There’s nothing better than warm, buttery biscuits fresh out of the oven, especially when they’re made in just 30 minutes. These small-batch biscuits for two are perfectly flaky, golden on the outside, and irresistibly soft in the center. Whether you’re serving them alongside a cozy dinner, slathering them with butter and jam for breakfast, or making a quick biscuit sandwich, this easy recipe delivers big flavor in a small batch. No complicated techniques, no leftovers, just simple, homemade biscuits ready in no time.
If you loved this recipe, you will also love Strawberry cheesecakes with Oreo crust, Nutella brownies in a loaf pan, Keto peanut butter fudge and even Small batch baked chocolate donuts.
Small-Batch Buttermilk Biscuits (Only 4 Biscuits!)
Sometimes, you just don’t need a full batch of biscuits, whether you’re cooking for one, two, or simply don’t want leftovers. That’s where this easy small-batch biscuit recipe comes in. These flaky, buttery, homemade biscuits are made from scratch with just a few simple ingredients and come together in less than 30 minutes.
Even if you’re a beginner, this recipe is foolproof! You’ll get four perfectly soft and golden biscuits, ideal for serving with breakfast, dinner, or as a snack with gravy, jam, or honey.
Why You’ll Love This Small-Batch Biscuit Recipe
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Makes only 4 biscuits! No waste, no leftovers
- Flaky, buttery, and soft in every bite
- Requires minimal ingredients.
- Better than store-bought canned biscuits
- Pairs well with soups, stews, breakfast, or even sandwiches
If you’ve never made homemade biscuits before, this is the perfect place to start. Once you try this easy recipe, you’ll never go back to store-bought, I promise!
Ingredients for this small-batch biscuit recipe
Here are the ingredients you will need to make these buttermilk biscuits. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- All-purpose flour – To get a recipe as close to the one I am sharing here, try using a kitchen scale and weigh your flour.
- Baking powder & baking soda – Helps the biscuits to rise by adding some leavening.
- Sugar – Adds just a touch of sweetness that helps to balance the flavor in these biscuits.
- Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter, but you need to make sure you use really cold butter.
- Buttermilk – The buttermilk will add moisture to the biscuits as well as help activate the leavening agents. Just make sure it is cold (see below for substitution).
- Heavy cream- This will be to brish the biscuits before the go into the oven.
- Salt
Buttermilk substitution
It is possible to substitute the buttermilk by using a mixture of 2% milk with either freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar. The mixture won’t get as thick and creamy as buttermilk, but it will perform its role just as well.
Combine together 1 cup of 2% milk with 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar to get your homemade buttermilk. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes. You will know it is ready when it has slightly thickened and you see small curdled pieces in there. Then just use it as directed in the recipe method.
How to make biscuits for two
This is how you can make easy biscuits at home. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
- Whisk all the ingredients together (except the butter and buttermilk).
- Add in the very cold butter and mix.
- Stir in the buttermilk or substitute (see above).
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead making sure not to overwork the dough.
- Shape the dough and cut it into biscuits.
- Bake in the oven and allow to cool before enjoying.
Troubleshooting: How to Get Perfect Biscuits
- Dough too sticky? Lightly flour your hands and work surface, but don’t add too much flour, or the biscuits may turn out dry.
- Dough too dry? Add a teaspoon of buttermilk (or milk) at a time until it comes together.
- Biscuits not flaky? Ensure your butter is very cold and avoid overworking the dough. Freezing the butter for 10 minutes before cutting it into the flour can help.
Tips for the best small batch biscuits ever.
- Use very cold ingredients – Cold ingredients will allow for your biscuit to rise even more and have a soft and flaky texture.
- Don’t overwork the dough – Overworking the dough will make you lose those beautiful pieces of butter that we left there on purpose to help make our biscuits flaky.
- Flour the biscuit cutter before cutting the biscuits- Make sure to flour the biscuit cutter so that the dough doesn’t stick to it.
- Don’t twist the biscuit cutter when cutting the biscuits – You want to make sure that those layers stay visible after baking and twisting your biscuit cutter will ruin that layering. So press down and remove the biscuit without twisting.
Frequently asked questions – FAQ
Frequently asked questions – FAQ
Why didn’t my biscuits rise?
There are a few possible reasons:
- Your baking powder may be expired. Make sure it’s fresh for the best rise.
- Overmixing the dough can make biscuits dense. Mix just until the dough comes together.
- Cold butter is key. Make sure your butter is very cold to create flaky layers.
Can I freeze these biscuits?
Yes. Freeze unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet, then transfer them to an airtight bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Can I double this recipe to make more biscuits?
Yes, simply double all the ingredients and follow the same instructions. The baking time will remain the same, but keep an eye on them as ovens can vary.
Why do you use buttermilk in biscuits?
Buttermilk is necessary for biscuits to give them a good rise. The acidity works with the leavening to give the biscuits their height.
However, if you don’t have buttermilk to hand, it is possible to make a substitute by using a mixture of 2% and acidity (either lemon juice or distilled white vinegar) – see the notes above.
How to store your biscuits?
Store your biscuits in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or store in the fridge for up to 7 days, but I very much doubt they will last that long!
How to reheat these buttermilk biscuits?
You can microwave for 10-15 seconds on full power until they are warm all the way through and enjoy them. You can also reheat them in the oven at 300F for a few minutes.
How to eat these biscuits?
