This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above! Jump to:💭 Why you’ll love this recipe📋 Ingredients and notes👩🏽🍳Make perfect flaky cheddar cheese biscuits!🍴 Top tips for flaky cheese biscuits! 🍴 Serving and storage suggestions 📖 Recipe💬 Comments
💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
Where do I even start?!
Ready in 45 minutes: Start to finish, this recipe has been tested so many times to make sure you have a hot batch of biscuits in under an hour. Great for make ahead: The biscuits and the dough freeze easily. So, it makes for a great make-ahead side for any family gathering or dinner party! Ultra, ultra flaky and easy bake recipe: I call these biscuits the “Leaning Tower of Biscuits” because they get so tall and flaky! Delicious!
📋 Ingredients and notes
You’ll need all purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, buttermilk, salt, and shredded cheddar cheese. For topping, I use butter, and minced garlic. This recipe can be made in a cast iron skillet (which browns the bottom really nicely) or in a regular baking sheet. The buttermilk acts as the binding agent.
Notes and substitutions
Buttermilk: I love to use whole fat buttermilk in this recipe because it provides a nice tangy flavor. No buttermilk? No problem. You can substitute whole milk or curdle milk with lemon juice or vinegar. To do this, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a cup of whole milk and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cheddar: I like to use Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese in these biscuits (this is not a sponsored post, I just love that brand!) While packaged shredded cheddar works in a pinch, even if you use a different brand, try to get a wedge of fresh cheddar cheese and shred it yourself if possible. If you’re looking for other cheese types to use, Pepper Jack is a great option. Vegan: To make these vegan, I’d recommend subbing the buttermilk with soy milk (unsweetened), plant based butter (Country Crock is a great option), and vegan Violife cheese shreds.
👩🏽🍳Make perfect flaky cheddar cheese biscuits!
First off - don’t be afraid of trying this at home! I promise you, this recipe is SUPER simple and you don’t need to pull off any magic tricks. You’ll get your hands dirty, but it’s worth it! First, pop the butter into the freezer while you get the ingredients ready.
Sift dry ingredients together or use a whisk to aerate
I use a sieve to sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar and garlic powder) together. This ensures that all of the components are mixed well together, and aerates the flour and prevents clumping. If you don’t have a sieve, you can dump the dry ingredients and whisk them together!
Shred cold butter and fold into the dry ingredients
I recommend using a box grater to shred the butter. To prevent the butter melting or sticking when you do this, just dust the sides of the box grater with some flour and then drop the stick of butter into some flour before grating to avoid it melting from the heat of your hands. This works like a charm.
Make dough and layer it on a well-floured surface
Add the cold buttermilk slowly to the flour mixture to make sure that the dough is evenly hydrated. You’ll notice that the dough is somewhat sticky - don’t overwork it or knead it! Shred your cheddar cheese and add this shredded cheese to the dough. Gently fold until it comes together. You can also use a pastry blender. P.S., if you haven’t used one of those, you’re really missing out! They make the whole process so much more fun.
Then, throw it on a floured work surface. Rock it side-to-side to get a nice smooth texture. You can stop here if you want but I highly recommend going to the next step to ensure maximum flakiness!
Flatten this dough gently, fold the sides in, and then flatten again. I usually do this three times before I cut my biscuits. This ensures crazy flakiness. Try not to use too much pressure if you can.
Punch out using biscuit cutter or by hand
Using a biscuit cutter makes even looking biscuits or cut them out by hand for more rustic biscuits.
The sharp edges of a biscuit cutter helps biscuits rise without losing shape. Try to avoid twisting the biscuit cutter. Just place on the dough and push straight down. Start from the corners of the dough, so you can just slide the biscuit off the edge. Then remove the cutter. Place the edge with the pinched rim facing the top. If you’re in the market for a good biscuit cutter, this is my favorite!
If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a ¼ cup measuring cup or glass, and press it straight down. Or for a more rustic biscuit, just scoop ¼ cup of dough and place on skillet and flatten them a bit to resemble a biscuit. These biscuits will still be flaky but maybe not as tall!
Bake using a cast iron skillet or baking sheet
These biscuits could called skillet biscuits, because I love the crispy bottom from using a cast iron skillet. That said, you can get equally delicious biscuits using a standard baking sheet. Remember to rub butter generously along the bottom of a baking sheet. If it’s a non-stick sheet, avoid parchment paper. If not, you can either use one or not depending on whether you want a more crispy bottom! Or, you can use a cast iron biscuit pan if you want the best of both worlds! Prepare a mix of the butter and garlic, and brush the biscuits with the melted butter mixture before they bake. Bake in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes. They’ll be a beautiful golden brown when they’re done. Brush the golden biscuits with butter blend again after. Enjoy your delicious, homemade, flaky buttermilk cheddar cheese biscuits!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
I love serving these biscuits with all kinds of soups and stews (think: butternut squash soup, Nigerian spinach stew, spicy pumpkin soup). But let’s be real, I probably just eat these biscuits on their own half the time (or with a generous dollop of this tomato miso jam when tomatoes are in season). If you have leftovers after you make this biscuit, I applaud your self control. Throw them in an airtight container and leave them out on the counter at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you put them in the fridge, I’d throw them in the oven at 350F for 5 minutes to reheat them. If you made excess biscuit dough or want to bake in batches in the next couple of days, you can wrap dough in plastic (tightly) and store in fridge for a day or two. I don’t recommend keeping in the fridge beyond that. I also love repurposing them into homemade dumplings! Have extra ingredients? Check out this recipe for Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). You can also freeze the biscuits in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready to eat them again, thaw them first for about 60 to 90 minutes so they’re at room temperature. Then, warm in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes. If you want to freeze the dough, just wrap them (tightly) in plastic wrap and throw them in the freezer for up to 3 months again. Then, you can repeat the same steps. Thaw, bake, enjoy. If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you enjoyed this recipe, you will also enjoy these other delicious sides:
📖 Recipe
Note: This recipe was originally published on August 16, 2020. It was rewritten and republished on August 27, 2022 with new pictures. The original recipe photos and step-by-step instructions can be found below.
Step-by-Step Visual Instructions I’ve aggregated the visual instructions together in one spot so you can confidently make these flaky buttermilk cheddar cheese biscuits!
