These sour cream and onion biscuits are savory, rich and tender, with a slight tanginess from the sour cream. We put a spin on our buttery sour cream biscuits recipe and added onion and cheese for a flavor combo that sings!

Freshly baked sour cream and onion biscuits on a baking sheet.

These are pretty similar to our old-fashioned sour cream biscuits, but with a couple of add-ins that make it an extra savory biscuit recipe. Studded with fresh green onion and shreds of Asiago cheese, onion powder, and garlic powder, there is loads of flavor in every bite.

They’re perfect if you’re looking for a flavorful breakfast side or snack, and made even more perfect with a spread of soft butter on top.

Why this Recipe Works

Keeping the ingredients cold is the key to buttery, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth biscuits.
Folding the dough creates layers and makes the biscuits super flaky.
The cheese and onions add a savory depth of flavor.
Incredibly easy to make.

With a crisp outer layer and tender, flaky inside, our sour cream and onion biscuits are ultimate biscuit perfection! We find that the sour cream adds a moist, richness to the biscuit batter. It also gives the biscuits a light, tangy flavor that is enhanced by a small amount of sugar.

Don’t be alarmed by the sugar, though! These biscuits are savory through and through.

Ingredients for Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

We love the ingredient list for this savory biscuit recipe because it is simple and straightforward, just like biscuits should be.

To make them you will need:

Flour- You can use all-purpose flour or pastry flour. Pastry flour will give the biscuits a lighter, more tender texture.

And for ultra-light and tender biscuits, use White Lily Flour. It goes through an extra milling process that weakens the protein bonds. While White Lily Flour will give you the very best results, regular all-purpose flour makes deliciously tender, fluffy biscuits, too.
Sugar- Just two teaspoons will enhance the flavor of the sour cream.
Leavening agents- We use a combination of baking powder and baking soda.
Spices- You’ll need salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Butter- Make sure it is chilled and not at room temperature.
Green onions- Slice them small and use only the green and light green parts.
Asiago cheese- Grated and chilled.
Sour cream- This should also be chilled (notice a pattern here? 🙂 )
Finishing touches- You can use cream, melted butter or an egg wash to brush onto the tops of the biscuits. We also like to sprinkle on a few pinches of Maldon salt flakes once they’re done baking.

You may have noticed that the dairy ingredients should be cold. This is important as it contributes to how the dough comes together and gives the biscuits the right texture.

Ingredients used to make sour cream and onion biscuits.

Let’s Make Them

These savory, no-fail sour cream biscuits couldn’t be simpler to make!

For the full recipe along with a printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the page. Here is a quick summary of the steps involved:

Prepare the butter: Grate the butter and pop it into the freezer to get extra cold. I like to keep it in there for about 3-5 minutes while I mix the dry ingredients.
Combine: Whisk the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the grated butter and toss it to coat with the flour. Use your hands to rub it in, just a little bit. Add the sour cream and combine until the dough is loose (it might seem a bit dry but that’s okay).
Shape the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and press it into a ball. Pat it into a rectangle and fold it in thirds. Repeat the process again to create more layers.
Slice and bake: Pat the dough into a rectangle again and slice it into squares. Transfer them to the baking sheet and bake until golden.

A collage of six photos showing how to make sour cream onion biscuits.

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Tips for Making Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

If you don’t have flaky salt like Malden or Fleur de Sel, skip the extra salt on top of the biscuits. Regular table salt will make the biscuits too salty.
We like Asiago but you can swap in other cheese varieties, too.
If you use self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Results may vary slightly depending on the brand of flour you have.
Folding the dough helps create more flaky layers and prevents the dough from being over-worked.
To make an egg wash: Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water or milk. If the egg wash is too thick to brush onto the biscuits, add an extra 1 to 2 teaspoons of water. The tops of the biscuits will be darker if you brush them with cream or an egg wash rather than butter.
Full fat sour cream works best for this recipe. Greek yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream are okay substitutes but won’t turn out quite as flakey or tender.

This recipe was adapted and modified from Epicurious.

Two sour cream and onion biscuits stacked on each other.

Light and tender with a buttery, cheesy and savory flavor, these flaky sour cream and onion biscuits are delightful! Enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They also make a wonderful, portable snack!

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Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits

Sour cream adds a rich, tangy flavor and tenderness to these biscuits while the onion and cheese add a savory depth of flavor. Full fat sour cream works best for tender and flaky biscuits.

These are savory biscuits. The small amount of sugar enhances the flavor of the sour cream and it does not make the biscuits taste sweet.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 20

Servings: biscuits

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2-¾ cups all-purpose flour 330 grams or pastry flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt use 3/4 if using cheese
1 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

All the Good Stuff

12 tablespoons butter chilled
6 green onions sliced (green and light green only)
½ cup grated Asiago cheese chilled
1-½ cups sour cream chilled

For the Top

4 tablespoons cream melted butter, or an egg wash*
A few pinches of Maldon salt flakes*

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate butter and stick it in the freezer to get extra cold while you mix the dry ingredients. I like to keep the grated butter in the freezer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients until well combined.
Add the cold, grated butter to the flour mixture and toss to coat in the flour. Use your hands to briefly rub the flour into the butter. You don’t need to rub the butter in too much or your hands will make the butter warm. Just give it a few rubs between your hands.
Add the sour cream and combine until the dough forms a loose, messy mass. It might seem a bit dry but it will come together in the next step.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured countertop and gently press the loose pieces of dough into a ball.
Pat the dough into a 10” x 6” rectangle.
Fold ⅓ of the rectangle toward the middle then fold the other end on top of the first section. Pat the dough back down into another 10” x 6” inch rectangle.
Fold the dough into thirds again then pat it back into an 8×4” or 9” x 5” rectangle. It should be about 1 inch thick.
Slice the dough in half lengthwise then make three short, vertical slices to give you 8 biscuits.
Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter, cream, or an egg wash (see notes for the egg wash).
Bake for 18-24 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

Top the biscuits with large salt flake such as Malden or Fleur de Sel. Do not use regular table salt on top of the biscuits or they will be too salty. If you don’t have large salt flakes, omit this step.
You can substitute the Asiago with a cheese of your preference.
Pastry flour will give the biscuits a finer, more tender texture than all-purpose flour.
White Lily Flour has the same protein content as pastry flour but it goes through a milling process that weakens the protein bonds. It is a unique flour that will give you the BEST results for your biscuits. If you want to obsess over light, tender biscuits, purchase White Lily Flour.
If you only have all-purpose flour, the biscuits will still come out amazing. The technique is more important than the flour.
If you use self-rising flour, omit the baking powder and reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon. Results may vary slightly depending on the brand of self-rising flour you use.
The butter and sour cream should be very cold. If you grate the butter and stick it in the freezer, it will stay cold when you blend it into the flour.
The dough should seem a bit loose and dry before you transfer it to the counter. It will come together when you press it into a ball and proceed with the folding technique.
Folding the dough helps create more flaky layers and prevents the dough from being over-worked.
To make an egg wash: Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to milk. If the egg wash is too thick to brush onto the biscuits, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of additional water.
The tops of the biscuits will be a darker color if you brush them with cream or an egg wash rather than butter.
Full fat sour cream works best for this recipe. If you substitute it with Greek yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream, the biscuits will not be as flakey or tender, but the recipe will still work.