3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Recipe By:Sara Gomez Posted on Updated on

The Perfect 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe: Simple, Fluffy & Fail-Safe!

Have you ever dreamt of baking a batch of gloriously warm, flaky biscuits, but felt daunted by complex recipes? We’re here to let you in on a little secret: the most wonderfully tender, buttery biscuits you can imagine require just three essential ingredients. That’s it. Allow us to introduce you to the ultimate 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe, a true game-changer for any home baker.

For our readers in the UK, it’s worth clarifying that when we say “biscuits,” we’re referring to the beloved American classic, which is much like a soft, savoury scone. These are traditional Southern biscuits, perfect for spreading with butter, drizzling with honey, or serving as a side to a comforting dinner. As a quintessential quick bread recipe, they come together in no time at all, with no need for yeast or lengthy proving. Prepare to be astounded by how something so straightforward can taste so sublime.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Beautifully Simple: With a trio of store-cupboard staples—flour, butter, and buttermilk—this recipe embodies minimalist baking. It’s an ideal first step for anyone new to making breads from scratch.
  • Ready in a Flash: From gathering your ingredients to pulling them from the oven, you can have a tray of warm, easy homemade biscuits in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for spontaneous baking urges!
  • Cloud-Like Texture: Our method ensures you’ll achieve tall, beautifully layered, and incredibly fluffy buttermilk biscuits with every bake. We’ll guide you through the key techniques for that perfect, flaky result.
  • A Versatile Classic: These biscuits are a brilliant blank slate. Savour them in their pure form, or get creative by adding cheese, herbs, or a touch of spice. They are wonderful for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Ingredients

  • 250g (2 cups) Self-Raising Flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 115g (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, frozen
  • 180ml (3/4 cup) Cold Buttermilk
  • 50g (1/2 cup) Grated Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Chives, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp Flaky Sea Salt
  • Salted Butter
  • Your favourite Jam or Marmalade
  • Honey or Maple Syrup
  • Sausage Gravy

The true charm of this recipe is its straightforwardness. Below are the three core components, along with some optional additions to elevate your biscuits even further.

  • 250g (2 cups) Self-Raising Flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 115g (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, frozen
  • 180ml (3/4 cup) Cold Buttermilk
  • Optional Add-ins:
  • 50g (1/2 cup) Grated Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Chives, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • For the Topping (Optional):
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp Flaky Sea Salt
  • For Serving (Optional):
  • Salted Butter
  • Your favourite Jam or Marmalade
  • Honey or Maple Syrup
  • Sausage Gravy (for a classic American breakfast)

How to Make Our 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

By following these steps, you are on your way to baking the most tender biscuits you’ve ever had. The secret is to work efficiently and ensure your ingredients stay as chilled as possible.

  1. Prepare Your Equipment

    To begin, preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C Fan / Gas Mark 7) and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Having everything ready to go will allow you to work swiftly once you begin with the cold butter.

  2. Grate the Frozen Butter

    Remove your butter directly from the freezer. Using the coarse side of a box grater, shred the entire block of butter into a bowl. This is our top tip! Grating creates small, consistent pieces of butter that mix evenly through the flour, which is the key to creating those delightful flaky layers.

  3. Combine Flour and Butter

    Tip the self-raising flour into the bowl containing the grated butter. With just your fingertips, gently toss the two together until every shard of butter is coated in flour. Move quickly to prevent the butter from warming up. The final mixture should look coarse and crumbly.

  4. Add the Buttermilk

    Pour all the cold buttermilk in at once. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir everything together until a soft, slightly sticky dough starts to come together. Be careful not to overmix; a few dry spots of flour are perfectly fine.

  5. Knead and Fold Gently

    Turn the dough out onto a surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Gently knead it just three or four times—only enough to bring it together. Pat the dough into a rectangle roughly 2cm (3/4 inch) thick. Now for the magic layering: fold one side of the dough over the other, as if closing a book. Pat it down again, and repeat this fold twice more. This simple lamination technique is what builds those irresistible layers.

  6. Cut the Biscuits

    Following the last fold, gently pat the dough to a thickness of around 2.5cm (1 inch). Using a 6cm (2.5-inch) round cutter, stamp out your biscuits. Press the cutter straight down firmly and pull it straight back up. Avoid twisting it, as this can seal the edges of the dough and stop the biscuits from rising properly. Arrange the biscuits on your prepared tray so they are just touching one another, which encourages them to rise upwards.

  7. Bake to Golden Perfection

    Gently bring the dough scraps together to cut out the remaining biscuits. If you wish, you can brush the tops with a little more buttermilk or some melted butter. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuits are well-risen, golden-brown, and cooked through. Your kitchen will smell absolutely divine!

  8. The Finishing Touch

    As soon as the biscuits are out of the oven, brush their tops with melted butter and, if using, sprinkle over a little flaky sea salt. This adds a lovely sheen and a final burst of flavour. Serve them immediately while they are at their warmest and most delicious.

