Biscuits can be a little bit intimidating. There are lots of recipes out there and many of them require extensive lamination and chilling. If all of this complicated terminology makes you want to abandon making biscuits altogether, then it’s time to make drop biscuits.
Drop biscuits come together in one bowl and are quick, easy, and foolproof. They’re called drop biscuits because you simply scoop and drop the biscuit batter onto the parchment paper and bake! The biscuits are crispy and golden brown on the outside with a soft interior.
Whether you’ve never made biscuits before or you just want a quick and easy all-purpose recipe, then make these drop biscuits.
A Tip for Making the Best Drop Biscuits
The best drop biscuits rely on a hot oven and cold ingredients.
The oven needs to be fully preheated before the sheet tray goes in. You also want your butter and buttermilk to be as cold as possible for maximum flakiness and tenderness. Don’t let your ingredients sit out on your counter—pull them out of the fridge only when you’re ready to make the dough.
Easy Variations
This recipe is perfectly lovely on its own, but it’s also easy to tweak for both sweet and savory applications.
- For a sweet shortcake, increase the sugar to 2 tablespoons and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the buttermilk. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with demerara sugar before baking.
- For sweet and spiced shortcakes, increase the sugar to 2 tablespoons and add 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the dry ingredients.
- For cheesy biscuits, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of grated cheese can be added with the butter. Cheddar or Parmesan are great options.
- For herby biscuits, add up to 3 tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped tender herbs.
- Other add-ins that would be great here: berries, chopped cooked bacon, scallions, chocolate chips, or dried fruit.
You can also brush the biscuits with melted butter when they come out of the oven for added buttery flavor. And while drop biscuits are delicious eaten on their own, they’re even better served with gravy or with jam and cream.
Simple Substitutions
This recipe can be easily scaled up or down and you can easily swap a few of the ingredients.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute heavy cream or whole milk.
- If you only have salted butter, omit the salt altogether.
- If you don’t have a sheet pan, these can be baked more closely in a cast iron skillet, pie plate, or cake pan—they just might require a few extra minutes of baking time.
Make These Biscuits Ahead
To make the dough now but bake at a later time, you can freeze the individual unbaked biscuits on a lined sheet tray then transfer the biscuits to an airtight container. When you’re ready to bake, remove from the freezer and bake them from frozen for about 25 minutes until golden brown.
Use Up That Buttermilk
- Easy Buttermilk Waffles
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Sheet Pan Buttermilk Pancakes
- Peach Upside Down Cake With Buttermilk
- Classic Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the dough:
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to smush the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are pea-sized. Work quickly so that the butter doesn’t melt.
Add in the buttermilk and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. The dough will be thick and sticky. Don’t over-mix.
Scoop and bake:
Scoop the dough into roughly 8 equal mounds, about 1/3 cup each, and place spaced apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake until lightly golden brown on top and they bounce back when lightly pressed, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve warm.
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