Better than Red Lobster, these easy homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits are soft, flaky and made from scratch! With just a touch of garlic and cheddar cheese, the fluffy buttermilk biscuits are ready in about 30 minutes. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as a side dish with soup or dinner.
My boys regularly request a trip to Red Lobster -- solely for the free Cheddar Bay Biscuits that come with every meal! Since the restaurant isn't very close to us, I decided that it was time to make my own version from scratch. Fortunately, after a couple of tweaks, I landed on the best Buttermilk Cheddar Bay Biscuits yet! And yes...my family agrees...they're even better than Red Lobster's!
What are Cheddar Bay Biscuits?
If you're not a regular Red Lobster customer, then you might not be familiar with these buttery little gems. Cheddar Bay Biscuits are a simple drop biscuit recipe made with all-purpose flour, salt, butter, and baking powder. The difference, however, comes in the special extra ingredients: aged cheddar cheese and a touch of savory garlic. These buttermilk biscuits pair nicely with just about any dinner entree -- from soup and salad to seafood, steak or pasta.
How to make Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Scratch:
While some homemade versions start with a box of Bisquick, it's just too easy and too delicious to make these drop biscuits from scratch. There's no need to roll or cut the dough, and with help from a food processor, they come together in just minutes!
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Baking powder
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Onion powder
- Salted butter
- Buttermilk
- Dried parsley flakes
Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a large food processor, pulse together the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Cut in the Butter
Add the chilled butter to the food processor and pulse until incorporated (you will still see small chunks of butter, and that's good)!
Step 3: Slowly add the Buttermilk
Slowly pour in the buttermilk, pulsing as you go. Stop as soon as the dough comes together.
Step 4: Drop the Dough onto Baking Sheets
Use a large dough scoop or a heaping ¼-cup scoop to drop the dough onto parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.
Step 5: Bake the Biscuits
Bake the biscuits in a 425 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, or until they're golden brown.
Step 6: Brush with Melted Butter and Sprinkle with Parsley
Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle parsley over top.
What to serve with Cheddar Bay Biscuits:
These biscuits are a delicious addition to your brunch table. Serve them with an egg casserole, scrambled eggs, or a baked omelet. You can also serve the biscuits with sausage gravy, make breakfast sandwiches out of them (by adding bacon, egg and cheese), or you can turn them into ham biscuits with a slice of country ham inside each one.
If you're offering the biscuits as a side dish with dinner, here are a few entrées to eat with Cheddar Bay Biscuits:
- Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Irish Stew
- Crock Pot Ham with Cola Glaze
- Pineapple Glazed Ham
- Southern Glazed Salmon
- Baked Salmon Fillet
- Pulled BBQ Pork or BBQ Chicken
- Cornflake Chicken
- Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce
Preparation and Storage Tips:
- These biscuits are best served warm.
- Leftover Cheddar Bay Biscuits are good for about 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
- To make a batch ahead or to extend the life of your biscuits, you can freeze Cheddar Bay Biscuits in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
- To reheat Cheddar Bay Biscuits: Thaw the biscuits on the counter overnight if they're frozen, or thaw in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds. Then reheat the biscuits in a 325 degree F oven just until warmed through (about 5 minutes).
Cook's Tips and Recipe Variations:
- The butter and buttermilk for this recipe need to be as cold as possible for fluffy and soft biscuits. You can freeze the cubed butter for about 10-20 minutes before using it or keep it in the refrigerator. I also keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the food processor.
- For a stronger cheddar flavor, use a sharp aged cheddar cheese (just like the restaurant uses). I use mild cheddar, since that's my boys' favorite!
- The buttermilk is an important ingredient in these biscuits, so don't substitute with regular milk. We use buttermilk for its acidity as well as its fat and liquid content. The acid in the buttermilk works in conjunction with the baking powder to help the dough rise.
- If you don't have store-bought buttermilk on hand, you can always make your own buttermilk at home. You can make 1 cup of homemade buttermilk by using regular milk + either lemon or white vinegar. To do so, pour your milk into a small bowl. Add either 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Give it a stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then use it in the recipe as directed! Since this recipe requires 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk, you would need to add about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough. The food processor is great to quickly pulse the ingredients, but stop processing as soon as the dough comes together. Otherwise you'll end up with tough, dry biscuits.
- These biscuits are not gluten-free or low-carb, but they are made with vegetarian ingredients (not vegan).
- Each large biscuit is about 193 calories, with 11 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of protein.
More biscuit recipes that you might enjoy:
- Aunt Bee's 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled, plus additional melted butter for brushing
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Set aside.
- In a large food processor, combine flour, cheddar cheese, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and onion powder. Pulse until blended.
- Add the chilled butter and pulse until incorporated (there will still be some small chunks of butter).
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk, pulsing as you go. Stop pulsing as soon as the dough comes together.
- Use a ¼ cup scoop to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden brown – about 15-17 minutes. Brush the warm biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley flakes.
Notes
- The butter and buttermilk for this recipe need to be as cold as possible for fluffy and soft biscuits. You can freeze the cubed butter for about 10-20 minutes before using it or keep it in the refrigerator. I also keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the food processor.
- For a stronger cheddar flavor, use a sharp aged cheddar cheese (just like the restaurant uses). I use mild cheddar, since that's my boys' favorite!
- The buttermilk is an important ingredient in these biscuits, so don't substitute with regular milk. We use buttermilk for its acidity as well as its fat and liquid content. The acid in the buttermilk works in conjunction with the baking powder to help the dough rise.
- If you don't have store-bought buttermilk on hand, you can always make your own buttermilk at home. You can make 1 cup of homemade buttermilk by using regular milk + either lemon or white vinegar. To do so, pour your milk into a small bowl. Add either 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Give it a stir, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then use it in the recipe as directed! Since this recipe requires 1 ¼ cups of buttermilk, you would need to add about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Be careful not to overwork the dough. The food processor is great to quickly pulse the ingredients, but stop processing as soon as the dough comes together. Otherwise you'll end up with tough, dry biscuits.
Sam
I'm sure these are great but the "Bay" in Red Lobster's "Cheddar Bay Biscuits" is Old Bay seasoning. These heat up wonderfully if you're lucky enough to have a Pizzazz pizza oven.
Shon B.
I wanna make these but I don't have a food processor. Will a hand mixer work? Thank you for your response.
Blair
Hi, Shon! No problem -- I would just use a pastry cutter or forks as I describe and show in this other biscuit recipe: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/3-ingredient-buttermilk-biscuits/
The other option is to freeze your butter, and then grate it into the flour mixture with a cheese grater. Ultimately, you want the butter to be in little chunks all throughout the flour. You can accomplish this quickly with a food processor, but you can certainly use either of these other two methods as well. Just make sure that you keep the ingredients really cold -- that's the key to light, tall and flakey biscuits! 🙂
Jane
Really enjoyed these delightful little bites of deliciousness. Made them small so we could almost pop them in your mouth. Thank you so much! Glad I found the recipe without Old Bay because stores are out of it in our area.
Jane
...in our mouths. Sorry about that.
Blair
Thank you, Jane! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a note and let me know that you enjoyed them. I bet the little "poppable" size biscuits were so fun!