Serve these with some jam, honey, gravy, or your topping of choice for an easy and delicious breakfast! Honey works perfectly as it is a natural sweetener, that adds the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the salty and buttery flavor of the biscuit. But if you want to be a little more adventurous why not try tomato gravy, pimento cheese, or even chocolate spread!
Let me know if you try a unique combination that works, I love to hear about new ways of eating biscuits.
Small batch biscuits for two
Small batch biscuits for two
Ingredients
- 1 & ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter cold & cubed
- ½ cup buttermilk cold
- Heavy cream for brushing the biscuits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a baking sheet with parhement paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together.1 & ¼ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Add in the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or two forks cut the butter into the dry mixture until the butter mixture turns into small pea-sized chunks.3 tablespoon butter
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the buttermilk into the dry mixture until dough forms. Don't overwork the dough here, it should look like the image.½ cup buttermilk
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead it 2-4 times to bring it together. This will keep you from overworking the dough and heating it up. Keep in mind that you want to see chunks of butter in there still.
- Now onto the fun part, shape the dough into a rectangle then gently fold the left side of the rectangle over the right side, gently pat it down. Now fold the top of the rectangle over the bottom of the rectangle and pat it down again gently.
- Repeat the folding process two more times. before shaping your rectangle again and flattening it with a pastry roller to about an inch in thickness.
- Flour a 2.5 inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter and cut 4 biscuits with it. Firmly press the dough down without twisting the cutter. You can gently wiggle it to remove the biscuit and biscuit cutter.
- Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, using a pastry brush dipped in heavy cream brush each biscuit, and bake for 13 minutes or until golden brownHeavy cream
- Pull out the biscuits from the oven and let them cool just enoug to be able to handle them and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this small-batch biscuit for two recipe make sure to pin it for later!
wen
When I make these biscuits I always put them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before I bake them. Great recipe!
Chahinez
Thank you!
Kathy
Great biscuits. So nice to find a good recipe for small batches.
Excellent with sausage gravy
Chahinez
I’m glad you liked the biscuits! Finding a recipe that’s perfect for small batches is always a win!
Mary Minter
Absolutely perfect!!! Hubby loved them.
Chahinez
I’m glad both of you enjoyed it 😁
Linda
Perfect recipe, easy to follow. delicious results.
Chahinez
Thank you so much!
Wesley Burditt
Great recipe! Just the size needed, when I make a normal batch we eat them all at once even though we don’t really need them.
Thank you for sharing!
Chahinez
You’re welcome!
Chuck
Looks like a great recipe, which I’ll be very happy to try!
However, you say: “… try using a kitchen scale and weigh your flour”, but you’ve not listed what the weight of the flour should be in the ingredients list. I use weight over volume measurements wherever possible, especially when baking. Guess I could look up what 1-1/4 cups of AP flour should be, if that can be trusted.
Chahinez
Chuck, If you go to the recipe card, at the bottom of the page, click the metric button next to the ingredients title and it automatically changes the measurements so you could use them with the kitchen scale.
sally
I did not have buttermilk nor 2 percent so I used half and half to sub for buttermilk. I put dry ingredients in fridge for a bit and butter in freezer for 30 mins ahead. I also use a cheese grater for the butter. I am at altitude 6k feet and this recipe turns out great….biscuits a buttery and moist.
Chahinez
That’s awesome! I am happy you liked the recipe!😊
Lauren
These biscuits were incredible! Just made them, and they were perfect. Eating one as we speak.
Chahinez
That’s awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!😁
Genelle
Soft fluffy biscuits. First time with recipe and it was perfect for 4 biscuits.
Chahinez
Awesome! Thank you for trying out the recipe 😁
JT
Made these biscuits today. easy recipe to follow. Came out great. Light and flaky. Had them with apple butter and they were awesome. No leftovers!!
Chahinez
So glad to hear that!!
Cat
These were so easy and came out perfect. I cut the dough in 4ths instead of using a round cutter. Thank you!
Chahinez
So glad to hear you found that recipe helpful Cat!
Mary
Thank you for making a small batch recipe! For just the two of us, this is perfect. I’ll make the dough into a square and quarter it with a bench scraper for ease aka laziness 😉
Chahinez
You’re welcome Mary!
AJ
I’ve made these a couple times now. I always end up with extra dough so I end up with about 6-7 biscuits which is great because there’s just two of us!! This is a great recipe!
Donna
Super simple, and simply delicious. Personally, I don’t use a biscuit cutter, I just shape the dough into a square, trim each side with a sharp knife, and cut 4 square biscuits. I don’t want to waste any of the dough!
Chahinez
Enjoy Donna!
Denise Berthiaume
Yum. Made these to hold some fresh peach jam. Light and delicious.
Chahinez
Sounds delicious Denise!
Rod
Great biscuit recipe! I made these tonight and they were a hit with my wife and I. One hint I would to add is to freeze your butter cube and use a grater to grate the three tablespoons needed. The key to great biscuits is cold milk and cold butter as it states in the recipe notes.
Chahinez
Thank you! I’m glad y’all enjoyed the recipe!😊
Diana k
Use a glass dipped in flour, it works great as a substitute for a biscuit cutter.
KimH
Best biscuits! It’s just two of us, and I typically cook just for myself, so this recipe is perfect. Definitely now my go-to biscuit recipe!
Chahinez
Thank you so much!