How to Make Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Home

Light, fluffy, cheesy, and so crazy good, this Copycat Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe is better than the original! If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it’d be biscuits, and these cheesy, garlicky, delish biscuits are at the top of the list.

Copycat Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe

I’ve been making homemade biscuits forever, ever since Mama taught me.

Her buttermilk biscuits are still the best thing on the planet, because nothing beats Mama’s homemade biscuits!

This Copycat Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe comes in a close second.

They’re light, fluffy, cheesy, garlicky, and full of flavor. I won’t say they’re just like Red Lobster’s biscuits—because I think they’re much better!

Why You’ll Love My Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe

• Tastes better than the real thing from the restaurant.
• Uses the secret ingredient of buttermilk which adds moisture and a delicious tanginess to the biscuits.
• Easy to make with self-rising flour because there is no need to add baking powder or salt to your recipe.
• These biscuits are warm, cheesy, packed with garlic flavor and a perfect addition to any meal.

Ingredients for Red Lobster Biscuits

• Self-Rising Flour: The main ingredient in these cheesy biscuits, this acts like a Red Lobster biscuit mix and helps make fluffy biscuits without extra baking powder or baking soda.
• Vegetable Shortening (like Crisco): Shortening helps keep the biscuit dough soft and tender, giving you buttery biscuits just like the famous biscuits from Red Lobster.
• Whole Buttermilk: This adds richness and flavor, just like in homemade buttermilk biscuits.
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese: The best thing about these copycat cheddar bay biscuits is the cheese. Using sharp yellow cheddar cheese gives the biscuits a bold, cheesy flavor just like the real thing.
• Garlic Salt: The easiest way to add both saltiness and that classic garlic flavor Red Lobster is known for.
• Garlic Powder: A little garlic powder mixed into the dough gives a deeper garlic flavor. This makes sure every bite tastes just like the famous cheddar bay biscuits.
• Unsalted Butter: Melted butter brushed over the tops of the biscuits gives them a nice buttery topping.
• Fresh Herbs: If you want to take these to the next level, sprinkle in some fresh herbs like parsley. They add color and a little extra flavor.

How To Make Red Lobster Biscuits

• Preheat Oven: Set your preheated oven to 500°F. This high heat helps make these famous biscuits soft on the inside and golden on top.
• Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, add the self-rising flour. Use your fingers to work in the vegetable shortening until the mixture looks crumbly, like little peas. This will make sure you get fluffy biscuits instead of dense ones.
• Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in the whole buttermilk and shredded cheddar cheese using a wooden spoon. The buttermilk keeps the biscuit dough soft and gives a slight tangy flavor.
• Shape the Dough: Lightly dust your countertop with flour. Pat the dough into a rectangle—no need for kneading! Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 8-10 squares. This trick is the easiest way to shape biscuits without rolling them out.
• Prepare for Baking: Place the cut biscuits into a greased cast iron pan so they are just touching. If you don’t have one, a round cake pan or casserole dish will work fine. The biscuits touching each other helps them rise higher while baking.
• Make Garlic Butter Topping: Melt butter and stir in a teaspoon garlic powder and garlic salt. Pour this buttery mixture over the tops of the biscuits before baking. They’ll have a buttery topping that makes them taste just like the real thing.
• Bake: Put the biscuits in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until they turn golden brown.
• Add More Butter: Melt the rest of the unsalted butter and mix in another little garlic powder. Once the hot biscuits come out of the oven, brush the buttery mixture over the tops of the biscuits using a pastry brush.
• Serve & Enjoy: These easy biscuits are best served warm, right out of the oven.

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Don’t overwork the biscuit dough, or your biscuits will be hard and tough.
• Sharp cheddar is my favorite in these Red Lobster garlic biscuits, but you can use any kind of cheese, including Pepper Jack, if you want to add a bit of spice.
• Eat these biscuits fresh from the oven. Let them cool a bit, and then serve while still warm.
• This recipe is easy to double, and they’re so good that you may need extra!
• You can also use cold butter for a slightly different texture if you don’t want to use vegetable shortening.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix whole milk with a little vinegar for a quick substitute.

Ways to Serve Red Lobster Biscuits

These flavorful Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits go so well with just about everything.

Here are some great ways to serve these Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits:

• Grab one on the way out the door in the morning for a quick breakfast.
• Serve them with a bowl of my best ever vegetable beef stew.
• Dunk them into my Irish lamb stew (SO GOOD!).
• Tuck a slice or two of ham inside a sliced biscuit for a quick breakfast or lunch.
• They work great to sop up gravy, like with my crock pot pork chops with mushroom soup recipe.
• These biscuits are great with pot roast, like my Mississippi Pot Roast.

How to Store Leftover Red Lobster Biscuits

If you’ve got any leftover biscuits (which ain’t likely!), store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If you want to keep them fresh longer, pop them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

When you’re ready to eat, just warm them up in an air fryer, toaster oven, or regular oven at 350°F until they’re nice and golden brown again.

A little extra buttery topping never hurt either—just brush on some melted butter before reheating for that fresh-baked taste!

Other Great Bread Recipes

• Sweet Potato Buttermilk Biscuits
• 3 Ingredient Biscuits
• Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
• Copycat Longhorn Bread (tases AMAZING with my copycat Texas Roadhouse Butter recipe.)

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Red Lobster Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups self rising flour
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening like Crisco
• ¾ cup whole buttermilk
• 1.5 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder + 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 stick unsalted butter

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
• Using your fingers, work the shortening in with the flour in a large bowl until the flour appears crumbly, about the size of little peas. Stir in the buttermilk and shredded cheddar with a wooden spoon.
• Lightly dust your countertop with a little flour. Pat the dough down into a neat rectangle, no reason to do any kneading really. Using a pizza cutter, slice the biscuits into 8-10 squares. Place the biscuits into a greased cast iron pan or if you don’t have one, a round cake pan or any casserole dish will do, with the sides of the biscuits just touching.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir in the tablespoon of garlic powder and garlic salt. Pour on top of the biscuits. Bake for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned.
• Melt the rest of the butter. Add the teaspoon of garlic powder and stir. Brush the mixture on top of the biscuits once they come out of the oven.
• Inhale. Repeat.