These buttery, garlicky and soft cheddar drop biscuits are made in one bowl in under 30 minutes! This recipe is great as a quick dinner side and screams comfort food.
Recipe features
- Soft, buttery and filled with garlic flavor and a buttery topping
- Made in one bowl in just 30 minutes
- No kneading required, just stir and scoop!
- Easy to customize and freeze for later
What you'll need
This recipe uses mostly pantry staples.
- All-purpose flour: No need for bread flour or any special flour. I usually use White Lily flour or King Arthur's brands.
- Cheddar cheese: I like to use thick farm-style chedar cheese, but thin shredded also works. You can increase the amount of cheese to ⅔ cup for a cheesier result.
- Garlic powder: This is the main source of garlic. You can replace garlic powder with 3-4 cloves minced garlic if desired.
- Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter but I recommend omitting the added salt from the dough or the biscuits might turn out too salty.
- Milk: You can use 1%, whole, unsweetened/unflavored soy milk, etc. I haven't tested this with buttermilk, so proceed with caution if you want to use it.
Step by step instructions
Making drop biscuits is similar to making regular biscuits but you don't have to do handle the dough or do any slicing.
Add all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk or stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Pour in the liquid ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir until the batter is mostly holding together. It will still be wet and a little sticky but should be able to hold its shape.
Fold in the shredded cheddar until just combined.
Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop portions out onto an oiled 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Most cookie scoops are 1-2 ounces.
Tip: Keep at least ½ inch between biscuits for individual biscuits. Leave no space between biscuits for pull-apart biscuits.
Bake at 425 F for 14-16 minutes. They are ready when golden on top. They should spring back immediately when pressed lightly on top.
Customization ideas
- To make regular biscuits, simply turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Add extra flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time to make the dough easier to work. Fold the dough over itself several times. Use a biscuit cutter to cut circles of dough. For a complete guide to making biscuits, check out my guide to vegan southern style biscuits.
- Add-ins: Green onions or chives are a great addition.
- Roasted garlic can be used in place of garlic powder for the ultimate garlicky flavor. More on how to roast garlic can be found in my whole wheat roasted garlic knots.
- Whole wheat flour: I like to do half white and half whole wheat flours because it adds more depth to the dough. You can also do 100% whole wheat flour, which will yield a slightly denser biscuit.
- Make vegan by replacing butter with unsalted vegan butter and replacing cheddar with vegan shreds or omitting entirely. I like Earth Balance or Miyoko's butter and Violife cheddar. Choose an unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk like soy milk or oat milk.
Recipe FAQ and expert tips
- Spoon and level flour into the measuring cup for best results. To do this, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour.
- Don't overmix the dough. The dough should still be slightly sticky but cohesive enough that it doesn't run when scooped.
- Biscuit size: I like to use a cookie scoop for consistent sizes. This makes about 8 biscuits. Lightly spraying the scoop with cooking spray makes it easier to use. You can make 10-12 smaller biscuits by using a large spoon.
Leftovers keep at room temp for 2-3 days. I don't recommend refrigerating biscuits because it will dry them out. I like to zap leftovers in the microwave for 15 seconds before enjoying.
Yes, these biscuits freeze well. You can freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or reusable container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight on the counter or reheat in the microwave or oven at 350F for 6-8 minutes.
This kind of recipe deserves to be served with comfort food like quinoa chili or roasted butternut squash pasta. They are also a great addition to potlucks and holiday meals.
I haven't tried this with gluten-free flour. If you do try, I recommend using an all-purpose flour blend like the 1:1 blend from Bob's Red Mill.
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Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour see note #1
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter see note #2
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Biscuit Topping
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet.
- Stir together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, white sugar) in a medium mixing bowl.
- Use a wooden spoon to form a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the melted butter and milk. Stir until the batter is mostly holding together. It will still be wet and a little sticky. Fold in the shredded cheddar.
- Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop 8-9 biscuits out onto the baking sheet or cast iron. You can also use a spoon to make 10-12 smaller biscuits. Keep about ½ inch between biscuits for standalone biscuits. Don't leave a space for pull-apart biscuits. Bake at 425F on the middle oven rack for 14-16 minutes, or until golden.
- To make the topping, stir together ¼ cup melted butter with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Brush on the biscuits when they come out of the oven to make them even softer. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Flour: Spoon and level flour into the measuring cup for best results. To do this, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour.
- Butter: Salted butter can be used but omit the ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Leftovers: Store at room temp in a closed container for 2-3 days. To freeze, place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave until thawed.
- White flour vs whole wheat: This recipe can be made 50% or 100% whole wheat if desired. The texture will be slightly different in both cases but will yield a very similar biscuit.
- You can watch me make this recipe step by step on Garlic Cheddar Biscuits YouTube video.
Note: This recipe was originally shared on May 9, 2020. It was updated on April 2nd, 2021 with new photos, a video and more tips. I changed cold butter to melted butter for a much easier recipe, but everything else remains the same.
Cindy Gay
These look good and I bet they'd be a good recipe for incorporating sourdough starter discard.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
That’s a great idea! I’ll have to try it out.