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Similar to drop biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient sour cream muffins are tender, buttery, light and airy — and they’re ready for the oven in just 10 minutes!
If you’re looking for more muffins with sour cream, don’t miss these sour cream blueberry muffins and these bakery-style chocolate muffins, too!
These are AWESOME! I used a mini muffin (12) pan and cut the recipe in half. They were perfect and I didn’t feel guilty for eating 3 of them just out of the oven!
– Carletha
An Easy Sour Cream Muffin Recipe for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner
My great Aunt Bee never steered me wrong — especially in the kitchen — and these easy homemade sour cream muffins are no exception! Aunt Bee hosted many Southern ladies for lunches and brunches over the years, and often included this 3 ingredient muffin recipe on the menu.
These particular sour cream muffins are especially quick and easy, thanks to the simple ingredients: self-rising flour, sour cream, and butter. The rich butter and the tang from the sour cream give these muffins a flavor and texture that resembles a 3-ingredient biscuit recipe — but the muffins much easier to prepare! Southern hostesses (like Paula Deen) often serve a version of these sour cream muffins alongside soup or salad for lunch, or in the bread basket at dinner. They’re a great side dish when you want something homemade, but you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Self-rising flour is a common pantry staple in most Southern households. It’s simply flour with the baking powder and a bit of salt already added. Self-rising flour is traditionally made from a softer, lower protein version of all-purpose flour, which yields tender muffins.
- If you don’t have self-rising flour, see the recipe below for a substitute that you can make with all-purpose flour.
- I prefer salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand.
- Sour cream is essential for its acidity, as well as its fat and liquid content. In conjunction with the leavening agents, the acidity helps the muffins rise. The sour cream also gives the muffins a nice, subtle tanginess and a tender crumb.
- Use room temperature full fat sour cream for the best results. Full-fat, plain Greek yogurt would probably work as a substitute, but I have not tested that version. Do not substitute mayonnaise for the sour cream in these muffins since it’s not acidic enough to make the muffins rise.
How to Make 3 Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
These Southern sour cream muffins come together with ingredients that I always have in my kitchen, and only require about 10 minutes of hands-on effort. They’re one of my favorite go-to sides when I need a delicious addition to a weeknight dinner since they taste like biscuits, but they don’t require any rolling or cutting!
- Combine the self-rising flour, melted butter, and sour cream. Stir just until a thick dough forms. The key to a perfect muffin is just barely mixing the ingredients. You want them to come together, but a few lumps are fine. This way they’ll stay moist and tender!
- Spoon the batter into a paper-lined muffin tin, filling each cup to the top. I use an ice cream scoop for this step! Fill the empty cups in the muffin pan with water. This will help them bake more evenly.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-28 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Brush the warm muffins with melted butter.
- Cool for a few minutes in the pan, and then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
What to Serve with Sour Cream Savory Muffins
Think of these savory muffins like little buttery biscuits — they’re versatile and delicious at any time of day! Serve them on their own for breakfast with butter and honey, honey butter, jam, or apple butter. Add eggs on the side or stir up a skillet of this sausage gravy recipe. In Virginia, country ham biscuits are a classic snack or meal — and these would work well with the ham, too!
For lunch, Southern ladies like to pair the muffins with chicken salad, the best tuna salad recipe, egg salad, Waldorf salad, or a hearty pasta salad. They’re also great alongside a bowl of soup, stew, or chili!
On the dinner table, sour cream muffins go well with crab imperial, oven bbq chicken breast, this Southern shrimp and grits recipe, Crock Pot pulled bbq chicken, Mom’s crab cakes recipe, minestrone, Mississippi roasted pork shoulder, a sheet pan low country boil, and this Southern fried catfish.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Store the muffins in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- If you want to keep the muffins fresh for more than a couple of days, freezing is your best bet. Wrap the muffins tightly in an airtight container or bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw the frozen muffins on the counter overnight, or take a muffin straight from the freezer and pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds (or until warm).
These were delicious! Did not have self-rising flour, followed instructions for substitution. The muffins were delicious – light, fluffy; served with honey. This is a new favorite for my family.
– Diana
- 2 cups self-rising flour (I prefer White Lily brand)
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted (plus an extra 1 tablespoon for brushing at the end)
- 8 ounces (1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
- Optional, for serving: honey, jam, and apple butter
Use full-fat, room temperature sour cream for the best results. Full-fat, plain, Greek-style yogurt would probably work as a substitute, but I have not tested that version. Do not substitute mayonnaise for the sour cream in these muffins, because you need the acidity in the sour cream to help the muffins rise.
If you don’t have a bag of self-rising flour in your pantry, that’s no problem. You can make 1 cup of self-rising flour by placing 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt. This recipe calls for 2 cups of self-rising flour, so you would need to combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt.
Serving: 1muffinCalories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 473IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
Recipe Variations
- Add Cheese: Grated cheddar cheese is a delicious addition to the muffin batter.
- Herbs: Mix in chopped fresh parsley, basil, or chives for a bright, savory addition.
- Sweet: add sugar to the muffins to make them sweet (about ½ – ¾ cup). You might also like to include some vanilla extract and cinnamon or chocolate chips. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top!
- Blueberries or Strawberries: sweeten the batter with some sugar and fold in fresh berries and/or lemon zest.
- Double the recipe: if you’d like more than 9 muffins, you can use two muffin tins, double all of the ingredients, and bake 18 muffins.
More Recipes with Self-Rising Flour
This recipe was originally published in May, 2021. It was updated in February, 2025.
