These old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits are a Southern staple, and for good reason! Soft, buttery, flaky, and full of flavor, they’re the perfect addition to any meal. Made with simple ingredients like White Lily flour, cold butter, and buttermilk, they’re easy to make at home. Add some homemade strawberry freezer jam, and you’ll have a winner every time.
If you’ve been looking for a biscuit recipe that you can make at home, this is the one. Thousands of readers have loved and found success with this recipe over the years, and I promise you can, too!
Thanks for the recipe with step-by-step directions…that’s what I need, biscuit making for dummies! 🤣 I made my first batch this morning, Christmas Day. They turned out great!
RHONDA
As a fourth-generation Southern cook, I’ve been making biscuits since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Along the way, I’ve learned what not to do and how to make the best biscuits you’ve ever tasted!
Cathead buttermilk biscuits
My family’s method for making homemade buttermilk biscuits is a little different from that of most recipes you’ll find. We make hand-rolled biscuits, meaning we don’t roll out the dough and cut the biscuits. You just scoop up a big handful of dough, roll it lightly in your hand, and place it on the pan.
The biscuits are what’s called cathead biscuits because they’re about the size of a cat’s head!
This method produces soft and tender buttermilk biscuits every time. You almost cannot overwork the dough with this method because you’re barely touching it!
After making these old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits a few times, you’ll learn the feel of the dough and know when to add a little more flour or buttermilk. This tutorial will help you get there!
Why you’ll love this recipe
EASY – This recipe is so easy! I know that sounds hard to believe about homemade biscuits, but it is. After you make these biscuits a few times, you’ll be a pro.
METHOD – For this recipe, you don’t need a rolling pin or a biscuit cutter. All you need are your hands. Scoop out some dough, roll it into a ball in your cupped hands, and place it on the baking sheet.
MAKE-AHEAD – You can make this recipe ahead of time and freeze the biscuits. When you’re ready, just bake however many you want to serve.
What to serve with biscuits
Is there anything that doesn’t go with biscuits? I don’t think so! Serve your homemade buttermilk biscuits with classic Southern meals like fried chicken and mashed potatoes, pork chops and rice, or just as part of your brunch spread with cheese grits casserole and a sausage breakfast casserole.
I hope you’ll make these old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits. I think you’ll love them and your family will request them all the time!
Ingredients for White Lily buttermilk biscuits
➡️➡️➡️ The full ingredient amounts and instructions are listed below on the printable recipe card. Scroll down for frequently asked questions and tips for success.
Why do I call them White Lily buttermilk biscuits? Because Southern biscuits are ALWAYS made with White Lily flour. If I don’t have White Lily, then I’m not making biscuits.
3 ingredient buttermilk biscuits
You can make the biscuits using self-rising flour or all-purpose flour. My preference is for all-purpose flour. There are slight differences, both in taste and rise. But the difference is not so significant that I won’t ever use self-rising flour, which is so convenient when you’re in a hurry.
- 4 cups White Lily self-rising flour
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups full-fat buttermilk
OR - 4 cups White Lily all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Old-fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
If using self-rising flour:
- 4 cups White Lily self-rising flour
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
- 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups full-fat buttermilk
If using all-purpose flour:
- 4 cups White Lily all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
- 1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups full-fat buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°. Place flour in a large bowl. If using all-purpose flour, whisk in the baking powder and salt.
- Mix in diced butter using your hands or a pastry blender. Smooth some butter into flat flakes and leave some as chunky pebbles of butter.
- Make a well in the middle of your flour and add the buttermilk, using a fork to incorporate all the flour from the sides of the well.
- Stir until the flour is all incorporated and you have sticky dough. Then dip your hands in flour and sprinkle a little more flour on the dough until you can handle the dough without it sticking to your fingers. If the dough appears too dry and crumbly then you probably need to pour in a little more buttermilk.
- Knead very gently by folding the dough into itself a few times. Once the dough is smooth and easy to handle, pick up a large handful of dough and roll slightly and place on pan, then flatten a bit until it’s about an inch high.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Tips for the Best Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- Most important: do not overwork the dough. You want to barely activate the gluten. This is not bread-making and you do not need to knead the dough for very long.
- Make sure your butter and buttermilk are COLD. Now, some folks will tell you that even using your hands to mix up the flour and butter will soften the butter too much, but I’ve made hundreds of biscuits over the years and that method works just fine for me. If it makes you feel better though, use a fork or a pastry cutter.
- The oven should be hot when you put the buttermilk biscuits in there.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published on February 17, 2011, and on June 21, 2024, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, an updated recipe, or new tips.
How to make old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits
Step 1. Start by preheating your oven to 500°. I know that sounds high, but that’s what produces the steam and causes the biscuits to rise. You cannot slow-cook homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Pro Tip: I don’t grease my pan, but you can if you want. I would just do it very lightly. These biscuits have so much butter that they should release easily. You can also use a silicone baking mat if you prefer. You can also use parchment paper, although use caution with the oven being so hot!
Step 2. Add flour to a large bowl. If you’re using all-purpose flour, stir in the baking powder and salt.
Step 3. Cut the COLD butter into small pieces and mix into the flour using your hands or a pastry blender.
Pro Tip: You want the flour and butter to become crumbly and well-mixed but still have chunky butter pieces that you can feel.
Step 4. Make a well in the middle of your flour and add the COLD buttermilk, using a fork to incorporate flour from the sides of the bowl. Mix the buttermilk until the flour is all incorporated and you have a sticky dough.
Step 5. Dip your hands in flour and sprinkle a little more flour over the dough until you can handle the dough without it sticking to your fingers.
Pro Tip: If the biscuit dough appears too dry and crumbly, you may need to add a little more buttermilk.
