Garlicky, buttery cheddar and herb biscuits that pair perfectly with everything from soups to pastas, and can even be used for breakfast sandwiches, these Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits (also called Cheddar Bay Biscuits) are super easy to make at home.

These Cheddar Bay Biscuits are light, buttery, fluffy and tender biscuits that taste just like the famous Red Lobster biscuits. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip up and enjoy with all of your favorite soups, pastas or seafood meals at home.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe

Hands down, the best part of going to Red Lobster growing up was eating your body weight in their Cheddar Bay biscuits! You could request basket after basket free with your meal, so I’m pretty sure I had to get my food to-go in a doggy bag almost every time because I had gorged myself on the biscuits!

Once I was old enough to have to pay my own way at restaurants, I decided to figure out how to make Red Lobster biscuits at home. My simple recipe just adapts a standard drop biscuit recipe to include shredded cheddar cheese, garlic, parsley and plenty of butter!

The result is a light, buttery, fluffy and tender biscuits that taste just like the real thing! I highly recommend doubling the batch if you want these to last for more than one meal because these biscuits disappear fast. (Don’t expect any leftovers from a single batch.)

A few years ago, Red Lobster came out with a packaged biscuit mix to make their famous Cheddar Bay biscuits at home – but honestly, since you had to still buy your own butter and cheese to incorporate into the mixture, the cost of the biscuit mix ended up being a lot higher than just making them from-scratch yourself and it really doesn’t save you much work.

close-up shot of a buttery cheddar bay biscuit in a cast-iron pan

More Homemade Biscuit Recipes:

Best Buttermilk Biscuits
Curried Carrot Biscuits
Ham and Cheese Scones
Honey Buttermilk Biscuits
Parmesan Garlic Biscuits from Bake Me Some Sugar
Gluten-free Biscuits from The Soccer Mom Blog

Why are they called Cheddar Bay Biscuits? Originally, Red Lobster listed their biscuits on their menu as “freshly baked, hot cheese garlic bread” which doesn’t accurately describe them at all. Eventually, they renamed them to Cheddar Bay biscuits to convey the seaside atmosphere of the chain – so despite what you may assume, these red lobster biscuits contain absolutely no bay seasoning!

How to store cheddar bay biscuits: These biscuits can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

What to Serve Copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits With:

shot of a few buttery cheddar bay biscuits nestled together in a cast-iron pan on a gray napkin

Cheddar Bay Biscuit Ingredients

Garlic Butter Ingredients:

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: avoid the urge to overmix the biscuit dough. This will cause the butter to melt prematurely and result in drier biscuits.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing Bowls
Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty
Cheese Grater
Baking Sheet or Cast Iron Skillet <– I love the versatility of a good cast-iron pan – you can make everything from eggs to dessert in them and they transition easily from the stove to the oven. This one is pre-seasoned and great for even heating
Pastry brush <– I like these for the same reasons I like the solid silicone spatulas and they also have a lifetime warranty

cast-iron pan full of buttery cheddar bay biscuits on a wooden table, a striped towel wrapped around the pan handle

How to Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter.

Add the oil, cheddar cheese and milk and stir until just combined.

in-process images of how to make cheddar bay biscuits

Portion the mixture onto an ungreased pan in 1/4 cup portions.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until tops are golden.

In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic powder and dried parsley.

Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the biscuits as soon as they are removed from the oven. You may want to brush each biscuit twice, allowing the butter to be absorbed into the biscuits in between each brushing.

Pin this Copycat Red Lobster biscuits recipe for an indulgent side dish with soup or pasta:

Garlicky, buttery cheddar and herb biscuits that pair perfectly with everything from soups to pastas, and can even be used for breakfast sandwiches, these Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits (also called Cheddar Bay Biscuits) are super easy to make at home.

Grab your free printable recipe card for our cheddar bay biscuits recipe:

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Yield: 8 biscuits

Red Lobster Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For the topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Dried Parsley

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter.
Add the oil, cheddar cheese and milk and stir until just combined.
Portion the mixture onto an ungreased pan in 1/4 cup portions.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until tops are golden.
In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic powder and dried parsley.
Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the biscuits as soon as they are removed from the oven. You may want to brush each biscuit twice, allowing the butter to be absorbed into the biscuits in between each brushing.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 597mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 15g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

overhead shot of cast-iron pan full of buttery cheddar bay biscuits on a wooden table, a striped towel wrapped around the pan handle

I hope your family loves this easy Red Lobster biscuit recipe as much as mine does!

For more beautiful breads, check out our full bread recipe collection here:

For more scrumptious side dishes, check out our full side dish recipe collection here:

Or for more homemade pantry staples, check out our full pantry staples recipe collection here:

Original image from 2015:

Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits