Southern Biscuit Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Made with just 3 ingredients, this classic Southern biscuit recipe is a staple in Southern homes. Soft and scrumptious, they’re delicious to eat from breakfast to dinner.
You’d be hard-pressed to visit the South and not see homemade Southern biscuits at many meals. We have them for breakfast, as the base of a sandwich at lunch, and often as the main bread at dinner. Many restaurants you visit are likely to plop down a plate of warm biscuits before even taking your order! My grandmother grew up during very difficult times, and often a biscuit and some gravy were all that kept them from starving.
Recognizing the beloved heritage of delicious flaky biscuits among Southern families, White Lily created a wonderful campaign to encourage folks to get back to basics and share the easily acquired skill of biscuit making with others. I’m honored to have been chosen as a White Lily Ambassador to help do just that.
Today I’ll be sharing White Lily’s classic, 3-ingredient Southern biscuit recipe with you and I’d like to hear your biscuit memories, too! 
Who taught you how to make biscuits? Who made the biscuits in your family? Maybe you’ve never had a biscuit or to you, a “biscuit” is what we think of like a cookie – that’s just fine, too.
Let’s hop to it!
Recipe Ingredients
- (self-rising)
- Shortening
- Milk or buttermilk
How to Make This Classic Southern Biscuit Recipe
Place the flour into a medium bowl and add the shortening. Cut in with a fork or pastry cutter.
It will look like this when you are done.
Not incredibly different but you won’t be able to really see the shortening anymore once it is incorporated into the flour.
Most recipes will tell you to cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles peas. I’ve never, in my life, seen peas that look like this, or a flour/shortening mixture that looked like peas. It must have been a high imagination day when that analogy was thought up.
Add in your milk.
Stir that milk in until your dough starts to stick together good.
Sprinkle flour onto a surface. I like to lay out a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it on top of that for easy clean-up later.
Dump your biscuit dough out onto the floured surface.
Now you need to knead it.
However, you don’t want to over-knead it or you’ll end up with my Daddy’s hockey pucks.
I tell my kids “In biscuits, as in relationships, it’s never good to be too kneady.” LOL
Then, I cut your Southern biscuits.
Cut your biscuits with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped into flour to keep the cut biscuits from sticking to it.
Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place your cut biscuits in it, making sure the sides touch. This helps them to rise because they support each other as they bake and rise up.
I tell my kids “You want them touching because biscuits are like good friends, they help each other rise up.”
Bake these at 500 for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and brush tops of these classic southern biscuits with melted butter, if you’d like. Enjoy all the delicious .
Storage
- Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in a low oven or in the air fryer.
- You can also freeze the baked biscuits or unbaked for up to 3 months. Thaw both the and overnight in the fridge before reheating as above or following the instructions.
Recipe Notes
- Here are some fun variations to make with this Southern biscuit recipe:
- For a savory alternative, add shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives, or chopped bacon to your dough.
- For sweet, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar into your dough.
- To make a scone-like biscuit, add dried fruit.
- These pair best with your favorite Southern . This might be fried chicken, , pimento cheese dip, or bacon, egg, and cheese for the ultimate breakfast sandwich.
Recipe FAQs
Why does the recipe have such a large range for how much milk to use?
Sometimes, your flour will need a little more, sometimes a little less. I could have used a little more in this tutorial but it’ll turn out just fine. Biscuits are really hard to mess up, so if yours end up a little dry, no worries, they’ll still be delicious! They’ll actually absorb honey and butter a little better. My daddy used to make hockey puck biscuits on Sunday morning but they still tasted good and we gobbled ’em all down! What’s even better, if there were any left we could use them as weapons on each other out in the backyard. Always a plus side!
How do I avoid over-kneading my Southern biscuit dough?
To avoid over-kneading, I press my dough into a ball and then press it out flat. I do this no more than two or three times. The dough should still stretch. If it rips or tears then it’s probably over kneaded. So once the dough is soft and springs back a little, it’s done.
