Simple Drop Biscuits

Everyone needs a delicious, easy Drop Biscuit Recipe and you can make these homemade biscuits in less than 30 minutes. They are tender, soft, flaky and so good warm just out of the oven.

3 biscuits on parchments paper.

Serve them with breakfast or brunch, along with these Classic Tea Biscuits and Cranberry Drop Biscuits, or even as a side dish for dinner.

These drop biscuits are so easy to make you’ll want to make them again and again. I have made a lot of biscuit recipes, Cranberry Cream Biscuits and Quick and Easy Sourdough Biscuits being a few of them, but sometimes a simple biscuit is all you need. This is a recipe you’ll want to save so you can have warm biscuits from the oven whenever you want.

If you like drop style recipes then you might also love these Double Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies! Not a biscuit, but a simple and delicious cookie!

Recipe Ingredients

  • Flour – All purpose flour is the best flour to use for biscuits. It has a good amount of protein, but not as much as bread flour, so the biscuits will stay tender and soft and won’t become doughy.
  • Salt
  • Baking powder – Is the leavening agent of choice and it helps the biscuit to rise.
  • Sugar – Granulated
  • Butter – Biscuit recipes prefer to use cold butter because it gives texture and flakiness to the baked goods. Cold butter doesn’t get completely absorbed into the dough when baking, instead it gets broken down into pieces throughout the dough leaving pockets of fat that create that lovely texture we all love in a biscuit.
  • Milk – 2% or whole milk are the best options. Milk moistens the dough and adds color and flavor. 

Drop biscuits are easier to make than rolled biscuits because you just mix the dough and then drop it by the spoonful on your baking sheet or you could use an ice cream scoop. Top them with butter and jam or this delicious Homemade Clotted Cream or serve them alongside your favorite soup – either way they’re delicious.

How to Make Homemade Drop Biscuits

In a large bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add cold butter and cut it into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Add milk and mix with a fork until just combined. This means the milk will be absorbed into the dry ingredients but there will still be some lumps.

the dry ingredients in a white bowl and the mixed dough in a white bowl

Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have six mounds of dough spaced apart on the pan.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until they are golden brown. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

drop biscuits on a cookie sheet before and after baked

How to Cut in Butter

Cutting the butter into the dry ingredients is an important step in this recipe. When you cut it in the butter there will be little lumps of it which makes the mixture look like coarse crumbs. When you bake the biscuits the butter melts and creates little pockets which is what gives the biscuit a light and flaky texture.

I learned an easy way to cut in butter when I took a cooking class in Toronto years ago: put your butter in the freezer for 15 minutes and then grate it into your flour mixture and stir. This will create the coarse crumb texture you want.

How Do I Know I made my Biscuits Right?

They should be golden brown, baked all the way through, and be doubled in size. They should be soft and flaky on the inside when you cut them in half. They should taste buttery with just a hint of sweetness.

Why are my Biscuits Flat?

  • Was your butter warm? If your butter was too warm when you mixed it with the flour the biscuits won’t rise a lot when they bake. So, be sure to chill your butter before you add it.
  • Is your baking powder old? It is what causes the biscuits to rise as they bake and if it’s old it may not be as effective.
  • Did you leave the dough sitting out for a while before you baked the biscuits? Once you’ve mixed the dough you want to bake the biscuits as soon as possible. Otherwise, the butter will get too warm and the baking soda might not be as effective. If you don’t have time to bake the biscuits you can freeze the dough and bake them later.
  • Did you overmix the dough? Remember to mix the ingredients only until they are just combined. Overmixing will overwork the flour which will make it harder for your biscuits to rise.

What are the Four Types of Biscuits?

There are mainly four types of biscuits that we love making around here:

Rolled Biscuits – These biscuits are a very popular way of making biscuits. They use baking powder as a leavening agent and while baking they become twice their original size. Rolled Biscuits are light and tender on the inside and golden on the outside with a flat top.

