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These Cheddar Bay Biscuits are warm, fluffy, cheesy, and brushed with plenty of garlic butter, just like the biscuits at Red Lobster. They are easy drop biscuits, so there is no rolling, cutting, or yeast involved, and you can have a batch on the table in about 20 minutes.
Why I Make These Instead of Buying the Mix
I have always loved the warm, cheesy biscuits at Red Lobster, especially with a bowl of clam chowder. When I realized how easy they are to make from scratch, I stopped seeing much reason to buy the boxed mix.
These are drop biscuits, which means there is no rolling out dough, cutting biscuits, or worrying about making them look perfect. You just mix the dough, scoop it onto a baking sheet, and bake.
The part that really makes this recipe work is the frozen shredded butter. Those tiny pieces of cold butter melt in the oven and help create soft, flaky pockets throughout the biscuits. Sharp cheddar gives them plenty of cheese flavor, and the garlic parsley butter brushed over the tops while they’re hot gives them that familiar and delicious Cheddar Bay finish.
I love them as-is, but a little drizzle of Hot Honey is really good too!
🩷 Heidi
Table of Contents
- Why I Make These Instead of Buying the Mix
- What are Cheddar Bay Biscuits?
- Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- How to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- “Cheater” Bay Biscuits (Made with Bisquick)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Make Ahead and Storage
- What to Serve with Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- More Recipes Like This
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe
- Condensed Recipe Notes
What are Cheddar Bay Biscuits?
Cheddar Bay Biscuits are the warm cheddar and garlic drop biscuits served at Red Lobster restaurants.
Unlike traditional rolled biscuits, these have a softer dough that you scoop directly onto a baking sheet. That makes them especially easy because you don’t need a biscuit cutter, rolling pin, or perfectly shaped dough.
What makes them so good is the combination of sharp cheddar cheese, cold butter, buttermilk, garlic, and a buttery parsley topping. The outside gets lightly golden while the inside stays tender, cheesy, and fluffy.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works great. Measure it carefully so the dough doesn’t become too dry.
- Cheddar cheese – I love sharp cheddar because you get more noticeable cheese flavor in every bite. I also like slightly thicker shreds.
- Baking powder – Helps the biscuits bake up light and fluffy.
- Sugar, salt, and garlic powder – A simple seasoning mixture that balances the savory cheddar and adds that classic garlic flavor.
- Buttermilk – Adds moisture, richness, and a little tang while helping keep the biscuits tender.
- Frozen butter – Shredding frozen butter creates little pockets throughout the dough that melt as the biscuits bake.
- Egg – Just one large egg is all you need.
- Garlic butter topping – Melted butter, garlic powder, and fresh parsley get brushed over the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
These Cheddar Bay Biscuits are easy to adjust depending on what you have on hand.
- Make your own buttermilk: Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup whole milk. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before using.
- Different cheddar: Medium cheddar works, but I prefer sharp or extra-sharp because the flavor doesn’t get lost in the biscuit.
- Freshly shredded cheese: I like shredding cheese from a block because it melts well and lets you control the size of the shreds.
- Colby Jack: Replace some of the cheddar with Colby Jack for a milder biscuit.
- Pepper Jack: Use some Pepper Jack if you want a little heat.
- Cayenne pepper: Add a small pinch to the dry ingredients for subtle spice.
- Old Bay seasoning: A little Old Bay works especially well if you’re serving these with seafood.
- Fresh garlic: I prefer garlic powder in the topping because it distributes evenly, but very finely minced fresh garlic can be used if you want a stronger garlic flavor.
- Dried parsley: Substitute dried parsley for fresh if that’s what you have. Use a smaller amount because dried herbs are more concentrated.
- Hot honey: Drizzle a little Hot Honey over a warm biscuit for a sweet and spicy variation.
How to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Prep the oven and dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cheddar cheese, baking powder, salt, sugar, and garlic powder.
