Butter Dip Biscuits
Butter Dip Buttermilk Biscuits (also called Butter Swim Biscuits) are the easiest homemade biscuits. No biscuit cutter needed! Thick, fluffy and buttery!
A.K.A. Butter Swim Biscuits
Did the title of this recipe get your attention? I first shared this recipe back in 2012 (I’ve updated the photos since then) and it has been copied by many others over the years but this here is the original! If you want to see that original post, check it out HERE. I’ve come a long way since then! This is such an easy recipe. You don’t even have to roll out any dough or use biscuit cutters! Also, if you love this recipe be sure to check out my Blueberry Butter Dip Biscuits, Cinnamon Roll Butter Swim Biscuits, Strawberries and Cream Butter Dip Biscuits or my Cheddar Garlic Butter Dip Biscuits!
The best biscuits I have ever made in my life. And I am an expert baker and biscuit maker and these are the perfect biscuits. They taste great and so much easier to make. Ask any of my family members – I am the go-to guy for biscuits so I know what. I’m talking about.
– Norman
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve slightly modified this Betty Crocker recipe since I’ve started making these. I started using buttermilk instead of the original milk and I doubled the ingredients so that they come out thicker. So yes, you can use milk but make sure it is not skim milk.
Honestly I am not sure. I only cook and bake with cow’s milk. But if you try it, please let me know how it turns out for you!
This is totally optional. I think it can depend on the brand used as well. We use quite a bit of baking powder in these so if you are sensitive at all to specific tastes, I would recommend using an aluminum free baking powder if possible. The ingredient image below shows a brand that does have aluminum in it but Bob’s Red Mill and Rumford make aluminum free versions that I really like.
These are definitely big and fluffy which is how we like them. But you can cut the recipe in half for a thinner biscuit or spread the batter into a larger baking dish.
Yes, absolutely! Just do not add the baking powder and salt to the recipe as it is already included in self-rising flour.
Either a glass or ceramic baking dish. Metal baking dishes can heat up the butter and cause it to burn as the biscuits are still baking.
Technically you do not need to. I just like to make doubly sure that the biscuits will not be sticking anywhere in my baking dish.
Buttermilk is a man ingredient in this and I prefer the real thick stuff. When you make your own buttermilk, you don’t get that exact same taste and texture. However, if you want to make your own: the ratio is typically one cup of milk mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Allow it to sit for about 5-10 minutes before using.
Absolutely! I have a Butter Dip (or Butter Swim) Yeast Roll recipe here.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- salted butter
- all-purpose flour * (see my notes above about self-rising flour)
- sugar
- baking powder I like to use an aluminum free baking powder when possible since I am sensitive to the taste of it. Please note, the brand used below is not aluminum free but if you are looking for one, Bob’s Red Mill makes a really good one and it is usually sold in a bag.
- salt
- buttermilk – if you forgot to pick up buttermilk from the store, see my post on How to Make Buttermilk.
How To Make Butter Dip Biscuits
Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Spray a glass or ceramic 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it). In a microwave-safe bowl, melt stick of butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Pour in the buttermilk.
Stir until a loose dough forms. Batter will be sticky.
Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Spread it out with the back of a spoon or a butter knife or your hand.
You won’t get it perfectly even, but hey, that’s okay, these are homemade, remember? Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough, that’s perfectly okay. Cut the dough into 9 squares. This will help with cutting later when they are done too.
Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
Oven times do vary since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch.
Slice and serve with butter!
Craving More?
Butter Dip Biscuits (a.k.a. Butter Swim Biscuits)
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (1 stick)
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (you may need up to two cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees (yes, that is the correct temperature). Spray a glass or ceramic oven safe 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it). NOTE: You technically do not have to spray the pan since there is plenty of butter in this but I like to be extra careful.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup salted butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
- Pour in 1 3/4 cups buttermilk. Stir until a sticky batter forms. If batter still seems too dry add a tad bit more buttermilk until the batter is thick and sticky.
- Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough. Tip: I will spray my hand with some nonstick spray to help spread the dough out evenly in the pan.
- Cut the dough into 9 squares (as best you can). This will help with cutting later when the biscuits are baked.
- Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
- Oven times DO VARY since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean with no batter, they are done!
