Warm, cheesy, garlicky Cheddar Bay Biscuits can turn any dinner into something special. These impossibly fluffy, sharp cheddar-packed clouds are brushed with a glorious garlic-herb butter. They’re dangerously easy to make and even easier to devour.
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Why You’ll Love This Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Fast & Foolproof: From bowl to table in under 25 minutes with a simple drop method.
- Perfect Texture: Tender, moist crumb that’s light and fluffy, never dense or dry.
- Signature Butter Soak: Garlic-herb butter brushed hot from the oven gives glossy sheen and addictive flavor.
- Wildly Versatile: Perfect with seafood, chili, stew, or breakfast.
Ingredients & Tools
- 240 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 120 g sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 180 ml cold buttermilk
- For the Garlic-Herb Butter:
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- Pinch of salt
Tools: Large mixing bowl, box grater, baking sheet, parchment paper or silicone baking mat, small brush for butter.
Notes: Use cold butter and buttermilk for flaky layers. Shred your own cheese—pre-shredded can make biscuits grainy.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories: | 220 kcal |
| Protein: | 5 g |
| Fat: | 14 g |
| Carbs: | 18 g |
| Fiber: | 1 g |
Serves: 10 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12-14 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes
Storage & Freshness Guide
- Fridge: Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked & cooled biscuits for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen.
- Reviving: Warm in foil at 350°F for 10 min; unwrap last minute & brush with garlic butter.
Serving Suggestions
Complementary Dishes
- Seafood Boil or Grilled Shrimp — The classic pairing for a reason. The rich, buttery biscuits are perfect for sopping up the juices from a seafood feast and cutting through the richness.
- Creamy Tomato Soup or Clam Chowder — Dunking one of these cheesy wonders into a velvety soup is a next-level comfort food experience. The flavors meld together beautifully.
- A Big, Hearty Salad — Serve them alongside a crisp Caesar or a robust chef’s salad. The biscuit adds a satisfying, carb-y element that turns a light salad into a full meal.
Drinks
- A Crisp Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio — The bright acidity and citrus notes in these white wines cut through the richness of the cheese and butter beautifully, cleansing the palate between bites.
- An Ice-Cold Lager — The carbonation and mild hop bitterness of a good lager are a fantastic foil for the savory, garlicky, and cheesy flavors, making each bite taste fresh and new.
- Sparkling Water with Lemon — For a non-alcoholic option, the bubbles and citrus provide a refreshing contrast that keeps your taste buds lively and ready for more biscuit goodness.
Something Sweet
- Lemon Sorbet — After a savory, garlic-forward meal, a scoop of bright, tart lemon sorbet is the perfect palate cleanser. It’s light, refreshing, and feels like a clean reset.
- Simple Shortbread Cookies — If you want to continue the buttery theme, a few delicate, not-too-sweet shortbread cookies are a lovely, simple way to end the meal on a gentle note.
- Fresh Berries with Whipped Cream — The natural sweetness and slight acidity of berries like strawberries or raspberries provide a beautiful, simple counterpoint to the savory dinner you just enjoyed.
Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes
- Keep everything cold. This is the golden rule of biscuit-making. Pop your cubed butter and buttermilk in the fridge until the very last second. The cold fat creates steam in the hot oven, which is what gives you that incredible rise and flaky texture.
- Shred your own cheese. I know it’s an extra step, but it’s a game-changer. Pre-shredded cheese is dusted with potato starch or cellulose to prevent clumping, which can leave your biscuits with a slightly gritty texture and less gooey cheese pull.
- Don’t overmix the dough. The moment you add the buttermilk, your mission is to mix just until no dry flour remains. A shaggy, slightly lumpy dough is what you want. Overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough, dense biscuits.
- Have your garlic butter ready. Before the biscuits even go in the oven, melt the butter for the glaze and whisk in the seasonings. Having it ready to go the second they come out of the oven ensures maximum absorption and flavor.
How to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In your large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. This ensures your leavening agents and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is key for a consistent rise and flavor in every bite.
Step 2: Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour. You’re looking for a crumbly mixture with pea-sized bits of butter still visible. Those butter pieces are little pockets of steam-in-waiting—they’re your ticket to flaky perfection. Try to work quickly so the butter doesn’t warm up from the heat of your hands.
Step 3: Toss in the shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives. Use a fork to gently distribute them evenly through the flour-butter mixture. You’ll notice the dough already starting to look incredibly inviting with all those colorful specks of cheese and herbs.
Step 4: Create a well in the center of your dry mix and pour in the cold buttermilk. Using a sturdy spatula or a fork, gently stir the mixture. The trick is to mix just until the dough comes together and there are no more dry pockets of flour. It will be a bit sticky and shaggy—that’s exactly right. Overmixing is the enemy of tender biscuits.
Step 5: Using a generously sized cookie scoop or two spoons, drop mounds of dough (about a heaping 1/4 cup each) onto your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Don’t press them down or try to shape them; their rustic, craggy tops are part of their charm and create more surface area for that garlic butter to cling to.
Step 6: Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops are a lovely golden brown. You’ll know they’re done when they’ve puffed up beautifully and the cheese is bubbling around the edges. While they bake, quickly whisk together the melted butter, garlic powder, dried parsley, and a pinch of salt
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Make the best Cheddar Bay Biscuits at home in under 25 minutes! This easy recipe yields fluffy, cheesy, garlicky perfection. Get the recipe and bake a batch today!
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
-
240 g all-purpose flour
-
2 tsp baking powder
-
1/2 tsp baking soda
-
1 tsp granulated sugar
-
3/4 tsp garlic powder
-
1/2 tsp onion powder
-
1/2 tsp salt
-
115 g cold unsalted butter (cubed)
-
120 g sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
-
2 tbsp fresh chives (finely chopped)
-
180 ml cold buttermilk
For the Garlic-Herb Butter
-
3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
-
1/2 tsp garlic powder
-
1/4 tsp dried parsley
-
salt (Pinch)
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In your large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. This ensures your leavening agents and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is key for a consistent rise and flavor in every bite.01
-
Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour. You’re looking for a crumbly mixture with pea-sized bits of butter still visible. Those butter pieces are little pockets of steam-in-waiting—they’re your ticket to flaky perfection. Try to work quickly so the butter doesn’t warm up from the heat of your hands.02
-
Toss in the shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives. Use a fork to gently distribute them evenly through the flour-butter mixture. You’ll notice the dough already starting to look incredibly inviting with all those colorful specks of cheese and herbs.03
-
Create a well in the center of your dry mix and pour in the cold buttermilk. Using a sturdy spatula or a fork, gently stir the mixture. The trick is to mix just until the dough comes together and there are no more dry pockets of flour. It will be a bit sticky and shaggy—that’s exactly right. Overmixing is the enemy of tender biscuits.04
-
Using a generously sized cookie scoop or two spoons, drop mounds of dough (about a heaping 1/4 cup each) onto your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Don’t press them down or try to shape them; their rustic, craggy tops are part of their charm and create more surface area for that garlic butter to cling to.05
-
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops are a lovely golden brown. You’ll know they’re done when they’ve puffed up beautifully and the cheese is bubbling around the edges. While they bake, quickly whisk together the melted butter, garlic powder, dried parsley, and a pinch of salt.06
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