This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please see my Disclaimer for more details.
These Garlic Cheddar Biscuits are a Southern grandmother's dream. These savory, flaky biscuits are tender, buttery, fluffy, and full of cheesy goodness with garlic flavor.
Here are some delicious recipes to serve with the yummy biscuits: Grillades and Grits, Southern Fried Chicken, Crawfish Etouffee, Southern Fried Fish, and Blackened Chicken Alfredo.
Latest Recipe Video:
Jump to:
Everybody knows about Red Lobster biscuits; the cheddar bay biscuits are a legend. I remember looking forward to always eating them on vacation because that was the only time we would go there.
However, as a Southern man, I take pride in my biscuits! My homemade cheddar biscuits are made with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated garlic powder, sharp cheddar cheese, buttermilk, and my secret ingredient, Lewis Road Creamery Garlic Chive Butter, which takes these cheddar garlic biscuits to new heights.
This European butter is creamier because it has more butterfat than American butter, and all of that goodness will give us some tall, buttery, tender biscuits. Although you do not need this butter to make some outstanding biscuits, it's a good investment in good eating!
What are Biscuits?
Biscuits have different meanings depending on what part of the world you live in. Here in America, a biscuit is a Southern staple. In the UK, a biscuit is closer to a cookie. Any biscuit recipe I give will be a Southern staple.
Biscuits are classified as quick bread. They're made with flour, leaving agents, shortening or butter, and buttermilk. It takes little skill to make a good biscuit.
They can be made sweet, savory, dropped, with yeast, baked, fried, and used for a sandwich. Check out my Big Easy Sandwich. It's a fried chicken sandwich served on a black pepper biscuit with a New Orleans red bean sauce.
Key Ingredients in Cheddar Biscuit:
To make these fantastic cheddar biscuits, you will need the following ingredients:
All-Purpose Flour
Flour is the foundation to absorb all the other ingredients in these delicious cheddar garlic biscuits.
Baking Powder
Baking powder is an essential leavening ingredient to give our biscuits the desired height.
Kosher Salt
Adding a little salt to baking goods enhances the flavor.
Garlic Chive Butter
Lewis Road Creamy makes an incredible garlic chive butter that keeps us from chopping fresh garlic and chives into our garlic biscuits.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
You can use any shredded cheese you like, but I love good sharp cheddar cheese for these cheesy biscuits.
Buttermilk
You cannot have buttermilk biscuits without buttermilk. The buttermilk provides a mild tang that makes these biscuits great.
Garlic
I use two types of garlic to give maximum flavor by combining fresh garlic and granulated garlic powder and incorporating the two guarantees tremendous flavor.
How to Make Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Making amazing homemade buttermilk biscuits is simple. You can't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slice cold butter into the flour mixture and, with your hands, blend until butter and flour are coated and resemble crumbled cornbread.
Toss cheese in flour. Make a hole in the middle, add buttermilk, and stir until the dough combines. The biscuit dough will be slightly sticky. *If you want to make drop biscuits, stop here and use a ¼ cup or a 2 oz. cookie scoop and drop them on the baking sheet.
Pour the biscuit dough on a floured work surface and knead 5 times. Pat to ¾ inch thick (right under the first digit of your finger) rectangle.
Cut biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter. Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet, make sure they're touching, and brush with melted butter. Bake biscuits for 15-19 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm biscuits immediately.
Garlic Butter Mixture
In a medium bowl, add butter, salt, garlic, garlic powder, and Italian parsley to the microwave, cook for 30 seconds, stir, and cook for another 30 seconds until the butter is melted. Brush warm biscuits with garlic butter and serve immediately. I like to serve them with my authentic New Orleans Red Beans and Rice or Southern Fried Fish.
How To Store Garlic Cheddar Biscuits?
If you want to make these biscuits in advance, you can easily store them in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to eat. Before storing hot foods, you should always let them cool down to room temperature and store them in an airtight container.