- Shred the frozen butter. Use a box grater to shred the frozen butter into small pieces. Work quickly so the butter stays as cold as possible.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Add the shredded frozen butter, cold buttermilk, and egg to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Make the biscuit dough. Add the flour and cheese mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir just until everything comes together. The dough should look thick and a little lumpy. Don’t keep mixing once the dry flour disappears.
- Scoop and bake. Divide the dough into 12 roughly equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and the centers are baked through.
- Brush with garlic butter. While the biscuits bake, stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Brush the mixture generously over the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm.
“Cheater” Bay Biscuits (Made with Bisquick)
If you want to make these even faster, you can use Bisquick or another baking mix.
Combine:
- 2 cups Bisquick or Jiffy baking mix
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Heat the oven to 450°F. Stir the ingredients together just until a soft dough forms, then drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly golden, then brush with the same garlic butter topping from the recipe.
They aren’t exactly the same as the from-scratch version, but they are a great shortcut when dinner needs to happen fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you don’t have time to freeze it, use butter straight from the refrigerator and grate it quickly. Frozen butter is my preference because it stays cold longer while you’re mixing.
The most common causes are overmixing the dough, using too much flour, or allowing the butter to get too warm. Mix only until everything is combined and keep your butter and buttermilk cold.
Make Ahead and Storage
These biscuits are at their absolute best warm from the oven, but they store and reheat really well too.
Make ahead: Measure and combine the dry ingredients ahead of time and shred the cheese. Keep the cheese refrigerated and the butter frozen, then mix in the wet ingredients right before baking.
Room temperature: Keep completely cooled biscuits in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: For a little longer storage, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm them before eating for the best texture.
Freeze: Let the biscuits cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 to 3 months.
Reheat from refrigerated: Wrap the biscuit loosely in foil and warm it in a 350°F oven until heated through, or microwave briefly.
Reheat from frozen: Wrap a frozen biscuit in a paper towel and microwave for about 45 seconds, adding more time in short intervals if needed. You can also reheat several frozen biscuits together in the oven.
For an extra fresh-baked finish, brush reheated biscuits with a little melted garlic butter before serving.
What to Serve with Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Cheddar Bay Biscuits go with just about everything, but seafood and creamy soups are especially good with them. Serve them alongside our Clam Chowder, Seafood Chowder, Cajun Butter Shrimp, or Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
For the full Red Lobster-style experience, pair them with Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, Grilled Shrimp, a Crab Boil, Baked Cod in Cream Sauce, or crispy Fish and Chips.
More Recipes Like This
If you love that cheesy garlic flavor, try these recipes next:
These Cheddar Bay Biscuits are fluffy, buttery, garlicky, loaded with cheddar, and dangerously easy to keep eating.
The best part about making them at home is that you don’t need a boxed mix or any special biscuit-making skills. Keep that butter cold, don’t overmix the dough, and brush the biscuits generously with garlic butter while they’re hot.
If you make them, I would love to hear what you served them with and whether you tried the from-scratch or Bisquick version! 🧀🧄💛
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup butter, frozen
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone mat. In a medium-sized bowl, stir flour, shredded cheddar cheese, baking powder, salt, sugar and garlic powder together.
- Shred frozen butter into small pieces.
- In a separate large bowl, stir frozen butter pieces, buttermilk, and egg together.
- Add flour mixture and stir until just combined and lumpy. Do not over mix!
- Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheet into 12 separate circular drops.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic powder and parsley together. Set aside.
- Bake biscuits for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden on the tops. Brush butter garlic over hot biscuits. Serve warm.
Notes
Condensed Recipe Notes
- Use sharp or extra-sharp cheddar for the most noticeable cheese flavor.
- Shredding your own cheddar gives you control over the size of the cheese pieces and helps it melt well.
- Keep the butter frozen or very cold until you are ready to mix the dough.
- Shred frozen butter with a box grater so small pieces are distributed throughout the biscuits.
- If the butter starts to soften while you’re working, return it to the freezer briefly.
- Keep the buttermilk cold too.
- To make a buttermilk substitute, combine 1 cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling the top rather than packing the cup.
- Do not overmix. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear. The finished dough should look thick and lumpy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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