These skillet cheddar biscuits bake up golden on top, fluffy in the middle, and dripping with melted cheese around the edges. One bowl, one cast iron pan, and no rolling pin. They taste like the famous restaurant biscuits — only hotter, cheesier, and homemade.
Make them for dinner, brunch, or a last-minute side when you want something that looks impressive and disappears fast.
Why You’ll Love These Cheddar Biscuits
Ready in about 25 minutes from start to finish
No biscuit cutter, no rolling, no mess
Cast iron gives crispy bottoms and golden tops
Extra cheesy with browned spots like the photo
Soft and fluffy inside
Perfect with soup, chili, fried chicken, or breakfast eggs
Easy to double for a crowd
Ingredients
Makes 8–10 biscuits (one 10–12 inch skillet)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika (optional)
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¾ cup cold buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp vinegar)
2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing
Flaky salt or extra garlic powder, for finishing
Optional Additions
2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions
¼ teaspoon cayenne for a little heat
Mix of cheddar + mozzarella
1 teaspoon Old Bay or Italian seasoning
Extra cheddar piled on top in the last 5 minutes
How to Make Skillet Cheddar Biscuits
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a 10–12 inch cast iron skillet in the oven to heat for 5 minutes. A hot pan gives crisp bottoms.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and paprika.
Cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mix looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces.
Stir in 1 ¼ cups of the cheddar. Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix just until a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
Carefully take the hot skillet out. Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to coat. Drop 8–10 mounds of dough into the pan (an ice cream scoop works well). They can touch — that is how you get pull-apart edges.
Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheddar on top.
Bake 14–18 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.
Brush with melted butter as soon as they come out. Sprinkle with flaky salt or a pinch more garlic powder. Rest 3 minutes, then serve hot.
Tips for Tall, Cheesy Biscuits
Keep the butter and buttermilk cold. Cold fat = flaky pockets.
Do not overmix. Stop when the dough just comes together.
Preheat the skillet. That sizzle on the bottom is what you want.
Use freshly shredded cheese. Pre-shredded bags have starch and melt less smoothly.
If the tops brown too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last few minutes.
For extra restaurant flavor, mix ½ teaspoon garlic powder into the melted butter before brushing.
How to Serve
Serve immediately while the cheese is still stretchy:
Next to tomato soup or chili
With fried chicken or roasted meat
Split and filled with ham and eggs
As a snack with honey butter
On a brunch table with jam
How to Keep Them Soft
These are best the same day. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for 3 days.
Reheat in a 350°F oven or air fryer for 4–6 minutes so the outside crisps again. Avoid the microwave if you want to keep the texture.
Make-Ahead, Freeze & Store
Make-ahead dough: Mix the dry ingredients and cut in the butter up to 1 day ahead. Keep covered in the fridge. Add cheese and buttermilk just before baking.
Freeze unbaked: Scoop mounds onto a tray, freeze solid, then bag. Bake from frozen at 425°F, adding 3–5 minutes.
Freeze baked: Cool completely, wrap, freeze up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F until hot.
Variations
Garlic cheddar bay style: Add 1 teaspoon Old Bay and extra garlic butter on top.
Jalapeño cheddar: Fold in 2 tablespoons diced pickled jalapeños.
Bacon cheddar: Add ⅓ cup cooked crumbled bacon.
Herb biscuits: Mix in 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chives, or dill.
Drop biscuits without a skillet: Bake on a parchment-lined sheet, 2 inches apart, for 12–15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Yes. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and wait 5 minutes.
No cast iron?
Use a metal cake pan or oven-safe skillet. Preheat it the same way if you can.
Why are my biscuits flat?
Baking powder was old, dough was overmixed, or the oven was not hot enough.
Can I make them smaller?
Yes. Use a mini scoop and start checking at 10–12 minutes.
Are these the same as Red Lobster biscuits?
Very close. This version is a little less cake-like and extra cheesy on top, like the photo.
Final Thoughts
If you have a skillet and a bag of cheddar, you can have a pan of golden, buttery biscuits on the table in less than 30 minutes. They look bakery-level and taste like comfort food. Make them once and they will become your default side.
Printable Recipe Card
Skillet Cheddar Biscuits
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15–18 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 8–10 biscuits
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold butter
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar
- ¾ cup cold buttermilk
- Melted butter, for brushing
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 425°F. Preheat a cast iron skillet 5 minutes.
- Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Stir in most of the cheese and buttermilk.
- Drop mounds into the hot buttered skillet. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 14–18 minutes until golden.
- Brush with butter and serve hot.