You may also enjoy these other Southern biscuit recipes:
Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Easy Chicken and Dumplings (With Canned Biscuit)
Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups White Lily self-rising flour see notes if using all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 2/3-3/4 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place flour into a medium bowl and cut in the shortening until well incorporated. Stir in just enough milk until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.2 cups White Lily self-rising flour, 1/4 cup shortening, 2/3-3/4 cup milk
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead two or three times. Roll dough out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or small glass that has been dipped in flour. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Who taught you how to make biscuits? Who made the biscuits in your family? Maybe you’ve never had a biscuit or to you, a “biscuit” is what we think of like a cookie – that’s just fine, too.
I have made hundreds of dozens of biscuits over my 52 years of marriage. They are heart-shaped with shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese in them (and a slice of country ham for those that are extra-special). My many relatives and sweet friends consider them a loving treat. It’s a special thing to see the impact a baker’s dozen of biscuits can make on the world.
I use buttermilk and self-rising flour. And yes, it’s always White Lily. I humbly bestow the title of “Number One Biscuit Supporter” upon myself.
Long live the biscuit. May they rise and live forever.
-Martha Walker
I have a strong love for biscuits. Homemade biscuits. My mama tries and tries but hers are as hard as a rock. For the past few months, I have been on a biscuit frenzy; wanting desperately to learn how to perfect a homemade recipe. For my 21st birthday this past February 5th, I asked for a pastry blender and some crisco 🙂 The following week, my aunt Amy told me we were going to make some, so roll up my sleeves. She has been a social worker for years, and she goes on several home visits. Her most favorite house visit was one where a little old lady named Mrs. Lila lived. Mrs. Lila would always give Amy biscuits each time she had a house visit there. One day Amy asked for the recipe, and Mrs. Lila got up and on into the kitchen they went, making biscuits JUST LIKE this recipe. That was years ago, and Amy still makes the same biscuits. When teaching me a few weeks ago, she wanted me to do all of it so I would learn. She didn’t let me use measuring cups, just my hands. She taught me to “feel” the ingredients in my hands to know the right consistency. That’s how Mrs. Lila did it. So I made my first ever (edible & actually delicious) homemade biscuits with my aunt Amy, keeping sweet Mrs. Lila in memory. I love living in the South- so many sweet people and memories.
When I was small, my grandmother had a black iron cook stove in her kitchen. It wasn’t operated by gas or electric. It used wood. And my grandmother knew exactly how much wood to put in to get the oven the right temperature for biscuits. I remember standing on a cast iron dutch oven to reach the counter (I’ve always been short, still am!! lol.) so I could watch her mix up the biscuit dough. After she had cut out all the biscuits she would give the scraps to my sister and me. We would pat it out flat (after I took a bite or two of the raw dough) and lay it directly on the on the stove top and make us a flapjack. That browned bread was so good. I still remember the unique taste. I crave it sometimes. But sadly, I don’t have a wood cook stove to make them on and nothing else quite compares. Thank youChristy for bringing back those memories for me.
I taught myself by finding a recipe and trying it out.
My earliest biscuit memories were from my grandparents’ home. I would wake up to the fragrance of baking biscuits and home-cured ham or bacon frying. A special treat was ‘red’ gravy. Later in the day my grandfather and I would have a coffee break featuring left over biscuits with butter and jelly, or butter, white sugar and cinnamon, or butter and brown sugar. This is such a cherished memory.
My dear late friend made the very best biscuits ever. She had a large bowl only for the biscuits, she added the flour and liquids and mixed it with her hands than pinched of just the right size and put them in the pans. There was no measuring, just by feel of the dough. I regret I didn’t pay more attention while I was watching her and didn’t try to make them myself!!!
My mother in law made the best biscuits! She had them on the table at every meal( and gravy and some sort of potatoes). She cooked three times a day seven days a week. When we would try and get her to go out to eat, it was like pulling teeth. She would always say she “‘ didn’t mind fixin somethin at home then we could visit while she cooked”.
I was very blessed to have her as my mother in law…sure do miss that woman!