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits: These can be made several days in advance but are best fresh out of the oven. Keep in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or in the fridge for 7 days. You can freeze the baked biscuits after they cool off. Place in a freezer storage bag and freeze for 3 months. Thaw 24 hours before using. Do the same for unbaked biscuits, too. Reheat the biscuits in a 350°F degree oven for 8-10 minutes until warm.
Garlic Butter: You can make it a few hours or one day in advance—reheat it by melting it in the microwave or a skillet. Keep in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or in the fridge for 14 days.
Pro Tips, Substitutions & Tricks
Here are some of my top tips and tricks to help you make the best homemade cheesy garlic biscuits:
- You only need to pat the biscuit dough into shape. There's no need for a rolling pin.
- When biscuits touch before baking, it helps make them taller. You can also bake these in a large cast iron skillet.
- Using a cheese that's finely shredded will give you less cheese flavor. Regular shredded provides pockets of gooey cheesy goodness.
- Adding baking soda and baking powder creates a nice, craggy exterior.
- Remember, cold butter makes flaky, tall biscuits. If Lewis Roads Creamy butter is unavailable at your grocery store, use Kerry Gold or another European-style butter. If they don't have that, use any unsalted butter as a swap for the garlic chive butter.
- I recommend only using granulated garlic powder. It has a better flavor and mixes better.
- Feel free to use gluten-free or all-purpose flour as a swap for unbleached flour.
- You can swap any shredded cheese, like a mild cheddar or parmesan cheese, for the cheddar cheese.
- You can use any milk as a swap for the buttermilk.
- You can use foil as a swap for parchment paper.
- Feel free to use dried parsley as a swap for fresh parsley.
- If you want to make drop biscuits, stop here and use a ¼ cup or a 2 oz. cookie scoop and drop them on the baking sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about garlic chive buttermilk biscuits:
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about garlic cheddar biscuits:
What can I use in place of a biscuit cutter?
Suppose you do not have a pastry cutter or biscuit cutter. Do not panic. You can use a glass to cut your biscuits. Dip the rim of the glass in the flour and then use it like your biscuit cutter.
What kind of cheese can I use?
You can use any cheese for this garlic cheddar biscuits recipe. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Jack Cheese, or Parmesan would be excellent choices!
Can I make these biscuits with self-rising flour?
You can make the biscuits for this recipe with all-purpose or self-rising flour. You would omit baking soda and baking powder if making it with self-rising flour.
If I don't have buttermilk on hand, what are my alternatives?
I don't recommend making your own if you cannot find buttermilk at your local store. Combining one cup of milk with either lemon juice or white distilled vinegar and letting it sit for five minutes before using it in the recipe doesn't yield the same results as buttermilk. Use any milk you have in your fridge.
Can I use frozen butter?
Yes! To freeze butter, place sticks (unsalted) into freezer bags and seal tightly. Butter will keep fresh for up to three months when wrapped in this way. To use frozen butter, remove the number of sticks you need from the freezer bag and grate them with a cheese grater.
Is it better to use milk or buttermilk in biscuits?
Either one works fine, but buttermilk will create a more tangy flavor. Whole milk makes a sweeter biscuit. However, I prefer buttermilk in this recipe for its added flavor depth.
Can you freeze cheddar biscuits?
Yes! Place the cheddar biscuits in an airtight ziplock bag and store them for up to a month or two until you are ready to use them. You can quickly freeze them after they have cooled after baking. Do the same for unbaked biscuits.
Why are my biscuits not fluffy?
A few things can make your biscuits not as fluffy as you would like. I have listed them here:
- Use more baking powder or baking soda.
- You are using old baking powder. It would be best to replace the opened baking powder every 3 months.
- Too much liquid. Some dry ingredients may not be mixed well enough into your dough, causing a wet dough that will result in a dense biscuit. Mix all the dry ingredients well before adding any liquids to fix this.
- The oven temperature is too low, which will cause your biscuit to take forever to rise.