Drop Biscuits – These biscuits contain a higher amount of milk in the recipe than the rolled biscuits. It’s a very moist dough, so much so, that when they are ready to be baked they are simply dropped on a baking sheet with a spoon or scoop. They don’t rise as much as a regular biscuit and they aren’t as fluffy. They are also uneven in appearance and texture. But they are still delicious!

Scones – Scones are a type of quick bread commonly served with afternoon tea in the UK. They are sweet, rich and usually made with cream and butter. They have a tender texture and a crusty top.

Shortcakes – Shortcake is not actually a cake, it’s a rich type of biscuit. It’s soft and tender, cut in half and filled with fruit, usually strawberries, and topped with whipped cream.

Biscuits with 1 cut and butter.

How to Freeze Biscuit Dough

This recipe is so easy you can make and bake a batch in less than 30 minutes. But if you want to make the dough and freeze it for later you can.

Make the dough as instructed. Drop the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until the dough is frozen. Transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag or container. The dough will keep this way for up to three months.

When you are ready to bake your biscuits, thaw them at room temperature then bake them as instructed in the recipe. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time if the dough is very cold when you put it in the oven.

How Long Do Drop Biscuits Last?

They will still be good after a day or two if you store them at room temperature. Or, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. But, honestly? They are best warm from the oven. They’re so good you probably won’t have any leftovers to store!

These really are the best Drop Biscuits – so easy to make and so delicious. Enjoy!

a biscuit on a cookie sheet.

More Tasty Biscuit Recipes

a biscuit on a cookie sheet.

Simple Drop Biscuits

Rosemary Molloy
You can make a batch of Drop Biscuits in less than 30 minutes. Warm, tender and flaky biscuits are delicious and you don't need a rolling pin to make them.
4.75 from 8 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Biscuits / Donuts / Scones
Cuisine American
Servings 6 biscuits
Calories 122 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all purpose flour (130 grams)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter (cold)*
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons milk (I used 2%) (105 grams)

*If you use unsalted butter then add 1/4 teaspoon of salt instead of a pinch.

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat oven to 400F (200C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar, add the butter and mix for form coarse crumbs. Add the milk and mix with a fork just until combined, about 15-16 stirs, the flour should be absorbed, but will be lumpy.
    • Drop by a heaping tablespoon to form 6 rounds on the prepared cookie sheet.
    • Bake for approximately 10-13 minutes or until golden. Let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

    Notes

    This recipe is so easy you can make and bake a batch in less than 30 minutes. But if you want to make the dough and freeze it for later you can.
    Make the dough as instructed. Drop the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until the dough is frozen. Transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag or container. The dough will keep this way for up to three months.
    When you are ready to bake your biscuits, thaw them at room temperature then bake them as instructed in the recipe. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time if the dough is very cold when you put it in the oven.
    They will still be good after a day or two if you store them at room temperature. Or, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. But, honestly? They are best warm from the oven. They’re so good you probably won’t have any leftovers to store!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 158mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2g
    Keyword drop biscuits, easy biscuit recipe, homemade biscuits
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    16 Comments

    1. 3 stars
      I MADE THE BISCUTS . I COULD TASTE THE BAKING POWDER IN THEM . NOT A PLESANT TASTE . HAD TO PUT JELLY ON THEM TO COVER THE TASTE . ALSO THEY BROKE APART AS I WAS EATING THEM . ANY SUGGESTIONS ?

      1. Hi PJ, sorry you didn’t enjoy them, 1 1/4 teaspoons is not very much, try with 1 teaspoon. They broke because they are flaky and you might have baked them a bit too long.

    2. 5 stars
      Awesome! I am not a baker and do t do well with dough and these biscuits are better than the Bisquik! I also add some dried rosemary

    3. 5 stars
      I halved the sugar and doubled the butter and my mom, who is picky with me, said they were the best biscuits I’ve made. They were certainly the easiest. Thanks again for yet another great recipe.

    4. 5 stars
      Pretty darned good. I added a handful of cheddar & a dash of onion powder, dry mustard & sage. REALLY GOOD FLAVOR!

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