Vegan Cheddar Biscuits

 

30 minutes, one bowl, no yeast, no kneading, and so soft, buttery, cheesy, and garlicky that even people who have never tried a vegan recipe in their life will be reaching for a second and then a third before you can say anything. These Vegan Cheddar Biscuits are a copycat of the beloved Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits — completely reinvented without a single drop of dairy or egg, yet absolutely, undeniably identical in every element that makes the original so universally adored. Tender, fluffy, slightly crumbly, packed with vegan cheddar cheese, and brushed immediately from the oven with an outrageously good garlic herb vegan butter that soaks into the warm biscuit and leaves a glistening, savoury finish that is completely impossible to resist.

Prep Time: 10 mins  |  Cook Time: 18–20 mins  |  Total Time: 30 mins  | Servings: 10–12 biscuits

    

---

Ingredients

Vegan Buttermilk:

• 1 cup (240ml) unsweetened plant-based milk (soy or oat work best)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Biscuit Dough:

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (the authentic flavour secret — do not skip)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, adds a very subtle warmth)
• ½ cup (113g) cold vegan butter sticks, cut into small cubes and kept cold
• 1 cup (about 100g) vegan shredded cheddar cheese (Violife or Follow Your Heart recommended)

Garlic Herb Butter (brushed on immediately after baking):

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Pinch of salt

---

Instructions

1. Make the vegan buttermilk: combine the plant milk and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup or small bowl. Stir and set aside for 5–7 minutes until it curdles slightly and thickens. This is your vegan buttermilk.
2. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay seasoning, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper until combined.
4. Add the cold cubed vegan butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, quickly work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces still visible. Work quickly — you want the butter to stay as cold as possible.
5. Stir in the shredded vegan cheddar cheese until it is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.
6. Pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl and stir gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. The dough will be thick, sticky, and slightly shaggy — do not overmix or the biscuits will be dense and tough. A few streaks of flour remaining in the dough are completely fine.
7. Using a large spoon, a cookie scoop, or a ¼-cup measuring cup, drop generous mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 5 cm (2 inches) apart. Do not try to shape them into perfect rounds — the rough, rustic surface creates crispier, more textured edges.
8. Bake for 16–20 minutes until the biscuits are tall, puffed, and beautifully golden-brown on top and the bottoms are deeply golden.
9. While the biscuits bake, stir together the melted vegan butter, minced garlic, parsley, and pinch of salt for the garlic herb butter.
10. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately — while still very hot — brush each biscuit generously with the garlic herb butter so it soaks directly into the warm biscuit. Serve right away.

---

Notes

• Cold butter is the key: The same rule that applies to pie crust applies here — cold butter creates steam pockets during baking that translate into flaky, tender layers in the finished biscuit. Work quickly when cutting the butter into the flour and do not let it warm up before baking.
• Do not overmix the dough: Once the liquid is added, mix only until no dry flour pockets remain. Overmixing develops gluten and produces dense, bread-like biscuits rather than light, flaky, tender ones.
• Old Bay seasoning: This distinctive blend of celery salt, paprika, and herbs is the authentic flavour of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. It is widely available in supermarkets and online. If unavailable, substitute with a pinch each of celery salt, smoked paprika, and dried thyme.
• Drop biscuits vs cut biscuits: This is a drop biscuit recipe — the dough is dropped from a spoon rather than rolled and cut. This makes them significantly faster and more forgiving to make, and the rough, craggy surface creates crispier edges and better butter absorption.
• Make ahead: Mix the dry ingredients and cube the butter up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate separately. When ready to bake, mix together, add the buttermilk, and bake immediately.
• Storage: Best eaten the day of baking, still warm from the oven. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 160°C (320°F) for 5–8 minutes to restore the warm, fluffy, slightly crispy texture.

Hungry for more? 🌱 

Get 200+ done-for-you vegan recipes in 

The Complete Plant Based Recipe Cookbook

---