If you’ve been looking for perfect, flaky gluten-free cheddar biscuits, wait until you try this recipe! My recipe has lots of flaky layers and delicious flavors similar to Red Lobster’s Gluten-Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits! A bonus, they are so easy to make in about 30 minutes!
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You can also bake these cheesy biscuits in your air fryer, following the air fryer directions in my Air Fryer Biscuits recipe.
My family and I seriously can’t stop eating these biscuits! This is a recipe I have been working on for a couple of months, on and off. One of my newsletter readers asked me if I had a gluten-free cheese biscuit recipe, and I decided to perfect the recipe I had been working on for her.
I like to test my recipes with at least two gluten-free flour blends, but in this case, my base Gluten-Free Biscuit recipe has already been tested with over 13 gluten-free flour blends. This gave me a good starting point, so it really came down to getting the right balance of cheese and flavor.
These homemade cheddar biscuits are gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, and oat-free. Make them dairy-free using plant-based butter and cheese. (Violife is my favorite dairy-free cheese in this recipe.) I also have a lot of fun biscuit flavors that you can see in this list of gluten-free biscuit recipes!
Grab some mixing bowls and a biscuit cutter, and get ready to make biscuits! If you prefer to bake without grains, you can also make my Paleo Biscuits and add the same seasonings as this recipe to mimic the flavor.
Recipe Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder such as xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- Cheddar Cheese – either buy shredded or shred some yourself. I prefer sharp cheddar, but mild cheddar also tastes great! Use plant-based cheese, such as VioLife or Daiya, for a dairy-free version.
- Butter – Use very cold butter. It will help make those flaky layers! Use plant-based butter for a dairy-free option.
- Garlic Powder – Substitute this for two cloves of minced garlic, but make sure it is minced into tiny bits.
- Milk – I use whole milk, but 2% and skim should also work well. Note that real milk is what gives the tops a golden color. If you use dairy-free milk, the recipe will still work, but you won’t get golden tops.
You can also make these Gluten-Free Bisquick Biscuits with cheddar cheese.
A Note From My Kitchen
One of the comments I get on my biscuit recipes is how good they taste. I put a lot of time into creating and perfecting my biscuit recipes. To me, biscuits are pure comfort food, and I want all of you to be able to enjoy perfect, flaky biscuits. I will walk you through every step to make this recipe, but please remember that every flour blend is different. If your biscuit dough seems wet, add more flour 1 TBSP at a time. If your dough seems dry and it is cracking, add more milk, 1 TBSP at a time. It is very normal to have to make small adjustments because every gluten-free flour blend behaves a little differently.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuits (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend. Add the cheese and dried seasonings. Whisk again.
Step 2: Use a pastry blender to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The mix should look like it has small pebbles in it.
👀 Sandi Says: NOTE: If you don’t have a pastry blender, I recommend freezing your butter and using a large cheese grater to grate the butter into the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Pour in the milk and mix the ingredients until you have a soft dough ball.
Step 4: Press the dough onto wax paper until it is 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. It is okay to dust the wax paper and the top of the dough if the dough is sticky. You can also cut them out on a silicone mat.
Step 5: Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit shapes. Take the extra dough and press it again to cut more biscuits out.
Step 6: Put a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Move the cut out biscuits onto the parchment paper. Brush the tops of each biscuit with some milk. This will help the tops brown better.
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These biscuits are ready to bake at 400ºF. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the tops are slightly golden. The actual bake time may vary slightly depending on the size and thickness of your biscuit dough.
Baked gluten-free cheddar biscuits fresh out of the oven!! For another fun flavor, check out these Gluten-Free Cornmeal Biscuits too!
Tips For Perfect Gluten-Free Biscuits with Cheddar:
- Use cold or frozen butter. If your butter gets too warm after cutting out the biscuits from the dough, chill the biscuits for 20 minutes.
- It is important to use aluminum-free baking powder in this recipe. I use a larger quantity to get a tall rise, and using regular baking powder will leave a metallic taste.
- Do not twist the biscuit cutter when cutting out the biscuits. This will seal the edges, and your biscuits will not rise.
Flavor Variations:
- Swap the cheddar for mozzarella and fresh basil.
- Use pepper Jack cheese for some added spice.
- Try gorgonzola cheese for a savory, sharp flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Most shredded cheese is gluten-free. It is dusted with cellulose powder to prevent sticking. As a backup, always read the ingredients label to ensure no gluten.
You can easily make these plain by omitting the garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, and cheddar cheese.
That is a tough question. You can use dairy-free vegan butter and cheese, but the flavor may be slightly different due to the way vegan cheeses melt. VioLife is by far the best dairy-free cheese to try in this recipe.
These gluten-free biscuits will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
These biscuits can easily be frozen. Put them into a freezer-safe ziplock-style bag. They will keep up to four months.
I recommend refrigerating your cheese biscuits because gluten free flour blends tend to have fewer preservatives, and they can spoil quickly.
This can happen if you overwork your dough. I always recommend mixing by hand and not using a food processor or mixer.
These gluten-free cheese biscuits are so good with melted butter! If you love cheddar cheese as much as we do, try my Gluten-Free Cheez Its Crackers.
I made these last weekend to use for breakfast! Minus the garlic. Added sausage gravy, more shredded cheese, & some fried eggs on top
Leslie W.“
“More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes:
If you enjoy baking bread, I have a lot of great recipes for you to discover. Here are my favorites:
- Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
- Easy Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread
- Gluten-Free Flatbread
- Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Biscuits
Love This Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuit Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free recipe? I would love to hear how it turned out, and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy Gluten Free Cheddar Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 tablespoon baking powder aluminum-free is critical
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- ⅔ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons milk for brushing over the biscuits
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º F
- In a large bowl, add 2 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon cane sugar. Whisk to blend.
