3-Ingredient Homemade Biscuits

Meggan Hill

• Updated

4.95 from 105 votes

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Trusted for the last 40 years, this easy Homemade Biscuit recipe requires just 3 ingredients. Whip up a batch of homemade biscuits for a dinner side dish, shortcake-starter, or as the base of a breakfast entree.

A basket of homemade biscuits.

When someone makes biscuits for 40 years, you know the recipe is a keeper.

Sometimes that person is your mom or your grandma, and sometimes that person is your culinary school BFF’s mother (thank you, Barbie!).

It doesn’t matter who it is. What matters is that you get your hands on that recipe, and I have the tricks for these time-honored biscuits here.

Table of Contents

  1. Recipe ingredients
  2. Ingredient notes
  3. Step-by-step instructions
  4. Recipe tips and variations
  5. 3-Ingredient Homemade Biscuits Recipe

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients for 3-ingredient biscuits.

Ingredient notes

  • Self-rising flour: If you can’t find this or don’t want to invest in a special flour just for baking, make your own self-rising flour. In a bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
  • Cold butter: “Cold” is key. As the butter melts in the oven when the biscuits bake, it creates steam that yields a flaky, tender crumb. If preferred, you could use cold shortening instead.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups self-rising flour and ½ cup cold butter (cut into small cubes). Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or 2 knives, cut in butter until a coarse meal develops and butter is evenly distributed. 
Making biscuit dough in a bowl.
  1. Add 6 tablespoons milk and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If dough is dry, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
Making biscuit dough in a bowl.
  1. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 20 seconds. If the dough becomes sticky at any point, add a dusting of flour.
Rolling out biscuit dough.
  1. Roll out to 1/2-inch thick and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Press together the uncut dough and continue rolling and cutting biscuits.
Cutting out biscuits from dough.
  1. Bake until lightly golden brown on top and fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Biscuits on a sheet tray after baking.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 12 flaky biscuits. You can absolutely cut the recipe in half for a small batch of 6, or double the recipe to make 24.
  • Storage: Place any extra biscuits in an airtight container or a zip-top storage bag. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • Make ahead: Instead of baking then freezing biscuits, try mixing the dough, cutting into rounds, then freeze the unbaked biscuits individually on a tray or baking sheet for quick carbs any day of the week. Once frozen solid, transfer the biscuits to a freezer-safe container or a zip-top storage bag and freeze for up to a month. When you’re ready, place the prepared frozen biscuits on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Cook at 450 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes.
A basket of homemade biscuits.

Put your biscuits to work

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A basket of homemade biscuits.

3-Ingredient Homemade Biscuits

Trusted for the last 40 years, this easy homemade biscuit recipe requires just 3 ingredients. Whip up a batch of homemade biscuits for a dinner side dish, shortcake-starter, or as the base of a breakfast entree.
Author: Meggan Hill
4.95 from 105 votes
ReviewPrint
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 12 biscuits
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 148

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups self-rising flour (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup butter cold, cut into pea-sized cubes
  • 6 tablespoons milk plus more, if needed

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • In a large bowl, combine flour and butter. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or 2 knives, cut in butter until a coarse meal develops and butter is evenly distributed. 
  • Add milk and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is dry, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 20 seconds, adding flour if the dough becomes sticky. 
  • Roll out to 1/2-inch thick and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Press together the uncut dough and continue rolling and cutting biscuits.
  • Bake until lightly golden brown on top and fragrant, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Self-rising flour: If you can’t find this or don’t want to invest in a special flour just for baking, make your own self-rising flour. In a bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
  2. Cold butter: “Cold” is key. As the butter melts in the oven when the biscuits bake, it creates steam that yields a flaky, tender crumb. If preferred, you could use cold shortening instead.
  3. Yield: This recipe makes 12 flaky biscuits. You can absolutely double the ingredients called for in this homemade biscuit recipe to bake 24 biscuits, or triple for 36.
  4. Storage: If you’re lucky enough to have them, place any extra biscuits in an airtight container or a zip-top storage bag. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  5. Make ahead: Instead of baking then freezing biscuits, try mixing the dough, cutting into rounds, then freeze the unbaked biscuits individually on a tray or baking sheet for quick carbs any day of the week. Once frozen solid, transfer the biscuits to a freezer-safe container or a zip-top storage bag and freeze for up to a month. When you’re ready, place the prepared frozen biscuits on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Cook at 450 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuitCalories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 34mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 249IUCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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Executive Chef and CEO at | Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is the Executive Chef and CEO of Culinary Hill, a popular digital publication in the food space. She loves to combine her Midwestern food memories with her culinary school education to create her own delicious take on modern family fare. Millions of readers visit Culinary Hill each month for meticulously-tested recipes as well as skills and tricks for ingredient prep, cooking ahead, menu planning, and entertaining. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the iCUE Culinary Arts program at College of the Canyons.

