Great-Grandma’s Easy Sour Cream Biscuits

Name: Great-Grandma's Sour Cream Biscuit Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
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

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.

Biscuit cut in half with butter and jam on a plate.

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.

The Chemistry of Sour Cream in Baking

Sour cream being added to a bowl of dry ingredients for homemade sour cream biscuits.

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

A stack of baked biscuits on a plate with fruit and jam in the background.

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

Ingredients to make homemade sour cream biscuits on a wooden counter.

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

Dry ingredients for homemade biscuits in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Dry ingredients with cubed butter in a mixing bowl for homemade biscuits.

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).

Biscuit dough mixed together in a glass bowl.

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.

A woman's hands kneading biscuit dough on a floured wooden counter.

Step 5: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently about 20 times.

Woman's hands rolling out biscuit dough with a wooden rolling pin.

Step 6: Roll out dough until it’s 1/2″ thick.

Biscuit dough rolled out and cut with a biscuit cutter.

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.

Sour cream biscuits baked on a baking pan.

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

A woman's hands cutting biscuit dough with a biscuit cutter.

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

What are sour cream biscuits?

Sour cream biscuits are a Southern favorite. They use sour cream for a tangy taste. This ingredient also makes the biscuits flaky and tender.

What happens to sour cream when you bake it?

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.

Can you use sour cream instead of heavy cream in biscuits?

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.