These easy cheddar cheese drop biscuits are made with just 3 ingredients and take 20 minutes to make! Tender on the outside, fluffy on the inside, it is made without yeast, without shortening, no buttermilk, and no eggs! Vegan, Gluten-Free and Dairy-free options.
With yeast, eggs, and butter hard to find, we’ve been making recipes WITHOUT them. No Flour cookies, homemade pop tarts, and these addictive cheddar drop biscuits.
What are drop biscuits?
Biscuits are an American and Canadian bread-like food, baked in an oven. They tend to have a tender, golden brown exterior and a soft, fluffy and sometimes crumbly interior. They are often also made without yeast, instead, using baking powder or baking soda as the leavening agent.
Drop biscuits, on the other hand, are the same thing as biscuits, except they are generally not rolled out, and simply ‘dropped’ onto the baking tray before cooking.
Are Drop Biscuits the same as British Scones?
Before we get into the details of the recipe, these American style biscuits can be called something different.
In Australia or the UK, these biscuits would be called scones and some may even call them muffins. To my American friends, biscuits, drop biscuits or savory breakfast muffins are also fitting terms.
Regardless of where you are and what you call them, they are truly delicious.
How to make cheddar drop biscuits from scratch
The Ingredients
- Self-rising flour- If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make your own following these instructions. For those who follow a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free self-rising flour.
- Cheese- Cheddar cheese, Edam cheese or tasty cheese all work. I don’t recommend pizza cheese or mozzarella, as it tends to burn the tops. See notes below for tested vegan and dairy-free options.
- Milk- Needed to smooth out the dough. Any milk works. I used oat milk, which is a plant-based, dairy-free and vegan milk.
The instructions
Making these cheese drop biscuits is ridiculously simple, and requires just one bowl and 20 minutes to make!
To start, in a large mixing bowl, add all your ingredients and mix well, until a sticky dough remains. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto a lined pan, around 1-2 inches apart. You will want to repeat this process until all the dough is used.
Bake the drop biscuits for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside. Finally, you’ll remove them from the oven and cool on the pan, or enjoy immediately.
Can I make these vegan and dairy-free?
This recipe definitely works with vegan cheese BUT with a twist.
While there are shredded blends readily available, I’ve found that using torn pre-sliced pieces of cheese to work wonderfully, and really resemble the dairy counterpart. I’d consider adding a pinch of sea salt and spices, as flavor-wise, it was a little blander.
When it comes to what brand of vegan and dairy-free cheese, I prefer using these cheddar style slices or these swiss style slices. Simply tear them roughly into bite-sized pieces, enough to fill either 1-2 cups and you’ll be set!
For the milk, just be sure your milk is on the non-dairy variety (as I used!) and you’ll be fine!
Storing and freezing cheddar drop biscuits
- To store: Leftover cheddar biscuits should be stored in a sealable container. They will keep fresh at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerated for up to 7 days.
- To freeze: Drop biscuits are freezer-friendly so place cheddar biscuits in a ziplock bag and keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To re-heat or thaw: If re-heating from the fridge, microwave for 20-30 seconds. If reheating or thawing from the freezer, let sit at room temperature (or in the fridge overnight) first. You can also reheat in a pre-heated oven.
Tips and Tricks for PERFECT Cheddar Drop Biscuits
- Do not over-mix the dough- Just mix enough until everything is combined.
- Remember, these are DROP biscuits, so they aren’t supposed to look pretty or uniform in size and shape.
- For ultra cheesy biscuits, add 2 full cups of cheese. You only need 1 to mix the ingredients around, but two takes it up a notch!
- You can also make these biscuits slightly larger and used as rolls or burger buns.
- Remember, if using vegan and dairy-free cheese, PLEASE use torn up slices or self-shredded cheese. Packaged vegan shredded cheese does not melt well at all (ironically).
More delicious bread recipes WITHOUT yeast
Cheese Biscuits (3 Ingredients!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour gluten-free, if needed
- 1-2 cups shredded cheese of choice * See notes
- 1 1/3 cups milk of choice I used oat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease a baking tray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all your ingredients and mix well.
- Using a 1/4 cup or cookie scoop, pour biscuits onto the greased baking tray, forming a dome-like shape. Ensure you space them evenly as they rise and spread. Bake for 20-25minutes, or until lightly golden on top and cooked through the center, but not overcooked- It should be fluffy.
- Remove from oven and enjoy immediately or cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made these biscuits for our church retreat. We made 240 biscuits in an hour and everyone loved them! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this to go with some homemade spaghetti and they were amazing. I was a little nervous to see how they’d turn out but it was perfect. I did use two cups of medium cheddar cheese. I was wondering if I wanted to add garlic as well what would you suggest? Thank you!