Drop the Bisquick and grab this recipe for homemade sour cream biscuits. They are simple to make and use real ingredients like sour cream, butter, flour and honey. With the versatility of flavor variations like cheddar and onion, bacon and chives, sausage, cinnamon and sugar and more, these biscuits make the perfect side for any meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A freshly baked biscuit is hard to resist. That’s why I keep my homemade biscuit mix stocked in the pantry, ready to make flaky buttermilk biscuits with real homemade buttermilk anytime (they’re ready in 20 minutes).
But have you ever wanted to learn how to make biscuits like great-grandma? Here’s why you should!
- Vintage – This sour cream biscuit recipe is straight from the 1940s, when folks knew how to live frugally by stretching ingredients and what they had to make a delicious meal. The humble biscuit was the star of many meals for good reason.
- Versatile – You can serve sour cream biscuits for breakfast, slathered with chocolate gravy or old-fashioned strawberry jam, or drenched in delicious sausage gravy; for dinner, served alongside soup or stew; cut in half and toasted with cheese; or, of course, topped with fresh berries and whipped cream or paired with these maple vanilla baked pears for a delicious dessert!
- Simple Ingredients – Made with basic pantry staples, the real star of the show is sour cream! If you find yourself with a bit of leftover sour cream and nothing to make with it, these biscuits are just the ticket.
- Easy to Make – Homemade biscuits really are simple to make. They come together quickly, and you could be enjoying piping hot biscuits in under 30 minutes (start to finish). Be sure to check out my baking tips below for the best sour cream biscuits you’ve ever tasted.
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The Chemistry of Sour Cream in Baking
One of the things you’ll find in older recipes is real cultured items. Cultured sour cream would keep much longer than regular milk, especially if you didn’t have a refrigerator, and many recipes would use sour cream or buttermilk.
But sour cream offers more than a longer shelf life. It undergoes chemical reactions that give biscuits tender and flaky layers. Sour cream’s acidity reacts with baking soda, releasing gas. This makes the dough rise, giving biscuits a light and fluffy texture.
As an added bonus, the fat in sour cream also improves the biscuit’s tenderness and flakiness.
Substitutions and Variations
I discovered this recipe in my great-grandmother’s recipe collection, taken from a 1948 drugstore pamphlet. The small amount of butter used and lack of sugar are quite possibly a reflection of the rationing that would have been a regular part of life in the years prior.
In keeping with the spirit of resourcefulness from Great-Grandma’s day, this recipe can be adapted to your preference and what you have on hand.
- Flour – The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but it also adapts well to Spelt and gluten-free versions.
- Sweetener – If you are used to a sweeter biscuit or plan on using the biscuits for dessert, a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey can easily be added to the sour cream. If using maple syrup or honey, add a little less sour cream to make up the difference in moisture.
- Butter – This is a biscuit recipe with butter, though you can substitute coconut oil if you need a dairy-free option or don’t have any butter on hand.
- Flavor Variations – Make customized biscuits with a variety of mix-ins. Try minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs, diced jalapenos or onion with cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled sausage or bacon, or for a sweet variation, try cinnamon and sugar.
Ingredients Needed
The recipe card at the bottom of this post contains a full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Flour – The original recipe uses all-purpose flour, but you can substitute Spelt flour or a gluten-free flour blend if you prefer.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder is responsible for the rise in your biscuits. Always check the expiration date to make sure your baking powder is fresh.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda reacts with the acid in the sour cream to give additional lift to your biscuits.
- Butter – Cold, cold, cold is the key with your butter! Use unsalted butter if you want to control how salty your biscuits are. I love a good salty biscuit, so I generally use salted butter. Cold coconut oil can also be used.
- Optional Sweetener – If you prefer a sweeter biscuit, you can mix honey or maple syrup into your sour cream before adding it to your dry ingredients.
How to Make Sour Cream Biscuits
Step 1: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: Cut in butter or coconut oil until the mixture looks like crumbly loose bits.
Step 3: Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the sour cream, mixed with sugar, honey, or maple syrup (if using).
