Buttery, cheesy biscuits with golden, crunchy edges and soft, fluffy centers. An easy homemade favorite inspired by an old Betty Crocker recipe.

I started making these biscuits years ago using an old Betty Crocker baking powder biscuit recipe. Somewhere along the way, inspired by those delicious cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster, I started making a few changes.

I swapped the shortening for butter, added a generous handful of shredded cheddar cheese, and started dropping spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet rather than rolling and cutting traditional biscuits.

And honestly, I think mine are better!

The uneven, rustic shape creates all these wonderful little peaks and valleys that turn golden and crunchy in the oven, while the inside stays soft, fluffy and full of cheesy goodness.

These biscuits are especially delicious served warm with a big bowl of our homemade beef stew. In fact, in our house, beef stew just isn’t complete without them. We love crumbling the biscuits right into the stew or using them to soak up every last bit of that rich, flavorful broth.

They’re simple, delicious, and one of those recipes I find myself craving.

Homemade Cheddar Drop Biscuits Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: Approximately 12–15 minutes
Yield: 10-12 biscuits, depending on size

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar is my usual choice)
• ¾ cup milk, plus a little extra as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter and use a pastry blender or fork to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with small pieces of butter throughout.
4. Add the cheese. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until evenly distributed.
5. Add the milk. Pour in ¾ cup milk and gently stir until the dough begins to come together. Add a little extra milk, a tablespoon at a time, if needed. You want a thick, sticky dough that holds together well enough to scoop.
6. Drop onto the baking sheet. Using a large spoon, scoop generous spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Don’t worry about making them perfectly round or smooth. Those uneven peaks and valleys are what create the delicious crunchy edges!
7. Bake. Bake for approximately 12–15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown, the edges are crispy, and the centers are cooked through.
8. Serve warm. Enjoy them straight from the oven with butter, alongside soup, or crumbled into a big bowl of homemade beef stew.

A Few Tips for the Best Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Don’t overmix the dough. Stir just until the ingredients come together. Overworking the dough can make the biscuits tough.

Use cold butter. Cutting cold butter into the flour helps give the biscuits a tender texture.

Any cheddar will do. I usually use sharp cheddar because I love the extra flavor, but mild cheddar or whatever shredded cheese you have in the refrigerator works just fine.

Embrace the messy shape! Unlike traditional rolled biscuits, these are supposed to look rustic. The uneven edges become golden and crunchy in the oven, and that’s one of my favorite things about them.

Make a double batch. These biscuits tend to disappear quickly, especially when served warm!

What to Serve with Cheddar Drop Biscuits

These biscuits are wonderful with soups, stews, and just about any hearty family dinner. But my favorite way to serve them is alongside our homemade beef stew. The combination of tender beef, vegetables, rich broth, and warm, cheesy biscuits is the ultimate comfort food.

Get Our Hearty Homemade Beef Stew Recipe →

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Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s classic Baking Powder Biscuits, with my own changes to the ingredients and preparation.