A super simple recipe for Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits. Ready in under 25 minutes, no mixer, no rolling pin, no biscuit cutters required! These simple drop biscuits make a great quick and easy side dish for any dinner!
An Easier Way to Make Biscuits
I’ve been on a bread-kick recently. Homemade bagels (coming soon!), soft pretzels, homemade dinner rolls, it’s been carb-central over here for the past few weeks. But while I’ve been fawning over these yeast-raised recipes and all their sophisticated rising time and whatnot, my current favorite is an easy biscuit recipe.
As easy as my classic well-loved biscuit recipe is (it has over 900 5-star ratings!), this garlic cheese drop-biscuit version is even easier. No pastry cutter or grater required for the butter, no mixer, no rolling, just a super simple recipe that can be mixed up by hand and ready to accompany your favorite dinner in under 25 minutes. These would be great alongside a bowl of potato soup, chili, or baked ziti. Also great for eating by themselves as a snack… excuse the crumbs on my keyboard please.
It’s also incredibly flavorful, between the garlic and the cheese and that gloriously buttery, brushed-on garlic-butter bath. Delectably garlicky like my garlic knots, but no yeast and no waiting for the dough to rise here!
What You Need
First, gather your ingredients. Nothing too fancy here:
- Butter. You’ll melt this. I like to use unsalted and then add salt to the recipe (see my post on salted vs unsalted butter for more info).
- Flour. Use all-purpose, do not use self-rising or any other type of flour.
- Sugar. Just a tablespoon of granulated sugar adds a richness of flavor but doesn’t make these drop biscuits actually sweet.
- Baking powder & baking soda to give these biscuit babies some serious lift and a soft, biscuity texture.
- Garlic powder. A little goes a long way!
- Salt.
- Buttermilk. You may use my easy buttermilk substitute instead.
- Cheddar cheese. I recommend using sharp cheddar. Make sure to grab the thickly shredded cheddar (or shred your own!!!) and not finely shredded cheese. I mean, finely shredded will work, but the texture is much better with giant pockets of melty cheddar.
I also list a range for the amount of cheese to use. Originally I made and tested this recipe with ½ cup of cheese. When filming the video I accidentally used 1 full cup instead. I was going to re-do the shot and re-make the drop biscuits, but decided to go ahead and bake the ones with 1 cup of cheddar and the results were… incredible. If you like cheesy biscuits I recommend going with a full cup!
How to Make Drop Biscuits
This is the easy part.
- Whisk all of your dry ingredients and sugar together.
- In a separate large measuring cup, whisk together your buttermilk and melted, cooled butter (it’s OK if the butter is a little warm and curdles, the biscuits will still turn out!).
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir in cheese.
- Drop the biscuits by heaping spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and cook until golden brown.
- Brush with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley.
That’s it. Literally takes me less than 10 minutes of prep and then another 10 minutes in the oven for perfect, carb-y, garlicky, cheesy biscuits.
A Few Tips:
- Don’t over-mix the batter when combining the wet and dry ingredients. Stir until just-combined. Over-mixing will make the biscuits dense and harder.
- If you live on the East coast, a sprinkle of old bay is a great addition to make these into cheddar bay drop biscuits! Stir it in with the dry ingredients. A little goes a long way, I’ll usually only add about ¼ teaspoon.
- Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits will are best served warm, but they will keep for two days in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Use an ice cream scoop with a lever to easily scoop and drop rounded biscuits!
- Tuck any errant shreds of cheese into the biscuits before baking, otherwise they’ll crisp and maybe even burn on your baking sheet.
Enjoy!
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Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup buttermilk (118ml)
- ½-1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese use a thick shred, not finely shredded (55-110g)
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter or unsalted, just add a dash of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F (230C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt your butter and set it aside so it can begin to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder.
- In a separate bowl (or in a large measuring cup) whisk slightly cooled butter into buttermilk (it’s OK if the butter begins to re-solidify or the mixture looks curdled).
- Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just-combined.
- Use a spoon or spatula to gently stir cheese into batter until incorporated.
- Using a pair of spoons, drop batter by heaping spoonfuls (about 3 Tbsp in size) onto prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 2” apart.
- Transfer to 450F oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Meanwhile, prepare topping by whisking together butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley.
- When biscuits are finished baking, brush generously with butter mixture (use a pastry brush, or if you don’t have one simply spoon some of the butter on top of each biscuit).
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Kathie Holt
I made these exactly per the recipe and they were delicious. And so easy since you melt the cheese instead of cutting it in. My family ate them so fast I only got one! Next time will make a double batch.
Theo
Made these last night to accompany chili and salad. I put mine in a cast iron skillet that I preheated in the oven. My 13 year old devoured them. They were so good and easy that I made them again this morning to go with the leftovers for lunch. What I learned – fewer strokes when stirring in wet ingredients makes for a fluffier biscuit.
Lorley
We had a bit of turkey and veggies leftover from Thanksgiving but no carbs. So I found this recipe that makes a small batch of biscuits for my husband and myself. Let me tell you … these are so easy.. so soft ..and so delicious. I bake yeast buns and I’m astonished at the fluffiness of these little cheesy drop biscuits. They took no time at all and it’ll be a regular at our dinner table. I’m going to teach my young adult grand children how to make these. I can see these as a great snack for them. Wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Lorley
Ohhh I did want to say. I used a number 20 scoop and was able to get seven nice sized biscuits.