- The oven temperature was too high; this could burn the outside of the biscuit before it had finished cooking in the center. Try lowering your oven by 25 degrees next time you bake and see if that helps.
- The oven is too hot, which can cause your biscuits to rise and then fall when they are in the oven. This will give you very little flakiness and an overbaked exterior. Lowering your oven temperature by 25 degrees should also help with this problem.
What do you serve buttermilk biscuits with?
The cheese biscuits are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch, and dessert. They can be served on the side regardless of what time you eat them. Here are some of my favorites for enjoying these excellent biscuits.
- Breakfast Casserole
- Blackened Salmon Pasta
- Instant Pot New Orleans Red Beans & Rice
- Peach Preserves
- White Wine Chicken Pasta
- Salmon Piccata
More Biscuit Recipes
If you love some tasty biscuits, here are a few more recipes.
- Buttermilk Biscuits with White Sausage Gravy
- Apple Cinnamon Biscuits
- Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
- Red Velvet Biscuits
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Read the recipe once before you preheat oven to 450°F/232°C.
Step 2: Measure everything out into individual bowls.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best biscuits you've had this year.
These Garlic Cheddar Biscuits are a Southern grandmother's dream. You'll be licking your fingers clean with this delicious, easy biscuit recipe that will make you the most famous person in your neighborhood! Remember to leave me a 5-star review, comment, and post a picture on Instagram of how much you love them, too!
Click here to subscribe to MY Weekly Recipes for easy and free recipes right into your inbox!
To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the Pin button on the recipe card, the sharing buttons above or below this post, or any of the photos above.
Tag me @kennethtemple_ and use #LezEat on Instagram to share your remakes with me, and don't forget to leave a star rating and comment below.
📖 Recipe
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Ingredients
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits:
- 2 ¼ cup flour plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 oz. Lewis Road Garlic Chive butter cold
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Garlic Butter:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slice cold butter into the flour mixture and, with your hands, blend until butter and flour are coated and resemble crumbled cornbread.
- Toss cheese in flour. Make a hole in the middle, add buttermilk, and stir until the dough combines. The biscuit dough will be slightly sticky. *If you want to make drop biscuits, stop here and use a ¼ cup or a 2 oz. cookie scoop and drop them on the baking sheet.
- Pour the biscuit dough on a floured work surface and knead 5 times. Pat to ¾ inch thick (right under the first digit of your finger) rectangle.
- Cut biscuits with a floured biscuit cutter. Add to a parchment-lined baking sheet, make sure they're touching, and brush with melted butter. Bake biscuits for 15-19 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm biscuits immediately.
Garlic Butter:
- In a medium bowl, add butter, salt, garlic, garlic powder, and Italian parsley to the microwave, cook for 30 seconds, stir, and cook for another 30 seconds until the butter is melted. Brush warm biscuits with garlic butter and serve immediately.
Notes
- You only need to pat the biscuit dough into shape. There's no need for a rolling pin.
- When biscuits touch before baking, it helps make them taller. You can also bake these in a large cast iron skillet.
- Using a cheese that's finely shredded will give you less cheese flavor. Regular shredded provides pockets of gooey cheesy goodness.
- Adding baking soda and baking powder creates a nice, craggy exterior.
- Remember, cold butter makes flaky, tall biscuits. If Lewis Roads Creamy butter is unavailable at your grocery store, use Kerry Gold or another European-style butter. If they don't have that, use any unsalted butter as a swap for the garlic chive butter.
- I recommend only using granulated garlic powder. It has a better flavor and mixes better.
- Feel free to use gluten-free or all-purpose flour as a swap for unbleached flour.
- You can swap any shredded cheese, like a mild cheddar or parmesan cheese, for the cheddar cheese.
- You can use any milk as a swap for the buttermilk.
- You can use foil as a swap for parchment paper.
- Feel free to use dried parsley as a swap for fresh parsley.
- If you want to make drop biscuits, stop here and use a ¼ cup or a 2 oz. cookie scoop and drop them on the baking sheet.
Leave a Reply