Gluten Free Drop Biscuits (Small Batch Recipe)

Need just a few biscuits? This Small Batch Recipe for Gluten Free Drop Biscuits is exactly what you need. Soft and tender inside with lightly crisp edges, they couldn’t be easier to make. There’s no rolling or cutting the dough. Just scoop, bake, and you’ll have warm, homemade biscuits ready for breakfast, dinner, or whenever you’re craving one.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I tested these gluten free drop biscuits with several different gluten free flour blends, and the clear winner is my Gluten Free Cup4Cup Copycat Flour Blend. The added cornstarch creates a lighter crumb, which helps the biscuits rise beautifully.

Unsalted Butter: I prefer baking with unsalted butter. This way I can control the salt content of my baked goods. Make sure the butter is cold, preferably frozen so one can easily grate it. This helps the drop biscuits to get flaky layers.

Whole Milk & Heavy Cream: The combination of whole milk and heavy cream gives these biscuits the perfect balance of moisture and richness, resulting in a tender, fluffy crumb without making them heavy. Using only heavy cream can make the gluten free drop biscuits too rich and heavy, while using only milk gives you less richness and tenderness. You can use Half & Half as a substitution.

Granulated Sugar: A little sugar helps to balance the flavor and won't make this a sweet biscuit. It also helps with the browning.

Gluten Free Drop Biscuit Dough

1. Step 1: To grate the butter, use a box grater or cheese grater with large holes. Place a plate or a piece of parchment paper underneath to catch the shreds. Hold the grater in one hand and the cold butter in the other, grating over the large holes. Rotate the butter as you go to keep it from melting in your hands. Be careful near the end to avoid grating your fingers.
2. Step 2: Once grated, place the butter in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt.
4. Step 4: Add the chilled grated butter to the dry ingredients. Using clean hands, gently work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse, crumbly texture. These small bits of butter will create steam as they bake, helping to form the flaky layers we all love in biscuits.

5. Step 5: Next, add the COLD heavy cream and whole milk to the dry ingredients. Use a flexible spatula to stir just until the flour is fully moistened.

6. Step 6: Place the gluten free drop biscuit dough in the fridge for 15 minutes. This allows the flour to fully hydrate and makes scooping the drop biscuits at lot easier.
7. Step 7: While the gluten free drop biscuit dough rests, preheat your oven to 425°F.

Baking Instructions

Keep in mind that baking times can vary depending on your oven and the size of your biscuits. I use a large cookie scoop that holds around 2oz each to portion them out.

1. Step 1: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. I use a ¼ sheet tray since this small batch recipe just makes 4 drop biscuits.
2. Step 2: Once the oven is fully preheated to 425F, use a large cookies scoop to divide the drop biscuit dough into 4 equal sized bicuits. The dough tends to be a bit sticky so if needed, clean the scoop in between.
3. Step 3: Brush the gluten free drop biscuits with some additional heavy cream or melted butter.

4. Step 4: Bake the biscuits at 425F for 17-19 minutes or until the tops are a light golden brown. If you have an instant-read thermometer, you’re aiming for an internal temperature of about 190–200°F (88 – 93°C).
5. Step 5: Once baked, remove the tray from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let the drop biscuits rest on the tray for a few minutes before serving.

Storage

Drop Biscuits - especially gluten free ones - are at their absolute best still warm from the oven. But with proper storage, they stay tasty for a few days. Make sure to cool them completely before placing them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you like, warm them up in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before serving.

Serving Ideas

Gluten Free Drop Biscuits are a welcome addition to just about any meal. Serve them alongside a cozy dinner, turn them into something sweet, or simply enjoy one warm from the oven with a generous pat of butter. Here are a few favorite ways to enjoy them:

• With Soup or Stew: Serve biscuits alongside your favorite soup, chili, or stew. They’re perfect for soaking up every last bit of that delicious broth or gravy.
• Butter and Jam: You can’t go wrong with a warm biscuit spread with butter and your favorite jam, marmalade, or a drizzle of honey. Simple and perfect.
• Shortcakes: Turn biscuits into dessert. Slice the biscuits in half and fill them with sweetened fruit and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Take a look at my Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcakes for a little inspiration.
• Biscuits and Gravy: Smother warm biscuits in sausage gravy for a hearty breakfast or brunch. For a meatless option, try them with creamy mushroom gravy.
• Ham and Cheese Biscuits: Split the biscuits and fill them with sliced ham and cheese for an easy breakfast, lunch, or savory snack.

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.