Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Nov 17, 2025 
If homemade biscuits have ever intimidated you, this Easy Drop Biscuits Recipe is the perfect place to start. There’s no rolling pin or biscuit cutter required… Just mix, scoop, and bake. I love how they turn out wonderfully buttery, fluffy, and golden every single time.
Why We Love This Easy Drop Biscuits Recipe
Need home-baked bread but in a rush? Homemade Drop Biscuits are here to the rescue! Warm, soft, and tender biscuits are the perfect carb-a-licious side dish for scooping up sauces and gravies, smearing with sweet or savory spreads, or to enjoy as-is for a ‘lil comfort food snack.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
While traditional buttermilk biscuits (like my cathead biscuits) can be a bit on the laborious side, these drop biscuits are quick and easy to prepare without extra steps, cookie cutters, or messy counters covered in flour. Just combine basic ingredients into a sticky dough, scoop, and – as the name suggests – drop onto a baking sheet, and bake!
And along with being super simple to make, fluffy buttery biscuits are also easy to customize with cheese, herbs, and spices. Mix up a batch of buttermilk drop biscuit dough in just one bowl with all of your favorite flavors, and serve them to a hungry crowd in under 30 minutes!
I’ve also got an angel biscuits recipe you just have to try!
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour – sifted before measuring
- Baking powder and baking soda – using both creates the fluffiest, softest biscuit crumb
- Sugar – granulated white sugar is best
- Salt – just a bit to balance the flavors
- Cold butter – I prefer unsalted butter
- Buttermilk – you won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade buttermilk with just 2 ingredients. Also, try my homemade buttermilk pancakes
We love the cozy simplicity of this original recipe, AND we also love that these biscuits are easy to customize with all kinds of irresistible flavors!
Keep reading for some suggestions for other savory ingredients to consider adding in, like fresh herbs and spices.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Preheat the oven – First, I preheat my oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. This keeps the biscuits from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Mix the dry ingredients – I sift the flour, then measure and level it for the most accurate results. Next, I add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together until it’s evenly combined. My favorite baking tip is to avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup, which can make the biscuits dense.
Add the butter – Instead of cutting the butter into cubes, I grate a cold stick of butter right into the flour mixture using a cheese grater. This creates tiny bits of butter that melt as the biscuits bake, giving them irresistible flaky layers. Then I gently toss the butter with the flour until it’s evenly coated.
Make the dough – I pour in the buttermilk and gently stir just until a shaggy, lumpy dough forms. I’m careful not to overmix because a light hand is the secret to soft, fluffy biscuits.
Portion the biscuits – Using a large cookie scoop or measuring spoon, I scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough for each biscuit and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one. The rough, craggy tops create wonderfully crisp golden edges.
Bake – I bake the biscuits for 12–15 minutes, until they’re beautifully golden around the edges and lightly browned on top. Every oven is a little different, so I start checking them around the 12-minute mark.
Brush with butter and serve – While the biscuits bake, I melt the butter. As soon as they come out of the oven, I generously brush the melted butter over every biscuit. It adds incredible flavor and gives them a gorgeous glossy finish. Then I serve them warm while they’re fluffy, buttery, and absolutely irresistible.
Optional Add-Ins and Variations
Want to punch up the flavors of these buttery drop biscuits? This recipe is wonderfully easy to customize with all kinds of extra goodies! Here are our favorite drop biscuit recipe variations:
- Shredded cheese – Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese, smoky gouda, gruyere, parmesan, or spicy pepper jack cheese.
- Fresh herbs – Mix fresh chopped rosemary, thyme, chives, or parsley right into the dough – or, add them to the melted butter to brush onto the baked biscuits before serving.
- Ground spices – A sprinkle of spices like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, cayenne, Italian seasoning, garlic powder or onion powder are an easy way to make these biscuits “match” your meal!
- Red Lobster biscuits – With just a few tweaks – like including shredded cheese and Old Bay in the dough – this easily becomes the BEST homemade Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe!
What to Serve With Drop Biscuits
One of the many (many!) great things about warm, soft homemade golden brown biscuits is that they pair so perfectly with nearly any butters, jams, and spreads of all kinds! Whether you are craving a sweet snack for breakfast or want a carb-y savory side dish with dinner, buttermilk biscuits have got you covered.
Serve them any time of day with your choice of spreadable condiments, like:
- Whipped Honey Butter
- Cinnamon Butter
- Homemade Peanut Butter
- Peach Preserves
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Hot Honey
- Tomato Jam
- Jalapeno Jelly (Hot Pepper Jelly)
- Easy Sausage Gravy
Frequently Asked Questions
Overly crumbly biscuits are usually the result of either too much flour or not mixing the dough evenly. I suggest sifting the flour to be sure you’re using the right amount, and so that it combines well with the other ingredients.
Buttermilk is acidic, and – combined with baking soda – creates bubbly little air pockets in the dough. This makes biscuits that are fluffy, soft, and tender. Using regular milk will make the drop biscuits more dense, but still tasty.
They definitely are tastiest when served fresh and hot from the oven. However, they will keep well for up to 1-2 days in an airtight container at room temperature or 2-3 days in the fridge.
Yes, you can! Let them cool completely before wrapping each drop biscuit individually in a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Transfer all of the biscuits to a freezer-safe ziploc bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
Wrap each biscuit in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave for 10-20 seconds at 50% power. This will create a softer texture, outside and inside the biscuit.
For a crisper outside and chewier inside, you’ll want to reheat the biscuits in the oven. Loosely wrap the biscuits in one big section of aluminum foil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes, until warm. Open the packet to uncover the biscuits and bake for another few minutes for an even crispier outside.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
Buttermilk Drop Biscuits Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup cold butter + 3 tablespoons of melted butter for tops
- 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set out a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Set out a mixing bowl. Sift the flour, then measure and level it. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl. Mix well.
- Using a cheese grater, shave the cold stick of butter into the dry ingredients. Gently mix the shaved butter into the flour.
- Add the buttermilk and gently mix to create a lumpy dough.
- Scoop 3 tablespoon portions of biscuit dough out and dollop them on the baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden around the edges.
- Meanwhile melt 3 tablespoons of butter. The moment the biscuits come out of the oven, brush the butter over the top of the biscuits. Serve warm.
Notes
½ cup shredded cheese
1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs – any variety
½ teaspoon ground spices, like cinnamon, cayenne, or any variety
¼ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder Leftovers – Homemade biscuits are tastiest when served fresh and hot from the oven. However, they will keep well for up to 1-2 days in an airtight container at room temperature or 2-3 days in the fridge. To Freeze – Let them cool completely before wrapping each drop biscuit individually in a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Transfer all of the biscuits to a freezer-safe ziploc bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature for 30 minutes or so. To Reheat – Wrap each biscuit in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave for 10-20 seconds at 50% power. This will create a softer texture, outside and inside the biscuit. For a more crisp outside and chewy inside you’ll want to reheat the biscuits in the oven. Loosely wrap the biscuits in one big section of aluminum foil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes, until warm. Open the packet to uncover the biscuits and bake for another few minutes for an even crispier outside.
Super easy and quite delicious! We brush ours with a ton of melted butter on top.