Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (and What They Really Cost to Make)

Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits have a near-mythical status: warm, buttery, sharp with cheddar and brushed with garlic, they’re the reason half the table fills up before the entrees ever arrive. For a lot of people they’re the single best thing on the menu — and the one thing they’d happily order a whole basket of.

Here’s the good news. These biscuits are not just easy to recreate at home; they’re almost embarrassingly cheap to make, and you very likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. This copycat gets you the same craggy, cheesy, garlic-buttered biscuit, and below it you’ll find exactly what a batch costs to make — calculated from current US average grocery prices, not guessed at.

About Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits

What makes a Cheddar Bay Biscuit a Cheddar Bay Biscuit comes down to three things: a tender, fluffy biscuit base; plenty of sharp cheddar worked through the dough; and a garlic-herb butter brushed over the top the moment they come out of the oven. The original is a drop biscuit, which means there’s no rolling or cutting — you just spoon the sticky dough onto a sheet, so they bake up with those irregular, craggy tops that catch the butter.

The texture you’re after is rich and a little crumbly, not bready or dense. That comes from keeping the butter cold, not overworking the dough, and pulling them from the oven the moment the edges turn golden. Get those three things right and the result is genuinely indistinguishable from the restaurant version.

How Much Does It Cost to Make Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Home?

A full batch makes 10 biscuits for about $2.65 in ingredients — roughly $0.26 per serving. Ordering the equivalent at Red Lobster runs around $6.99, so making it yourself saves about $4.34 (62%). Those numbers come from current US average grocery prices (US BLS Average Price Data, May 2026), not estimates — the per-ingredient breakdown is in the table above. The savings are this large because you’re buying staple ingredients in bulk instead of paying for a prepared, served dish, and a single batch stretches across many servings.

Why Make It at Home?

Beyond the cost savings, making these at home means you control the quality of the cheese and butter, you can adjust the garlic and salt to taste, and you can eat them five minutes out of the oven — which, honestly, is when any biscuit is at its absolute best. A batch comes together in about 25 minutes start to finish, most of which is hands-off baking time.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2.5 cup All-purpose flour
• 1 cup Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 tbsp Cold butter, divided (half for the dough, half for brushing)
• 1 cup Whole milk (or buttermilk)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Garlic powder, garlic salt, and dried parsley (pantry)
• 1 tbsp Baking powder (pantry)

A few ingredient notes:

• Use a block of cheddar you shred yourself if you can — pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that keeps it from melting as smoothly.
• Cold butter is non-negotiable for flaky biscuits. Cut it straight from the fridge and work quickly.
• Buttermilk gives a slightly tangier, more tender biscuit; whole milk works perfectly if that’s what you have.

How to Make Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits at Home

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 14 min · Makes: 10 biscuits

1. Heat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt.
3. Cut 4 tablespoons of the cold butter into small cubes and work it into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the shredded cheddar, then pour in the milk and stir just until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Stop the moment there are no dry streaks — overmixing makes tough biscuits.
5. Drop 10 equal spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared sheet, leaving space between them. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the edges are set.
6. While they bake, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, a pinch of garlic powder, and a teaspoon of dried parsley.
7. Brush the garlic butter generously over the biscuits the second they come out of the oven, while they’re still hot, and serve warm.

Tips for the Best Results

• Don’t overmix. The single biggest mistake with biscuits is working the dough too much — mix until it just comes together and no further.
• Keep everything cold. Cold butter and cold milk give you steam pockets in the oven, which means a lighter, flakier biscuit.
• Brush the butter while they’re hot. The biscuits drink in the garlic butter when they’re fresh out of the oven; wait too long and it just sits on top.
• For extra-craggy tops, use two forks to drop the dough rather than smoothing it into neat mounds.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using pre-shredded cheese — the anti-caking starch keeps it from melting into the dough and dulls the flavor. Shred a block yourself.
• Letting the butter warm up. Soft butter blends into the flour instead of forming the little pockets that make biscuits flaky.
• Smoothing the dough into neat balls. Rough, spooned mounds give you the craggy tops that catch the garlic butter.
• Skipping the butter brush or doing it too late. The biscuits should drink in the garlic butter while they’re still oven-hot.

Variations to Try

• Spicy: add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the dry mix.
• Loaded: fold in a tablespoon of cooked, crumbled bacon and a sliced green onion.
• Extra cheesy: bump the cheddar to 1 1/4 cups and add a tablespoon of grated parmesan to the garlic butter.

Storage & Reheating

Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes (or 10 to 12 from frozen) to bring back the just-baked texture. Avoid the microwave if you can — it makes them gummy.

What to Serve It With

These are the ultimate side for anything seafood — a bowl of shrimp, a piece of baked salmon, or a classic clam chowder. They’re also fantastic alongside a weeknight soup or chili, or split and used for a breakfast egg sandwich the next morning.

The Bottom Line

Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits is one of those dishes that feels like it should be hard to make and expensive to buy — but at home it’s neither. For about $2.65 in everyday ingredients you get 10 biscuits, fresh and warm, for roughly 62% less than ordering out. Make it once and it’ll join the short list of recipes you reach for without thinking. Bookmark this one, grab the ingredients, and keep an eye on CopyKitchen for more copycat favorites with the real cost to make them at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are homemade cheddar biscuits really cheaper than Red Lobster’s?

Yes, and the gap is dramatic. A full batch of 10 biscuits costs a fraction of what a comparable restaurant order runs, because you’re buying ingredients in bulk rather than paying for a prepared, served product. The detailed cost breakdown above shows exactly where every cent goes, calculated from current US average grocery prices.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Biscuit dough is best baked fresh because the leavening starts working as soon as the milk hits the baking powder. If you need a head start, whisk the dry ingredients and cut in the butter up to a day ahead, keep that mixture in the fridge, and stir in the cheese and milk right before baking.

Why did my biscuits turn out dense or tough?

Almost always one of two things: the dough was overmixed, or the butter got too warm before baking. Mix just until the dough comes together, keep your butter and milk cold, and get the tray into a fully preheated oven quickly.

Can I make these without a stand mixer?

Absolutely — this is a no-mixer recipe by design. A bowl, a whisk, and your hands (or a simple pastry cutter) are all you need. Drop biscuits are the easiest biscuit there is.

What cheese works best if I don’t have sharp cheddar?

Sharp or extra-sharp cheddar gives the most flavor, but mild cheddar, Colby, or a Colby-Jack blend all work. Avoid pre-shredded cheese if possible, since the anti-caking coating keeps it from melting smoothly into the dough.

Can I freeze the unbaked dough?

Yes. Scoop the dough into mounds, freeze them solid on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 3 to 4 minutes to the bake time.

Cost figures use US BLS Average Price Data (US city average) and are estimates for comparison; your local grocery prices and the restaurant’s current menu price will vary. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.