Step 6. Knead very gently a few times by folding the dough into itself from side to side, like wrapping a present. You can do this right in the bowl or place the dough onto a floured surface.
Pro Tip: Do not overwork the dough! The more you work the dough, the more likely your biscuits will turn out like hockey pucks. When the dough is ready, it will be smooth, slightly moist, and not as sticky.
Step 7. Pick up a large handful of dough (I use a little larger than a golf ball) and roll lightly in your hands. Then, place the rolled biscuit on the pan.
Pro Tip: If you want soft sides, place the biscuits right next to each other. This technique can also help your biscuits rise a little higher. If you want crispier sides, give the biscuits space in between.
Step 8. Once all the biscuits are on the pan, flatten them just a bit. You want the buttermilk biscuits to be about an inch high to get large, fluffy biscuits.
Pro Tip: If you don’t bake immediately, refrigerate your biscuits because the butter needs to stay nice and cold. Don’t refrigerate for more than an hour or so, as the buttermilk biscuits are best right after they’re put together. I usually get everything else done and bake the biscuits last so they are hot as soon as we sit down at the table.
Step 9. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Allow the biscuits to cool on the pan for just a couple of minutes then remove with a spatula and cover lightly with a towel to keep warm.
Questions and tips for biscuits from scratch
- Most important: do not overwork the dough. You want to barely activate the gluten. This is not bread-making, and you do not need to knead the dough for very long.
- Make sure your butter and buttermilk are cold. Some folks will tell you that even using your hands to mix the flour and butter will soften the butter too much, but I’ve made hundreds of biscuits over the years, and that method works just fine for me. If it makes you feel better, though, use a fork or a pastry cutter.
- The oven should be hot when you put the buttermilk biscuits in there.
Can you freeze buttermilk biscuits?
You sure can! There are two ways to freeze these buttermilk biscuits:
- Make the dough and set the unbaked biscuits out on a parchment-lined pan. Place the pan in the freezer overnight, and then remove the biscuits the next morning and put them in a gallon-size airtight bag. When you want to cook a biscuit, bake it from frozen at 475°. This is the only case in which you’ll have the oven slightly less than 500° since the frozen biscuit has to cook a little longer.
- Bake the biscuits as directed in the buttermilk biscuit recipe. Allow to cool completely, and then place on a parchment-lined pan. Freeze overnight and then place in an airtight bag. When serving, allow to thaw completely, then microwave for about 12 seconds or reheat for just a few minutes in the oven.
Can you make biscuits in an air fryer?
You can make biscuits in an air fryer. I haven’t done it myself and don’t think I would, but I’ve seen recipes for cooking biscuits in an air fryer, so evidently, people are having some success with this method.
How to store biscuits
We store these biscuits in an old biscuit tin that belonged to my great-grandmother! If you don’t have one of those, you can store your biscuits in a bread basket with a towel covering them or in a plastic storage bag. I like the basket and towel better because they don’t get moist like in a bag.
How to reheat biscuits
You can reheat biscuits in the microwave for about 15 seconds or wrap them lightly in foil and reheat them in an oven set at about 350°F.
Now, grab some butter and jam and see if you can eat just one of these soft and fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuits!
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This is similar to the recipe l’ve been using for over 20 yrs. Add 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar makes for a lighter biscuit. I also add 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Thanks for the recipe with step-by-step directions…that’s what I need, biscuit making for dummies! 🤣 I made my first batch this morning, Christmas Day. They turned out great!
So happy you made the biscuits! xoxoxo
Lucy – What an easy recipe compared to others! I followed exactly, including Lily’s SR Flour. mine took about 15 minutes at 500 – but wow how light and full of flavor! Two extra steps….after I cubed the butter into caper size cubes, I put the whole bowl of butter in the freezer for an hour. Second, after I mixed everything together I set the whole bowl of dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, took it out made 12 balls, pressed with a fork and into the 500 degree oven in about 4 minutes. But no cutting with biscuit cutter,rolling up scraps,so easy!
Yay! Sounds perfect!
I felt as reading this, as if I were writing it. We are from the south, and not only is this exactly how Mama taught me to make my biscuits, but,my husband grew up calling them cat head biscuits. He told me that they always said they were the size of a cats head. This bring back memories for us. It was nice to see someone makes them exactly like I do. This is a true southern buttermilk biscuit. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
Yum! So glad you found me on twitter so i could find your site! We are so closeby
My husband makes buttermilk biscuits nearly every weekend! Nothing beats them. Yours look great.
Thanks, Molly. Lucky you! My husband probably wouldn’t even know how to open a can of biscuits, much less make from scratch. But he does clean, so it all works out.
My husband makes buttermilk biscuits nearly every weekend! Nothing beats them. Yours look great.
Thanks, Sheila. That picture is of my great-grandparents, not sure of the date.
Good luck with the biscuits — and don’t give up if they don’t turn out great the first time. It really does take practice.
When I opened your blog and saw your pictures of the sweet couple, it brought tears to my eyes. They so remind me of my grandparents and the depression era that brought us such great foods. I try so hard to make biscuits, but they are always tough. Your step by step photos may be just what I need to be successful! They look delicious and my husband will be so happy tomorrow if I make mine look like yours. I’m a Southern cook who is deficent in baking breads and biscuits…not a good thing. Thanks for the great blog post
Sheila
When I opened your blog and saw your pictures of the sweet couple, it brought tears to my eyes. They so remind me of my grandparents and the depression era that brought us such great foods. I try so hard to make biscuits, but they are always tough. Your step by step photos may be just what I need to be successful! They look delicious and my husband will be so happy tomorrow if I make mine look like yours. I’m a Southern cook who is deficent in baking breads and biscuits…not a good thing. Thanks for the great blog post
Sheila