MR
Delicious. I make them exactly as stated, however my daughter has a dairy allergy and I make these safe for her very easily. I substitute milk/buttermilk for soy milk with 1/2tbsp or 1.5tsp white vinegar to curdle it. I use Country Crock Olive Oil sticks for the “butter.” And I use any non-dairy/vegan cheddar cheese. They are fantastic!!! Thank you so much for this recipe.
Sam
Thank you for sharing how the substitutions worked, and for trying my recipe, MR! So glad everyone enjoyed! 🙂
MR
We seriously cannot thank you enough for this. Our daughter loves these and they’re now used in her lunches with leftovers as she finds them scrumptious. They’re SO quick and easy to make, but the flavor – oh my gosh, it’s a mystery the version we make is dairy free, it’s just complex and rich and savory. Thank you again so much and Season’s Greetings to you and yours.
Mary Jane Peden
Nice easy biscuit. I’ll use a little less sugar next time bc I had it with soup. After supper I put some fresh Chokecherry jelly on one and it was delicious.
Ash
I’ve made these biscuits time and time again and they’re always so easy and wonderful! Did a bit of experimenting out of necessity and learned that the buttermilk can be replaced with unsweetened, plain Greek yogurt. I added an extra tablespoon of sugar to cut out the tang. They turned out just fine! A very versatile recipe, thanks Sam!
ST
So delicious! I often make a double batch just so I can have one. The family devours them!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you family loves the biscuits so much! Thanks for the review 🥰
Joli
I made a batch yesterday and they were gone the second they came out of the oven. And to think I had reservations with a biscuit recipe calling for melted butter. Lol. And because I had a bag of tillamook sharp cheddar butcher block thick cut shredded cheese. I hid 2 in the freezer for my breakfast. So what if I had to hide and eat them in the bathroom. Lol So today I’m making 4 batches so I can freeze some and give some away. A few seconds in the microwave and they’re just like you took them fresh baked out of the oven. Omg so addicting. Now I want to try Old Bay in recipe like you did in video.
Going on icurb list for pick up. Not being good at guessing, how much “Old Bay” do you put in? Thank you so much for this great, fast, easy recipe. I took photos sent to friends and that’s why I’m making 4 more recipes. One friend is a senior couple that I bake and freeze for. I have to make Angel Biscuits, too. Now that’s a hard recipe to find. I’ve tried about five and still can’t match my mom’s recipe that was my great grandmothers. And her cookbook was taken by my brother lost it. Ok Old Bay measurement, please.🤣🤣🤣 I talk to much! I’ve been a hermit since breast cancer treatment 5 years ago. That’s when I found your site and started baking so much. YOU and your recipes save me! I read your site like a novel. And love your peppy upbeat videos. You helped me bake a mixing bowl purchase 2 years ago. Your a sweet young woman to answer questions amd make recommendations. God will always Bless you Sam and your family for your kindness. Back to making biscuits.
Sam
🤣 I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Joli! This gave me a good laugh. I appreciate the lengths you go through to keep some for yourself. 🤣 For the old bay I added probably about 1/4 teaspoon. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the website so much and I hope you are doing well. 🙂
Holly
I’m assuming these can be frozen. Has anyone tried?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Holly! That will work just fine. They may need an additional minute or two to bake all the way through, so you’ll want to keep an eye on them. We hope they are a hit! 🙂
Pam T
We were making our homemade chili and discovered we had no garlic bread. I found your recipe but wanted something different than drop biscuits for the chili, so I hand flattened the dough, cut it into strips, added a little twist and cooked following your directions. I took a picture but don’t see where to share it. They were perfect!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Those sound adorable, Pam! Feel free to share a photo with us on Instagram @sugarspun_sam or in our Facebook group.
Amy
These biscuits were amazing! I made a double batch for biscuits and gravy but they were so good on their own. I tasted a small bite of one to be sure they were cooked all the way and told my husband he should taste a little bit, too. He took a little piece off the same biscuit and when I turned back around it was gone! He told me we shouldn’t tell the kids about them and split them between us! LOL!! Seriously, thank you so much for this recipe. My picky son even loved them!
Sarah
These are the best biscuits I have had. Made them for my family oh my gosh they ate them so fast that I only got 1. Now they ask me to make those biscuits like every day.
Cindy Lyons
Wow I made these to have with our seafood boil for New Year’s Eve dinner. I doubled the recipe and could have used more. They were a huge hit and everyone asked for the recipe. I will be using this recipe from now on. Thanks for making our meal even more special.
Dianne
Quick & tasty. Thanks for this recipe. Served with Salmon Chowder and they were a hit! As a aside, I didn’t do the topping as we were using them for dipping.
Misty
My husband – “best biscuits I’ve ever had”. I’m glad I doubled the recipe 😂
Radhikka Nagaraj
Came out perfect
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks for coming back to leave a review Radhikka ❤️