These Easy Vegan Cheddar Biscuits taste just like the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster, but they are entirely plant-based and easy to make at home in just 30 minutes! Buttery, flaky, and garlicky, with a generous amount of vegan cheddar cheese mixed into the dough, making them incredibly flavorful and addictive.
These vegan cheddar bay biscuits are a twist on this classic American dish. So buttery, flaky, vegan cheesy delicious. These are some serious comfort food heaven. Serve these alongside your favorite vegan seafood recipes, or they are also amazing with soups! I even enjoy them alone as a little snack.
Common Questions:
Can you make red lobster biscuits without cheese? Yes absolutely. If you prefer cheese-less biscuits, simply omit the vegan cheese from the recipe. You will still have fluffy perfect biscuits!
Can I make these vegan cheddar biscuits ahead of time? Yes! You can make these biscuits ahead of time and store for later. Prepare the biscuits according to the instructions, once you remove them from the oven let them cool completely. Do not brush them with the butter mixture. Once they are cool transfer to a sealable container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or you can freeze them. Allow to thaw then enjoy cold or gently reheat in the oven at 350°F (176°C) for 3-5 minutes. Optionally brush with the butter mixture just before serving.
Ingredients:
For the Biscuit dough: the biscuit dough is made of all-purpose flour, white sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, plant-based milk (such as oat milk or soy milk), lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread).
For the Vegan Cheese: to make this recipe easy, I used store-bought vegan cheddar cheese-style shreds. I used the Violife brand, but any brand you enjoy will work fine here.
Buttery Topping: this is optional, but will elevate your biscuits to make them even more deliciously addictive. Melted vegan butter, fresh parsley, and garlic powder are mixed and then spread on top of the warm biscuits just before serving them. YUM!
How to Make Easy Vegan Cheddar Biscuits:
Preheat your oven to 450℉ (230℃). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Tip: if your flour and/or baking powder is a bit clumpy, sift them to ensure everything is mixed well.
In a large glass measuring cup or a small bowl whisk together the plant-based milk and lemon juice or vinegar. The milk may curdle and that's ok, this is how you make vegan buttermilk. Now mix in the melted butter.
Pour the milk and butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix just a few times until most of the flour is moistened but there are still some dry areas. Add the vegan cheddar shreds and fold them in.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough 3-4 times until it just comes together and any loose flour is mixed in. Use your hands to pat the dough together and flatten until you make a disk that is about 1 ¼ inch thick. Use a 2 ½ inch (or similar sized) biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a drinking glass turned upside-down to cut out the biscuits and transfer to the prepared pan. Gather any scraps and reform to cut more biscuits, using up all of the dough.
Tip: when cutting the vegan cheddar biscuits press the cutter straight down and then straight up. Do not twist the cutter as this can seal the edges of the biscuits which will make the rise less.
Bake in the prepared oven for 12 - 15 minutes until the biscuits have risen and the bottoms are golden brown.
For topping (optional):
Mix the melted vegan butter, parsley, and garlic powder. Brush the tops of the still-warm biscuits with the butter mixture just before serving.
These Vegan Cheddar Biscuits are:
- Flaky, buttery, garlicky and loaded with gooey vegan cheese
- Taste just like Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (but completely plant-based)
- Easy to make in just 30 minutes
What to serve with these Biscuits:
Vegan Lobster
Easy Vegan Potato and Corn Chowder
Vegan Zuppa Toscana
Easy Vegan Alphabet Soup
Vegan Crab Cakes
My Go-To Vegan Soup
Vegan Garlic Seared Scallops
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Easy Vegan Cheddar Biscuits
Servings: biscuits
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Ingredients
For the dry ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the wet ingredients:
- 1 cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups vegan cheddar cheese shreds, (I used Violife brand)
For topping (optional):
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450℉ (230℃). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Tip: if your flour and/or baking powder is a bit clumpy, sift them to ensure everything is mixed well.
- In a large glass measuring cup or a small bowl whisk together the plant-based milk and lemon juice or vinegar. The milk may curdle and that's ok, this is how you make vegan buttermilk. Now mix in the melted butter.
