reply
Looks great! Can you post the nutrition information for this?
Maxie Kanarek —Reply
This blog about Easy Drop Biscuit Recipe, Homemade Drop Biscuits has helped me a lot, is very well written. I used this fat burner product: https://s96.me/fit and I reached the ideal weight.
Kiss you All!Hannah —Reply
I make these biscuits all the time! It’s our go-to breakfast for Sunday mornings and when we have company. So cheap, easy, delish, and we always have the ingredients in our pantry. We bake them in cast iron and love how crispy the bottoms get. My husband requests them as “crispy biscuits”. I typically throw my stick of butter in the freezer while I’m prepping or making coffee, then grate it on a box grater. The last little knob you can’t grate is perfect for buttering the skillet. Sometimes we add a little sugar depending on our toppings. Great recipe. Make it and save it to repeat over and over again.
PFA Baking —Reply
Turned out perfect!!! Thank you for sharing! We’re stuck home during the crisis and I’m learning what to do with all purpose flour! Do you have any tips on a Pizza Flour?? It does not play well with biscuit making!!! Be well!
Steph —Reply
Thank you for this recipe. I made these this morning and they were so good! I couldn’t believe I made something so quickly that was that delicious.
Baker Bettie —Reply
That’s so great to hear Steph!
Dan Dailey —Reply
Made these biscuits for the first time they are a lot easier than using making biscuits the original way and they are delicious thanks for the recipe
Baker Bettie —Reply
So glad you enjoyed them Dan!
Lora —Reply
Would love to use vegan type butter. Any suggestions?
Baker Bettie —Reply
Use one with a high fat content. Something like land o lakes dairy free butter or earth balance.
Suparna Kapur —Reply
Love your recipes and like you rightly say if you understand the science you can do a better job. I made this with red leichester cheese and thyme and they were loved by all
I was wondering can us yogurt homemade instead of buttermilk.Abbey Leigh Stratton —Reply
I love that you have both the volume measurement and weight. Thank you for that.
Baker Bettie —Reply
You’re welcome!
Terry —Reply
I just made these with gluten free flour. In oven now. Hope they are as good as everyone says.
Rebecca —Reply
The BEST biscuit recipe!! So easy…followed it exactly as written & they turned out perfect! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!
Anna P —Reply
Soooo good and easy! I doubled the recipe and cooked in cupcake pans for 12 minutes. Put butter on top of hot biscuits and yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Jonita —Reply
Way too much baking powder. I had to throw the biscuits out. What a waste!
Baker Bettie —Reply
I’m so sorry to hear that! I have tested this recipe several times and have gotten great reviews for it.
Jill —Reply
Are you sure you measured right??
Amy H —Reply
Made these this morning. I always thought biscuits are hard but this is so easy and fast. And the results are amazing! The uneven surface means lots of crispy bits. I added a few tbsp of sugar and topped with powdered sugar, served with some jam.
Jill —Reply
Literally the best biscuits ever, I add garlic powder onion powder and cheddar
Baker Bettie —Reply
Yum! So glad you enjoyed them!
Unknown —Reply
1 TBS is too much baking powder. Saw another comment that said that but overlooked it and made the recipe. Couldn’t eat them. Had to throw away the biscuits. Maybe it was supposed to read 1 tsp? 2tsp maybe? Teaspoon and tablespoon are very different measurements. Not sure why everyone is raving about them in the comments when they are completely inedible made the way the recipe states. My husband will eat just about anything and he took one bite and couldn’t eat any more due to the overpowering baking powder.
Jaime D —Reply
My 10 year old daughter and I made these on a Sunday afternoon just to have something to bake that wasn’t sweet. They turned out delicious! We made them exactly like the recipe states, but they would also be great with some additions depending on what type of meal you’re having. They were so yummy hot out of the oven, we were torn if we should eat them with jelly, honey or just straight up. That buttery taste was SO good. And very easy! My daughter basically made them herself. Thanks for a great recipe!
Baker Bettie —Reply
I’m so glad you both liked them! There’s nothing more I love than to eat a hot buttery biscuit!
Yolanda —Reply
Greetings all,
I used to make biscuits in my youth but hadn’t done it in years. This was my first time using this recipe. These biscuits were easy to make and tasted delicious. My wife at three hot from the oven!!Baker Bettie —Reply
That’s great! I’m so glad you all liked them!
Pia Thadani —Reply
A tad on the salty side for me, but otherwise AMAZING! and so fast and easy to make (considering I suck at baking).
Chris Radentz —Reply
Can you make these ahead of time and keep in fridge till ready to bake (Next morning) planning a big brunch, trying to do all prep before hand. 1 tbsp of baking powder?
Jay —Reply
This recipe was perfect. Only additions were a touch of garlic powder, shredded cheddar cheese and parsley. Delicious. Had them with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy. Thank you.
Baker Bettie —Reply
Yum!
Patricia —Reply
Easiest, most tender, tasty, beautiful drop biscuits I have ever made. A thousand thanks for posting. This is a keeper.
Baker Bettie —Reply
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you like them!
Adaline Jyurovat —Reply
After seeing 2 comments saying 1T baking powder ruined the biscuits, I checked 5 different websites for baking powder drop biscuits. Every single one used 1T baking powder to 2 cups flour. Maybe those commenters used baking soda instead. A lot of trouble caused by ill informed comments.
Baker Bettie —Reply
Hi Adaline, thanks for commenting. The recipe amounts are indeed correct as 1 Tbsp Baking Powder (not baking soda). 1 Tbsp Baking Soda is not correct and will not yield successful drop biscuits with this recipe.
Kim —Reply
Also, some people are more sensitive to the taste of baking powder in biscuits. There are plenty of recipes without it. Can’t wait to try these tonight to go with my chili! Thanks!