Video
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, be sure to add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Eat within two days. Make sure to cover leftovers. If stored in the refrigerator, they will last for a week. These biscuits can also be frozen. Wrap well in freezer-safe plastic wrap and then store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Will freeze for up to 3 months.
- Self-rising flour can replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe. Just do not add the baking powder and salt to the recipe as it is already included in self-rising flour.
- If you only have an 8×8-inch baking dish, I would put a baking pan underneath to catch any possible butter drippings that may happen since it is smaller.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: February 2012
Updated photos and republished: April 2019
I’ve been making this recipe since you first posted it 12 or 13 years ago. Hands down the best biscuit recipe. I know a lot of people have copied your recipe so I just wanted everyone to know this is THE ORIGINAL and the best! Brandie had tons of variations on her site (sweet and savory) and I love them all! Butter swim, butter dips – doesn’t matter what you call them, they’re the absolute best!!!
Thank you so very much Janie! that really means so much to hear and I am so happy you commented to let me know!!
These are amazing!
Thanks so very much Deanna!
These are so darn good! I get raves every time I make them!
Your recipe is the original and the best! I have been making it for years and I love all your different versions. Thank you!
These biscuits are amazing!!!! I will never use any other recipe again! Thank you.
Sincerely,
Janet D. from Minnesota
Thank you SO very much Janet!! You are so sweet to take the time to come back and comment!
I would not change a single thing. I made it exactly to your recipe and they were perfection!
OMG so freaking good. I am absolutely NEVER making biscuits any other way. So, so much easier than rolling and cutting out biscuits and the flavor is freaking phenomenal! My Mom has been making your original recipe since you first posted these in 2010 or 2011 and I now make them for my family and I realized I never commented to tell you how much we love them. We love so many of your recipes and you never steer us wrong – thank you thank you!!
I tried this recipe a month ago. Since then I’ve made it like 10 times. They don’t last a day what with family taking them for breakfast at work. I’m working on another. Last time (2 days ago) I put blueberries in the batter. Wow! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Woo hoo!!! Love hearing that Becky!! Thanks so very much!
This makes me so happy to read Becky!! Yay! Thanks so very much for coming back to comment! I have a recipe especially made for blueberries and one for strawberries, peaches and apple if you want to try some other flavors. I’ll add the links below 🙂
https://www.thecountrycook.net/blueberry-butter-swim-biscuits/
https://www.thecountrycook.net/strawberries-and-cream-butter-swim-biscuits/
https://www.thecountrycook.net/peach-butter-swim-biscuits/
https://www.thecountrycook.net/apple-pie-butter-swim-biscuits/
I can barely believe how easy these were to make !!! i only had 1 cup of buttermilk, so used whole milk to complete the ingredients.
literally just out of the oven, sliced in half and sprinkled with some shredded cheese .
To die for delicious !!! Thank you so much for this go to recipe xo
So happy you gave them a try! Thank you for coming back to comment!
Do you know how to adjust the recipe for high altitude?
I have made them and they are delicious but recently move to high altitude.
Oh gosh, I know absolutely nothing about high altitude baking – I am so sorry! However, I bet we have some people on here that will know exactly how to adjust so hopefully they will comment and help out 🙂 But I am thrilled you love the recipe!
Biscuits turned out perfect. I used 8×8 dish and I thought they were just a bit too thick. I would use a larger pan (10×10) Other than that very pleased!
I decided to try this recipe and use my King Arthur gluten free baking flour. The only thing different I did was switching the flour to gluten free mix and added 1/2 tblsp more baking powder. When I added the butter milk it wasn’t quite enough liquid when using the gluten free flour so I just added a little more till the dough had the sticky consistency you described. They actually turned out perfectly. I should have waited for them to cool a bit before I served them. They were better texture after they had cooled I forgot that with gluten free flour you should let the finished product cool before you serve it. Best gluten free biscuits I’ve ever made.
I made these this morning. They are easy and delicious.
Thanks for the recipe!
my husband loved the swim biscuits. so did i will be making them all the time now best recipe ever. thankyou.
Thanks so very much Margaret!
I’ve made many, many, many biscuits from many, many, many recipes, but I can stop now. This takes first prize. Blue ribbon winner for sure!
