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!
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.
Ingredients
See recipe card for ingredient amounts and baking instructions
- Buttermilk- See below for easy substitution options
- Flour
- Butter
- Cheddar Cheese
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
Topping:
- Melted Butter
- Garlic Powder
- Parsley
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.
Making Biscuit Dough Ahead of Time
There are two ways to prepare these biscuits ahead of time:
#1. Combine the dry ingredients together in advance. When you’re ready to bake, proceed in mixing the wet ingredients and forming the dough.
#2. Combine all of the ingredients, form the biscuits, and flash freeze the unbaked biscuits until they’re solid. Then place in a freezer bag.
When you’re ready to bake, place the frozen biscuits on a baking sheet and increase the baking time by about 5 minutes or so. (In this case, you would bake them for about 17 minutes, perhaps a little bit longer as oven temperatures can vary.)
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.
How to Reheat Cheddar Bay Biscuits
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
The following recipes come with Crock Pot, Stove Top, & Instant Pot instructions:
More Copycat Recipes
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- McDonald’s French Fries
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- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
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- More
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Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
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.
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
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.
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
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.”
I made these for church supper tonight. I used sour cream and added some grated parmesan cheese because I was a little short on cheddar. They were the best I have ever made. That sour cream made them so tender. One of the little boys told me I sure did make good rolls. I will use it again. Thanks.
Hi Debra! I’m so glad this was a hit at your church supper!😃 That’s so cool that little boy complimented you like that!❤️ Thanks so much for commenting!
These are the best copycat Red Lobster biscuits that I have found…and I’ve tried everyone’s recipe. This one is perfect! (I only double the amount of butter topping..because I like butter way too much!) Thank you so much, my family loves these!!!
You’re so welcome Mary! I’m happy to hear this was a hit with your family! I’ve always loved their biscuits and I agree, this one is dead on! Thanks so much for the review!😃😃😃
So delicious!! Highly recommend!
I’m so happy you liked these biscuits Michele!😋 These are so flavorful and addicting!
Delicious and easy! Thank you!
Great to hear Tamara, thanks so much for the review!😀
Simply wonderful! 😊 biscuits always intimidated me but this recipe turned out amazing…super light and so fluffy inside. Thank you!
Thanks for the awesome review Tam, I’m so glad you liked the biscuits!😀 I know what you mean, anything dough related can be scary!
These are AMAZING! I’ve tried to replicate these with other recipes, but none of them even come close. I would leave out the cayenne for my family next time–we’re wimps when it comes to spice! Lol.
Hi Kim! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these, especially after trying other recipes! 😀
My parents and boyfriend couldn’t get enough! I added a little more cayenne than recommended since we’re a spicy family. Thank you so much!
Hey Nikki! I’m so happy that you and your family loved it! I always like to add a touch more cayenne too!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, you’re the best! ❤️
Taste delicious!!! Easy to make!!! Recipe its a keeper!
Hey Leyda! That’s so great to hear! I love being able to whip these up in no time! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! ❤️❤️❤️
Just made these. Used the lemon-milk substitute for buttermilk. No fuss: they mixed up easy, and it was easy to pull off blobs and drop them on parchment.
And they came out perfect. Yum! Try them.
SO happy to hear that Peter!! This is a big favorite in our house! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!! -Stephanie
I made these tonight and it was a hit! I added chilli flakes instead of Cayenne and margerne instead of butter. I had to add a bit of flour because the dough was wet. But they came out perfect
Hi Em! I’m so glad that you enjoyed these biscuits, they are my all-time favorite! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Take Care! -Stephanie