Everyone needs a delicious, fool-proof biscuit in their go-to recipe file. Here’s a simple, always-good Garlic Cheddar Biscuit recipe that you’ll want to save and keep on hand forever. Plus, you can easily make this recipe gluten-free and/or egg-free, if needed. The melty cheddar, garlic, and herbs in this Red Lobster Biscuit recipe put them high on the list of recipes we love to serve at meals of all kinds, from breakfasts to dinners. Our simple drop biscuit method ensures you can have hot, flakey, buttery, salty, cheesy garlic biscuits on the table with a handful of everyday real-food ingredients and in less than 25 minutes. Consider this your go-to biscuit recipe!
This recipe was originally published May 1, 2018; Updated on January 4, 2022.
The Ultimate Easy Side Dish: Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
We believe that biscuits should be several things: flakey, soft and tender on the inside, flavorful from mix-ins like cheddar and herbs, and most of all EASY! This simple method for drop biscuits means you simply stir all the ingredients in a bowl, then drop the dough into mounds on a baking sheet. Then bake and serve warm. The hardest thing you’ll need to do is decide whether to serve them as a hearty breakfast sandwich, for dunking into a chili or soup, or as a side dish for any meal.
Ingredients to make gluten-free Biscuits
Gather these basic pantry and refrigerator ingredients to make this delicious homemade Garlic Cheddar Biscuits recipe that you can serve at any meal.
Gluten-free flour blend – we recommend using Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour. You can also use an equal amount of unbleached all-purpose flour if you don’t need or want biscuits that are gluten free
Unsalted butter – you’ll need one stick (8 tablespoons) of butter for this recipe; use 6 tablespoons of cold butter for the biscuits and melt 2 tablespoons of butter to brush over top of the biscuits. If you only have salted butter, omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt in the biscuit portion of the recipe
Shredded cheddar cheese – we love to shred our own cheddar from a block because it melts nicely into the biscuits, but you can also use pre-shredded cheese
Fresh parsley – you can also use fresh chives, or use a combination of fresh parsley and chives; alternatively you can use 1 teaspoon of dried parsley or chives
Milk – use dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
Egg – you’ll need 1 egg for this recipe. For an egg-free version, omit the egg and replace with an additional 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon of vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
Baking powder
Garlic powder
Salt – use fine salt in the biscuits and a flakey salt, such as Maldon flaked salt or a coarse sea salt, to top the biscuits
How to make Gluten-Free Garlic Cheddar Biscuits & The Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe
Since this is a simple drop biscuit style recipe (meaning you don’t need to use yeast or wait for the dough to rise), our Gluten-Free Garlic Cheddar Biscuits can be on your table in less than 25 minutes. Here are the quick steps to make them:
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: Mix the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Cut in the butter: Add the cold butter using a pastry blender, two knives, or a fork, mix it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or the size of small peas. The butter won’t fully melt, but will melt into the biscuits as they bake, creating a tender, flakey texture and pockets of delicious flavor throughout.
- Add the cheese and herbs: Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar and the parsley or chives. Also stir in the milk and egg until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky, slightly chunky dough (see the middle photo above).
- Form the biscuit mounds: Using a spoon, drop the dough into 12 even mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the 2 tablespoons melted butter over the unbaked biscuit mounds.
- Bake and top with cheese: Bake the biscuits for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheddar over the biscuits along with a pinch of flakey salt. Return to the oven to finish baking. Bake the biscuits until they are lightly browned on the bottom and no longer doughy on the inside, about 2 to 4 minutes more, depending on your oven.
When to serve Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
These gluten-free biscuits are the perfect accompaniment to meals of all kinds, from breakfast to dinner. Try serving them:
- for breakfast – serve with eggs or a sausage gravy
- as a breakfast sandwich – split the biscuits and top with sheet-pan baked eggs and cooked sausage patty or bacon, plus a handful of spinach and thick slice of tomato
- to dunk into soup – we love serving these with chilis and soups of all kinds
- alongside a seafood dinner – since these biscuits are reminiscent of the Red Lobster Biscuit recipe, they pair wonderfully with salmon, shrimp, and other seafood dinners
- with pasta meals – the garlic and herbs in these Garlic Cheddar Biscuits are a perfect match for pasta dinners and other Italian meals
- for easy lunches – split biscuits and top with a smear of butter as the perfect side dish for packed lunches, or use them to make delicious on-the-go sandwiches
Can You make This red lobster Biscuit Recipe ahead?
While we love to serve these biscuits warm out of the oven, you can also prep them ahead of time so they’re ready to go for easy meals. You can fully bake this garlic cheddar biscuit recipe from start to finish and then store the biscuits in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Simply serve them at room temperature or reheat (preferred) in a toaster oven. Alternatively, you can prepare the dough ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, then finish baking the dough mounds when you want a fresh, hot biscuit right out of the oven.