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Comments

  1. Great recipe. Not super flavorful. However does the trick in a pinch without baking powder. Thanks for the recipe! Made homemade gravy to go with it!4 stars

    Reply

  2. Megan,
    There is still an error in this recipe. The amount of mild that is required is incorrect. You list 6 Tablespoons of milk but when you switch to metric, is indicates 183 ml of milk which is 12.2 Tablespoons of milk. I made this recipe last night and started with the US Customary amount of 6 Tablespoons and this amount was not even close. I added another 5 Tablespoons of milk in order to get it to the proper dough consistency. I believe that the proper amount of milk required for this recipe is, indeed, 10 – 11 Tablespoons of Milk. Other than that, these biscuits came out GREAT. Very flavorful with a good rise and very moist.

    Reply

    1. Hi Greg, thank you for the feedback. I’ll look into it. Thank you again and take care! – Meggan

    1. Hi Sam, sorry you didn’t like this recipe. Without specifics of what you did, I’m afraid I can’t help you figure out what went wrong. Hope you find another recipe to your liking. – Meggan

  4. Mine came out too stiff and dry. We are in Florida and it may make a difference. I had to add Tablespoon after Tablespoon more milk. Finally it was a soft dough. Sticky but pliable. I kneaded it and popped it into a 450 degree oven as directed and the biscuits were great.

    Reply

    2. I made these last night and had to use about 11 Tablespoons of Milk. If you use the toggle switch in the online version and change it from US Customary to Metric, you will see that it calls for 183 ml of milk which translates to 12.2 Tablespoons. I did find that this was a little too much. It came out to about 11 Tablespoons of milk to make the dough the proper consistency.5 stars

  5. I didn’t have milk so I had to use Caramel Almond Milk Coffee creamer. I also didn’t have parchment paper or rubber mat so I put olive oil on my cookie sheet. Despite these substitutions, these were so easy to make and they taste delicious. I’ll definitely make these again. I can’t wait to taste how they come out with real milk! Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

    1. You’re so welcome, Deborah! I’m so happy they worked out! I was worried as I began reading your comment. I hope you love them when you try it again! – Meggan

  8. I am not a baker per se, but I made these simple biscuits and they were divine!!! My husband really raved and I thought they were delicious and oh so easy!! Thank you for my new “go to” recipe!5 stars

    Reply

  9. I measured my all purpose flour and sifted together the baking powder and salt per your instructions for self rising. I had to add 1/4c more milk to get it to cone together. Is that sound right or did I do something incorrectly?4 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Terry, I’m glad you were able to adjust the recipe. It’s likely that there may have been too much flour on the surface if you noticed it while rolling out the dough, or the flour that you measured out was compacted. I like to “fluff” my flour some before scooping it out of the container. Hope this helps! – Meggan

  10. These were delicious but mine didn’t rise very much and was more like a crispy pie crust. I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk and it took more than the 6 T. They also took longer in the oven. I will try again with milk to see they come out flakier but truly I love these crispy biscuits with sausage gravy, I’m afraid I won’t be able to replicate whatever I did. Thank you.5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Rilla, glad you liked them! It’s likely because heavy whipping cream has a higher fat content than regular milk. Hope you love them when you make them again! – Meggan

  11. I followed the recipe to the letter. The biscuits didn’t rise, they were a little flaky and tasted bland. What could I have done wrong?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jimmy, sorry they didn’t rise. Biscuits can become flat if the butter isn’t cold enough or the oven isn’t hot enough. I would make sure to chill the butter well, and use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the correct temperature. I hope this helps for the next time you make these! – Meggan

  12. Made these the other day and OMG I Really can make biscuits now. 6 Tbsp milk wasn’t enough to mix all the flour mixture so ended up using about 11 but the biscuits tripled in size. Hubby was pleased as all the other recipes I’ve tried were a big fail for me. Thanks for sharing yours with us.

    Reply

    1. Hi Rena, I’m sorry they didn’t turn out right. Usually biscuits become flat if the butter isn’t cold enough or the oven isn’t hot enough. I would make sure to chill the butter, and use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the correct temperature. I hope this helps! Take care – Meggan

  15. Follow directions that came out a little dry, so I just added a tad bit more milk. I also added coriander love it in my biscuits. They turned out great for gravy

    Reply

  16. Recipe notes says recipe makes 6 but other areas of the post refers to a yield of 12? How many does this recipe make?

    Reply

    1. Hi there Aurora, I’m sorry your biscuits didn’t rise! It sounds like there was an issue with your flour, did you use self-rising flour? Sorry again! – Meggan

  22. Excellent biscuits! I am not a good baker and this recipe worked for me. Minimum kneading, short preparation and the suggestion of regular flour with baking powder works.5 stars

    Reply

  23. Fast, easy, forgiving and delicious. A keeper!

    Only things I do differently is after adding the cold, diced butter to the flour mixture, I quickly mash the pieces between my thumb and forefinger, and then give it a quick stir with my hand. I mix everything in the bowl and knead it using a bowl scraper. I’m not keen on rolling and cutting – lazy.

