Cheddar Bay Biscuits

These Cheddar Bay Biscuits taste just like the famous recipe from Red Lobster! The batter recipe takes 10 minutes to make and you can even use Bisquick.

Readers all agree, making them from scratch is so easy, and is much better than store-bought biscuit mix!

Be sure to serve these with my delicious Tomato Soup recipe.

I’m just gonna put it out there. I’m not really big into baking. Baking requires a lot of work, patience, and accuracy. I’m not really into any of those things.

But man. I nail these biscuits every time. It’s nothing more than dumping some stuff into a couple of bowls and plopping the dough onto a baking sheet. I can handle that.

Not to mention, they really only take 20 minutes from start to finish. That’s the maximum amount of time that I am able to wait to eat a warm biscuit.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits with Bisquick:

If you have Bisquick on hand, you can skip a few ingredients and still bake these delicious cheddar bay biscuits.

See the notes section in the recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities and instructions.

Buttermilk Substitutes

• 4 tablespoons milk + enough sour cream to make a cup.
• 2 tablespoons milk + enough plain yogurt to make a cup.
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to make a cup. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to make a cup. Let sit for 10 minutes. It’ll look curdled. Stir to combine.

Make Ahead Method

The leavening agents in this recipe start doing their job as soon as they come in contact with liquid. The longer they sit with the liquid before being baked, the less effective they become. Therefore you can’t mix all of this dough together ahead of time. I suggest the following:

• Combine the dry ingredients together in advance. When you’re ready to bake, proceed in mixing the wet ingredients and forming the dough.

Do Cheddar Bay Biscuits Need to Be Refrigerated?

• Refrigerated biscuits taste better when reheated in the microwave because they retain more moisture, but they can also be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Freezing Instructions

• To freeze leftover biscuits, make sure they’re completely cool, and place them in an airtight container. They’re best if used within 3 months. 

Reheating

Refrigerated Biscuits

• Oven: Wrap them in foil and bake for about 7 minutes in a 350° F oven, until warmed through.
• Microwave: Wet a paper towel and squeeze the water out well. Wrap it around a biscuit and place it in a microwave-safe container. Set a lid on top but don’t seal it shut. Set the power level to 50% and heat for 50 seconds.

Frozen Biscuits:

• Oven: Wrap them in foil and bake in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.
• Microwave: Wet a paper towel and squeeze the water out well. Wrap it around a biscuit and place it in a microwave-safe container. Set a lid on top but don’t seal it shut. Set the power level to 50% and heat for 2 minutes. Perfection. 

What to Serve With Cheddar Bay Biscuits

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Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

4.96 from 22 votes

Servings: 10 biscuits

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These Cheddar Bay Biscuits taste just like the famous recipe from Red Lobster! The batter recipe takes 10 minutes to make and you can even use Bisquick.

Readers all agree, making them from scratch is so easy, and is much better than store-bought biscuit mix!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk, cold* (see below for buttermilk substitution)
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes

For the Topping:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dry parsley

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in the cheddar cheese and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and melted butter together until small lumps form.
• Add the buttermilk to the large bowl with the flour and mix until a dough has formed and the ingredients are no longer dry. Do not overmix.
• Grease a ¼ cup and scoop out the dough with it. Place on the baking sheet, leaving slightly more than an inch between each.
• Bake for about 12 minutes, until they are golden brown.
• While the biscuits are in the oven, mix 2 tablespoons of melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Brush the biscuits with this mixture right when they come out of the oven. DE-LISH!

Notes

Buttermilk Substitutes

• 4 tablespoons milk + enough sour cream to make a cup.
• 2 tablespoons milk + enough plain yogurt to make a cup.
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar + enough milk to make a cup. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to make a cup. Let sit for 10 minutes. It'll look curdled. Stir to combine.

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits with Bisquick:

If you have Bisquick on hand, you can combine the following ingredients instead and follow the same baking instructions. Brush melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley on after baking.

• 2 cups Bisquick
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

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Freezing Cheddar Bay Biscuits

• To freeze leftover biscuits, make sure they're completely cool, and place them in an airtight container. They're best if used within 3 months.
• When you are ready to reheat, remove them from the freezer and wrap them in foil.
• Place them in a 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes. You can also microwave them for 10-25 seconds.

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Storage & Reheating

• Unless you plan on freezing leftover biscuits (as mentioned above), then these are best if stored in the refrigerator and used within 3-4 days. 
• I recommend warming refrigerated biscuits for about 6 minutes in a 350 degree oven prior to enjoying leftovers. 

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 347mg, Potassium: 151mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 530IU, Calcium: 150mg, Iron: 1.3mg

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie

Fun Fact: Why Are They Called Cheddar Bay Biscuits?

According to Red Lobster, these famous biscuits were first introduced as ‘Freshly baked, hot cheese garlic bread’. After five years the name was later changed to  Cheddar Bay Biscuits in order to “reflect the seaside atmosphere of Red Lobster restaurants.”