Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits with Sourdough Discard

If you plan on surprising your family with something truly delicious, these super tender Red Lobster cheddar biscuits are a perfect choice and another fantastic way to utilize your sourdough discard. Soft, buttery, cheesy, and incredibly flavorful, these biscuits come together quickly while delivering that comforting restaurant-style experience right at home.

One of the best things about using sourdough discard in biscuit recipes is the incredible flavor and tenderness it adds to the dough. Even though the discard is not acting as the primary leavening agent here, it contributes a subtle tanginess and richness that pairs beautifully with sharp cheddar cheese and buttery biscuit dough. The result is a biscuit that feels more complex and homemade than traditional quick biscuits.

These biscuits bake up beautifully golden on the outside while staying fluffy, moist, and tender on the inside. Every bite is filled with rich cheddar flavor, buttery layers, and that comforting softness that makes them almost impossible to stop eating. Brushed with melted garlic butter and fresh herbs after baking, they become even more irresistible and closely resemble the famous restaurant favorite everyone loves.

Another reason I enjoy this recipe so much is how fast and approachable it is. Unlike long-fermented sourdough breads, these biscuits can be mixed and baked relatively quickly, making them perfect for busy weeknights, holiday dinners, soups, barbecues, or family gatherings. It’s one of those recipes that delivers impressive results without requiring hours of preparation.

These cheddar biscuits pair wonderfully with soups, chili, salads, roasted meats, seafood, or simply enjoyed warm on their own. They are especially good served fresh from the oven when the cheese is still melty and the tops are brushed with warm garlic butter. The aroma filling the kitchen while they bake is absolutely incredible — buttery, cheesy, garlicky, and deeply comforting.

Using sourdough discard in recipes like this is also a wonderful way to reduce waste while creating something everyone genuinely enjoys. Instead of throwing discard away, you can transform it into tender bakery-style biscuits packed with flavor and texture.

One of my favorite things about these biscuits is how universally loved they are. Children and adults alike tend to grab them immediately from the baking tray, often before dinner even begins. They disappear quickly every single time.

Whether you are looking for a comforting side dish, a quick savory bake, or simply another creative sourdough discard recipe, these cheddar biscuits are guaranteed to become a repeat favorite. Warm, cheesy, buttery, and perfectly tender, they bring restaurant-quality flavor straight into your own kitchen.

Ingredients

Dough

• 113 g melted unsalted butter
• 200g buttermilk 
• 50 g sourdough discard (optional)
• 240 g unbleached all purpose flour
• 20g  granulated sugar
• 5g salt
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 2 tsp garlic powder 
• 200g shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)

Topping

• 50g melted butter 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• fresh or dry parsley 

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 450F
• In a  mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, spices and baking powder.
• In a separate bowl whisk melted butter, buttermilk and sourdough discard.

Note: these biscuits can be made with or without sourdough discard. If you don’t have any, just skip it.

• Pour liquid ingredients into a dry ingredients.
• Add shredded cheddar cheese and mix all together.
• Cover baking tray with parchment paper.
• Using table spoon, scoop the batter  and place evenly on to the baking tray. You should get about 10 biscuits.

• Bake for 12 min until golden brown.
• Meanwhile prepare the topping by whisking all ingredients together.
• Remove ready biscuits from the oven and spread the topping all over.
• Serve while it is still hot 

Enjoy!

Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits with Sourdough Discard

311kcal

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Prep 15 minutes mins

Cook 12 minutes mins

Total 27 minutes mins

These super tender, Red Lobster-inspired cheddar biscuits are an exceptional and savory way to utilize your leftover sourdough discard. Baked at a high heat, they develop a wonderfully craggy, golden crust packed with sharp cheddar cheese and garlic, all finished with a rich, brushed layer of melted parsley butter.

