Light and Flaky Sour Cream Biscuits

Sour Cream Biscuits are extra rich, moist and easy to make. They’re great by themselves or with sausage gravy. Serve them warm, right out of the oven.

Melt in your mouth Sour Cream Biscuits are a versatile addition to any meal, any time of year. Whether you serve them for Thanksgiving, take them to a potluck, make them for dinner, or add them to your brunch menu, these scrumptious, easy biscuits are always a crowd-pleaser.

Have you ever used sour cream in biscuits? When I want to make a biscuit that’s richer than a traditional buttermilk biscuit, and don’t want a square biscuit, I’ll add sour cream. It makes both rolls and biscuits softer with a somewhat velvety texture. Combining sour cream with buttermilk is even better since it ensures the finished product will still be fluffy and not too dense.

Not a fan of buttermilk you can still get this velvety texture by making 7UP biscuits. They also use sour cream as the base but the liquid is a lemon-lime soda.

Grating frozen butter is another trick you can use for flaky and tender layers. Because the butter is in small pieces, it easily incorporates into the flour mixture and creates steam while the biscuits bake. This results in lots of air pockets that create a delicate, fluffy crumb.

If you don’t want to grate the butter, which is a little bit of a chore, you can use a food processor to chop up the butter with the flour mixture. A third alternative is to use a pastry cutter on cold but not frozen butter. 

Making breakfast biscuits is simple and easy to master. A few basic ingredients are all you need for the best homemade biscuits that have so much more flavor than store-bought. But they’re not just for breakfast, they’re a perfect substitute for dinner rolls if you’re short on time or want to change things up.

These large biscuits are sometimes referred to as cat head biscuits because they’re as big as a cat’s head. For those times when you need a larger biscuit to hold all that yummy sausage gravy. Of course you can make these smaller if you prefer. If you want a really tall biscuit, then try my traditional buttermilk biscuits and if you really love butter, try some butter swim biscuits.

Homemade Southern biscuits are wonderful plain, without any added toppings. Or go ahead and slather them with butter, spoon on some jam or drizzle with honey. Go all out and pour on the sausage gravy, they’ll be even better!

The large surface area of these homemade biscuits are especially good for breakfast with grits, bacon and eggs. You can also use them for sliders and as a cobbler topping. But really, you can’t go wrong no matter what you serve them with.

Any leftovers can be saved in an airtight container on the counter for a couple of days. After that freeze them, they will dry out in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 350º for about 5 minutes.

If you need to make these ahead of time, just cover and refrigerate the cut biscuits until you’re ready to bake them.

Why you’ll love cat head biscuits

• Prep time is only 15 minutes
• Frozen butter makes the flakiest layers
• Serve them any time of day
• Sour cream makes them extra moist
• No fancy equipment or ingredients needed

What you’ll need for making biscuits

Sour cream – full-fat sour cream produces the richest texture 

Buttermilk – use store-bought or make your own, just be sure it’s cold

Butter – place it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before grating 

Baking soda and baking powder – add lift for flakier biscuits

Pantry items – all purpose flour and salt

Pro tip: Not sure which is the best flour to use for biscuits, I’ve broken down all the pros and cons for bread flour vs all-purpose flour.

How to make this sour cream biscuit recipe

Step 1 – make the dough

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sour cream in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2 – add the butter

Use a cheese grater to shred the butter into the dry ingredients. With a pastry cutter or fork, incorporate it into the flour mixture. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.

Step 3 – stir in the buttermilk

Pour in cold buttermilk and stir in until just combined. Be sure not to over mix or your biscuits will be hard and tough. 

Step 4 – roll the dough

Put  the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a rectangle with a 1-inch thickness. This works better than using your hands to pat the dough, as your body heat will soften the butter.

Step 5 – cut the biscuits

Use a round 3-inch biscuit cutter to slice straight down through the dough. Place each biscuit on a parchment-lined baking sheet, which prevents them from sticking to the pan.

Pro tip – If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can use a knife and cut the dough into eight equal squares or just cut around the lip of a glass or cup.

Step 6 – bake the biscuits

Bake for 15 minutes in a 450° oven until golden brown. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for another 2 minutes.

What to serve with Southern sour cream biscuits

Homemade fruit jam like strawberry rhubarb and peach

Bacon and egg breakfast melts

A thick layer of pimento cheese

Shredded beef and chicken for sliders

Southern shrimp and grits or crawfish etouffee 

A warm bowl of soup like chicken or corn chowder

FAQs and tips

What makes biscuits rise?

Cold butter and high heat produce the tallest rise and a light, fluffy texture. It’s also important to cut straight through the dough (without twisting) using a sharp biscuit cutter. 

Are sour cream and buttermilk interchangeable?

Technically, yes, although substituting one for the other will result in a biscuit that has a different texture. Sour cream is much thicker than buttermilk so you would need to thin it down with milk.  For best results, use the amounts called for in this recipe.

How do you keep biscuits moist?

Store baked biscuits at room temperature in an airtight container. Eat them within a day or two or freeze them for up to three months.

If you love easy homemade biscuits, try these

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