Step 4: Stir lightly until the dough comes together. If the dough is dry, add more sour cream or milk, a tsp at a time, as needed.
Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently about 20 times.
Step 6: Roll out dough until it’s 1/2″ thick.
Step 7: Cut out biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter.
Pro Tip: Do not twist when cutting; this seals the edges and prevents rising.
Step 8: Place biscuit dough on a greased baking tray. Leave at least an inch between biscuits to keep them from sticking together as they rise.
Step 9: Bake at 450°F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Brush with melted butter and top with homemade strawberry jam, served warm.
Tips for the Best Sour Cream Biscuits
| Tip | Result |
| Use a Light Touch | Mix and handle your dough as little as possible to prevent the gluten from developing. Overdeveloped gluten will make your biscuits tough. |
| Use a Bench Scraper | A bench scraper has many uses, and when making biscuits, it is useful for scraping the dough onto a floured surface for easier cutting. |
| Use A Metal Cutter | It’s often suggested to use the rim of a glass or jar to cut biscuits, but these are too thick and will mash down your biscuits, sealing the edges and preventing them from rising. Instead, use a thin rim like a metal biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to slice through your biscuits without crushing the sides. |
| Use Cold Ingredients | Make sure your butter and sour cream are cold. Cold fat creates the air pockets necessary for that delicious, flaky biscuit texture. |
| Bake at the Right Temperature | Do not neglect to preheat your oven. The high temperature is critical for the moisture in the dough to create steam, making your biscuits fluffy. |
FAQs
Sour cream biscuits are a Southern favorite. They use sour cream for a tangy taste. This ingredient also makes the biscuits flaky and tender.
Baking sour cream triggers chemical reactions. These reactions create the flaky layers and tender texture of sour cream biscuits. The sour cream’s fat also makes the biscuits tender and flaky.
Yes, you can use sour cream instead of heavy cream. The acid in the sour cream reacts with the baking soda to create a mile-high lift.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star⭐rating and your comments in the recipe card below (this really helps me out)… then, snap a photo of your sour cream biscuits and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see! I love getting a glimpse of what you all make in your kitchens.
Great-Grandma’s Sour Cream Biscuit Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Utensils
- Pastry Cutter
- Mixing Spoon
- Rolling Pin
- Metal Biscuit Cutter
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour gluten-free flour blend, or spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 – 6 tsp sugar maple syrup, or honey (optional)
- additional sour cream or milk if needed
- 1/2 tbsp butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in butter or coconut oil until the mixture looks crumbly.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the sour cream, mixed with sugar, honey, or maple syrup (if using). Stir lightly until the dough comes together. If the dough is dry, add more sour cream or milk, a tsp at a time, as needed.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently about 20 times.
- Roll out until 1/2″ thick. Cut out biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter and place on greased baking tray.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- Brush with melted butter. Serve warm.
Notes
| Tip | Result |
| Use a Light Touch | Mix and handle your dough as little as possible to prevent the gluten from developing. Overdeveloped gluten will make your biscuits tough. |
| Use a Bench Scraper | A bench scraper has many uses, and when making biscuits, it is useful for scraping the dough onto a floured surface for easier cutting. |
| Use A Metal Cutter | It’s often suggested to use the rim of a glass or jar to cut biscuits, but these are too thick and will mash down your biscuits, sealing the edges and preventing them from rising. Instead, use a thin rim like a metal biscuit cutter or cookie cutter to slice through your biscuits without crushing the sides. |
| Use Cold Ingredients | Make sure your butter and sour cream are cold. Cold fat creates the air pockets necessary for that delicious, flaky biscuit texture. |
| Bake at the Right Temperature | Do not neglect to preheat your oven. The high temperature is critical for the moisture in the dough to create steam, making your biscuits fluffy. |
- Flour – The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but it also adapts well to Spelt and gluten-free versions.
- Sweetener – If you are used to a sweeter biscuit or plan on using the biscuits for dessert, a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey can easily be added to the sour cream. If using maple syrup or honey, add a little less sour cream to make up the difference in moisture.
- Butter – This is a biscuit recipe with butter, though you can substitute coconut oil if you need a dairy-free option or don’t have any butter on hand.
