Fluffy Cheddar Biscuits Recipe (2025)

Ratings

4

out of 5

2,560

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

B

These turned out really great as is, however, I agree with the other comment on the sweetness. I would cut the sugar to only 1 tablespoon. As an experienced home cook and baker, even as I added the sugar, I was thinking it'll be too much for my taste so I should have known better. The sweetness took away from the sharp cheddar taste, unfortunately. Still delicious, but less sugar needed for sure.

RLS

In the UK we call these cheese scones and as they are meant to be savoury would never add sugar. I swapped out the garlic for chopped chives (or small amounts of finely chopped green onions) for a much nicer flavour. Really good if you add a teaspoon of dried english mustard powder - Colmans of course - to the flour.

Jo

Shred frozen butter on a box grater instead of cubed pieces. Butter remains cold and quickly mixes, resulting in a foolproof tender biscuit.

Gretchen

These biscuits were a bit sweet for my taste. If I make them again, I'll cut down on the sugar.

LH

Yes. I pulsed the dry ingredients to mix, added the cubed butter and pulsed again until the dough had a pebbly texture, added the cheese and pulsed until dispersed, then added the buttermilk/egg mix, and pulsed just until the dough came together in a ball. The biscuits turned out fluffy, cheesy, and delicious. I think the key is to be careful not to overmix after you add the wet to the dry ingredients.

Deborah

I took cues from the notes, used 1 tbsp sugar and fresh garlic, also strong paprika, lots. They were excellent, and I'm going to make them again for Thanksgiving.

Lulu

Made these twice. Second time with pepper jack instead of cheddar. Great side with chili. I also found that they were fluffier when I mixed with my hands rather than a spoon. I patted the combined dough into a loose rectangle and used my bench scraper to cut into 12 squares. Less handling than stirring and scooping.

MaryRita

After reading the comments, I used 1.5 Tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of Colman’s dried mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 2 finely minced scallions. I did have to add a little more buttermilk to bring the dough together. And I omitted the last brushing of melted butter on the the finished biscuits. They came out great!

B

For anyone who wants ideas on how to up the flavor, we did this and it was such a treat: Trader Joe's had a bacon cheddar, used 1/2 that and 1/2 sharp. Fresh garlic run through a microplane to taste (I used about a tsp), 1/4 t smoked paprika, 1/4 t chipotle powder, 1/4 t ancho powder. Dash of oregano and a bit of finely chopped scallion (green part). Like others, only 1 T sugar.Did half as suggested on a baking sheet, other half in a mini muffin tin leaving room to rise. The minis were best.

Fluufy Cheddar Biscuits

Leave out some of the sugar and use chopped garlic instead of garlic powder

Heather

I whipped up the dough before I read the comments (silly me!) and was worried about the sugar content as I’m not a fan of sweet in a savory biscuit — but to my surprise, they weren’t too sweet at all. We used really good, really old cheddar, which was the predominant flavor, and a very high quality smoked paprika. Maybe that helped?These also freeze and reheat nicely — pop ‘em in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

d4v1d

This recipe surprised me by how well it turned out. Two notes: 1) Quarter teaspoon of hot paprika did not register; I'll try cayenne next time. And more of it. 3) To get twelve out of this, I put 1/3 cup (not 1/2) on the sheet pans.

David

I read the comments about omitting or reducing the amount of sugar. Despite the experienced bakers' advice, I questioned the chemical-reaction need for sugar. Jeanne McDowell wrote " You may be tempted to skip the 3 tablespoons of sugar in this otherwise savory biscuit, but don’t: It’s the secret to the biscuit’s tender interior." I would heed McDowell's guidance or make a different biscuit.

Barbara

Regarding sugar: here is an article from the Seattle Times about the various functions of sugar in baking, among them moisture and air retention: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/sugar-adds-more-than-sweetness-to-baked-goods-heres-what-to-know-before-you-cut-it/

Bobbi Loewy

Agree with Gretchen, way too sweet for me! Next time I'll go with 1 Tbsp.

teacherhansen

this was a great "reuse" strategy for the high quality nubs of cheese that were drying out in my fridge. I made the recipe as directed except halved everything (to make 6 biscuits). didn't melt butter--just dabbed extra on top (doesn't it melt in the oven?). fluffy inside, crispy outside. Flavorwise, the jury is out--I found the garlic powder/paprika combo to taste like a processed food boxed product--but my husband loved it. He'll have the remainder for breakfast with eggs (and bacon?)

Jim P

These were delicious. I wasn’t sure about all the butter basting, especially during the middle of baking when there was butter from the biscuits all over the pan. But I followed the recipe and the end result was beautiful.

BLS

Easy to make and delicious. A win in our house! I didn't bother with the second or third brushing of melted butter - they were absolutely delicious without.

BLS

Per my first comment: these were fabulous! I forgot to note that I adjusted two things based on previous comments and would do the same again:- Reduced the sugar and added only a scant tablespoon. These definitely don't need more sugar than that.- Added a heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard to the egg and buttermilk. English mustard powder would have been better, but I didn't have this on hand. I agree with previous posts that this is an excellent complimentary flavor to the sharp cheddar.

EP

Added chives to make these cheddar chive biscuits, and delicious!