I followed the recipe exactly as wrote. The only thing I forgot to do was pre-cut the dough before I put it in over. Came out just fine. Will definitely make again.
BEST biscuits I have ever made in my life!! I just can’t believe you can have biscuits that taste this good without slaving over them. My husband and his co-workers could not stop raving how good they were. I made your sausage gravy this morning to serve with them and again, you hit the nail on the head. I absolutely love your recipes. Keep up the good work!
Amazing! We will definitely make it again. I doubled the recipe and probably should have put a piece of foil under the pan as the butter boiled over a bit. My mistake!
I made these incredible biscuits once a week for my team.
It’s so fun to bring it back to family and make them again!
Love, love, love this recipe.
And, I love that I don’t need yeast.
Such a winning recipe.
i think it sounds amazing and I’m going to follow your recipe exactly. thank you for sharing.
I thought I would never be able to make delicious biscuits for my family. I do savory cooking, not baking, but I came upon this recipe and made them and now my family says, NO MORE GRAND BISCUITS. Thank you for sharing this gem of a recipe.
I can’t even believe that I made these…OMG…they are delicious and perfect!
The best biscuits ever and I didn’t have to roll out any dough or pull out a biscuit cutter LOL – If anyone its hesitating to make the – don’t! If you think you are not a good biscuit maker than this recipe is for you. Thanks Brandie!
OMG, where have these been all my life?!?! I have zero patience for biscuit making even though my precious Mom and Grandma did their best with me. Let me tell you, these are even better than their biscuits (don’t tell them I said so – ha!)
We have been looking for a recipe or a biscuit like this. Spot on! If anything the bottom did not brown any, but hey it is good! We made it an egg and cheese biscuit.
WOW!!!! you put your foot in these delicious tasting biscuits. I have made them everyday now for almost a month and no one is tired of them at all either. Great recipe and thank you so much. What a great tasting biscuit with or without anything. I love your recipe and will continue to make these from now on. Thank you again…
Last night I made these biscuits and they were FABULOUS!!! My son and I loved them! My mother made drop biscuits when I was growing up. I served the biscuits with bbq chicken and baked beans.
I’ve been making these for years, and they are so good! I’ve made them in double batches, and in larger pans to adapt the thickness, added a little seasoning, a sprinkle of cheese… always good. Making them again for a tailgate on Saturday-breakfast sandwiches with ham, egg and cheese! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so very much Dianne!! Love hearing that!!
has anyone used a 9×13
I have, but they will be much thinner and cook differently. I’ve made a recipe and a half to make a larger pan and it worked well, but you will still need to adjust the timing, and understand that the result will be a little different than making them the original way. Still so good!
My husband loves (!) biscuits with sausage gravy so I make them fairly often. Just as a switch-up for a change I made these and now they’re the only biscuits he wants. Thank you so much for making my hub happy and I can tell you that after 49 years that’s not so easy to do.
These are so delicious and ridiculously easy to make! I made these last night to go along with breakfast for dinner, and I ended up eating more of these than the breakfast casserole! LOL!
Well, I tried with buttermilk substitute. I didn’t have a 8×8 or a 9×9 pan so I used a 7×11. Kind of in the middle. I baked them for 30 minutes giving the pan a spin at 15 minutes. First, don’t use buttermilk substitute. I wound up with something that tastes a lot like corn pone, second the pan was okay but when you peek at the biscuits at 25 minutes don’t be fooled into thinking they are too light. I guarantee you will never believe how much that extra 5 minutes can bake those biscuits. They went from light tan to brown and crunchy. Yum.. not exactly. Not even close.
My opinion with the results I got is the recipe, as written, would be exceptional. It was super easy to mix up. Trust your gut feeling that an extra 5 minutes is going to give you crispy critters.
This is such a great comment! I have never tried it with the powder so I really appreciate you testing it out. This is all fantastic information. I am so glad you like the recipe – thanks so much!
Delicious
This recipe totally met my needs! It was so easy, tasted so great, and my family was totally sold on the biscuits! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Yay!! I’m so happy you gave them a try!! Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
So easy and so good!
These are the best!
Thanks so much Brenda!!
This recipe makes the best biscuits! We loved them and thanks for sharing.
Thanks so very much Brenda!
