Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Light and flaky, rich and buttery, these fluffy Cheese Biscuits are a quick way to add a special homemade touch to any meal. Pair the buttermilk drop biscuits with a pot of soup, chili or stew for supper, smother them with sausage gravy for brunch, or add them to the bread basket with your next roasted chicken dinner. There’s no rolling or cutting necessary, so a classic Southern cheese biscuits recipe is the perfect last-minute side dish for any day of the week!
Southern Cheese Biscuits Recipe
In the Southeastern United States, “biscuits” are typically soft leavened quick breads, similar to scones (but not sweet), and made with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. Drop biscuits are made by scooping biscuit dough from the mixing bowl and “dropping” it onto baking sheets, rather than rolling and cutting the dough. They’re a delicious addition to a breakfast or brunch spread, but they’re equally tasty when served as a side dish with a cozy dinner. Cheese drop biscuits are your “every day” biscuits — perfect for busy evenings when you don’t have time to fuss with a more demanding dough. Plus, the savory biscuits are bursting with sharp cheddar flavor, thanks to plenty of delicious cheese!
Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to whip up a batch of these fluffy cheese biscuits. As always, the specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- All-purpose flour: I prefer an extra-fine soft winter wheat flour made by White Lily. This low-protein, low-gluten flour gives Southern buttermilk biscuits that perfectly crisp-on-the-outside, light-on-the-inside texture.
- Baking powder: the leavening agent that helps the biscuits rise.
- Kosher salt: for flavor.
- Salted butter: freeze the butter so that you can easily grate it into the flour; or cut diced, chilled butter into the dough with a pastry cutter.
- Buttermilk: for its acidity, as well as its fat and liquid content. In conjunction with the leavening agents, the acidity helps the biscuits rise. The buttermilk also gives the biscuits a nice, subtle tanginess and a tender crumb. Keep the buttermilk nice and cold before adding it to the dough! Use thick, whole buttermilk for the best flavor and texture.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: grate your own cheese from a block. The freshly-grated cheese melts smoother into the dough than a pre-shredded, packaged cheese.
How to Make Cheese Biscuits from Scratch
There’s nothing difficult about this recipe — just keep the ingredients really cold and bring your arm muscles — because you’ll be grating a lot of cheese and butter!
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture using the large holes on a cheese grater. Alternatively, you can add chilled, cubed butter to the mixture and then cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until until completely incorporated and it looks like coarse meal.
- Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring or kneading just until a soft dough comes together.
- Fold in the grated cheese.
- Scoop the dough onto baking sheets. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this step, because it keeps the biscuits a uniform size so that they bake evenly.
- Bake in a 425°F oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
- Brush the tops of the warm biscuits with melted butter and serve warm!
What do you eat with Cheese Biscuits?
These tasty cheese biscuits are suitable for just about any meal, at any time of day. Serve them on their own for breakfast with honey butter, jam, or apple butter. Add eggs on the side, use them to make an egg sandwich with sausage, bacon or cheese, or stir up a skillet of sausage gravy. In Virginia, country ham biscuits are a classic snack!
At lunch or dinner, cheese biscuits are the perfect companion for a warm bowl of soup, chili or stew, or a great addition to the bread basket alongside hearty meat-based entrées or casseroles. Here are a few options to serve with the biscuits:
- Crispy Fried Chicken, Cornflake Chicken or Pecan-Crusted Chicken
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Oven-Baked Pork Tenderloin, Cider Braised Pulled Pork, or BBQ Pork
- Oven BBQ Chicken Breast
- Egg Salad or Chicken Salad
- Shrimp and Grits
- Crock Pot Ribs
- Crab Cakes
- Shrimp Creole
- Beef Barbecue, Cast Iron Skillet Filet Mignon or Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin
- “Good Luck” Southern Chili, Easy White Bean Chicken Chili or Texas Chili
- Beef Stew, Chicken Stew or Brunswick Stew
- Southern Fried Catfish
- Sheet Pan Low Country Boil
- Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup, Corn Chowder, Tomato Soup or Split Pea Soup
- Ranch Style Beans, Southern Lima Beans, Slow Cooker Cowboy Pork and Beans or Black Eyed Peas with Bacon
Make Ahead
While they’re best served warm, straight-from-the-oven, you can bake the biscuits up to 3 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Reheat day-old biscuits by placing them on a baking sheet in a 300° F oven for about 10 minutes.
