✔ Updated · added from-scratch and self-rising flour versions
7 Up biscuits are tall, soft, buttery biscuits made with just four ingredients: Bisquick, sour cream, lemon-lime soda and melted butter. They’re what I bake when I’ve forgotten the buttermilk, which happens more than I’d like.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Stir the soda in only until the dough comes together. Sticky, barely mixed dough makes the lightest biscuits.
The sour cream makes them tender and a little tangy, the soda adds a touch of sweetness, and baking them in a pan of melted butter gives golden, crisp-edged bottoms. The dough comes together in a few minutes with no cutting in of cold butter. This page also includes a from-scratch version and a self-rising flour version for when there's no Bisquick in the pantry.
Why You'll Love These Biscuits
- Just four ingredients and no cold butter to cut in.
- Soft and fluffy inside with golden, buttery-crisp bottoms from the pan of melted butter.
- Flexible: make them with Bisquick, a homemade mix or self-rising flour.
What Are 7 Up Biscuits?
7 Up biscuits are a Southern-style shortcut biscuit made from baking mix, sour cream and lemon-lime soda, baked in a pan of melted butter. The sour cream supplies the fat and tang that cold butter would normally add, so there's no cutting in and no buttermilk needed.
Because they bake close together in butter, they come out tall and pull-apart soft, with golden, buttery bottoms. For more ideas with the same mix, browse our Bisquick recipes.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Use regular soda, not diet. The sugar in regular lemon-lime soda helps the tops brown. Sprite or another clear lemon-lime soda works the same as 7 Up. I use whichever is in the fridge.
- Use full-fat sour cream. It gives the tender, rich crumb, and I won’t make these with anything else. Light sour cream makes flatter, drier biscuits.
- Expect a sticky dough. Don't add more mix to the bowl. Dust the work surface, your hands and the top of the dough instead.
- Press, don't twist. Twisting the cutter seals the edges and stops the biscuits rising tall. Dip the cutter in mix between cuts.
- Bake them touching. Biscuits that sit close together support each other and rise higher and softer.
- Watch the oven. At 450°F the butter in the pan can brown quickly. If the bottoms get too dark in your oven, bake at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes.
7 Up Biscuits
12
biscuits15
minutes15
minutes270
kcal35
minutesSoft, fluffy 7 Up biscuits made with just four ingredients: Bisquick, sour cream and lemon-lime soda, cut into rounds and baked in a pan of melted butter until golden on top and buttery-crisp on the bottom.
Ingredients
- Biscuits
480 g Bisquick original baking mix (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
240 g full-fat sour cream (1 cup)
240 ml 7 Up or other lemon-lime soda, not diet (1 cup)
- For the Pan
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
Directions
- Prepare the Pan
- Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Pour the melted butter into a 9×13-inch baking dish and tilt the dish so the butter coats the bottom evenly.
- Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, cut the sour cream into the Bisquick with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture looks crumbly.
- Pour in the lemon-lime soda and stir gently, just until no dry mix remains. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
- Shape and Bake
- Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted generously with Bisquick, dust the top too, and fold it over on itself 2 or 3 times. Pat it out to about 1 inch thick.
- Cut out biscuits with a floured 2 1/2-inch cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Gently press the scraps together and cut again, to get about 12 biscuits.
- Arrange the biscuits in the buttered dish so they sit close together, just touching. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown on top.
- Let the biscuits cool in the pan for 5 minutes so they soak up the butter, then serve warm.
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With Bisquick, From Scratch or With Self-Rising Flour
The sour cream, soda and butter stay the same in every version. Only the dry base changes.
| Version | Dry base for 12 biscuits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bisquick | 4 cups Bisquick original baking mix | The classic version; nothing to add. |
| From scratch | 4 cups all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp baking powder + 2 tsp salt + 1 Tbsp sugar, with 2/3 cup cold shortening or butter cut in | Cut the fat in until the mix looks like coarse crumbs before adding the sour cream. |
| Self-rising flour | 4 cups self-rising flour with 1/2 cup cold butter cut in | Self-rising flour has the baking powder and salt built in. Add a splash more soda if the dough is dry. |
Variations and Serving Ideas
- Cheddar garlic: stir 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder into the dry mix, or try our Bisquick cheddar garlic biscuits.
- Herb: add 2 tablespoons of chopped chives or 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs.
- Honey butter: brush the hot biscuits with melted butter mixed with a little honey.
- Breakfast: split and fill with sausage gravy, a fried egg or ham and cheese.
- Other biscuits to try: KFC-style biscuits, Bojangles-style biscuits and biscuits without milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why put 7 Up in biscuits?
Lemon-lime soda adds liquid, a little sweetness and a gentle citrus note. The bubbles add a bit of lift, but most of the rise comes from the leavening in the baking mix. Combined with sour cream, the result is a soft, tender biscuit with a slightly sweet, tangy flavor.
Can I make 7 Up biscuits without Bisquick?
Yes. Whisk 4 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar, then cut in 2/3 cup of cold shortening or butter until crumbly. Use this in place of the Bisquick and follow the recipe as written.
Can I use self-rising flour for 7 Up biscuits?
Yes. Cut 1/2 cup of cold butter into 4 cups of self-rising flour until crumbly, then add the sour cream and soda. Self-rising flour already contains baking powder and salt. The dough may need an extra splash of soda if it seems dry.
Can I use diet soda or Sprite?
Sprite or any regular clear lemon-lime soda works the same as 7 Up. Diet soda also works, but the biscuits brown less and taste slightly less sweet because diet soda has no sugar.
How do I store and reheat 7 Up biscuits?
Keep cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat wrapped in foil at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or 15 minutes from frozen, until warm in the center.
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