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    Home » Recipes » Muffins, Biscuits, and Rolls

    Published: May 16, 2020 Modified: Oct 18, 2023 by Nicole Durham This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy 3 Ingredient Biscuits

    Jump to Recipe

    These delicious and buttery southern style 3 ingredient biscuits are made tender and can be prepared 2 ways! Top them with honey or jam and enjoy a soft biscuit that melts in your mouth.

    biscuits crowded on a white plate.

    These 3-ingredient biscuits are a testament to the beauty of simplicity in cooking. Made with self-rising flour, butter, and buttermilk, they are a classic Southern staple known for their fluffy texture and rich, buttery flavor.

    These southern biscuits are best served warm, either on their own with a pat of butter or as a side to your favorite meals. The simplicity of this recipe makes it a versatile and quick addition to any breakfast or dinner table.

    For more biscuit recipes, be sure to check out my Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits, Air Fryer Canned Biscuits, and Baking Powder Biscuits.

    Jump to:
    • 🍯 Why This Recipe Works
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Storage
    • ⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
    • 💭 FAQs
    • ❤️ More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🍯 Why This Recipe Works

    1. Minimal ingredients. The name already says it all- you only need 3 ingredients to make these biscuits. This keeps the shopping minimal, the price affordable, and the effort low.
    2. They're fast. Making biscuits from scratch is quick and easy to do. Perfect for a last minute side dish to go with your favorite meal.
    3. They're flaky and soft. Because we use frozen butter we get a flaky biscuit full of rich buttery flavor.

    🥘 Ingredients

    ingredient needed to make 3 ingredient biscuits.

    Ingredient Notes:

    Self Rising Flour- The key ingredient that provides the necessary leavening agents, such as baking powder and salt. It eliminates the need for separate measurements of these components, making the biscuit-making process more convenient.

    Buttermilk- Add in some buttermilk to give the biscuit more flavor and texture of the biscuits, providing a subtle tang while reacting with the leavening agents to create a light and airy rise.

    Butter- You will need some cold or frozen sticks of butter. The butter adds layers of richness and helps create a tender, flaky crumb in the biscuits.

    For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.

    collage showing how to make 3 ingredient biscuits.

    🔪 Instructions

    Step 1: Freeze your butter for at least 1 hour before use.

    Step 2: Preheat your oven to 475F degrees. (Yes, I know that's very hot. Trust me.)

    Step 3: Measure out and sift 3 cups of self rising flour into the mixing bowl.

    Step 4: Grab the cheese grater and the butter. Shred the butter on the largest cheese shred setting. Stir into the flour using a fork until the large butter clumps have been stirred away. Don't pastry blend just mix them in.

    Step 5: Measure out 1 cup of cold buttermilk, you may not need it all. I use anywhere between ½cup to 1 cup everytime I do this recipe and it varies on a lot of things. Slowly add in ¼ cup of buttermilk and mix with a fork. Continue as needed.

    Step 6: Once the dough has formed a ball that pulls away from the sides, flip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out and laminate it a few times. This means sprinkle a little flour to prevent rolling pin from sticking, fold it into thirds like a letter and repeat about 3 or 4 times. This creates the biscuit layers.

    Step 7: For a final time, roll the dough out to ½ an inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or a wine glass, cut out the biscuits using a straight up and down motion DO NOT TWIST!

    Step 8: Place the biscuits about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes. (They don't change much in texture or appearance during this time so pick a number and it's fine.)

    Step 9: Remove from oven and brush the tops with melted butter (honey butter is a great option too if you want it sweet.) Brush some on the sides of the biscuits too. Be generous.

    Optional Step 10: Set your warm oven to broil. Place the biscuits back in the oven for up to 1 minute. This gives them a nice golden top. Keep a careful eye as they can go from golden to burnt in a real hurry.

    Serve as desired and enjoy.

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    Alright, here's what you were looking for. The massive important tip to go from great biscuits to WOW biscuits. Here it is- roll the dough thicker before cutting.

    Seriously that's it. You can cut these biscuits out anywhere from ¼" thick to 1" thick. They practically triple in size when baked.

    If you want the golden brown top, then broil them for about 1 minute after adding the butter to the top, checking every so often because it can get away from you very fast!

    Do not twist when cutting the biscuits! I learned this tip back in the 5th grade. Twisting will cause the biscuits to not rise as high. You want a straight up and down motion when cutting the biscuits. This leaves room for it to grow upwards.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Storage

    These homemade biscuits are good for up to a few days. Keep them stored in an airtight container and they can last up to a week and still taste amazing.

    ⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions

    You can make them and bake them in advance, then set them aside until you're ready to eat. I do not recommend cutting them out and then sticking them in the fridge for hours ahead of time because the leavening agents in the flour will stop working at some point.

    💭 FAQs

    Can I freeze Southern biscuits?

    Absolutely! These biscuits can be frozen as cut dough rounds or as fully baked biscuits. To bake after cutting out the dough, freeze it flat on a baking sheet before transferring it to an airtight container. Then thaw and bake as directed.

    What's the difference between southern biscuits and regular biscuits?

    Southern style biscuits do not contain eggs or sugar. They're usually packed with buttery goodness and flavor with a bare minimum of ingredients.

    Do I HAVE to use a cheese grater for the butter?

    Technically, no. But, I highly recommend it as the less contact you have with the butter the better. Using a cheese grater for the frozen butter means that you can avoid cutting in the butter and simply stir, add buttermilk, and move on more quickly and with less chance of softening the butter.

    biscuits on a white plate, one split in half and topped with jam.

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    If you tried these 3 Ingredient Homemade Biscuits, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!

    📖 Recipe

    several tall biscuits on a white plate.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    3 Ingredient Homemade Biscuits

    Super simple and easy 3 ingredient biscuits are going to become a huge hit in your home. Wow them with the tender flakey biscuits and the jaw unhinging heights they can reach!
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Total Time 27 minutes mins
    Servings: 12 Biscuits
    Calories: 259kcal
    Cost Recipe $2.69 / Serving $0.22
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Sifter (optional but recommended)
    • Cheese Grater
    • Large Mixing Bowl
    • Liquid Measuring Cup
    • Rolling Pin
    • Fork

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Self Rising Flour ($0.60)
    • 1 cup Butter (2 sticks), Frozen ($1.50)
    • 1 cup Buttermilk ($0.59)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Preparation

    • Freeze 2 sticks of butter until solid (about an hour) and place your mixing bowl and cheese grater in the fridge. When you're ready to begin this recipe, pull the bowl from the fridge, but leave everything where it is and do not grab them unitl needed. We want everything as cold as possible!

    To make the biscuits

    • Preheat your oven to 475F degrees. (Yes, I know that's very hot. Trust me.)
    • Measure out and sift 3 cups of self rising flour into the mixing bowl.
    • Grab the cheese grater and the butter. Shred the butter on the largest cheese shred setting. Stir into the flour using a fork until the large butter clumps have been stirred away. Don't pastry blend just mix them in.
    • Measure out 1 cup of cold buttermilk, you may not need it all. I use anywhere between ½cup to 1 cup everytime I do this recipe and it varies on a lot of things. Slowly add in ¼ cup of buttermilk and mix with a fork. Continue as needed.
    • Once the dough has formed a ball that pulls away from the sides, flip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out and laminate it a few times. This means sprinkle a little flour to prevent rolling pin from sticking, fold it into thirds like a letter and repeat about 3 or 4 times. This creates the biscuit layers.
    • For a final time, roll the dough out to ½ an inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or a wine glass, cut out the biscuits using a straight up and down motion DO NOT TWIST!
    • Place the biscuits about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes. (They don't change much in texture or appearance during this time so pick a number and it's fine.)
    • Remove from oven and brush the tops with melted butter (honey butter is a great option too if you want it sweet.) Brush some on the sides of the biscuits too. Be generous.
    • ****Optional Step**** Set your warm oven to broil. Place the biscuits back in the oven for up to 1 minute. This gives them a nice golden top. Keep a careful eye as they can go from golden to burnt in a real hurry.
    • Serve as desired and enjoy.

    Notes

    Adjust the thickness when cutting them out, from ¼" to 1" thick, as they significantly increase in size when baked.
    For a golden brown top, broil them for about 1 minute after adding the butter. Be cautious as it can brown quickly.
    When cutting the biscuits, avoid twisting them. A straight up-and-down motion is best to allow them to rise higher.
    Freeze these biscuits as either cut dough rounds or fully baked biscuits. For cut dough, freeze them flat on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. Then, thaw and bake as directed.
    Homemade biscuits can stay good for a few days. Store them in an airtight container, and they will still taste great for up to a week.
    To reheat day-old or cold biscuits, warm them for 15-20 seconds to enjoy a fresh-from-the-oven taste.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 12g | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.2g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 16.3g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Cholesterol: 42.9mg | Sodium: 396.3mg | Potassium: 70.9mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 1.1g | Vitamin A: 139IU | Calcium: 133.6mg | Iron: 1.5mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used. To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.

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    Nicole is the owner and recipe developer of BeeyondCereal, where she teaches people how to save money in the kitchen with frugal family-friendly recipes.

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