Biscuit Recipe you’ll want on repeat—5 ingredients, no stress, and melt-in-your-mouth flavor every time.
author’s note
The Only Biscuit Recipe You’ll Ever Need!
My dad’s all-time favorite breakfast is biscuits and gravy, so I made it my mission to make him the best he’s ever had.
That started with perfecting the biscuit. I love biscuits—especially the sweet kind with butter, jam, and some homemade whipped cream! After lots of testing and tweaking, I finally perfected the best biscuit recipe I’ve ever made.
They turn out perfect every single time. If you’re after a foolproof, go-to biscuit, this is it. And once you’ve got the biscuits down, don’t miss my biscuits and gravy—I finally nailed that too!
Biscuit Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose white flour: Spoon and level to avoid packing in too much.
- Granulated sugar (optional ingredient)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Heavy cream: Make sure to get full-fat, straight-from-the-fridge cream. Or use buttermilk (see “variations” box below).
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control saltiness. Quality makes a difference.
Quick Tip
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this homemade Biscuits Recipe! Use a pastry cutter or even two table knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
How To Make Biscuits
There are a few ways to make these (see the recipe card for more), but using a food processor works best for me. Like pie dough, it’s all about minimal handling.
- Start with cold butter. I cube it, then freeze the cubes.
- Pulse dry ingredients with butter until the butter looks like small peas.
- Add cream. Pulse just until a dough starts to form.
- Knead lightly. Just enough to bring it together, then press into a 1-inch disc.
- Cut, brush, chill, and bake. Cut out biscuits, brush with cream, chill, then bake.
Variations
- If you’d like to make a buttermilk biscuit recipe instead, replace the heavy whipping cream with 3/4 cup buttermilk.
- For a 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, use self-rising flour, heavy cream, and butter! You can leave out the salt and baking powder if using self-rising flour, since both are included in that mix.
Tips To Make The Best Biscuit Recipe
- Keep everything cold. Chill the flour, freeze the butter after cubing, and use cold cream. Cold dough = better biscuits.
- Cut straight down. Don’t twist the cutter—it helps biscuits rise tall and hold shape.
- Don’t over-knead. Stop as soon as the dough comes together. A few lumps are fine. Warm hands = soft butter, which you don’t want.
- Watch the bake time. Pull them out as soon as they’re golden.
- Let them rest. Leave on the pan for 5 minutes to finish cooking inside. Tap the top—it should sound hollow.
Quick Tip
Don’t have a biscuit cutter? No worries! Cut the dough into 2×2-inch squares instead!
Biscuit Recipe FAQs
Two common issues:
1. Old baking powder: Make sure it’s fresh or the biscuits won’t rise.
2. Warm butter: Use cold butter to create steam pockets. If it melts too early, biscuits turn out flat and dense.
Butter and shortening both work in biscuits, but I prefer butter for the flavor and flaky texture.
Shortening helps with rise and makes softer, more cake-like biscuits. But cold butter gives better flavor and crisp, flaky layers—just make sure it stays cold to avoid flat biscuits.
Storage
Biscuits Storage
While I prefer these biscuits the same day they are made, you can store leftovers. Package the (completely cooled) biscuits in an airtight bag and refrigerate. Leftovers are best eaten within a few days.
Can you freeze baked biscuits?
Yes! Wrap the completely cooled biscuits individually in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and then freeze. They should last for 2-3 months in the freezer. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight
What To Serve With Biscuits
- Spread with Honey Butter and a little jam or this Blueberry Syrup.
- Make a ham, Swiss cheese, and hot honey sandwich (like these Ham and Cheese Sliders).
- Serve alongside Ham and Cheese Quiche or Quiche Lorraine.
- To enjoy a biscuit recipe for dinner, try adding some fried chicken and hot honey to make a delicious dinner sandwich.
More Biscuit-Style Bread Recipes:
Muffins And Quick Breads
Red Lobster Biscuits
Breakfast
Strawberry Scones
Desserts
Air Fryer Donuts
Muffins And Quick Breads
Drop Biscuits
Biscuits
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15" x 10")
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- 2-inch biscuit cutter or a knife to cut dough into 2 x 2 inches
- Large food processor or pastry cutter or two knives, see note 3
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream divided, see note 1
- Softened butter to brush on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a sheet pan with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper (not foil). Cut butter into small cubes, then put in freezer to get as cold as possible—ideally about 15 minutes.
- If using a food processor, add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cubed butter from freezer into a large food processor. Pulse (don’t puree) 5–8 times at 1-second intervals. Butter should be pea-sized crumbs. (Pulse another few seconds if not.) Pour 1 cup heavy cream over everything. Pulse again just until cream is incorporated, about 8 more 1-second intervals. Don’t over-pulse; dough should still be crumbly. Scrape dough onto a clean working surface. Knead a few times to bring dough into a ball (the less kneading the better). If needed, add a sprinkle of flour, but avoid adding too much—you’ll end up with drier biscuits.
- Use your hands to press dough into a 1-inch thick disc. Grab a 2-inch biscuit cutter (see note 2 for bigger biscuits) and first press into flour, then press directly into dough (don’t wiggle or shimmy the cutter). Use a metal spatula to scrape the cut biscuit onto the prepared baking sheet (avoid touching the biscuit with your hands). Repeat until you’ve cut as many as possible, then reroll scraps, flatten, and cut out a few more. I typically get 14 or 15. See note 3 if you don’t have a food processor!
- Set biscuits close together on sheet pan, about 1/2-inches apart. (Rising close together helps them rise straight up.) Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Bake 12–16 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottoms and tops. Remove and let stand 10 minutes. (Steam will finish cooking the interior.) Out of the oven, brush on some softened butter with a pastry brush if desired. Serve warm, split in half with butter and jam, or even some cream if you’re feeling fancy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- To use a pastry cutter or two table knives, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Remove frozen, cubed butter from freezer and put right on top of dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of this bowl. Pour heavy cream, straight from the fridge, into the well. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir until combined. Do not overmix or overwork dough.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. (If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour, but avoid adding too much more flour, or you’ll get dense/drier biscuits).
- Once ingredients have formed a ball, fold dough in half. Gently flatten dough with your hands to a wide rectangle. Rotate dough 90° and fold in half again. Flatten with your hands again. Repeat this process a total of 4–6 times, being careful to not overwork the dough or make it too warm.
- Finally, flatten dough to 1-inch thick. Grab a 2-inch biscuit cutter and, first press into flour, then press directly into dough (don’t wiggle the cutter). Use a metal spatula to scrape cut biscuit onto prepared baking sheet (avoid touching biscuit with your hands). Repeat until you’ve cut out as many as possible then reroll scraps, flatten, and cut out a few more. I typically get 14 or 15.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
