Fluffy Drop Biscuits (Using Melted Butter)

Name: Fluffy Drop Biscuits
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 2 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 8 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 cup buttermilk (plus more for brushing the tops of biscuits); Flaky sea salt (optional)

4.95 from 18 votes

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My Fluffy Drop Biscuits are made with melted butter and super cold buttermilk for a light and airy biscuit - no need to cut in cold butter. The result is a light and fluffy biscuit like no other!

fluffy drop biscuits on parchment paper.

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These Drop Biscuits are a close cousin to my Buttermilk Biscuits, but using melted butter, they are practically foolproof. If you can melt butter and stir with a spoon, you are more than halfway to fluffy biscuits.

Drop biscuits got their name because, after mixing, they require nothing more than to be dropped in mounds on a pan and baked. My recipe is unique in that I took all of the hands-on work out of the process.

In this recipe I have you melt some butter, chill some buttermilk, and mix the two together. Like magic, the butter hits the cold buttermilk and clumps up, making butter bits that you mix right into the dough! The result is fluffy, airy biscuits with tons of butter flavor that pair perfectly with sausage gravy. I ain't mad at that!

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Ingredients
Substitutions
Variations
Instructions
Expert tip
Recipe FAQ's
More biscuit recipes
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Ingredients

If you do any type of baking, this drop biscuit recipe uses ingredients that are probably pantry staples in your kitchen. If you're not normally a baker, you will be after this, so stock up!

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions

My goal is to make it easy for you to make my recipes. If you are missing something to make my drop biscuits, I've probably already thought of it.

All-purpose flour - In a pinch, and we've all been in an ingredient pinch, you can substitute self-rising flour for the all-purpose flour. Containing both baking powder and salt, you just need to add the sugar and the baking soda.
Buttermilk - I get it. Not everyone has buttermilk in their refrigerator. If you don't have access to buttermilk you can make your own substitute. For the 1 cup of buttermilk needed in this recipe, place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to add up to 1 cup or 240 grams. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes, or until it looks thick and curdled.
Buttermilk (continued) - Alternatively, you can replace the buttermilk with either plain or Greek yogurt or kefir. Because of the thickness of yogurt, you'll need to thin it to properly hydrate the flour. To do this, replace 1 cup of buttermilk with ¾ cup of yogurt and ¼ cup of milk or water. The amount of kefir remains the same at 1 cup.
Buttermilk (one last thing) - Sometimes my Grandma Olga Mae just used milk. Nowadays, some people prefer to use milk alternatives. Both will work. I just happen to think that a liquid with a bit of acidity, like buttermilk or yogurt, adds a distinctive flavor to biscuits that I otherwise miss.
Melted Butter - These drop biscuits will work just as well with melted margarine or shortening. Olga Mae was even known to use lard or bacon fat in her biscuits from time to time and they were darn good!

Variations

Drop Biscuits are just the beginning. Like any base recipe, what you do with them from there is limited only to your imagination. I'll start:

Spicy - add a diced jalapeño and some shredded cheddar for a drop biscuit version of my Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits.
High-Protein - Reduce your buttermilk to three-quarter cup and add ½ cup of cottage cheese to make a delicious high protein drop biscuit!
Use as a topping - use these drop biscuits as a topping for pot pies or for biscuit strawberry cobbler.
No variation - I gotta say, my favorite way to eat a biscuit is to split it open, schmear a little butter on there, and nestle a piece of ham in to warm up from the heat of the biscuit. Slam dunk!

hand holding a biscuit and ham sandwich.

Instructions

By using melted butter, and removing the step of cutting in the butter, I've eliminated at least 5 minutes prep time, as well as the need to scrape flour and dough bits off your countertop. You're welcome.

adding melted butter into very cold buttermilk.

1. Melt butter and take it off the heat. While it is cooling, place your buttermilk into the freezer for 15 minutes. Pour the cooled butter into the icy cold buttermilk.

melted butter clumped up in cold buttermilk.

2. Stir the butter and buttermilk together with a fork until the butter clumps up.

adding butter and buttermilk mixture to biscuit dry ingredients.

3. Add your clumpy buttermilk to your whisked dry ingredients. Mix together with a spatula or spoon.

4. Stop just as the last of the flour is incorporated. Overmixing can lead to dense biscuits.

using an ice cream scoop to portion biscuit dough.

5. Scoop out portions of dough onto a parchment paper lined large sheet pan. Place the sheet pan into the freezer while you preheat the oven to 450°F. (see my expert tips below for more on scooping)

brushing buttermilk over unbaked drop biscuits.

6. Remove the tray of biscuits from the freezer and brush with a little more buttermilk. Place into oven at 450°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.

fluffy drop biscuits on a parchment paper lined sheet tray.

7. Brush your finished drop biscuits with a little more melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if you like.

Biscuits in a hurry: Out of butter, buttermilk, or time? Make my 5 Ingredients Cream Biscuits, made with just the dry ingredients and heavy cream. In 20 minutes you can have light and fluffy biscuits on the table!

Expert tip

How you scoop your drop biscuits is a matter of personal preference and what scooping tool you have on hand. To be honest, I once saw my grandma just grab small handfuls of biscuit dough and drop them into a cast iron skillet. Here are three less... handsy ways of scooping:

using an ice cream scoop to portion drop biscuit.

1. You can use a medium scoop to portion your biscuit dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

using a measuring cup to portion biscuit dough.

2. You can also use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to do it, using a spoon or spatula to pull out the dough.

using 2 spoons to portion biscuit dough.

3. Finally, you can use 2 large spoons, one for scooping and one for scraping it off the first spoon onto the pan.

Need biscuits even faster?! Try my 2-Ingredient Biscuits that use self rising flour. You couldn't make quicker biscuits if you had a time machine!

Recipe FAQ's

How do I store leftover biscuits?

You can keep leftover biscuits in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. After that, they will begin to go stale. Don't store in the refrigerator or they may harden too much.

How do I reheat my drop biscuits?

I recommend wrapping them in aluminum foil and heating at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Unwrap and heat for another minute or two.

Can I reheat biscuits in the microwave?

Please never (ever) reheat bread products in the microwave. Despite what you might read on the interweb about using a damp paper towel to stop it, the microwaving process robs any bread of essential moisture, leaving you with a hard, chewy, and eventually inedible rock. Save yourself, and your biscuits, the headache and don't microwave it.

Can I freeze these biscuits to bake later?

Absolutely! Just freeze them right on the pan until hard. Then transfer the biscuits to a zip top bag for up to 3 months. To bake, place on a parchment lined sheet pan and allow them to thaw while you preheat the oven to 450°F. Then bake as directed, adding on just a few more minutes.