How to Freeze
Allow the biscuits to cool to room temperature, then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Recipe Variations
- For smaller biscuits, use a cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough. You should get about 28 total biscuits. Bake the smaller biscuits in the 425°F oven for 11-12 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Brush with melted butter.
- Cut the ingredients in half to make a smaller batch of biscuits.
- Switch up the cheeses that you use. Pepper Jack (for spice), Monterey Jack and Colby will all work well.
- Add seasonings or herbs to the dough. Try a bit of garlic powder or chopped fresh chives.
- Green chilies make these cheese biscuits a fun addition to a Tex-Mex meal.
- Add diced pimentos for a touch of color and flavor.
Tips for the Best Cheese Biscuit Recipe
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Just fold together to combine the ingredients…and stop. Otherwise you’ll end up with tough, dry biscuits.
- Keep the Dough Cold. The key to tall, fluffy and puffy biscuits is cold ingredients. If you’re waiting for your oven to preheat, or if your kitchen is particularly warm, place the baking sheet with the unbaked biscuits into the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes before baking. This will chill the dough so that the biscuits rise high and don’t spread in the oven.
- Hot Oven: It’s important to bake the biscuits in a very hot oven — 425° F — which helps the biscuits rise quickly. The water in the butter and buttermilk heats rapidly and releases steam, pushing the dough upward.
- Preheat Oven Early: Before you even get started with the ingredients, make sure that your oven is preheated. It can take some ovens quite awhile to get to 425° F. Once the dough is stirred together, scoop-drop-and-bake quickly.
- Brush with Melted Butter: A quick swipe of melted butter adds a ton of rich flavor to the warm biscuits. Don’t skip this step!
More Biscuit Recipes to Try
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
- Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
- Grandma’s Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Drop Biscuits
- Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Cheese Biscuits
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- Âľ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) salted butter, frozen
- 1 ÂĽ cups buttermilk
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- For brushing: 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and silicone mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Grate the frozen butter into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon so that the butter is coated in flour and dispersed throughout the mixture. (Tip – if you don’t want to grate the butter, you can just cut in diced, chilled butter with a pastry cutter until the butter is the size of small peas and the mixture resembles coarse meal).
- Gradually add the buttermilk to the flour mixture; stir or knead just until a soft dough comes together. Fold in the grated cheese.
- Scoop about ÂĽ-cup to â…“ cup of dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. I use an ice cream scoop for this step, which keeps the biscuits the same shape and size.
- If the dough becomes warm while you mix and scoop (or if your kitchen is warm), pop the trays of biscuit dough back in the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes to chill before baking. You want the dough as cold as possible when it goes into the oven so that the biscuits rise high and don't spread too much.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm.
Notes
- For smaller biscuits, use a cookie dough scoop to portion out the dough. You should get about 28 total biscuits. Bake the smaller biscuits in the 425°F oven for 11-12 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Brush with melted butter.
- Hot Oven: It’s important to bake the biscuits in a hot oven — 425°F — which helps the biscuits rise quickly. The water in the butter and buttermilk heats rapidly and releases steam, pushing the dough upward.
- Preheat Oven Early: Before you even get started with the ingredients, make sure that your oven is preheated. It can take some ovens quite awhile to get to 425°F. Once the dough is stirred together, scoop-drop-and-bake quickly.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Just fold together to combine the ingredients…and stop. Otherwise you’ll end up with tough, dry biscuits.
- Keep the Dough Cold. The key to tall, fluffy and puffy biscuits is cold ingredients. If you’re waiting for your oven to preheat, or if your kitchen is particularly warm, place the baking sheet with the unbaked biscuits into the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes before baking. This will chill the dough so that the biscuits rise high and don’t spread in the oven.
- Brush with Melted Butter:Â A quick swipe of melted butter adds a ton of rich flavor to the warm biscuits. Don’t skip this step!
Can you please send a cup or two of the soft wheat flour.
Hi Blair!
How long do you suggest putting the butter in the freezer for, before starting on the recipe? Thanks!
Hi, Renee! Overnight would be safe, but I’d say at least 2 hours should be fine. Just so that it’s really firm and easy to grate.