These gluten-free cheddar rosemary biscuits are cheesy, savory drop biscuits with sharp cheddar, fresh rosemary, and cracked black pepper in every bite. Cold butter gets cut into the dry ingredients for a tender, flaky texture, and the dough goes straight from the bowl to the baking sheet with no rolling or cutting. Twelve biscuits in under 30 minutes.
If you’ve had cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster, these are in that family but with rosemary and black pepper instead of garlic butter on top. They go with everything from a big bowl of broccoli cheddar soup to a holiday plate next to turkey or ham.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (blue bag), which includes xanthan gum.
- Unsalted Butter – Cold, cut into small cubes. The cold butter is what gives these biscuits their flaky texture. Don’t melt it. Work it into the flour with a pastry cutter or your hands until the pieces are pea-sized.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Shred it yourself from a block for best results.
- Fresh Rosemary – Finely chop it so you get rosemary in every bite without big woody pieces. If using dried rosemary, use 1 teaspoon in place of 1 tablespoon fresh.
- Black Pepper – Freshly cracked, not pre-ground. The coarser grind gives these biscuits a little bite and more flavor than fine pepper.
- Milk – Start with 3/4 cup and add more gradually until the dough just comes together into a thick, paste-like consistency. I usually use a little less than 1 cup total.
Butter Tip
Keep the butter cold. If the butter gets warm before baking, the biscuits will spread and lose their flaky layers. If your kitchen is warm, cut the butter and put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes before working it into the flour.
FAQs
Pepper jack, gruyere, or a cheddar-jack blend would all work. Stick with a cheese that melts well and has a little bite to it for flavor.
Use a gluten-free flour blend that is meant to be a 1-to-1 substitution with regular all-purpose flour. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in this recipe, which already contains xanthan gum in it.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Airtight container for up to 2 days. Best served warm.
Refrigerate: Airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes.
Freeze: Flash freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
These biscuits go with just about any meal that needs bread on the table. I make them most often alongside a bowl of my slow cooker sweet potato turkey chili or my quick and easy beef chili on cold weeknights. They’re also great next to a plate of gluten-free fried chicken if you want the full biscuits-and-chicken spread.
Gluten-Free Cheddar Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend - Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (in the blue bag) which contains xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh rosemary - finely chopped
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - cold and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
- 6 oz (170 g) cheddar cheese - shredded
- 1 cup (244 g) whole milk - start with ¾ cup and go up from there as needed
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh rosemary until combined.
- Cut in the butter: Add the cold ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, work the butter into the flour until the pieces are about the size of peas. Some larger pieces are fine. Don't overwork it.
- Add cheese: Stir in 6 oz (170 g) cheddar cheese until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Add milk: Starting with 3/4 cup, add in up to 1 cup (244 g) whole milk and stir with a spatula until the dough starts to come together. If it's still too dry and crumbly, add more milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach a thick, paste-like consistency. I usually use a little less than 1 cup total.
- Scoop dough: Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop or spoon, drop 12 mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between each biscuit.
- Bake: Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown. Start checking at 18 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
- Flour: I tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag), which is an all-purpose gluten-free flour meant to be a 1:1 swap with regular flour. I can’t verify other flour blends work as I have not tested them.
- Storage: Airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes. Freeze up to 2 months.
Delicious! Highly recommend. I cut the recipe in half but immediately wished I’d made more!! I also did a little less milk and wish I followed the recipe exactly for a little more moisture. Sooooooo yummy!!!!
These are absolutely delicious! Flakey and buttery, hard to believe they’re gluten free. I left out the garlic, pepper, and rosemary because I wanted a plainer biscuit (but I’m sure that’d be very good too) and ended up using the whole cup of milk. I’ll definitely be making these again!