    I weigh the dough, divide into 6 or 8 equal portions, as desired, quickly form into balls, flatten them a bit then plop them onto the prepared pan. The ideas is to not melt the smashed butter pieces. I only make them for “Chicken, gravy and biscuits” so “plop” biscuits are fine for us. :-))5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Celina, I’m sorry you’re having a hard time seeing the ingredient amounts. Did you scroll down to the recipe card? It calls for 2 cups self-rising flour , 1/2 cup cold butter and 6 tablespoons milk. – Meggan

  26. My daughter loved them, soft and very tasty. Very simple I will definitely fix them again. Thank you so much for the recipe.5 stars

    Reply

  28. Hello, want to try this biscuit recipe, but confused about the yield. Recipe says 12, picture shows 8 and Note #3 – Yield states 6. Could you please clarify? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Carrie, I haven’t tried this myself but in looking into it, I’m not sure the biscuits will come out the same. They may be denser and possibly hard since the flour lacks gluten to trap the air bubbles. – Meggan

  32. Nice simple biscuit recipe. However, I think there may be a small error in your recipe text. You say 3 tablespoons milk for 6 biscuits, and then go on in your recipe for 12 biscuits to say 3/4 cup milk which is way more than double. 6 tablespoons is more like 1/3 cup.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracy, thanks for pointing it out! It is absolutely an error, it should be 6 tablespoons. Thank you for taking the time to let me know, so I can fix it. :) – Meggan

  33. I loved how easy this recipe is! They tasted just like store bought! I used the self rising flour because that is what ik had on hand, milk and margarine. They still came out deliciois5 stars

    Reply

  34. Amazing.
    Made these on a late-night baking whim. I added some cinnamon, then sprinkled brown sugar on top before baking. I stubbed my toe while eating one because I was too busy thinking about how good they tasted to watch where I was going.
    Thank you for sharing the recipe :)5 stars

    Reply

    1. It soo good thx for the good Recipei spilled my drink on my phone cause they where so googd5 stars

  35. ive made them but before i put them in to bake i put chocolate inside and some sprinkles on the top
    #

    Reply

  36. Hi, never made biscuits in my life. These are great and simple. Will make these forever with my fam. ❤️🥰

    Reply

    1. Hi Brandi, I’m not really sure? Interesting idea? I can test it in February. I’ll post my findings! Thanks. -Meggan

  39. Thank you … Tried them…. Love them…. An they where sooooo easy to make….. Made them with sausage gravy…. Ummm ummm good .

    Reply

  42. Wonderful wonderful wonderful… thanks so much for the recipe I’ve never made biscuits before…I wanted to share a picture of my biscuits, don’t know how5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary, thank you so much! I wish there was a way to let people post pictures in the comments. I haven’t figured that out yet. You’re so kind to offer to do so. I’m just glad you liked the biscuits! Thanks a lot. -Meggan

  43. I made these and they turned put delicious!! I folded dough over a few time to make a Hugh flakey biscuit .. It was moist .. Thanks for sharing your recipe
    Lisa5 stars

    Reply

  44. Hi what a easy biscuit that i will definitely try, may i know why dont u use sugar, so how a bout the taste without sugar

    Reply

  45. I made these but I didn’t have butter or milk. What I did have was shortening and sour cream. I used 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2cup sour cream. Mixed acording recipe. Added 3 Tbsp water at first
    Still not right texture. Then I added 2 additional Tbsp
    of water. Biscuits were light and fluffy5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Hayley! I hope you try these and I hope you love them! I think this is just the recipe you’re looking for if you want easy! :D

  47. I had to substitute 1 cup of cornmeal mix for the 2nd cup self rising flour. Turned out ok. Was a little crumbly and gritty because of the cornmeal but will definitely use this recipe again, thanks!!5 stars

    Reply

  51. Where have these been all my life? Threw them together quick to go with a pot of chili. So Easy and so good. Definitely a keeper. 5 stars

    Reply

  52. Just tried your recipe, I used to make a lot of biscuits when I was younger, that was years ago. Thanks for adding the baking soda and salt, it’s a good idea when not using self rising flour. I told my husband, if he doesn’t bring home some biscuits I was gonna make some!5 stars

    Reply

    1. combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. That is how you make self rising flour.

  55. Just made these w the help of my LO. Hands on. Thank you. Simple and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. xx E5 stars

    Reply

  56. Just made these. They are simple & delicious! Used them for sausage gravy & biscuits. Will definitely make again!5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Paula, that’s so great to hear! Thank you so much. I’ve been meaning to make them for biscuits and gravy too. That’s my favorite thing! I really appreciate that you took the time to come back and leave a comment. Have a lovely weekend! Take care.

  60. Hi Debra, I’m so sorry your biscuits came out dry for you. I wonder when rolling out the biscuits the first two times, if there may have been too much flour on the flat surface. I’m happy you were able to change the recipe to your liking. Thank you for the feedback, I’m adding this to my list to retest. Sorry again. – Meggan

    Reply