Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe
These copycat Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits are made from scratch (no baking mix here!), are buttery, cheesy, light and flaky, and loaded with garlic-herb flavor – even better than the original! They’re ready in less than 30 minutes, which means that these are an easy addition to any weeknight meal.
I haven’t been to a Red Lobster restaurant since I was in high school, but my taste buds have a stellar memory. They won’t allow me to forget cheddar bay biscuits. If you’ve never been to a Red Lobster, cheddar bay biscuits are placed on the table prior to your meal arriving. They’re the equivalent of the basket of bread at other restaurants. Except that these aren’t any ordinary biscuits; they are warm, flaky, loaded with cheddar cheese and garlic, and have a little kick. Utterly and hopelessly addicting.
The great news is, because they are drop biscuits, making the Red Lobster biscuit recipe requires very little effort. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll be enjoying warm, buttery, fluffy, cheesy biscuits fresh from the oven.
If you’re like me, you may have wondered why Red Lobster biscuits are called “cheddar bay biscuits”; as it turns out, when they were originally introduced they were simply referred to as “freshly baked, hot cheese garlic bread”. That’s a mouthful!
Five years later they were renamed “Cheddar Bay Biscuits” as a nod to the seaside atmosphere of the restaurants.
The essentials for delicious Red Lobster biscuits
You’re likely to have everything you need for these amazing biscuits in your pantry and refrigerator already, so let’s run down the list!
- All-purpose flour – This recipe has not been tested using other types of flour.
- Baking powder – To help the biscuits rise, you need to use a leavener.
- Baking soda – Another rising agent, but this one also assists in making the biscuits tender.
- Sugar – A small amount to provide flavor balance.
- Salt – Standard table salt is used.
- Garlic powder – If you don’t have any garlic powder on hand, garlic salt will work. However, omit the extra salt in the recipe.
- Cayenne pepper – This offers a tiny kick of heat; the biscuits are not spicy, but you can leave it out if you want.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – For the best results, shred a block of cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. You can also use mild cheddar if you prefer it.
- Buttermilk – Be sure to chill the milk; you want it as cold as possible.
- Unsalted butter – Melt the butter and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before using it.
- Minced fresh parsley – You can substitute ¼ teaspoon dried.
How to make Red Lobster biscuits from scratch
- Prep: Preheat your oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Then, stir in the cheddar cheese and set the bowl aside.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. It’s important to mix gently with a rubber spatula, just until a dough forms and no dry ingredients remain.
- Scoop and portion the dough: Be sure to leave an inch or so between each scoop.
- Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
- Prepare the garlic butter: While the biscuits are in the oven, make the garlic butter to brush over the warm biscuits.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush with the topping mixture.
The secret to light and flaky biscuits
The number one tip to creating biscuits that are light and flaky and never tough or dry:
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Do not overmix the dough!
You should mix it gently and only until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Continuing to mix or stir will overwork the gluten and result in subpar biscuits.
No need to head out to a restaurant to get biscuits in a basket; you can whip them up in your own kitchen just as easily!
Recipe tips
Below are some extra tips for making sure your copycat cheddar bay biscuits turn out perfectly every single time:
- Cheese: You can use your favorite type of cheddar cheese. I think sharp is best in these particular biscuits and I always advocate for shredding yourself versus using pre-shredded cheese. I find it tastes better and melts into the biscuits much better.
- Buttermilk: If you are out of buttermilk, you can use this substitution hack - put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup + enough milk to make 1 cup. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Storage: The biscuits will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, though you can if you prefer it.
- Reheating Instructions: To use an oven, wrap biscuits in foil and reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until warmed through. To use a microwave, wrap the biscuits in a damp paper towel, place on a clean plate, and microwave on 50% power for 45 seconds.
- Freezing Unbaked Biscuits: To made the biscuits ahead of time, prepare the biscuit dough and place them on a baking sheet as directed in the recipe. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until the biscuits are frozen solid. Transfer the frozen biscuits to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, though you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Freezing Baked Biscuits: Ensure that the biscuits are completely cool, then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat as desired, using the instructions above.
More Biscuits!
If you are as enamored with biscuits as I am, then you’ll love these other varieties:
- Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
- Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
- Sausage-Cheddar Biscuits
- Cinnamon Roll Biscuits
- Cheddar, Jalapeno & Chive Biscuits
Watch the Recipe Video:
If you make this recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️
Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, cold
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley, or ¼ teaspoon dried
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Stir in the cheddar cheese; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and melted butter until the butter forms small clumps.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently with a rubber spatula just until a dough forms and no dry ingredients remain. Use a greased ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop out portions of dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little more than an inch between biscuits.
- Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 12 minutes. While the biscuits are in the oven, stir together the 2 tablespoons melted butter, garlic powder and parsley. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately brush with the topping mixture. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top back at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Cheese: You can use your favorite type of cheddar cheese. I think sharp is best in these particular biscuits and I always advocate for shredding yourself versus using pre-shredded cheese. I find it tastes better and melts into the biscuits much better.
- Buttermilk: If you are out of buttermilk, you can use this substitution hack - put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup + enough milk to make 1 cup. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Storage: The biscuits will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, though you can if you prefer it.
- Reheating Instructions: To use an oven, wrap biscuits in foil and reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until warmed through. To use a microwave, wrap the biscuits in a damp paper towel, place on a clean plate, and microwave on 50% power for 45 seconds.
- Freezing Unbaked Biscuits: To made the biscuits ahead of time, prepare the biscuit dough and place them on a baking sheet as directed in the recipe. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until the biscuits are frozen solid. Transfer the frozen biscuits to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as directed, though you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
- Freezing Baked Biscuits: Ensure that the biscuits are completely cool, then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat as desired, using the instructions above.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[Photography by Ari of Well Seasoned]
I made these tonight to go with chili – I have never been to Red Lobster, but my boyfriend has mentioned how he used to love their biscuits, so I tried this recipe out. SO GOOD. My only recommendation (what I will change for next time) is definitely using block cheese and freshly shredding it, rather than pre-shredded cheese, which was all I had on hand. This was so easy, as no rolling out of dough or using biscuit cutters was necessary. I got exactly 10 rolls by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup
Made these tonight for the finicky men in my house–when I say inhaled??!!! I’m allergic to milk, so even the tiny corner I tried made my mouth itch a little bit, but it was worth it! Thanks for the recipe.
One of the internet recipes for Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits includes an egg in the batter. What’s our opinion on whether that would improve, not improve, or make no difference, in your recipe?
Hi Nelson, I have never used an egg in biscuits. I find that they are lighter without them. You could give it a try though, and see which way you like it!
Just made these tonight! They were amazazing! Just like Red Lobster! Thank you for posting.
Just made these for dinner tonight and they were a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe. I’m throwing out my old biscuit recipe, these are easier and taste much better.
This recipe is the one that led me to your site and kept me coming back! I’ve made these biscuits several times and they’re always amazing. I double the garlic powder, and have experimented with different types of cheddar, and I’ve found the sharper, the better. Also, I’ve used a 1/2 cup measure and made sandwiches with the biscuits.Thanks so much for this!
Michelle,
Did you ever find out how much Bay seasoning to use? I’ve also heard about using a little Bay seasoning in the biscuit dough as well.
I found this recipe just in time for cooking day at the skilled nursing facility I work at. I try to use only fresh ingredients and not mixes and this was just perfect. I didn’t have any powered garlic because of the humidity here (garlic rocks!!) and I ran out of cayenne pepper. I substituted fresh garlic pressed in a garlic press (1 large clove) and Tabasco Chipotle sauce for the cayenne. They were a huge hit!! I made them again when I got home for my family and they raved also. I might just keep using the fresh garlic and the Tabasco sauce. :-)
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I just made them today, and they are wonderful. I am a (male) grad student, and have only baked one thing before (a cheesecake a few months ago), so I am very glad I found your helpful and simple recipe! My friends are already begging me to give them some :)
I have made these 3 times and they still don’t taste like the original. I keep increasing the chedder cheese. I also did Sharp Chedder Cheese the last two times. Sure like to know what they are doing different. They still taste good but nothing like the original!!!
i guess I will be the other voice of disagreement with you among an army of believers. I too followed the instuctions to the letter( always do first time out no matter what im making). For starters inwill say the texture was great, and i really appreciate the melted butter in the buttermilk trick, so kudos on that. Consistency and texture get an 8 out of 10 here compared to the originals. Mine came out a touch dense but that might be due to overmixing a tiny bit and how much flour in my cup compared to your cup. Flavor however i can only give a 5 out of 10 compared to the original. They werent bad as a matter of fact they are quite serviceable as a cheese infused biscuit, i just had an expectation they would more closely match the restaurants and i feel like they missed by a wide margin. I think there needs to be a bit more salt. Especially mixxed in the butter topping and the cayenne pepper could easily be reduced by half or more. I wanted lingering garlicky parsley butter taste, not lingering pepper taste, which was no beuno. Somehow i dont think an extra bit of butter would hurt here either somehow. They just seemed blanddish. And then peppered. Mine even seem to go from hot from the oven to lukewarm at best in like 15 seconds, like they couldnt retain their own heat for even a few moments. Anyway. These are decent biscuits, but these are not cheddar bay biscuits imo. Nice site though and thx for posting the recipe to try.
These are absolutely AWESOME! They can be made with regular milk instead of buttermilk if you don’t have any. They are fantastic still. Most of the time I don’t use cayanne pepper either. Also, I just spray the cookie sheet with non stick spray instead of using parchment paper…works fine, but I lower the baking temp to 450. Thanks for the phenomenal recipe! My family thanks you.
Forgot to say….if you don’t have buttermink handy..just mix a tablespoon of bog standard white vinegar into the cup of milk and set aside for a while…
You might not get the clumps like in the butter cheese mixture but it’ll still work.
