If you’ve ever had trouble making biscuits, then these easy, foolproof Butter Swim Biscuits are for you! They take just 5 minutes to stir together and come out of the oven hot, fragrant, and literally swimming in a pool of butter. Yum!
If you’ve been around food blogs for more than a few minutes, you’ve probably heard of Butter Swim Biscuits. This recipe has been on everyone’s radar for a while now, and I can tell you why. Because these rich, buttery biscuits with their fluffy interior and crispy crust are absolutely delicious!
These fluffy, buttery biscuits go great with almost anything! I especially enjoy them with homemade strawberry jam. Or on a plate of fried chicken, butter beans, and okra with tomatoes. Whatever you serve them with, your family is sure to ask for this recipe over and over again!
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Southern
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 9
Primary Ingredient(s): Flour, sugar, butter, buttermilk
Skill Level: Easy
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- It’s so easy! No kneading, no rolling, just a little mixing.
- Easy to find ingredients. Nothing unusual at all here.
- Who doesn’t love a biscuit swimming in butter?!
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This is wonderful and now my go to recipe! Simple and quick and delicious.“
— Kelly
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 66 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
Ingredient Notes
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- All-Purpose Flour — In the South, we always use White Lily flour for any kind of baking. It’s made with soft winter wheat and yields a very tender biscuit. Use what’s available in your area.
- Butter — You’ll need one whole stick (or 1/2 cup) of butter. Like most Southern cooks, I use salted butter for almost everything. I can’t remember the last time I purchased unsalted butter.
- Buttermilk — If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, check the questions section below for tips on how to make a substitute.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Butter Swim Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Whisk or stir until well combined and a moist dough has formed.
- Melt the butter either on the stovetop or in a microwave safe bowl.
- Pour the melted butter into a square (8×8 or 9×9) baking pan or dish.
Pro Tip
Be sure to use a standard baking pan or dish. Using a shallow pan can cause butter to run out all over the bottom of the oven.
- Pour the biscuit dough on top of the melted butter in the baking dish. Use a wooden spoon, a spatula, or your hands to spread the batter evenly in the pan. Spread the batter out until it touches the sides of the baking dish.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the raw, unbaked dough into 9 squares.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let sit until any remaining butter is absorbed into the biscuits. Cut apart and serve.
Pro Tip
Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven to catch anything that may bubble over during baking.
How to Store and Freeze
To store baked, completely cooled biscuits, wrap them in aluminum foil and keep in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat wrapped in foil at the lowest oven temperature for about 10 minutes.
To freeze, wrap the completely cooled biscuits in aluminum foil and freeze for one month. To heat, allow the biscuits to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as outlined above.
More Recipes You’ll Like
If you like Butter Swim Biscuits, you’ll also enjoy these recipes:
Questions About Butter Swim Biscuits
You can use self-rising flour to make butter swim biscuits. If using self-rising flour, simply omit the baking powder and salt called for in the recipe.
If you’re out of buttermilk, you can easily make a substitute. For each cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. So, for this recipe, you’d use two cups of whole milk and stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes and then proceed with the recipe.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
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Easy Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons salt
- Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir until well combined and a moist dough has formed.2 cups buttermilk
- Melt the butter either on the stovetop or in a microwave safe bowl.½ cup butter
- Pour the butter into a square (8×8 or 9×9) baking pan or dish.
- Pour the dough on top of the melted butter in the baking dish. Use your hands or a spatula to spread it as evenly as possible in the pan. Get it to spread out and touch the sides if possible.
- Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut the raw, unbaked dough into 9 squares.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let sit until any remaining butter is absorbed into the biscuits. Cut apart and serve.
Notes
- Be sure to use a standard baking pan or dish. Using a shallow pan can cause butter to run out all over the bottom of the oven.
- Spread the batter out until it touches the sides of the baking dish.
- Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven to catch anything that may bubble over during baking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on May 24, 2022. It has been updated with additional information and new photos.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
i made these for the first time. I did something wrong I followed the recipe but was to brown on top and the inside of the biscuit was brown looking. what did I do wrong?
Hi Kathy – it’s really difficul to say what someone did wrong without being in their kitchen with them! If I had to guess, I’d say it was either that you let the butter get too brown or burned it when melting it, or your oven runs too hot, or the cook time was off. It could be one or more of those. I can’t possibly say for sure without being able to see what you did.
can you use heavy cream instead of milk
I haven’t tested this recipe with heavy cream.
turned out good except the 2 teaspoons of salt was too much. biscuits were a lil too salty
How come cut raw, unbaked dough before cooking?
Cutting the dough forms the individual biscuits. If you didn’t cut the dough, you’d just have one big biscuit.
Best Biscuits EVER!!! They are quick, easy and full of flavor! I made a mistake the first time by adding the salt and baking powder while using self rising four. I corrected the mistake by omitting them the next time and they were absolutely wonderful. definitely my go to recipe from now on! 10/10
Thank you so much! I love these biscuits, too 🙂
This is a wonderful and now my go to recipe! Simple and quick and delicious.
l bake something every weekend but don’t buy milk nor buttermilk. I use dry versions for all my baking. My choice and works well for me. Worked great for this recipe too. Thank you.
Thanks for letting me know you enjoy the recipe, Kelly. It’s one of my favorites as well.
Excellent texture, taste! We love the little bit of crunch on the edges. Easy to make and if you don’t have buttermilk you can add your vinegar or lemon juice to milk ahead of time so it’s ready for later.
I love the buttery, crunchy bits, too!
Excuse my language but these were F***** DELICIOUS!!! I wanted a quick biscuit for breakfast and this was perfectly fluffy and buttery. I did half everything in the recipe since it was only me. I also half the salt bc I was using salted butter. This my new go to biscuit for breakfast or family dinners.
So glad to hear that you LOVE the biscuits!
Okay so I love biscuits, but my husband does not. At all. Even after living in the south for 2 years as a young man. I knew he wasn’t a fan of traditional biscuit recipes, he grew up on pillsbury grands (and tbh doesn’t even like those that much). I’ve never made a biscuit he liked.. and believe me, I’ve tried multiple recipes.
He loved these. I think it was because they’re a lot moister than a typical biscuit. He actually ate two full pieces. And the crispy, buttery outside?? 10/10.
Note: I live in a very high elevation area (between 4500 and 5200 feet according to the internet), so I did have to add some extra flour. The recipe ended up way too loose to hold any sort of cut… kind of pancake batter like. I think I ended up adding about 1/4-1/3 c more flour.
You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that your husband enjoyed this recipe! If it’s a more moist biscuit that he likes, you might also want to try my old fashioned buttermilk biscuits https://www.lanascooking.com/another-buttermilk-biscuit/. They’re made with oil instead of shortening so they’re moist instead of crumbly and flaky.
I love making these. They are easy, quick and Delicous
I do, too, Colleen! Very easy and a bit different from usual biscuits.