- Add the cold 1/2 cup unsalted butter and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. When you are done, it will look like there are pebbles in the flour. If you do not have a biscuit cutter, freeze the butter and use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the flour.
- Pour the 1 cup milk and 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese into the bowl and mix into a dough ball.
- Place a piece of wax paper down and put the dough ball on it. Feel free to dust the dough with a little gluten free flour.
- Press the dough to 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit shapes. Do not twist the biscuit cutter when pulling it out of the dough.
- Place the biscuits onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Brush the top of each biscuit with milk. This will help the tops get golden.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. Actual time may vary depending on the size of your biscuits.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Cup4Cup blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter, use non-dairy milk, and use a vegan cheese that melts like VioLife.
- I used full-fat milk, but 2% will also work well.
- These biscuits will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Not sure what I did wrong but my biscuits turned out dense and doughy. The flavor was good though.
Hi, I am happy to troubleshoot. What flour blend did you use? How cold was your butter? Dense can come from overworking your dough where the butter melts, twisting the biscuit cutters so the biscuits can’t rise up, and if you use a really grain heavy flour blend.
I bought Clabber Girl baking powder because it clearly states Gluten Free. When I read ingredients it states it has Sodium Aluminum Sulfate. I assume this won’t work in this biscuit recipe. What is the difference? Still learning the GF life lessons!
Hi LeeAnn, the problem with aluminum baking powder is it leaves a metallic aftertaste. I use a lot of baking powder in my biscuit recipes to get them to rise, and using that much with aluminum doesn’t taste good.
You nailed it with this recipe. Thank you so much.
I used King Arthur flour, and added a couple of good shakes of smoked paprika.
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I am so glad you loved them!
I used cup for cup and they made for a delicious biscuits and gravy breakfast!
I am really glad you loved the recipe, Jaclyn. Thank you!
When will video be posted? Thanks
I don’t recall saying I was making a video. They are really time consuming so I don’t make a video for every post I make.
I think mine turned out ok. Used Tillamook 3 cheddar blend but will use a sharp cheddar next time to have more cheddar flavor. It may have rolled the dough too much — they didn’t seem to rise, Next time I may just flatten by hand?
Hi Jane, there are a few reasons why your biscuits didn’t rise. First, which flour blend did you use? Did you use aluminum-free baking powder and double-check the expiration date? I press my dough by hand, but rolling shouldn’t affect the rise. Did you twist the biscuit cutter when cutting the biscuits out with a biscuit cutter? Twisting will seal the edges, and this will inhibit rising too.
Turned out great! My mixture was too crumbly so I added a splash more milk & they came out perfect! I left out the garlic since I was going to be using them with breakfast stuff, & eating now with sausage gravy, shredded cheese, & fried eggs on top😉
You did the right thing. Every gluten free flour blend is a bit different, and the wet-to-dry ingredient ratios can vary because of this. I am really glad you loved the recipe!
I have not made these yet but would like too
I only have brown rice flour and Coconut Flour. Do I need Guar Gum for this flour mixture?
Thanks
Those flours in combination will not work. Coconut flour needs a TON of extra moisture than any other flour.
After messing up your last perfect recipe (I do have my own forgotten blog and I promise I am an accomplished cook)I was a bit nervous to try another GF biscuit, but I made this gorgeous soup and felt my hubby needed something to stick to his ribs in this cold weather. I didn’t have dried parsley but did have dried chives. I only had 1 c of BM GF flour left and had just bought some brand from Costco you hadn’t tested. Very risky! Fortunately for me, they turned out perfect! I will admit I was shocked! My hubby ate three and then finished mine when I was too full to eat my own (I get full easily and won’t overeat with my GI issues)
I want to thank you for all your help with the soda vs powder and aluminum issue. You’re a lifesaver!! These were great!!
LOL, your comment made me smile. I make biscuits with soup all of the time. It really does help stick to the ribs!! I am really glad the biscuits turned out well, and that everyone loved them.
Can’t wait to make them but wondering can I make them a day ahead? And how should they be reheated? Thank you!
Hi Patty, you can make these ahead. I reheat them in the microwave oven. You can also reheat them in the oven but wrap them in foil so they don’t burn on top. t
I made these two days ago and found them to be fabulous!!! This morning I had one with my coffee and they are still fresh. The only difference I made was using whipping cream instead of whole milk and I had forgotten the sugar. They were still terrific! Easy to make. My non-gf hubby loved them too!
I am so glad you loved them Linda. They are one of my favorites!
These biscuits were so easy to make and my family couldn’t believe they were gf! Definitely a keeper.
I am so glad you all loved them 🙂
I am definitely giving these a try. I’ve been relying on Aldi’s LiveGFree cheddar biscuit mix. While it’s very good for a boxed mix ( even better than Red Lobsters GF mix) nothing can beat homemade!!
I am so glad you are giving this recipe a try! Enjoy 🙂
These biscuits are incredible! I love making and sharing them.
I am so glad you enjoyed them Diana! Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
will be making this soon can i use vegan butter / cheese and almond milk as am a vegan perfect for my office snacks and home snacks while i work on the computer and phone will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hi Ramya, I have not tested this recipe with almond milk, but if you use that I recommend plain unsweetened unflavored almond milk.