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Quick, easy, melt-in-your-mouth and only takes 30 minutes start to finish? These Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits use a whole bunch of sourdough discard and are the perfect side to your dinner when you need something quick and don’t have time to make our favorite sourdough discard dinner rolls.
As one of the first recipes I ever used my sourdough discard for, we still make these often, dunking them into soup or serving with a nice salad or weeknight dinner. Sometimes you just need a little something extra to go with dinner and these are my go-to, savory dinner biscuits. Toss in some jalapeños for a little kick – or make my Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Focaccia if you have a little more time.
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Why You’ll Love Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
- Savory Flavor – These cheddar biscuits are filled with cheese for a savory treat. Check out these crispy discard crackers that marry that same cheese and sourdough flavor if you love the combination. You’ll probably also love this Italian Herbs and Cheese Sourdough Loaf if you have a little more time.
- Quick and Easy – Just like my Sourdough Drop Biscuits, these cheddar biscuits are so simple to make and can be ready quickly – plus they only have six ingredients!
- Discard Recipe – These biscuits use sourdough discard for a lightly tangy flavor. If you are looking for another discard biscuit, then try these Flaky Sourdough Biscuits too!
Sourdough Discard Tip: I keep a jar in my fridge that I continually add sourdough discard to. Discard is a by-product of your sourdough starter, and there is no reason to throw it away. Instead, use it in incredible sourdough discard recipes where it adds moisture and great flavor. Use older, more tangy discard in savory recipes like these sourdough drop biscuits, and young/fresh discard in sweeter recipes like my favorite sourdough chocolate chip cookies.
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Discard – The cold sourdough discard gives these biscuits a little tang that marries so well with the cheese flavor. For a more sour flavor, use refrigerated discard up to a week or two old. For less sour flavor, use a fresher discard. I always use 100% hydration sourdough discard.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Cheddar cheese provides the savory flavor in these biscuits. Use a good quality sharp cheddar that you already love. If you have another type of sharp cheese you want to try here, you can do that too. I have found that cheese will often mellow in flavor when you bake with it, so I like to use a sharper flavor to start.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Substitutions
- Flour: For the fluffiest, lightest biscuits, a white flour (all-purpose flour or pastry flour) works the best. You can substitute self-rising flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. I have not tried this recipe with whole wheat flour yet, but I think it would work really well with a freshly milled soft white wheat.
- Mix-Ins: You can substitute the cheddar cheese for your favorite blend of cheese. I think a little parmesan or asiago cheese would do nicely. You could even experiment with adding some fresh herbs, jalapeños and garlic powder too!
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream takes the place of unsalted butter and buttermilk in this recipe. I would not substitute it out.
How to Make Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
Preheat the Oven
Step 1: Before you even begin making the biscuits – Preheat the OVEN! These biscuits come together FAST – and will probably be ready to bake before your oven completely preheats.
Prepare the Dough
Step 2: Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese and evenly distribute (Image 1). Add sourdough discard (Image 2).
Add heavy cream (Image 3) and gently mix until the dough is just combined. Add a little more cream as needed for a cohesive mixture (Image 4).
Note: I always shred my own cheese when a recipe calls for shredded cheese because store-bought pre-shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that impacts the texture of your bake. For best results, shred your own cheese.
Shape The Biscuits
Step 3: On a floured countertop, gently knead biscuit dough and form a circle.
Step 4: Use a bench knife to cut the biscuits into eight triangular wedges.
These are easy biscuits to make. They don’t require a rolling pin or biscuit cutter – just your hands to gently form the dough and a bench scraper to cut into wedges.
Bake The Biscuits
Step 5: Place cheddar biscuits on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 6: Bake sourdough cheddar biscuits for 12-14 minutes at 425ºF until lightly browned and baked through. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops with melted butter if desired.
How to Store Leftovers
These biscuits are best eaten fresh. Once they’ve cooled, I like to freeze the biscuits, storing them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a couple of months. Reheat in the microwave until warm and to enjoy leftovers.
