A quick and easy drop biscuit recipe is nice to have on hand for a quick dinner side or for chicken and dumplings. My favorite way to enjoy these biscuits is smothered with sausage gravy for breakfast. This recipe, using buttermilk, cold butter and a few more basic ingredients, is my go-to recipe if I want to have a quick biscuit for breakfast or dinner. We also enjoy these buttermilk biscuits with cheddar and Old bay in my Copycat Red Lobster Biscuit recipe.
Be sure to scroll below the recipe for step by step photos and additional notes on how to get these biscuits as soft and fluffy as possible!
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Easy Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Equipment
- Baking sheet (linked below)
- Mixing bowl (linked below)
- Stainless steel measuring cups (linked below)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/3 cup buttermilk *see note
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425:
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, then cut in the cold butter, combining until only coarse, pea sized crumbs remain.
- Add beaten egg and buttermilk, then mix into the dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix).
- Drop the biscuit dough by spoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet with an inch or two of space between each biscuit. (Should have 6-8 biscuits depending on your size preference.)
- Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden on the top and bottoms, then brush additional melted butter on top of the biscuits (optional). Cool slightly, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Equipment needed for these Buttermilk Drop Biscuits:
- Baking sheet A baking sheet (greased or fitted with parchment paper) is needed to bake the drop biscuits. I prefer to line my baking sheet with parchment paper for easier removal of the freshly baked biscuits.
- Mixing bowl A mixing bowl is needed to hold the ingredients needed for the drop biscuits dough.
- Measuring cups I prefer to measure out my biscuit ingredients with stainless steel measuring cups and spoons.
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Ingredients needed for these drop biscuits: butter, buttermilk, all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and egg.
Substitutes for buttermilk:
Although I highly recommend using actual buttermilk, in a pinch you can use a buttermilk substitute such as 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar stirred into enough milk to equal a cup. My favorite buttermilk substitutes are either 1/4 cup plain yoghurt or sour cream stirred into 3/4 cup of milk. In my opinion, yoghurt or sour cream mixed with milk makes the creamiest buttermilk substitute and works best in baked goods, pancakes etc.
Why fresh ingredients are important:
Use fresh baking powder and buttermilk for the fluffiest biscuits! If your baking powder has been sitting in the pantry/cupboard for more than 6 months it will lose some of its effectiveness and baked goods will turn out dense and flat. Fresh buttermilk also produces fluffier biscuits than buttermilk that has been sitting in the refrigerator for too long.
Step 1: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, then cut in the cold butter, combining until only coarse, pea sized crumbs remain.
Step 2: Add beaten egg and buttermilk, then mix into the dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix).
Step 3: Drop the biscuit dough by spoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two of space between each biscuit (6-8 biscuits depending on your size preference).
Step 4: Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until golden on the top and bottoms, then brush additional melted butter on top of the biscuits (optional).
Serve and enjoy! We like to spread butter and fresh strawberry jam onto these drop biscuits while they are still warm, using them as a side to any meal. I love a meal with grilled steak, fresh tossed salad and these buttermilk biscuits for a weekend dinner, or topped with sausage gravy for breakfast. There are so many great reasons to have a simple drop biscuit recipe on hand!
Storage for leftover biscuits:
If you have leftover drop biscuits, they can be kept at room temperature for several days and reheated in the oven (wrapped in foil) on the warm setting or on a low temperature for about 5-10 minutes. You can also freeze the leftover biscuits to enjoy at a later date. If my biscuits have started to dry out, I like to use them in pot pie because the moisture and hot steam from the pot pie will fluff them right back up.
Feel free to use this recipe for later and be sure to tag me on Instagram to show off a recipe featuring your own creation of these buttermilk drop biscuits. Thank you for your support!