I have been making your recipe for years now and I only do one thing differently. I put my ceramic baking pan in the oven with the cube of butter in it to melt and pre-heat. I get it hot enough that the butter is bubbling and then pour the batter in. I find it tends to make the bottom a little crispy which my family really loves.
An these be made with sourdough starter?
I’ve never tried that so I really don’t know. If you try it, please let me know!
I have made these for my wife numerous times and they are “KILLER”! She loves them and so do I.
Thank you Chuckie!! I always love when a recipe gets the wife’s stamp of approval too! Makes my day!
I love this recipe. I return to it often as a base for lots of yummy variations. Today I stirred in browned bulk breakfast sausage (cooled), bacon bits, and shredded cheddar. I use a cookie scoop to drop the batter into the butter (labor saving tool that ensures a through bathing in butter.)
In other iterations, I’ve garlicked the butter and added cheese and dry parsley to the batter. I’ve also made a cinnamon-sugar-butter slurry and dropped the batter into that.
Every time, it’s the bomb-diggity!
Awww that makes me SO happy! Great tip about the cookie scoop too! Have you seen all my other variations here on the site – I bet you would LOVE them!! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment ❤️
I put a little too much baking pouder in it, will it mess it up????
Came out beautifully. Only 20 minutes in the over for me on the convection setting. Can’t wait til they cool down enough to eat!
Ha! Waiting to cool is the hardest part! Hope you love these enough to make them over and over!
delicious…definitley trying the rolls too
Thanks so much Melissa!
I tried these tonight with our soup. The recipe is easy and cooked up quick. Mine were a little bit darker than yours and the biscuit was very crispy. They were perfect for our family..
So, so happy your family loved these Kim!! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
These biscuits were so unique. The texture was crispy on some parts and chewy/moist on others and oh-so-buttery. Not your typical biscuit, but a fun change. My family loved them! Because of blood sugar issues, I even substituted a cup of almond flour for the regular flour, and the biscuits still rose and had great texture. Thanks for sharing this fun recipe.
Thanks so much for mentioning the almond flour! I know a lot of people ask me about different kinds of flours and I’m honestly never sure what to say since I have experimented with others so its really helpful when someone mentions what worked for them!
Ok, I must’ve messed up somehow as all the comments others made were so great. I followed the directions exactly. They must have baked too long (32 minutes) as the tops were darker brown and very crusty rather than the pretty light brown pictured. I noticed while baking, the butter was boiling all around my glass pan. They were edible by taking off the top and bottom crusts but don’t taste like biscuits I remember. I will try again.
These were delicious, especially the bottoms….they were crusty and buttery. They were a great accompaniment to the homemade soup we had for dinner.
There are no words to describe these yummy yummy tea biscuits!!!!! I must admit I was a little hesitant to try these as I have what I call my stand by recipe BUT it is now on the back burner and these have take its place! These are so light and fluffy and so rich tasting just like a tea biscuit should be!!!
You have made our morning Brandie!
Thank you for sharing such wonderful goodness.
Yvonne
Your words are so kind Yvonne! Thanks so much for your sweet comment – it means a lot!
Oh girl! Fantastic biscuits. Love the crunchy top and butter moist inside. A simple biscuit with nothing added so you can enjoy that homemade taste! My husband just loved them with my homemade habanero peach jam. My husband loves cornbread with a crunchy outside. Could this recipe, or method be used for cornbread as well? All that butter just soaks into the biscuit, perfectly! Thank you so much.
Woot woot! Ha! You made my day!! Absolutely love hearing that! I haven’t tried it with cornbread. If you do, I’d love to know how it turns out for you. My only concern would be that it might come out too dense since cornmeal soaks that butter up fast – ha! Usually if I want really crisp cornbread, I’ll gt my cast iron skillet nice and hot in the oven. Then pour my cornbread batter into it, then bake. That usually forms a nice crust around the sides and bottom. 🙂
Can you use self rising flour and leave out the additives? Thanks
No unfortunately it won’t turn out exactly the same. I’m using different ratios of baking powder & salt than is typically found in self rising flour.
Yes I used self rising flour and they were sooo good
I have made these with self rising flour. What I love is no rolling out of the dough. And they are delicious!!!!!