- Flavor Variations – Make customized biscuits with a variety of mix-ins. Try minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs, diced jalapenos or onion with cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled sausage or bacon, or for a sweet variation, try cinnamon and sugar.
I haven’t tried recipe yet, but fully intend to soon. Appreciate the thread, talking about making extra and freezing them and the tips for gluten-free. Wondering if I can use Stevia as an alternative to other sweetener sources?
I used soft white fmf and doubled the butter…..and a “glug” of raw honey (4-5T). I was concerned with the temp but 10 minutes at 450 was perfect. We had these with butter and raspberry jam…….this 70 yo type 1 diabetic will be chasing his blood sugar all morning!
The addition of sour cream to biscuits is brilliant! They’re so light and fluffy and I can’t wait to try out some of the recipe variations. I used salted butter and they were perfectly salty for my liking!
Can Greek yogurt be substituted for the sour cream?
These are delicious! I sub whole fat yogurt for the sour cream (bc that’s what I usually have in the house), and they are amazing.
Can you use clabbers or old milk instead of sour cream. My grandmother made sour biscuits without sour cream so she must have used either clabbers or some other milk product available on the farm. What do you suggest?
Hi Melissa, would I need to alter the amount of flour in these biscuits if I make them with fresh ground soft white wheat flour? Thanks!
I was given quite a bit of vanilla yogurt. I’m going to try making this subbing the yogurt for the sour cream. Also, was wondering if anyone has tried converting this recipe into a loaf of bread?
I love these sour cream biscuits. They are delicious. I have shared the recipe with a lot of my friends and have made them for other friends. Plus this past summer I made gooseberry jam and red currant jelly. So when I made the biscuits I also delivered them with jam and jelly. My friends loved them.
These turned out very well. I used casava flour with the same measurements but cut in 1/2 for less dough. I used it for the top of chicken pot pie. Thank you for sharing . I need to use up some sour cream.
These are so good! I keep making these! Suggestion, I wanted these but was out of sour cream so I used my homemade plain yogurt instead and they still turned out great!
So glad you’re enjoying them Vanessa and yes, plain yogurt is a great sub for sour cream, thanks for letting us know it worked well.
THESE ARE SO GOOD! Biscuits are a comfort food of sorts so I was curious but worried about trying a new recipe. My mom’s recipe is for flakier and drier biscuits (that are perfect to be drizzled with honey!). These weren’t like that. These were properly layered and fluffy soft biscuits that were gone so sadly quick! I think I’m buying a big container of sour cream next so I can satisfy this sudden craving! Thank you!
TL;DR – MAKE THESE!!
I love this recipe! It worked with everything made from scratch and organic… so amazing. I brushed with honey butter mixture and they were out of this world! Thank you for the recipe!
Can I make the biscuits ahead of time and freeze them for cooking later
Yes, I do this frequently with biscuits. I flash freeze them on a cookie tray all cut out, then place in a bag, bake frozen, adding a minute or two to the cook time.
I made these with a couple of tweaks to accommodate my Hashimoto’s, and they were excellent! This would make really good paleo pizza;)
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup almond flour
Himalayan sea salt
Melt in place of butter
plain unsweetened coconut yogurt, in place of sour cream
1 tablespoon local honey
topped with melt
Thanks so much for sharing your gluten free version! I might try this adaption for pizza this week.
Well, I tried the Sour Cream Biscuits. I LOVE THEM!! They were the greatest biscuits I, or my husband, ever had. They raised nicely, which I rarely have ever had biscuits do, and they taste great! I even had biscuits and gravy this morning with some that were left over. I can’t applaud you enough for the great recipe. We will be having biscuits more often now. (Not that I need it though)
Love hearing that Rose, and now I’m hungry for biscuits!
I’m so glad to hear that you tried them and love them! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I have never made biscuits with sour cream, but do make biscuits frequently. Sour cream would make them softer I think. Sounds wonderful. Thank you for the recipe which is almost as old as I am.
No, I have never made sour cream biscuits before but am looking forward to trying your great grandmas recipe.