Garlic Cheddar Butter Swim Biscuits are everything you love about homemade biscuits, only easier and cheesier. Loaded with sharp cheddar and garlic, then baked in melted butter, they come out with crispy golden edges and a soft, tender center every time.
I have a little confession. I am not great at making traditional Southern biscuits from scratch. They never turn out quite as fluffy, soft, and airy as I'd like. But these cheddar swim biscuits? They're practically foolproof. They bake up cheesy, buttery, and flavorful thanks to the pool of melted butter.
The key is to mix the batter a little less than you think you should- just enough for the dough to be fully moistened by the buttermilk and no more. And don't worry if the biscuits brown more than traditional biscuits. That is just the butter browning and making the outer edges crispy.
They' re incredible sliced open for a breakfast sandwich and versatile enough to serve along side your favorite pasta dish as garlic bread. Enjoy! Xoxo -Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make these easy garlic cheddar butter swim biscuits.
- All purpose flour- You can use self rising flour. If so, omit the baking powder and salt.
- baking powder
- Butter- You can use salted butter or unsalted butter.
- Sugar
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cheddar cheese- You can swap out cheddar cheese for pepper jack cheese, Colby cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese. Freshly shred your cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains caking agents that prevents it from melting properly.
- Buttermilk- If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute it with milk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to each cup of milk. Allow it to sit out 10-15 minutes.
*Note: If you prefer a plain cheesy flavor, simply omit the garlic powder and onion powder.
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make cheddar cheese butter swim bisquits.
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir in cheddar cheese.
- Pour in buttermilk and gently mix until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully moistened. The batter should look thick and a little rough, not smooth. If it looks perfectly smooth, you have over-mixed.
- Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish and add butter to the baking dish. Place baking dish in oven and melt butter, watching carefully so that it does not burn. Once melted, remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Carefully pour biscuit dough directly over the melted butter. Use a spatula to evenly spread the batter. Some of the butter will rise up over the top of the dough. This is what you want (hence the name "swim biscuits"). Score biscuit dough into 9 squares.
- Return the baking dish in the oven. Bake 26-30 minutes until golden brown, rotating the dish half-way through. Keep in mind all ovens cook differently and dark pans cook faster than light pans. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of a biscuit. If it comes out clean, they are ready. If it comes out with wet dough on it, they will need a few minutes more to bake. Once baked, remove from the oven, and let the biscuits rest for 5 minutes to allow them to fully absorb the butter, then serve.
Watch how to make
Can you use an 8x8 inch baking dish?
If you do not have a 9x9 inch baking dish on hand, you can use an 8x8 inch baking dish. The biscuits will be slightly thicker and may require 3-5 additional minutes to bake.
Why melt the butter in the pan first?
When you add the biscuit batter into a hot, buttered pan, the edges begin cooking immediately. The quick hit of heat helps create crispy, golden, almost fried edges.
If you melt butter separately and pour into a room temperature baking dish, the dough won't start cooking right away. The pan will slowly warm up making the bottom of the biscuits softer and less structured.
Why add the cheese to dry ingredients?
When making biscuits, it is best to add the cheese to the dry ingredients before adding the buttermilk. This prevents extra mixing at the end, which helps avoid overworking the dough. Less mixing means less gluten development, creating tender biscuits.
Leftover Tip
Don't toss your leftover stale cheddar swim biscuit. They make AMAZING croutons!
To use right away:
Simply cube the biscuits, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Bake at 375-400 F for 10-20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
To freeze and make croutons later:
- Slice and cube the biscuits to your desired crouton size.
- Store in a freezer bag with as mush air pressed out as possible. Freeze until ready to use.
- When ready to make croutons, there is no need to thaw. Spread the cubed pieces out on a baking sheet and bake 375-400 F for 10-20 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Because the biscuits are seasoned and cooked in butter, you should not have to add extra oil.
Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Love Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits? For a copycat cheddar bay butter swim biscuit, simply melt 2 tablespoons of butter, mix in ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, and brush it over the biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven. They will taste just like the famous Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, only better!
When you make these cheddar butter swim biscuits, tell me what you think in the comment section! I would love to hear back! My readers will too.
Also post your picture of your butter swim biscuits on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale and use #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Easy Garlic Cheddar Butter Swim Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the 2½ cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon onion powder. Stir in 1½ cup sharp cheddar cheese.
- Pour in 2 cups buttermilk and gently mix until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is fully moistened. The batter should look thick and a little rough, not smooth. If it looks perfectly smooth, you have over-mixed.
- Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish and add ½ cup butter directly in the baking pan. Place baking dish in oven and melt butter, watching carefully so that it does not burn. Once melted, remove the baking dish from the oven.
- Carefully pour biscuit dough directly over the melted butter. Use a spatula to evenly spread the batter. Some of the butter will rise up over the top of the dough. This is what you want (hence the name "swim biscuits"). Score biscuit dough into 9 squares.
- Return the baking dish in the oven. Bake 26-30 minutes until golden brown, rotating the dish half-way through. Keep in mind all ovens cook differently and dark pans cook faster than light pans. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of a biscuit. If it comes out clean, they are ready. If it comes out with wet dough on it, they will need a few minutes more to bake. Once baked, remove from the oven, and let the biscuits rest for 5 minutes to allow them to fully absorb the butter, then serve.
Angela Campos says
I am so glad I came across this biscuit recipe. It was so easy to make and yummy! Looking forward to making it again, my kids love them!!
Mimi says
These are hands-down the best biscuits I’ve made in a long time! So easy to throw together, and the texture is perfection. My family couldn't stop eating them!
Terri says
I feel like I'm just going to add some bacon or sausage to this and have a big, fat breakfast.
Beth says
YES! These are going to be so perfect with my chili. I'm going to make this tomorrow. I'm already planning the chili.