- Pour the milk and butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix just a few times until most of the flour is moistened but there are still some dry areas. Add the vegan cheddar shreds and fold them in.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough 3-4 times until it just comes together and any loose flour is mixed in. Use your hands to pat the dough together and flatten until you make a disk that is about 1 ¼ inch thick. Use a 2 ½ inch (or similar sized) biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or a drinking glass turned upside-down to cut out the biscuits and transfer to the prepared pan. Gather any scraps and reform to cut more biscuits, using up all of the dough. Tip: when cutting the biscuits press the cutter straight down and then straight up. Do not twist the cutter as this can seal the edges of the biscuits which will make the rise less.
- Bake in the prepared oven for 12 - 15 minutes until the biscuits have risen and the bottoms are golden brown.
For topping (optional):
- Mix the melted vegan butter, parsley, and garlic powder. Brush the tops of the still-warm biscuits with the butter mixture just before serving.
Tracy says
These were delicious! I cut the recipe in half (really appreciate that feature on the recipe card to save from having to do math!!), added 1-2T nooch and a couple shakes of vegan parm to this per some other comments. They turned out amazing. Even my omni BF thought they tasted very cheesy. My dough ended up being very wet so I had to add a lot of extra flour. I could have been a little off with my liquid measures though. Will definitely make again!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy you enjoyed them Tracy!
VC Nana says
Thought this recipe would be a great option for me since I have to manage without dairy. I did tweak it a bit, based on ingredients I had on hand. The main challenge is that I didn't have enough grated "cheese".
I added some nutritional yeast into the dry ingredients to boost the cheese flavor. Then I went with about 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup almond flour for a healthier choice. The end result wasn't ideal. I will try making these again following the recipe to a T before passing full judgement. I use this flour blend when making cookies and it works great. Not so much with the biscuits, which were too heavy.
Lacking the full cheesy goodness was a downfall, too. I did use melted butter and parsley brushed on the top, and that added a nice touch.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi VC, yes, when making any recipe (especially baked goods) it's always recommend to follow the recipe exactly the first time. Then the next time you make it, if you make any changes you will know how the affect the recipe. I hope you give it a try again 🙂
Roseanna says
Hi Sam,
Perfect biscuits make me so happy. I always use to order the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster and really missed them.
Thanks for the tips!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you loved them Roseanna!
Laurie says
Family loved this recipe, even my daughter’s friend who isn’t vegan.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That's great, thanks for sharing!
Linda says
Such a great recipe, it‘s really quick and easy and they look and taste great!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks for your review!
lea says
Hi Sam!.....I made these biscuits last night and they turned out great!...and I will definitely make them again.... This morning I found myself wondering how your new parmesan recipe would fare as a replacement for the vegan cheddar... I was thinking I would go with the same amount of cheez....do you have any thoughts on this???
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi lea! I haven't tried it but I imagine it would work just fine in equal amounts. If you give it a go let me know how it turns out 🙂
Lesley says
Hi, they look delish! Do I use salted or unsalted butter to make these?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Unsalted vegan butter should work great!
Joyce Ellis says
These biscuits are excellent! And now I no longer miss Red Lobster biscuits!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Terrific!
Paula says
Amazing!
Happy and upset. lol
I could eat the entire tray
Hubby said as good as his grandma made (not Vegan)
Thank you
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wow, that's incredible! Also laughed at happy and upset!! Haha!
cristina tomas says
I made these today for the first time. They turned out great!
Even though I love garlic , I decided not to put in. I have to try to freeze them. Boy, they are so good. Thank you. This is
another winner of yours
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Cristina!
Pamela Haddad says
I made the Easy vegan cheddar biscuits and the first thing my daughter and her partner said was, "They taste just like the Red lobster biscuits! Not knowing that this was something that you had mentioned in your recipe. The biscuits are AMAZING, so delicious! I will keep making them for family gatherings. Mouthwatering light and very tasty! Everything I make from your recipes is always appreciated. Your deviled potato halves are a hot commodity too! Every time I make them people always ask for the recipe and sometimes people are surprised when I share the ingredients because there are no eggs involved.When there is a potluck I am asked to bring the deviled potatoes. Now I will probably be asked to bring the biscuits too!
Stacy Truax says
These look so yummy I can't wait to make them for my niece, who loves these biscuits. I won't tell her they're vegan 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing! Enjoy! 🙂
Marlene Cohen says
Can this be made gluten free? Please add this info to all your recipes,
which I love!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Marlene, I'm glad you love my recipes! I haven't tested these biscuits with gluten-free alternative. Gluten-free baking is not my expertise. Not every recipe can be easily made gluten-free but you could try using Bob's red mill 1 to 1 gluten-free flour which I've heard works very well. Enjoy!