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Tender Gluten Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Simple drop biscuits that are super easy to throw together, and taste just like the famous Red Lobster Biscuits. Perfect for any meal!
Table of Contents
- What makes these gluten free cheddar bay biscuits so special?
- Have you tried Red Lobster’s own gluten free biscuit mix?
- How to shape these gluten free cheddar bay biscuits
- What sort of cheddar cheese is best to make gf cheddar bay biscuits?
- Ingredients and substitutions
- Gluten Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits | Red Lobster-style Recipe
What makes these gluten free cheddar bay biscuits so special?
These are no ordinary gluten free biscuits (not that I really consider any of my gluten free biscuit recipes to be “ordinary”). But these are cheddar bay biscuits.
You know, the kind that Red Lobster serves? They’re crazy cheddar-cheesy, with just the right amount of garlic, butter and a light sprinkling of fresh parsley.
If you bake them a few minutes longer, you’ll get an extra crisp bottom that crackles when you break into it. That’s my favorite way!
Have you tried Red Lobster’s own gluten free biscuit mix?
I’ve read here and there online that Red Lobster has introduced a gluten free cheddar bay biscuit mix at Walmart! Since there is absolutely no Walmart anywhere near where I live ?and it doesn’t seem to be available online, it’s like a suburban legend to me so far.
I’m usually more inclined to make my own gluten free baking mix at home (like this one from my gluten free pancake recipe) than to buy a boxed gluten free mix since the flours are usually so grainy and disappointing. But I would really like to try the gluten free Red Lobster mix for myself.
If you’ve tried it, or you’ve been able to find it online, please let me know in the comments. I’m really anxious to give it a try! I’m crossing my fingers that the mix isn’t grainy since that is just … wrong. We’re gluten free, but quite human and have tastebuds like everyone else!
How to shape these gluten free cheddar bay biscuits
Unlike layered biscuits recipes, with these cheddar bay biscuits, there’s no folding and rolling to create light flaky layers. They’re drop biscuits, which means that you simply drop mounds of batter on a baking sheet.
When I first began making these biscuits, I made them with melted butter, and they still worked beautifully. But over time, I found that that made the recipe a bit more temperamental, and prone to leaking butter during baking. So now I just grate cold butter on a standard-size grater and mix it into the dry ingredients that way.
How these are a bit different from traditional drop biscuits
The method is slightly different than regular gluten free biscuits. Instead of simply dropping a mound of dough on a baking sheet, the biscuit dough is very lightly shaped into a round and then pressed gently into a disk. All the while, handling the dough as little as possible.
If you prefer to drop the dough by the mound onto a baking sheet, just flatten down any especially sharp edges so nothing burns during baking. Shaping these biscuits into disks before baking makes them really well-suited to being sliced in half horizontally and used for sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches, Eggs Benedict, or even as a hamburger slider bun.
What sort of cheddar cheese is best to make gf cheddar bay biscuits?
You can use pre-grated cheddar cheese, or grate your own from a block of cheese. If you use shredded cheddar, you may need to add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk to the mixture, since pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents that make them a bit drier.
Be very careful adding more moisture, though. The biscuit dough is meant to be just moistened. If you add more liquid than necessary, your biscuits will leak butter during baking. It’s not the end of the world, but it can be a bit unpleasant.
Ingredients and substitutions
Dairy free
There is quite a bit of dairy to replace in these biscuits, but I think it can be done with good results. Let’s take the dairy ingredients one by one.
In place of shredded, cold butter, I’d use Melt brand vegan butter or Spectrum brand butter-flavored nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening. Earth Balance buttery sticks aren’t a good choice, since they have way too much moisture.
In place of the shredded cheddar cheese, try using Daiya brand or Violife brand shredded cheddar alternative vegan cheese. Both tend to have good flavor. They will make a less crispy, more “spongy” biscuit, but it should still taste quite good.
In place of the buttermilk, I recommend using half unsweetened nondairy milk and half nondairy plain yogurt. I do not recommend using all unsweetened nondairy milk with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice, as that doesn’t begin to reproduce the taste or consistency of real buttermilk.
In place of the cream used to brush the top of the biscuits before baking, you can use an egg wash (beat an egg with a teaspoon of water or unsweetened nondairy milk). Or even some melted Earth Balance buttery sticks would brown nicely.
