These soft and fluffy Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits taste just like the famous Red Lobster biscuits! Filled with vegan cheese and brushed with garlic butter, they’re an irresistible side dish or appetizer to enjoy with dinner.
If you love freshly baked vegan biscuits as much as I do, then you’ll want to check out my Southern-Style Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits, Easy Vegan Biscuits, and Vegan Dinner Rolls as well.
Forget everything you know about ordinary dinner biscuits because these copycat Red Lobster Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits are a game changer! Fluffy, savory, filled with vegan cheddar cheese, and topped with garlic butter sauce, they’re a perfect addition to any meal.
What’s better is that they only take about 40 minutes from start to finish and can even be prepared days in advance! You’ll never want to eat dinner without them again.
Why these are the best cheddar bay biscuits
- Just like Red Lobster – Just like the famous Red Lobster biscuits, these vegan cheddar biscuits melt in your mouth and are packed with irresistible flavors. Serve them with my Beer Battered Vegan Fried Fish for a vegan feast!
- Cheesy and garlicky goodness – These biscuits are loaded with vegan cheddar cheese and topped with vegan garlic butter for addictively delicious flavors in every bite.
- An easy side dish – The biscuit dough is easy to make in one bowl and can even be made ahead of time.
How to make them
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Make the vegan buttermilk by stirring the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together in a glass measuring cup. Set it aside to curdle for a few minutes.
Next, whisk the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl. Gently mix the buttermilk and melted vegan butter into the dry ingredients until a thick dough has formed. Finish by folding in the shredded vegan cheddar cheese.
If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to omit the cayenne pepper!
Use a ¼ measuring cup to scoop the dough out of the bowl and onto a baking sheet, leaving room in between each one. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
Meanwhile, make the garlic butter by stirring the melted vegan butter, garlic powder, and fresh parsley together in a small bowl. Brush the vegan garlic butter over the warm biscuits as soon as they come out of the oven.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
There are two reasons why they’re called cheddar bay biscuits: (1) they’re made with cheddar cheese in the dough, and (2) the “bay” in the name hints at the coastal atmosphere of Red Lobster restaurants.
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it might work with a quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
No cheese? No problem! You can either omit the cheese shreds or replace them with ½ cup of nutritional yeast instead. You may want to decrease the flour to just 1 ¾ cups if using this substitute so your biscuits aren’t too dry.
Yes, you can make the biscuit dough and portion out the biscuits ahead of time. Store them (covered) in the fridge for 2 to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from the fridge or from frozen, but add 2 to 5 minutes to the baking time.
The leftover biscuits will keep for 3 to 4 days when stored in a covered container at room temperature. They also freeze well for about 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter or warm them in the oven or microwave before serving.
Vegan Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Ingredients
Cheddar Biscuits
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter cooled for 5 minutes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese
Topping
- 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare – Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Make the buttermilk – In a glass measuring cup, pour in the unsweetened soy milk. Stir in the apple cider vinegar, then set aside to curdle for a few minutes. This is your buttermilk.
- Whisk dry ingredients – In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Mix in wet ingredients – Now add the buttermilk and melted vegan butter to the dry ingredients and stir until a thick dough has formed. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the vegan cheese; use your hands if necessary to incorporate it.
- Scoop dough – Lightly grease a 1/4 cup measuring cup and scoop the dough out with it. Place the uncooked biscuit dough on the baking sheet, leaving a little room in between each one.
- Bake – Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Prepare the topping – Stir the melted vegan butter, garlic powder and parsley together in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the warm biscuits with the butter mixture.
- Serve warm and enjoy! Leftover biscuits will keep for 3-4 days in a covered container and they can be frozen.
Notes
- You may use another milk, like unsweetened almond milk. Just don’t use anything with added sugar or flavors.
- I haven’t tested it with gluten free flour, but it might work with a quality mix.
- If you don’t want to use vegan cheese, you can substitute 1/4 cup or so of nutritional yeast.
So yummy! Made a few times and have also cooked them on a waffle maker, they’re a hit no matter what.
Just made these and also subbed the cayenne for Old Bay because the rest of the family is sensitive to spicy (I’d have doubled the cayenne for me! haha). They are SO easy and fluffy! Serving with potato soup tonight 🙂
Bomb. Made these today. ❤️❤️
I’m thrilled you loved the biscuits, Christie! Thanks for your great review!
By far the best vegan cheddar bay biscuits I’ve made. The major difference between these and other recipes is the addition of melted butter to the biscuit mix. It made a HUGE difference, they’re so soft and tasty. The only change I made was adding some flaked salt to the topping mix, but overall amazing.
Hi Meg. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! I love your flaked salt idea! Thanks for taking time to share your terrific review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Do you think a vegan margarine in a tub is okay instead of a vegan stick butter? I’ve read some recipes that don’t think the tub type aren’t as good for various foods.
It might work okay, but the tub butter tends to be greasier and not as easy to measure either. In a pinch, it should work, especially for these biscuits.
These were great! Very flavorful and great addition to a meal. Even my non vegan family members approved. Was nice to have fresh biscuits ready in 30 minutes
Hi Kate. I’m so glad you loved the biscuits! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review and feedback!
these are amazing!!! So much easier than the cold butter and roll out method:) Rich and so tasty non-vegans gobbled them up faster than anything else. I made a double batch and got to have only 1/2. there were only seven of us…
Because I’m from Maryland and everything tastes better with Old Bay I substituted for the cayenne. People loved the taste. Will be making again.