Lilit

Add less sugar and may be a bit hot pepper

Lulu

These turned out bland and sweet, which surprised me because of how much cheese went into them. I blame myself for not tasting along the way. It also confirms my suspicion that unsalted butter it a waste - salted butter would have really helped the flavor.

Linda

didn't add any sugar, halved the recipe and yielded 7 biscuits, didn't shy on paprika, mixed everything in food processor, put them on sheet and stuck in fridge until ready to bake. delish

Tim G.

You can greatly simplify this recipe by skipping the buttering and “cheesing” the tops of the biscuits before and during baking. I skipped the buttering—the recipe has plenty of fat and flavor already—and just added all the cheese to the dough. The biscuits still turned out great. To add a little depth of flavor, I used smoked paprika. But to each his/her own on that, I suspect.

Jaimie

I am wondering if you can make the batter the day before and then cook them right before you serve them? That would certainly make it easier with all my other Thanksgiving cooking!

Joseph

I enjoyed these but I think they needed a little more salt. I used 1 tablespoon of sugar and thought that they turned out pretty fluffy. I agree with the other commenters -- extra paprika or cayenne would be a nice touch,

Crisp and fluffy

I'll add more garlic powder next time and maybe more salt. The flavor came out kind of muted.

Cathy

Oh my. I had to tie my hands behind my back to eat only one per sitting. I can't wait to make these for the family when they visit! Definitely too rich for a regular habit, but sure want to. I used just one Tbsp. sugar, but after reading about chemical reactions and all, I'll try the full amt. next time.

Mamajill

Made as directed by the genius EJM. Delicious , tender biscuits. Accompanied by sliced apples they made a perfect lunch.

Anne

I haven’t had Red Lobster biscuits, but assume from the recipe they are pretty bland. I read the notes and followed the recipe exactly. The biscuits were beautiful but sitting in butter even before the last dowsing. Since I didn’t pick up cheesiness, sweetness, saltiness, garlic or heat, I assume what’s really needed is more salt and black pepper.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Fluffy Cheddar Biscuits Recipe (2025)

FAQs

Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›

Heavy Cream.

The heavy cream adds flavor to the biscuit by adding a little more fat and helps hydrate the dough. The extra fat in the heavy cream is helpful because buttermilk in stores is often “low-fat” buttermilk.

What is the secret to the best biscuit? ›

The secret to the best biscuits is using very cold butter and baking powder. We've made a lot of biscuits, but this easy biscuits recipe is the one we turn to the most (they are so fluffy!).

What is the secret to making biscuits rise? ›

Embrace stacking. In biscuit-making, height and flakiness go hand in hand. Why? Because the layers of butter that get compressed and stacked as you build your biscuits are what create those flakey biscuit bits, and they also create steam in the oven — which helps the biscuits to expand as tall as possible.

Should you chill biscuit dough before baking? ›

But if you chill your pan of biscuits in the fridge before baking, not only will the gluten relax (yielding more tender biscuits), the butter will harden up. And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.

Why are my homemade biscuits so dense? ›

When you cut in your fat, you leave it in small pea-sized lumps. Those lumps get coated in flour and melt during baking into layers. If your fats are too warm, the lumps will melt and form a homogeneous dough, resulting in dense, leaden biscuits.

Which liquid makes the best biscuits? ›

Just as important as the fat is the liquid used to make your biscuits. Our Buttermilk Biscuit recipe offers the choice of using milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk is known for making biscuits tender and adding a zippy tang, so we used that for this test.

Are biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›

Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!

What's the difference between a Southern style biscuit and a buttermilk biscuit? ›

There are many theories about why Southern biscuits are different (ahem, better) than other biscuits—richer buttermilk, more butter, better grandmothers—but the real difference is more fundamental. Southern biscuits are different because of the flour most Southerners use. My grandmother swore by White Lily flour.

What does adding an egg to biscuits do? ›

As it turns out, adding hard-boiled egg yolks to your biscuit dough is a way to ward off an overworked, tough dough that can be the downfall of a butter-based pastry. When the trick is employed, the pastry shatters and then dissolves in your mouth quickly, tasting like a knob of flaky butter.

What makes biscuits not fluffy? ›

Overworking the dough will not only create a tough biscuit instead of a tender biscuit, but can also result in a flatter biscuit. The more you play with the dough, the warmer the dough becomes. If the fat becomes too warm it will melt into the flour and they won't rise as tall.

What kind of flour do southerners use for biscuits? ›

Interestingly, the go-to product for Southern biscuits is an all-purpose flour made by White Lily, though it is essentially pastry flour because it has a very low protein content.

What are the two most important steps in biscuit making? ›

The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.

Why are my biscuits flat and chewy? ›

The Problem: The Butter Is Too Soft

You should be able to indent it with a finger and your fingerprint should look like a clean divot. Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies.

How do you keep biscuits from getting dense? ›

The result: Tough, dense biscuits. Over-handling the dough can additionally over-develop the gluten protein in the flour, yielding a tough and chewy bite. As a general rule, handle the mixed dough as little as you can in order to roll, layer, or shape it.

Why are my biscuits always flat? ›

Whichever fat you choose to use in your biscuits you need to make sure your fat is very cold as opposed to room temperature butter or melted butter. The fat needs to stay cold so it stays solid in the biscuit dough, otherwise the fat melts becomes absorbed into the flour mixture resulting in biscuits that spread out.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 5689

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.