2-ingredient biscuits come down to two things you probably already have in your kitchen: self-rising flour and heavy cream. Stir them together, and you get a soft, buttery dough, no butter to cut in, no yeast, no waiting around for anything to rise. You mix, roll, cut, and bake, and in under 25 minutes you have a batch of warm biscuits with golden tops and tender layers inside. They work just as well for a quiet breakfast at home as they do when company shows up without much notice.
I found this recipe the night my granddaughter came to spend the night with me. She was only five and wanted to bake something, but I needed a recipe simple enough that she could actually do the work herself and still feel proud of what came out of the oven. Two ingredients meant she could measure, pour, and stir without me hovering over every step, and watching her carry that tray to the table like she’d made something out of nothing is when I knew this recipe was a keeper.
I was excited to find your 2 biscuit recipes, so easy and quick.
—Penny Ylitalo
Main Ingredients Needed For 2 Ingredient Biscuits
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Self-rising flour: This is what gives the biscuits their rise without needing baking powder or baking soda added separately. Look for a soft wheat flour like White Lily if your store carries it. It makes a noticeably lighter biscuit.
- Heavy whipping cream: This replaces both the butter and the liquid in a traditional biscuit recipe, which is exactly why only two ingredients are needed. Use it straight from the fridge, cold, for the fluffiest rise. If the cream isn’t cold, the dough spreads out instead of holding its shape once you cut it.
- Salted butter: For brushing over the warm biscuits once they come out of the oven.
- Honey: For serving alongside the biscuits, if you want a little sweetness.
How To Make 2 Ingredient Biscuits
These biscuits come together fast, so have your baking sheet lined and ready before you start mixing.
Tip: I always double-check that my self-rising flour is still fresh before I start. If it’s been open in the pantry a few months, it may not rise the way it should.
Tip: Resist the urge to keep stirring past this point. Overmixing is what makes biscuits tough instead of tender.
Tip: Don’t pat the dough out too thin. ¾ inch is what gives these biscuits real height. If you want fewer, taller biscuits instead, pat the dough to a full inch and cut with the same 2 ¼ inch cutter, and you’ll get about 8 tall biscuits
Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions
I cut these ahead and freeze them unbaked more often than I bake them fresh, honestly, especially when I know guests are coming for breakfast. Arrange the cut biscuits on a baking sheet in a single layer, freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, pull them straight from the freezer onto your baking sheet and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. That means the only thing waiting on you the morning of is turning on the oven.
Baking Essentials
Questions When Making 2 Ingredient Biscuits
Buttermilk, whole milk, or half and half will all work in place of it. The texture won’t taste quite as rich since those have less fat than heavy cream does, but any of them will still give you a good biscuit. If you have cream on hand, that’s still my first choice for the best result.
Not on its own. Self-rising flour already has baking powder and salt mixed in, and that’s what makes these biscuits rise with only two ingredients. If you only have all-purpose flour, whisk 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt for every cup of self-rising flour the recipe calls for.
Both work. It just depends on what you’re going for. When I’m in a hurry, I skip rolling and just drop scoops of dough onto the baking sheet and bake them as they are. When I have more time, I like rolling and cutting instead, especially with my grandkids helping, and cut biscuits have a nicer shape for serving. Either way, don’t overwork the dough or the biscuits won’t rise as well.
2 Ingredient Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour , (self-rising, soft wheat, such as White Lily), plus extra for dusting, about 10 1/2 ounces
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream , more for brushing
- Salted butter, for serving
- Honey, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the Dough
- Measure out the flour and gently sift it into a large bowl.2 cups flour
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- Mix until just combined and slightly lumpy (about 1 to 2 minutes).
Roll Out the Dough
- Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
- Gently shape the dough into a loose ball, adding more flour if too sticky.
Cut the Biscuits
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 3/4 inch thick.
- Cut out rounds using a 2 1/4 inch biscuit cutter, dipping the cutter in flour between cuts.
- Reroll scraps once to make 12 biscuits total.
Brush and Bake
- Place biscuits about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the tops with heavy cream.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve and Enjoy
- Brush warm biscuits with melted butter.Salted butter
- Serve with honey, jam, or your favorite toppings.Honey
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Make Ahead: Freeze unbaked biscuits in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
- Reheating: Wrap in foil and warm in a 350-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Freezing: Freeze baked or unbaked biscuits in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Hospitality with These Biscuits
Breakfast doesn’t get talked about as a way to entertain nearly as much as dinner does, but honestly, some of my favorite mornings with people I love have happened around a plate of warm biscuits and a full pot of coffee. These biscuits make that kind of morning easy to pull off, mix the dough the night before if you want a head start, then bake them fresh while your coffee brews and let the smell do the inviting for you. Set out butter, honey, and a couple of jams in mismatched jars to keep it simple, or go bigger with eggs and turkey sausage patties for a sandwich, eggs and bacon on the side, or a tray of bacon and gruyere egg bites. If you want more ideas, I’ve rounded up the breakfast recipes my grandkids ask for every time they visit. I think Scripture keeps circling back to meals for a reason, breaking bread together was never really about the food, it was about slowing down long enough to actually be with people. A breakfast gathering asks so little of you and still gives your guests so much, that’s a trade worth making more often.
Hi Gina. I was excited to find your 2 biscuit recipes, so easy and quick. I hand wrote them out for a quick reference for my use . The 2 recipes are your “Foolproof Way to Bake 2 Ingredient Biscuits” and “Fluffy 7-Up Biscuits,” While copying these 2 recipes, I discovered 3 different bake times which include 35O degrees, 425 degrees, and 45O degrees. Could you please share which temperature is the correct one? Thank You.
Each recipe has it’s own baking time and temperature according to the ingredients.
thankyou
You are welcome Carmen. I was so surprised how good these 2 ingredient biscuits were when I tested the recipe. How did I not know years ago that it was so easy to make homemade biscuits?