Air Fryer Cheddar Bay Biscuits

These air fryer cheddar bay biscuits are everything you love about the restaurant version, but made at home in under 15 minutes.

They come out golden, fluffy, and loaded with sharp cheddar cheese. And that garlic butter brushed on top while they’re still hot? It makes them absolutely irresistible.

The best part is how simple they are. You don’t need any fancy equipment or techniques. Just mix, drop, and air fry.

No rolling, no cutting, no waiting for dough to rise. These are drop biscuits, so they’re supposed to look a little rustic and imperfect.

If you’ve been looking for a quick side dish that feels a little special, this is the one. They go great with soups, stews, or honestly just on their own.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Restaurant-Style Biscuits at Home – These taste just like the famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster but you make them right in your kitchen.

Ready in Under 15 Minutes – The air fryer cooks these golden and fluffy in just 10 to 12 minutes with no long oven preheating.

Perfectly Crispy Outside and Soft Inside – The air fryer creates an amazing golden crust while keeping the center tender and fluffy.

Loaded with Sharp Cheddar – A full cup of sharp cheddar melts into every bite and gives these biscuits a rich cheesy pull.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/3 cup Cold Butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 3/4 cup Cold Buttermilk

For the Garlic Butter Topping

• 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

How To Make

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.

Step 2

Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until evenly distributed. Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir gently with a fork until a shaggy, slightly sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.

Step 3

Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls (about 1/4 cup each) onto a parchment-lined plate to form 8 rough, rustic mounds. These should look like drop biscuits, not smooth rounds.

Step 4

Preheat the air fryer to 330°F for 2 minutes.

Step 5

Line the air fryer basket with a piece of parchment paper with small holes poked through it for airflow. Place the biscuits in the basket with about 1 inch of space between each one. You may need to cook in two batches of 4.

Step 6

Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes until the biscuits are risen, golden on top, and cooked through in the center.

Step 7

While the biscuits cook, prepare the garlic butter topping by combining the melted butter, garlic powder, and fresh parsley. As soon as the biscuits come out of the air fryer, brush the tops generously with the garlic butter.

Step 8

Serve warm. These are best eaten right away when the cheese is still gooey and the tops are glistening with garlic butter.

Tips

Keep the Butter and Buttermilk Cold

This is the single biggest factor in getting tall, flaky biscuits. The cold butter creates little pockets of steam in the oven that puff the dough up. If your butter is soft, those pockets won’t form and you’ll get flat, dense biscuits.

Cut the butter into small cubes and put it back in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start working it into the flour. Same goes for the buttermilk – keep it in the fridge until the second you need it.

If your kitchen is warm, work quickly so nothing has time to soften up.

Don’t Overmix the Dough

Once you pour in the buttermilk, stir with a fork just until things come together into a shaggy mess. It should look rough and a little uneven – that’s exactly what you want.

If you keep stirring to make it smooth, you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your biscuits will come out tough and chewy instead of soft and tender.

A few dry-looking spots are totally fine. They’ll hydrate as the biscuits cook.

Cook at 330 and Don’t Go Higher

It’s tempting to crank the air fryer up so things cook faster, but 330°F is the sweet spot for these biscuits. Air fryers circulate heat aggressively, so what feels like a low temp actually cooks things faster than you’d expect.

If you go higher, the outside will brown and even burn before the center has a chance to cook through. You’ll crack one open and find raw dough in the middle.

Stick to 330°F and give them the full 10-12 minutes. They should be golden on top and feel firm when you tap them lightly.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Blackberry Cobbler Biscuits
• Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
• Air Fryer Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
• Air Fryer Honey Butter Biscuits
• Air Fryer Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?

Buttermilk is what makes these biscuits tender and fluffy, so it’s worth using if you can. But if you don’t have any on hand, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then filling it up to the 3/4 cup mark with regular milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it looks slightly curdled, and you’re good to go.