Easy Cheddar Bay Biscuits (No Butter in 20 Minutes)

These Easy Cheddar Bay Biscuits are made with my 2 ingredient biscuit dough, which means no cutting in cold butter, no biscuit mix, and no fuss. Just self rising flour, heavy cream, sharp cheddar, and bold garlic herb flavor baked into fluffy, tender drop biscuits in about 20 minutes.

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If you love those restaurant style cheddar bay biscuits but want something easier, faster, and made from simple pantry ingredients, this is your new go to recipe.

I am not using Red Lobster mix.
I am not using Bisquick.
And I am definitely not cutting cold butter into flour.

The method from my two ingredient biscuits works because it uses heavy cream, which already contains the fat and liquid biscuits need. That means fewer steps, fewer bowls, and zero biscuit drama.

❤️ What you'll love about this recipe

• No cutting in cold butter
• Only one bowl needed
• Ready in about 20 minutes
• Super fluffy and tender texture
• Freezer friendly for future biscuit emergencies

In short, these are the fastest homemade cheddar bay biscuits you will ever make.

Ingredients

You only need a handful of simple ingredients. The photo below shows everything required, and before you say "Hey Cynthia, I thought you said this didn't use butter" the butter is for the tops of the biscuits.

Substitution notes

• Self rising flour - If you do not have self rising flour, make your own by combining all purpose flour with baking powder and salt.
• Heavy cream - Do not substitute milk for heavy cream. The fat content in heavy cream is what makes this method work.
• Seasonings - You can swap the garlic and onion powder for Old Bay seasoning for a more classic seafood restaurant flavor.See recipe card below for quantities.
• Cheese - I like a nice sharp cheddar cheese, but any cheddar cheese will do. I always prefer to shred my own cheese because it melts into the biscuits better, but if you only have pre-shredded that will do the job.

See full recipe below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.

Why Heavy Cream Works

Traditional biscuits rely on cold butter cut into flour to create pockets of steam. But heavy cream contains 36 to 40 percent butterfat suspended in liquid. That means it already provides both the fat and the moisture biscuits need.

When mixed with self rising flour, it creates a tender, rich biscuit without any solid fat handling. No pastry cutter. No frozen butter. No food processor. Just stir and bake.

(p.s. don't try to use regular whipping cream or light cream. It must have the words heavy or double on the label)

Instructions

Making drop biscuits is so easy, you'll almost feel like it's cheating! Let's do this. Let's make restaurant Cheddar Bay Biscuits, only better!

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Step 1: Measure out your self rising flour and add garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk.

Step 2: Add in your shredded cheddar cheese and mix in. (I prefer to shred my own cheese for better melting.)

Step 3: Add your cold heavy cream.

Step 4: Mix together using a fork or a silicone spatula until you have a wet sticky dough. You did it right.

Step 5: Use a medium scoop (like an ice cream or cookie scoop) a ¼ cup measuring cup, or 2 spoons to portion out biscuit dough onto your parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 6: Brush the tops with a little more heavy cream and bake at 425°F for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and fluffy.

Step 7: While the biscuits are baking, melt ¼ cup of butter and stir in kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley flakes.

Step 8: Brush your butter mixture on top of the cheese biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool a few minutes before absolutely tearing into at least 6 of these things.

Hint: Your biscuits will continue to "bake" from the residual heat, so give them the space to do that. Allowing the biscuits to sit for about 10 minutes actually gives them time to finish cooking. If you break one open straight out of the oven, it may look a little gummy or even fall apart. Be patient. You'll still get a warm biscuit.

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