Top Tips for the Fluffiest Biscuits

To ensure your baking is a triumph, we’ve put together our most crucial advice to help you perfect this recipe.

The Secret is Cold Ingredients

We simply can’t overstate this: your butter and buttermilk must be properly chilled. When the small pieces of cold butter melt in the hot oven, they release steam, which creates pockets of air that push the dough upwards, resulting in that wonderfully flaky texture. On a hot day, you can even pop your flour and mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting.

The Right Flour Makes a Difference

We opt for self-raising flour because it conveniently includes the necessary raising agents (baking powder and salt), which is what keeps our core ingredient list to just three. If you only have plain flour on hand, you can easily make your own. For every 125g (1 cup) of plain flour, just whisk in 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Don’t Overwork the Dough

From the moment the buttermilk is added, the aim is to handle the dough as minimally as possible. Overworking the dough develops the gluten strands in the flour, leading to tough, heavy biscuits rather than the light, tender ones we’re after. A slightly messy, sticky dough is precisely what you should be aiming for.

Flavour Variations & Serving Ideas

Although the classic three-ingredient version is simply divine, these biscuits also serve as an excellent canvas for your culinary creativity.

Savoury Twists

For a savoury dimension, gently incorporate grated cheese, chopped fresh chives, or garlic powder at the same time as the flour. A Cheddar and Chive biscuit is a timeless combination for good reason. They are an ideal accompaniment to a main dish like our flavourful Lemon Garlic Chicken or a hearty soup.

What to Serve with Your Southern Biscuits

These biscuits are exceptionally adaptable. In the American South, they are a breakfast essential, often split and filled with sausage patties or generously smothered in gravy. We also adore them served warm with a comforting evening meal, like a rich pasta. They would be the perfect side for mopping up the sauce from our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe.

FAQ

Q: Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
A: Buttermilk is essential here for both its tangy flavour and its texture-enhancing properties. Its natural acidity reacts with the raising agents, creating an exceptionally tender result. If you don’t have any, you can make a quick substitute: simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 180ml of regular milk. Allow it to sit for 5–10 minutes until it looks slightly thickened, then it’s ready to use. For a deeper dive into the science, King Arthur Baking has a great explanation of why buttermilk is so effective in baking.
Q: What’s the difference between an American biscuit and a British scone?
A: That’s an excellent question! While they share a similar appearance and ingredient list, there are distinct differences. British scones are generally a little denser and often have a touch of sweetness, designed to be served with clotted cream and jam. American biscuits, especially those from the South, are lighter, flakier, and almost exclusively savoury. Their layered texture makes them a perfect partner for savoury meals or breakfast dishes.
Q: Why are my biscuits hard and dense?
A: This problem usually points to one of two things: either your butter was not cold enough, or the dough was overworked. If the butter melts before it goes into the oven, it blends into the flour like in a cake batter, which creates a dense crumb. Overworking the dough develops too much gluten, which makes the finished biscuits tough. The key is to work fast, keep everything chilled, and handle the dough as little as necessary.
Q: Can I make the dough ahead of time?
A: Absolutely! You can prepare the dough, cut out the biscuits, and arrange them on a baking tray. Cover them well with cling film and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Alternatively, you can freeze the unbaked biscuits. Place them on a tray in the freezer until they are frozen solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They can be baked directly from frozen; just add a few minutes to the baking time.

Your New Go-To Biscuit Recipe

And there you have it—the most straightforward and satisfying biscuit recipe you will ever need. This recipe is proof that you don’t require an extensive list of ingredients to produce something truly wonderful in your own kitchen. These warm, flaky biscuits offer a taste of pure comfort, ready to transform any meal from simple to special.

We are so thrilled for you to try this incredible 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe. We’re sure it will become a favourite you’ll want to make time and time again. Give it a try this week, and be sure to let us know how they turned out in the comments section. We always love to see your baking successes, so don’t forget to tag us on social media!

Recipe Card

3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe


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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Makes: 8-10 biscuits

Ingredients

  • 250g (2 cups) Self-Raising Flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 115g (1/2 cup) Unsalted Butter, frozen
  • 180ml (3/4 cup) Cold Buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Prepare: Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C Fan / Gas Mark 7) and line a baking tray. Grate the frozen butter into a bowl containing the self-raising flour. Quickly toss with your fingertips until all the butter is coated.
  2. Form Dough: Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir with a spatula just until a shaggy dough comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 3-4 times.
  3. Create Layers: Pat the dough into a rectangle. Fold one side over the other as if closing a book. Pat down gently and repeat this fold twice more.
  4. Cut & Bake: After the final fold, pat the dough to a thickness of 2.5cm (1 inch). Use a 6cm (2.5-inch) cutter to stamp out biscuits, pressing straight down without twisting. Place them on the tray, just touching, and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and well-risen.

Hi, I’m Sara, a food lover and home cook sharing easy, tasty, and comforting recipes for every day. From soft breads to sweet desserts, every dish here is made with love and simple ingredients. Cook. Taste. Enjoy.

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