Cheddar Drop Biscuits are pillowy-soft pieces of yum that are full of flavor. With this recipe, you don't need any rolling pins or biscuit cutters. Just drop and bake!
There's nothing like an easy drop biscuit recipe. Made in under 25 minutes, these cheddar drop biscuits are sure to disappear from the table! Serve them with a hearty bowl of Broccoli Cheddar Soup for a treat.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per biscuit: $0.33
- Total Cost (12 biscuits): $3.93
- Those Other Guys: $4.49 per half dozen
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - Grab regular all-purpose flour, not self-rising.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Buy a bag of the thicker shreds for more cheesy goodness, or you can always shred your own cheddar! Sharp cheddar works best for these biscuits.
- Salted Butter - Keep your butter as cold as possible. You can even store it in the freezer for 10 minutes before you begin baking if needed.
- Buttermilk - This gives the drop biscuits a rich flavor and keeps them from getting dry after baking. See below for a quick substitute if you don't have buttermilk!
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda - Use both to help the biscuits rise while staying soft.
- Spice Blend - A little sugar helps balance out everything. Italian seasoning and garlic powder add a good punch of flavor. And a pinch of Old Bay seasoning, or Cajun seasoning, gives that kick that takes these biscuits to the next level!
Variations and Substitutions
Buttermilk: Don't have buttermilk? Take a cup of milk, and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then it's ready to use. I've found that whole milk makes a taller, fluffier biscuit than non-dairy milk, but use what you have.
Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits: Fold in ½ cup of fresh, minced jalapeños for a spicy version.
Rosemary Garlic Biscuits: Omit the cheddar cheese, and stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly minced rosemary. This one is so tasty with warm butter!
How to Make Homemade Cheddar Drop Biscuits
Step 1: To a food processor, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and cubes of cold butter. (If you don't have a food processor, I include instructions for that in the recipe card.)
Step 2: Pulse in short bursts, until there's small pieces of butter throughout the seasoned flour mixture.
Step 3: Pour the flour/butter mix into a large bowl and add the shredded cheese. Stir well.
Step 4: Make a well in the center of the bowl, then pour in the buttermilk.
Step 5: Gently fold the buttermilk into the dry ingredients until the dough barely comes together. It should look like this! Add your bowl to the fridge for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Using an ice cream scoop for evenly-sized biscuits, portion out the dough onto a cast iron skillet greased with butter and non-stick spray. You can also bake these on a parchment-lined baking pan.
Step 7: Brush some extra buttermilk (or regular milk if you used the DIY buttermilk) on top of the raw biscuit dough. Bake at 425℉ for 16 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 8: While the biscuits are still warm, brush with melted butter for extra flavor and shine. It's that easy!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Keep that butter cold. Similar to recipes for pie crusts, croissants, or puff pastry - using cold butter is key. When the small pieces of butter melt during baking, they release steam which creates pockets of air. That makes a biscuit fluffy and light! I also recommend putting the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking, to ensure everything is nice and chilly.
- Have a light touch! This isn't like homemade pizza dough recipes, where you have to do lots of stretching and manipulating to get a smooth dough. Very gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together. You want your biscuit dough to just barely come together. Overhandling the dough means a tough, dry biscuit.
- Drop them shoulder to shoulder. Baking biscuits right next to each other means they rise a little taller!
- Cast Iron... If you can. I love making biscuits and breads in the cast iron because the heat conducts evenly which makes for perfectly golden-brown bottoms. If you have a cast iron, I recommend using that for this recipe. If not, a parchment-lined baking sheet will work just as well.
Recipe FAQs
Be sure that you don't over-mix the dough. You want the biscuit dough to just barely come together. The buttermilk and butter will work their magic in the oven, and you'll have fluffy biscuits.
Also, make sure you're properly measuring your dry ingredients. Too much flour, baking soda, or baking powder can throw these off!
Yes, you can keep the baked biscuits fresh by storing in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. You can also make the dough ahead of time and store it, wrapped in plastic wrap and sealed in the fridge, for up to 2 days.
You can still get a decent biscuit by combining melted butter with the buttermilk, then adding to the flour. However, I think using cold butter makes the fluffiest, homemade biscuits like grandma used to make!
Yes - I put the instructions in the recipe notes below, but can explain here as well.
If you're freezing after baking, let the biscuits cool completely, then add to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. They will keep for about 2.5 months.
If you want to freeze the raw dough to bake later, tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then add the wrapped dough to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
For fully baked biscuits, let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can then warm them to your liking.
For the frozen biscuit dough, let the bag thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then proceed with baking per the recipe instructions.
What to Serve with Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
If you tried this Cheddar Drop Biscuits Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Cheddar Drop Biscuits
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Pastry Cutter if you don't have a food processor
- Mixing Bowl
- ¼ Cup Ice Cream Scoop
- Pastry Brush
- Silicone Spatula
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning or Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 8 tablespoons salted butter cold, plus more for brushing
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup buttermilk plus more for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
Using a Food Processor
- To the food processor bowl, add the flour, dry seasonings, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Pulse until mixed well.
- Cut the cold butter into cubes, and add them to the food processor bowl. Pulse until just combined. There should still be little pieces of cold butter in your flour mix - see the photos in the blog post above.
- Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Using a Pastry Cutter
- Add the flour, dry seasonings, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Stir well using a silicone spatula.
- Slice the cold butter into cubes, and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter. There should still be little pieces of cold butter in your flour mix - see the photos in the blog post above.
Creating the Drop Biscuit Dough
- Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the shredded cheese.
- Make a well in the middle of the bowl, then pour the buttermilk into that hole.
- Gently fold the buttermilk into the dry ingredients. You want the biscuit dough to just barely come together.Do not over mix, or biscuits will be tough!
- Let the biscuit dough sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Add a little bit of butter and nonstick cooking spray to the bottom of a cast iron skillet or a baking sheet.
- Using an ice cream scoop, portion out evenly-sized scoops onto the skillet/baking pan. Make sure they are touching each other.
- Brush each piece with extra buttermilk. Bake at 425℉ for 23 - 25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Once the biscuits are done, remove from the oven and brush with some extra melted butter. Top with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy! These go incredibly well with a big bowl of Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Mike Tanner says
My kids love Red Lobster biscuits, but my pockets can’t take us going there every time they have a craving. These cheddar drop biscuits are the best copycat recipe.
I LOVE that there is no need to fool with shredding frozen butter or folding the dough with sticky hands. They bake up so fluffy and the taste is spot on. Thank you for this new staple recipe!
Shani W. says
Mike, thank you for commenting! This type of feedback is exactly why I wanted to develop a great copycat recipe 🙂 You and the family take care this holiday season!