Servings 10 Biscuits

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Iconic Garlic Butter Topping

• ▢ 240 g Unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 20 g Granulated sugar
• ▢ 5 g Salt
• ▢ 1 tbsp Baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• ▢ 2 tsp Garlic powder
• ▢ 113 g Unsalted butter (Melted completely)
• ▢ 200 g Buttermilk
• ▢ 50 g Sourdough discard (Optional—see Notes block for yeast-free straight baking variation)
• ▢ 200 g Shredced cheddar cheese (About 1 cup)

The Iconic Garlic Butter Topping

• ▢ 50 g Melted butter
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ▢ Fresh or dry parsley (Finely chopped, to taste)

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Mixing Bowl
• ▢
  Separate Small Bowls (For melting butter and mixing wet ingredients)
• ▢
  Whisk
• ▢
  Baking Tray
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  Tablespoon or cookie scoop (For portioning the batter)
• ▢
  Pastry Brush
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Dry Blending & Emulsifying Wet Ingredients

1. 8:00 AM: Preheat your oven completely to a blistering 450°F (230°C) and line a large baking tray neatly with a sheet of parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 240g of unbleached all-purpose flour, 20g of granulated sugar, 5g of salt, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Whisk the dry ingredients vigorously together until uniform.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the 113g of completely melted unsalted butter, 200g of buttermilk, and 50g of sourdough discard until a smooth, emulsified liquid forms.

Combining & Craggily Drop Shaping

1. Pour the wet buttermilk mixture directly into the bowl of dry spiced flour ingredients.
2. Add all 200g of shredded cheddar cheese into the bowl. Using a flexible spatula or wooden spoon, mix everything together gently just until the flour is completely hydrated and a thick, uniform drop batter builds. Note: Do not overmix the batter, or the biscuits will bake up tough rather than tender.
3. Using a standard tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop uniform mounds of the wet batter and place them evenly onto your prepared baking tray. You should easily yield exactly 10 beautifully craggily biscuits.

High-Heat Blister Baking & Glossy Finish

1. Slide the tray into the preheated oven and bake at 450°F (230°C) for exactly 12 minutes until the outer ridges turn a beautiful, deep golden brown.
2. Prepare the Topping: While the biscuits bake, whisk together your 50g of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and your fresh or dried parsley in a small bowl.
3. Remove the hot biscuits from the oven. Using a pastry brush, immediately spread the aromatic garlic-parsley butter topping generously over the piping hot top crusts. Serve immediately while hot and melting!

Nutrition

Calories311kcalCarbohydrates23gProtein8gFat21gSaturated Fat13gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat5gTrans Fat1gCholesterol58mgSodium349mgPotassium91mgFiber1gSugar3gVitamin A663IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium244mgIron1mg

Notes

• The Sourdough Discard Flavor Enhancer: The 50g of sourdough discard inside this formula is included purely as a flavor asset rather than a leavening mechanism. The accumulated lactic and acetic acids inside the un-fed discard react beautifully with the chemical baking powder, introducing a rich, subtly tangy backdrop that deepens the savory profile of the cheddar cheese.
• No-Discard Modification Path: If your sourdough culture is currently dormant or you simply don’t have any discard on hand on baking day, you can still make this copycat recipe flawlessly. Simply skip the 50g sourdough addition entirely during step 3. The foundational chemical structure of the buttermilk and baking powder will still guarantee a perfect, sky-high biscuit rise.
• Preserving Flaky Tenderness by Mixing Less: The critical technical secret to achieving a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit interior is preventing gluten development. Once you combine your dry and wet elements, fold the batter together carefully until the dry flour pockets just barely disappear. Overworking the batter will develop the wheat proteins, turning your light pastries into tough, rubbery rolls.
• Storage and Reheating Strategy: These biscuits are absolutely best enjoyed warm straight from the baking pan, but they store beautifully for quick weekday snacks. Let any leftovers cool down completely, store them inside a sealed container in your refrigerator, and simply pop them into the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to melt the internal fats before serving.

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