How to replace cornstarch
In place of cornstarch, try arrowroot or potato starch. If you have chosen to use a high-starch all purpose gluten free flour blend, like Cup4Cup, in place of cornstarch use 36 grams more of the flour blend.
Gluten Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits | Red Lobster-style
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; please click thru for details)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, cold and shredded
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, chilled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and whisk to combine well. Add the grated cheese, shredded butter, and 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, and toss to coat.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Mix gently, just until the dough begins to come together.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, roll each gently into a ball, flatten lightly into a dish about 3/4 of an inch thick and place about 2-inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the biscuits in the freezer to chill until firm (about 10 minutes). Remove the baking sheet from the freezer.
- Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to the heavy whipping cream, and mix to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops and sides of the chilled biscuits with the cream mixture.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake until firm to the touch, brown on the underside and lightly golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
- For a more crisp bottom, allow the biscuits to bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your biscuits sounds very good. Was wondering if I could use this biscuit on top of a gluten-free chicken pot pie and use your biscuits as my topper? Would I just dollop the biscuit dough on top of the chicken pot pie mixture and bake in the oven as directed? Have you tried doing this yet? My husband is the gluten intolerant in our house. So we mostly are gluten-free, especially for all of our meals. We have eaten at Red Lobster, bought the boxed mixture, and we have also bought the gluten-free boxed mixture. They aren’t terrible, gluten-free. But nothing like fresh on the table from the restaurant. Hope one day you’re able to get your hands on a box of it and just try it yourself!
Hi, Melissa, I’ve never used this particular biscuit recipe like that, and I do worry a bit that they’re a bit wet for that application. I think you’d have no trouble at all using my classic gluten free biscuits in that application, though, instead of drop biscuits which tend to be wetter.
Morning! Just looked at the recipe can I use that recipe like a drop biscuit? I need it to cover the pot pie mixture. Didn’t really want to roll and cut biscuits for this recipe. Thank you for getting back to me. Making this for dinner tonight.
Hi, Melissa, no you’d need my gluten free drop biscuits recipe for that. You might actually want to begin baking those on their own first before finishing them on top since the dough, like this recipe, is quite wet.
Your recipe is SO much better than the Red Lobster mix! Not to mention it is about $6. Im going to try this as a regular biscuit (without cheese and seasoning).
So glad you love this recipe, Barbara, but don’t just leave out the cheese! Just try my plain gluten free drop biscuits recipe. :)
I made these last minute to have with the borscht I made for our dinner. I didn’t have enough of your mock Better Batter on hand so used the GF flour mix that is stocked in Canadian Costco’s. It worked wonderfully! I’m looking forward to have soup and scrumptious cheesy buns for dinner again tomorrow.
Thank you
Hi Nicole. You are my GO TO site for GF recipes. I live in Tucson and there are many Walmarts here so yes, I use the Red Lobster biscuit mix. It’s more expensive then regular mix, but I think they’re delicious, not grainy. They mix up easy, grated cheese, 1 c cold water and the mix. Just like the old biscuick recipes. Then I drop them and bake on parchment lined sheet. The texture is good. We serve with soups, chili etc. I just nuke the leftovers the next day and we have for breakfast. Thanks for all your hard work in making GF options for us.
Could yousub cassava flour for the gf flour? My doctor has me on a grain-free regimen.
Definitely not, Ellen. I’m afraid you’d need an entirely different recipe developed to be made with cassava flour, which is not an all purpose blend.
We have tried the boxed Red Lobster GF biscuit mix & love it. We have actually done a side-by-side test with both Red Lobster biscuit mixes and prefer the GF version. They come out beautifully with a fluffy inside and crispy crust.
I cannot wait to try YOUR recipe — we can’t always find the mix at the store. And sometimes you just need a biscuit in a hurry. ;-)
Thank you!
I’ve tried the boxed GF cheddar bay biscuits. I thought they were awful. They were dry, and didn’t have the light airy consistency of the ones at Red Lobster. The taste was flat not tasty at all. I ate two and threw the rest out.
Yes, unfortunately the boxed mix for most gluten free baked goods isn’t very good.
I have found the Red Lobster GF mix in grocery stores and Big Lots. I don’t remember it being grainy, and it was tasty. However, I would much rather use your recipe than use the mix with added processed ingredients!