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Make quick and craggy gluten free drop biscuits in under 30 minutes with this simple recipe tonight. What they're missing in flaky layers, they more than make up for in ease and buttery, crispy edges.
Over the many years of making gluten free pastries, I've come to think of drop biscuits as the chocolate chip cookies of the pastry world. They're excellent taste and texture, easily made in one bowl without any special equipment, and totally beginner-friendly!
Why this recipe works
Drop biscuits are a quicker alternative to regular, cut-out biscuits for when you're short on time and need a quick dinner side. But they're more than that.
They're made with the same ingredients as the roll-and-fold style of laminated biscuits, but with more buttermilk for a looser dough that comes together even more easily. You don't have to handle the dough at all, just mix, scoop, and bake, so as long as you measure your gluten free flour by weight and choose your ingredients carefully, success is virtually guaranteed.
Plus, a denser drop biscuit is a better alternative to gluten free dinner rolls, with much less time and effort, perfect for savory gluten free soups, rich stews, gluten free gravy and other rich sauces.
How to make gluten free drop biscuits (step by step photos)
The full recipe with ingredient amounts is in the recipe card below. These step by step photos are designed to illustrate the process and explain why we do what we do for the perfect result:
Start with the dry mix. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum if needed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a touch of sugar. Combine everything well so there are no clumps of baking soda and powder (and check dates to make sure they're fresh or your biscuits will be flat).
Grate in the cold butter. Use the large holes on a standard box grater because drop biscuits don't have layers so you don't need big chunks of butter. Toss the shreds to coat in flour and keep the butter from melting. Be careful to avoid overprocessing the butter since solid butter lightens the biscuits.
Add cold buttermilk. Stir until the dough is just combined. It should be thick, sticky, and a little rough-looking—perfect for tender biscuits with crisp edges.
Scoop and bake. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to portion the dough onto a lined baking sheet. If it sticks, dip the scoop in cold water between portions. Bake in a very hot oven (425°F) for a short time (about 15 minutes), so the biscuits rise fast and the edges turn until golden brown.
Expert tips
Keep the dough rustic
There’s no need to shape or smooth the dough—just scoop and drop it onto the baking sheet. If the dough sticks, dip your scoop or spoon in cold water between portions to keep the mixture cold and avoid adding more flour, which could lead to dense biscuits.
Avoid small pebbles of butter
Even though we're using grated butter in this recipe, avoid using a pastry blender which will reduce it to tiny pea-sized pieces. Some pastry recipes recommend that, but it really only works for professional bakers who know how to handle the dough expertly. For the rest of us, we need butter that is too big to melt until it gets to the oven.
Pick your path: quick or flaky
- These drop biscuits are scoop-and-bake simple, and on the table in about 30 minutes.
- If you’ve got a few extra minutes and are really missing Pillsbury Grands!, make our rolled, layered version of gluten free biscuits. The butter sheets you create during folding or lamination turn into those nostalgic, pull-apart layers.
Ingredient substitutions
No buttermilk
Use half plain yogurt (or sour cream) and half milk by volume. You can also use plain cultured kefir instead of buttermilk without any other changes.
Dairy free
Combine ½ cup plain nondairy yogurt with ½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk, and swap the butter for half block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko's Creamery, half shortening like Spectrum or Crisco brand. That combination should balance the moisture and keep the dough from leaking butter.
💡 Looking for Grands-style biscuits?
This recipe was made just for scoop-and-drop biscuits, with no gluten free puff pastry style laminating.
If you’re dying for layered Grands!-style biscuits, check out our classic gluten free biscuits recipe for full instructions.
Gluten Free Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Grate the cold butter using a standard box grater. Chill the butter if starts to soften from the heat of your hands during grating.
- Add the grated butter to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
- Create a well in the center, add the buttermilk, and mix just until the dough comes together.
- Using a medium ice cream scoop or two spoons, drop mounds of dough about 1½ inches apart on the baking sheet. Don’t pack the dough into the scoop.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter for a golden finish.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, until golden brown and firm. Cool briefly before serving.
Notes
I recommend Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour should also work, as long as you add an additional 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid having crumbly biscuits. Cup4Cup has changed its formula and I no longer recommend it. To make your own blend, including a blend that is just like the old Cup4Cup, visit my all purpose gluten free flour blends page for DIY “mock” recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