How to store Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Store the fully baked and cooled Garlic Cheddar Biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Reheat the biscuits in a toaster oven before serving. Alternatively, you can prep the biscuit dough and store the dough in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking.
Whether you choose to serve these Garlic Cheddar Biscuits with a casual soup supper, part of a holiday brunch, or as a delicious on-the-go breakfast sandwich, you’ll love how easy they are to make. Tender and flakey every time, with just the right amount of cheesy, buttery flavor in every warm bite.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits (Easy & Gluten-Free Option)
Here’s your new go-to biscuit recipe for an easy addition to any meal, from breakfasts to dinners. Reminiscent of the Red Lobster Biscuit recipe, you can now enjoy Garlic Cheddar Biscuits that are ready in under 25 minutes and easily made gluten-free, if needed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces + 1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives (or a mix)**
- 1 cup dairy or unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 large egg, beaten***
- Flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry blender or two knives or a fork, cut the 6 tablespoons cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles.
- Stir in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and the parsley or chives.
- Add the milk and beaten egg; stir until the mixture forms a soft slightly sticky dough.
- Using a spoon, drop the dough into 12 mounds on the prepared baking sheet. With damp hands, slightly flatten the mounds. Brush the tops of the dough with the 1 tablespoons melted butter.
- Bake for 9 minutes. Remove biscuits from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the biscuits while they’re still hot and sprinkle with the flakey salt. Return to the oven and bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the bottom and baked throughout, about an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
* You can also use the same amount of unbleached all-purpose flour, if gluten-free biscuits are not needed. For gluten-free flours, we recommend Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour.
** In place of the fresh herbs, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried parsley or chives.
***For an egg-free version, omit the egg and replace with an additional 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon of vinegar (use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 biscuit
- Calories: 147
- Fat: 8g
- Sodium: 575mg
- Carbohydrate: 17g
- (Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 1g)
- Protein: 3g
Dietary
Pin it now & Make it later
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
kathy says
Holy cow! These look oh so yummy. They are on my “gotta make these” list.
Jessica Beacom says
Yea! You’re going to love them.
kathy says
I made these today and OMG they are so yummy. It is the first time I used the Bob’s Gluten-Free flour product that has been sitting in my pantry for past few weeks and was quite impressed. I used cashew milk and found that 3/4 cup worked very well. There is also a very subtle sweetness using cashew milk that I like. I used organic white cheddar. When I make them next time I may up the garlic powder to 1-1/2 tsp. I also had the bake mine a bit longer (20 minutes). I’m planning to serve your Chipotle Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili recipe again tonight (this time w/o the beans I added last time) along with these biscuits.
I’m going to post a link to this recipe on my FB page along with a picture of my pretty biscuits.
Again, you hit it out of the park with this recipe Jessica & Stacey. Love your recipes!
Happy New Year to you both!! Cheers!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Kathy-
Awesome feedback! Thanks for sharing all of that – we find it really helps other when they’re wondering how or what to substitute in a recipe. Increasing the garlic sounds like a great idea. Some brands are more garlicky than others so play with what you’ve got – sounds like you can’t go wrong.
Thank you for sharing the recipe link on your FB page. We love shares and love readers like you, Kathy.
Here’s to a delicious and healthy 2016!
Evelyn Cunningham says
I make homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, the old fashioned way. I have not made any biscuits since I starting Paelo and low-carb. But I plan to make these biscuits when I go to the Whole Food Grocery Story to get that Flour you mention in your recipe above. I made great biscuits though.
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Evelyn,
I love biscuits, obviously! I think you’ll find these to be a very good alternative to gluten-filled traditional biscuits.
The Modern Proper says
I just love Bob’s Red Mill. They really make it easy to bake gluten free! That flour is my go-to as well, so I will need to whip up a batch of these next time I have soup!
Stacie Hassing says
Yes! We agree. Always our go-to!
Barbara says
Is this recipe for whole 30? I thought we could not have any dairy or cheese
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Barbara,
No, these biscuits are not Whole30-compliant. As you pointed out, they contain dairy. They also contain grain (from the flour) and they are a baked good which is against the program rules.
Estera says
I’ve made these three times so far and absolutely love them! I like it with a bit more salt and garlic powder. Oooh and grating cold butter works fantastically for this recipe if you don’t have a pastry blender. Thank you for the recipe, cant wait to try out some of your other ones!
Stacie Hassing says
So awesome to hear this! Thanks for sharing! We also have a Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe that you might like. I personally love serving them with stews or chowder. You can find the recipe here: https://therealfooddietitians.com/gluten-free-sweet-potato-buttermilk-biscuits/