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Steaming hot easy drop biscuits topped with melted butter have proven irresistible to every member of my family.
I’ve made this recipe at least half a dozen times over the past few months and despite my best efforts to save some biscuits for breakfast the next day, it has yet to happen. The boys find my stash every single time.
Simple Drop Biscuits
While it doesn’t take all that long to roll out a batch of these much-loved classic flaky biscuits, sometimes we don’t have even that much time. That’s where these drop biscuits come into play.
I just want to start out by saying these are amazing!!!! I am not a great baker, but when I saw this recipe, I had to try it… WOW my whole family loves these, even the picky ones. Two thumbs up! Thank you
Have I mentioned how much I love the smell of warm biscuits fresh from the oven? Hand me a hot biscuit topped with melting butter and you are speaking my language.
Some of my most used kitchen tools are these cookie scoops and I put the large one to use for these drop biscuits. I was in a hurry one afternoon and decided to try it.
Oh, the failed biscuits I’ve seen.
For the longest time, at least the first ten years of our marriage, I didn’t really make biscuits. I hadn’t yet figured out that one of the most important things when it comes to biscuit making is simply to not mess with the dough too much.
Feel free to read the embarrassing story of my first biscuit making attempt in this post, at least now I can laugh about it. Fortunately for all of us, my biscuit-making skills improved over time, and the biscuit recipes here have proven reliable now for even the least experienced of cooks and bakers.
Heck, if my three-year-old can handle it, I’m pretty sure we all can. My little one in this video is in high school now, and it still makes me grin.
How to Make Drop Biscuits
Start by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Give it a light whisk to combine.
To keep my biscuit-making as simple as can be, I use a grater to cut the butter in small shreds so it blends nicely. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a fork to blend it in until crumbs and little pea-sized pieces form.
Drizzle in just enough milk to bring it all together into a sticky dough. Use a scoop or a couple of large spoons to drop the biscuit dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes and serve warm.
Drop Biscuit Recipe
Take a look in the pantry for these items to make easy drop biscuits:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- sugar
- butter
- milk
Biscuit Toppings
Top the warm biscuits with jams and jellies for a real treat. Perfectly sweetened and spiced jam with just a hint of cinnamon, this Homemade Peach Jam has been a staple in our home for about 15 years.
I tried a habanero peach jam for the first time a few years ago and fell for the unique flavor combination immediately.
Pumpkin butter and apple butter are thick, richly spiced spreads that are perfect on top of toast or muffins.
Tart cranberries and spicy peppers mingle in this sweet and spicy Cranberry Pepper Jelly. Everyone goes crazy for this spicy jam.
Easy Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ cup butter grated
- 1 cup milk plus more ONLY as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Grate the butter and dump it into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix in the cold butter pieces until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with little pea size or smaller lumps throughout.
- Gradually stir in milk – do not dump all the milk in at once! Add just enough milk until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. It should still look somewhat dry and be a bit sticky.
- Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (The medium scoop in this set is perfect for this.) Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the biscuits are golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make the dough ahead of time? And if so, would I need to get it room temp before baking?
Honestly, this comes together so quickly, I’ve never tried that. It should work fine though. I would bring it to room temp though.
This is a great recipe. It is very easy, and I’ve been making biscuits for decades.
I’m so glad you like the biscuits!
Your drop biscuits are a step back to the ones my WWII Veteran father n law use to make!! Thank you for sharing in make them of the time! Quick easy hot biscuits anytime, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack!!
I’m so glad you like them!
Ok, I’m not a baker at all. I tried these and they spread in drop disc instead of biscuits. They tasted wonderful. What did I do wrong and how do I fix it for my next attempt?
It sounds like there might have been too much milk added. Gradually stir in the milk for biscuits – never dump it all in at once. Add just enough milk until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. It should still look somewhat dry and be a bit sticky. You likely won’t need the entire amount listed above. I hope that helps!
no flavor
Sorry to hear that your biscuits weren’t a hit, Paul. Did you by chance change any of the ingredients? or use unsalted butter?
I never use salt or salted butter due to health issues, but made this recipe without salt or salted butter and it is now a family favorite. thank you for the recipe
I’m glad it worked well for you!
I like the recipe. I added cheese and my family ate them up!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the biscuits. I bet they were great with the added cheese too.
i make these all the time. sometimes I throw in some shredded cheddar and baste them with garlic butter when they come of the oven. very similar to RL’s cheddar bay biscuits…yum.
Mmmmm sounds great!
Stumbled upon this recipe looking for drop biscuits, and glad I found it. These were the best drop biscuits I’ve ever made, and I’ve made tons throughout the years. This recipe would also make good dumplings! Kudos to the owner!!!
I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the biscuits!
This recipe was so disappointing. I followed the recipe to a T, yet the biscuits took twice as long to bake and were hard as a rock. Also, it’s extremely unhelpful to not have instructional photos of each step, and to basically give the instruction “go buy a scoop from my Amazon affiliate link to know how much dough you should scoop out.” What a bummer.
Hey Emily, it sounds like something was off with your recipe. The biscuits certainly shouldn’t have been “hard as a rock,” that sounds like overbaking and possibly overmixing too. The scoop is 2 tablespoons in size and I usually slightly overfill it. It’s very approximate though (hence my not listing exact amounts, as most people will make whatever size biscuit they desire) about any size biscuit will work for this recipe. If you made yours significantly larger, they would’ve required a bit more baking time, but not double the listed time.
Did you change or substitute any of the ingredients? I know you stated that you followed to a “T” however without being in your kitchen with you, it’s hard to guess what might have gone wrong.
How many biscuits does it make per serving?
The nutritionals are per biscuit.
I just want to start out by saying these are amazing!!!! I am not a great baker, but when I saw this recipe, I had to try it… WOW my whole family love these, even the picky ones. Two thumbs up! Thank you
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying them so much, Patty!
We made it using gluten free flour and lactose free milk. It was delicious!
I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the biscuits!
Everything came together so easily! I’ll definitely be making these again. My super picky husband liked them too!
I’m thrilled the biscuits are a hit!
The best recipe I have ever had. Easy drop biscuits are a keeper Thankyou so much
I’m thrilled to hear the biscuits are such a big hit!
Biscuits were actually very good. Will be making them again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
The best! I’ve tried many recipes, including more challenging, but these were outstanding, not fussy, and exactly what we were craving to pair with chicken biscuits and gravy. Not oily, heavy or tough, just right all around. Flavor was pure, classic. I don’t know how some people didn’t have success.
I bet these were perfect with chicken and gravy!
Hi Mary,
Could you use buttermilk instead of milk for these biscuits?
That will work fine, Bonnie.
YUCK! If you like the taste of raw flour then this recipe is for you.
Not sure what went wrong for you, Kathy, but you shouldn’t be tasting raw flour at all. Did you change any of the ingredients or method by chance?
Fair. I like drop biscuits made with biscuits better. Much easier, too!
I’m not sure I completely understand your comment. These are drop biscuits made with biscuits?
what I meant to say is I like biscuits made with Bisquik. taste much better and faster. this takes way to long. I hate mixing biscuit dough. takes way too long. not worth the time it takes. not that good. why do I have to rate this recipe twice before it shows up? will never visit this site again!
Hey Judy, I see all of your comments here. I have to approve them before they’re visible. I’m glad that Bisquik works so well for you. I love making these biscuits and find them to be just as easy and we happen to like this version better than the box. Isn’t it great that we can all do our own thing in our own ways? Have a great weekend!