I also had no Cayenne Pepper handy and didn’t want to run the the shop especially so I used a teaspoon of Paprika and it worked fine!
I live in Ireland and we visited Red Lobster in Apopka Vineland, Orlando, Florida last year and have been desperately craving these scones…we’re going back to Orlando in September but it’s too far away…I just made a batch of your recipe and they almost made me cry with sentiment! The house is still warm with the smell of salty cheddary goodness….cant wait for the BBQ later to surprise my hubby!
Thank you for this!!!!! xx
what if i dont hav buttermilk, should i try to make my own? and is that using regualr milk and vinegar?
Hi Noora, Yes, you can make your own. I have the substitution here: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/substitutions/
I love how simple your recipes are and how much effort you put in so that we get to have perfect baked goods every time. I had featured u in the post of Top 7 Sweet Cakes for Mother’s Day on AllFreshRecipes,i’ll pay close attention to ur more Eats!
As a thank you for this recipe, and now that you posted that you have an iPad, I’d love to send you an iPad handle, which is soooo handy in the kitchen for following recipes, well, gee, it’s handy for every room in the house. Please check out my website, ihandle.com, and let me know where to send it…. Cate
Just found your recipe accidentally, got right up and made a batch, which was easy-peasy, and have a whole basket full to serve for lunch… Many, many thanks…
Thank you so much for this recipe! I followed ALMOST to a T and this was the best recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits that I have tried. My only differences was that I made my own buttermilk and instead of dried garlic I used fresh minced on top. That was totally an accident and I wish I would have used powdered on top. I also forgot to let the butter cool for the 5 minutes which probably affected the texture. But still. They were the closest thing I have had to Red Lobster.
These. Are. FABULOUS. I tried an imitation Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe several years back… when I was still keeping Bisquick in my kitchen. They were just disappointing. But these were light and buttery and looked exactly like what they bring to the table at Red Lobster. Although I think these are bigger, yay! ;) Served them yesterday with our Father’s Day meal, and they were a huge hit. I do love that the recipe yields exactly as you say it does when prepared as written. It’s nice to be able to plan — but I doubled the recipe, and now I think I will have one with lunch. (Wonder how they will reheat…) Thanks so much, Michelle! It’s wonderful to have a go-to blog where I know the recipe will always turn out to be amazing.
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you liked the biscuits; thank you for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment!
Eating my second one now. :-)
Mmmmm Yummy.
Found your recipe through Google search for “Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe” and one that used all purpose flour (basic ingredients from scratch). Followed the recipe exactly. Can’t stress enough to stop stirring once the mix pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Two thumbs up!
Hi I will be trying this recipe thd morning, can’t wait, every time I visit U.S.
Always and must go to Red Lobster
Cheers, Bermuda
I just made these and they are a huge hit with the boyfriend! I love the garlic and the cayenne kick. Beautiful!
Awesome and easy recipe! I love the biscuits at Red Lobster… guilty pleasure for sure. No more Bisquick packages for me, thanks to this post!
Great recipe. I made this as part of my brother’s birthday dinner and it was loved by the fam. I made no substitutions. Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe!
Just made these for mother’s day (my mom is not a sweets person)– Yuuuuuuuuuuuuum! Accidentally used 1 tbsp of sugar instead of tsp but it didn’t seem to affect the flavor. I also used a pre-made garlic & herb seasoning. I forgot to put it into the batter, so I just shook copious amounts into the melted butter topping at the end. Turned out great :) The biscuit itself is so fluffy and has a bit of a crisp where the cheese was on the outside. It was also super easy to make- yay for no butter cutting! Overall, thanks for such a delicious recipe. I will definitely be making this again!
Ooh and also, I love the subtle kick that the cayenne gives!
Wow – these look and sound amazing. We doubt anyone will head over to Red Lobster after finding your recipe! It also sounds like you found a healthier route for these biscuits – which is great. Another way to make the cheddar bay biscuits healthy is by using Sargento Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese. With 33% less fat and 15% fewer calories, it’s an easy way to stay healthy!
I made this recipe tonight and it makes a perfect biscuit. I’ve tried a lot of copy cat versions of the Cheddar Bay biscuits, and while they’ve all been good, they were missing something. The way you incorporate the butter into the buttermilk creates the perfect fluffy texture without having to cut the butter in like other recipes (which I hate doing!). This is my new base recipe for anytime I need a biscuit, and I have no doubt I’ll be making it at least once a week! Thank you so much for sharing it.
They look amazing. I love cheddar biscuits, I have a recipe myself, but this one looks so tasty I have to try it tomorrow!
In the Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits recipe, do you have to use cayenne powder?
Hi Lorelee, You can omit the cayenne powder if you don’t wish to use it.
These were great!
Definitely plan to make them again. Soon :)
For anyone who weighs the ingredients, I used 255 grams of flour, which seemed to work just fine.
Thank you so much, Michelle!