Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits
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No rolling pin and no cutter, just a spoon and a hot oven. The garlic-parsley butter goes on while they're still steaming, and the basket is empty before everyone has found a chair.
The short version
Rub cold butter into the flour, stir in sharp cheddar, garlic powder and buttermilk, scoop onto a sheet, and bake at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Brush with garlic-parsley butter while they're hot.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Put garlic in the dough and on top. Garlic powder in the dough gives a quiet, even garlic flavor, and the brushed butter adds a second hit of it right at the end.
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Use cold, grated sharp cheddar. Sharp cheddar still tastes like cheese after baking, and cold shreds hold their shape instead of melting into the dough.
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Scatter extra cheese under the biscuits. A little cheese on the pan melts into a crisp, lacy edge around each biscuit. It's the first thing people eat.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- All-purpose flour2 cups
- Unsalted butter8 tablespoons
- Sharp cheddar1 cup
- Cold buttermilk1 cup
- Dried parsley1 teaspoon
Biscuits
Garlic butter
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
apron on. phone down. mostly.
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Heat the oven
Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
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Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and garlic powder in a large bowl.
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Rub in the butter
Add the cold butter cubes and press each one flat between your fingertips, tossing as you go, until the mix looks crumbly with some pea-sized flakes still showing. Work fast so the butter stays cold.
Flat pieces of butter make flaky biscuits. If the butter starts to feel greasy, put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
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Add cheese and buttermilk
Stir in the 1 cup cheddar, then pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a spatula just until the dough comes together in a shaggy, sticky mass. If dry flour remains at the bottom, add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time.
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Scoop onto cheese
Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons cheese on the sheet in 8 small mounds, spaced about 3 inches apart. Scoop a heaping ⅓ cup of dough onto each mound, letting some cheese poke out around the edges.
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Bake
Bake until the tops are deep golden and the cheese edges are crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes.
Biscuits can brown fast on the bottom because of the cheese. Slide a second sheet under the pan if yours do.
About 15 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Brush with garlic butter
While the biscuits bake, stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, parsley and salt. Brush it over the hot biscuits as soon as they come out, then let them cool for 5 minutes.
About 5 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
the stuff I’d tell you over the phone
- Grate the cheese yourself and keep it cold. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch and bakes up drier.
- Add 2 sliced scallions or a pinch of cayenne to the dough for more bite.
- For a version without butter cut in, see buttermilk drop biscuits and fold the grated cheese and garlic powder into that batter.
- Storage. Best warm the day they're made. Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature up to 24 hours, or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
Can I use fresh garlic?
Garlic powder is better here. Fresh garlic can taste sharp and burn on the bottom of the biscuits. If you want fresh, grate 1 small clove into the melted topping butter only.
What cheese works best?
Sharp or extra-sharp cheddar. Mild cheddar disappears when baked. A mix of cheddar and a little Parmesan also works.
Can I make these ahead?
Scoop the biscuits onto a tray, freeze them, and bake from frozen at 425°F for 20 to 24 minutes. Brush with the garlic butter when they come out.
Why did my cheese biscuits spread flat?
The butter got warm, or the dough was too wet. Keep everything cold and add the last of the buttermilk slowly.
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Yes. Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and let it sit 10 minutes before using.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 29, 2026.