Amy’s Recipe Tip
The key to this easy recipe is really tender and flaky biscuits is in the temperature! The colder the better! Cold butter, cold sourdough discard and cold heavy cream all help keep the dough cold which results in those flaky, tender layers.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love adding sourdough discard to many recipes. In some recipes, it enhances the flavor. In some recipes I use it for the moisture and benefits of fermented flour. And some recipes I just want to use up some of my discard and not let it go to waste.
Yes! If you want freshly baked sourdough biscuits on busy mornings, biscuit dough can be cut and then frozen for up to a couple months. Add a couple of minutes to the bake time and bake from frozen!
Yes. If you want to long-ferment the dough, mix it up, shape it and cut into wedges. Refrigerate the wedges overnight or up to 48 hours before baking in a preheated oven, directly from the refrigerator. This process helps ferment some of the biscuit dough, which can have fermentation benefits.
Honestly – I have never had Red Lobster’s popular biscuits! But yes, you could make these similarly if you add in garlic powder and a little cayenne pepper. Top them with melted butter, fresh parlsey, and more garlic powder. I actually think my sourdough drop biscuits would be most similar to the Cheddar Bay Biscuits if you wanted to add those flavors to that recipe.
Quick and Easy Sourdough Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits or any other recipe on my website leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Happy Baking!
Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
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Equipment
- bench scraper
Ingredients
- 145 grams all-purpose flour, heaping 1 cup, see recipe notes
- 15 grams baking powder, 1 Tablespoon
- 8 grams salt, 1 teaspoon
- 130 grams shredded sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 cup
- 240 grams sourdough discard , 100% hydration sourdough, about 1 cup
- 110 grams heavy cream, about 1/2 cup
- melted butter for brushing, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Shred a little over 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (130 grams) and add to the flour mixture. Mix together until evenly distributed. I always shred my own cheese because I think it has a better flavor and texture but you could use pre-shredded cheese too.
- Add 240 grams of cold sourdough discard (see recipe notes) and 110 grams of heavy cream. Gently mix to combine. If the biscuits are too crumbly to hold together, add a little more cream. If they are too wet, add a little extra flour.
- Lightly flour the counter and gently dump biscuit dough on the counter. Knead once or twice, being careful not to overwork the dough. Form into a circle about an inch to an inch and a half thick.
- Using a bench knife or a sharp knife, cut the biscuits into eight wedges.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set each biscuit on the paper spread a little bit apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 425 degrees until lightly browned and baked through. Brush the tops with melted butter if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It is my go to recipe. I vary it with herbs even sultanas
It’s a great go-to! Thanks for the review and enjoy!
Love this recipe!! Have you ever tried freezing the biscuit dough or the biscuits after they’re cooked?
They freeze well after baking. I haven’t tried freezing the dough, but I think it’s worth experimenting with!
This recipe was great but can I substitute GF bread flour in order to make them GF if I use my GF starter discard ? And if so, do I need to add anything else in? Thanks!!
I haven’t tried this as a gluten free recipe, so I’m not sure what modifications you would want to make. Let me know if you try it!
Awesome recipe. Super easy and came together in no time! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the review!
This is such a delicious, easy and quick crowd pleasing recipe!!
I like to add 1 tsp of garlic powder to the dry ingredients.
Also an addition of some breakfast sausage crumbles makes it the perfect one bite breakfast.
Yum! Thanks for the ideas and review.
This is a great, easy to follow recipe! I made this again this morning and substituted chocolate chips for the cheese. I added an extra tablespoon of honey. Delish!
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
This has been a favorite recipe by everyone who tastes them. I love everyone of your recipes that I have tried.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it’s a favorite for you!
Tender & delicious + so easy!
Enjoy!
I absolutely love these. I’ve made these several times for my family they are so easy to assemble and a real crowd pleaser.
I made them for Thanksgiving and I prepared the dough the day prior and just baked them off day of – they came out perfect!
I’m even going to make them for the holidays to give to co-workers instead of cookies this year.
I’m glad they turned out great – they are a crowd pleaser for sure!