Bacon Cheddar Quick Biscuits

Name: Bacon Cheddar Quick Biscuits
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour; 2½ teaspoons (12 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt; ¼ teaspoon (½ g) black pepper; 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes; 1 cup (115 g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated; 6 slices (100 g) bacon; 0.88 cup (207 ml) buttermilk, cold; 1 (50 g) large egg (optional); 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, flaky biscuits loaded with crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese, made using the quick drop method—no rolling or cutting required. These savory American biscuits bake in just 15 minutes and are perfect served warm alongside soup, eggs, or simply with butter.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 23 min
Wait: 1 min
Total: 34 min
Makes: 12 biscuits

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Steps

Before you start

Cut butter into ½-inch cubes and refrigerate until needed; cold butter is essential for flaky biscuits
Grate the sharp cheddar cheese before starting
Have buttermilk at room temperature

1
Cook bacon and preheat ovenOven 425°F / 220°C
- Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- While the oven heats, cook 6 slices of bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, about 8–10 minutes.
- Transfer bacon to paper towels and let cool for 1 minute.
- Once cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces—you should have about ½ cup crumbled bacon.
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Ready when: Bacon is golden brown and crispy; oven reaches 425°F (220°C)
Tip: Cook bacon until very crispy so it stays crunchy in the biscuits and doesn't soften during baking.
2
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, 2½ teaspoons (12g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (3g) salt, and ¼ teaspoon (0.5g) black pepper.
- Whisk for about 30 seconds to combine and aerate the mixture evenly.
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Ready when: Dry ingredients are evenly combined and aerated
3
Cut in cold butter
- Add 6 tablespoons (85g) cold butter cubes to the flour mixture.
- Using a pastry cutter or fork, work the butter into the flour by cutting, breaking, and pressing repeatedly for 1–2 minutes.
- The mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized butter pieces visible throughout—these pieces create the flaky layers in baked biscuits.
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Ready when: Mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with visible pea-sized butter pieces
Tip: Keep butter cold and visible for flaky biscuits; if it softens during mixing, chill the mixture for 10 minutes before continuing.
4
Fold in cheese and bacon
- Gently stir 1 cup (115g) grated sharp cheddar cheese and the crumbled bacon into the flour-butter mixture until evenly distributed, about 15–20 seconds.
- The mixture should still look shaggy and dry at this point.
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Ready when: Cheese and bacon are evenly distributed throughout the dry mixture
5
Add buttermilk and form dough
- Pour 0.875 cup (207ml) cold buttermilk into the flour mixture.
- Using a wooden spoon, gently stir until a shaggy dough just comes together, about 20–30 seconds.
- Some dry flour streaks and lumps are fine—this is exactly what you want.
- Do not overmix or the biscuits will be tough and dense.
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Ready when: Dough just comes together with visible lumps and streaks; no overmixing
Tip: Undermixing is better than overmixing. Lumpy dough produces tender, flaky biscuits; a smooth dough will yield tough ones.
6
Scoop dough onto baking sheet
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon (30ml) ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, drop heaping scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches (5cm) apart.
- You should have 10–12 biscuits total.
- If using an egg wash, whisk together 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon (15ml) water in a small bowl until combined.
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Ready when: Dough is portioned into 10–12 biscuits spaced 2 inches apart
Tip: Use a scoop for uniform biscuit sizes and even baking. If you don't have a scoop, drop spoonfuls of dough by hand, using about 2 tablespoons per biscuit.
7
Brush and bakeOven 425°F / 220°C
- If using egg wash, brush the top of each biscuit with the prepared mixture using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon.
- Optionally sprinkle a few crumbled bacon bits and a pinch of grated cheddar on top of each biscuit.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle oven rack and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 12–15 minutes, until the biscuit tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Ready when: Biscuit tops are golden brown; a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Tip: Don't open the oven door during the first 10 minutes of baking, as this can cause the biscuits to fall. If bottoms brown too quickly, place another baking sheet on the rack below to shield them.

Good to know

Tips

Keep all ingredients cold until mixing—cold butter and buttermilk create the flakiest, most tender biscuits. If your kitchen is very warm, chill the bowl and measuring cups before use.
The drop method is forgiving: unlike rolled biscuits, there's no way to overwork the dough by rolling. Focus on combining ingredients gently and letting lumps be your friend.
Serve biscuits warm within an hour of baking for the best texture and flavor. Cool biscuits can be refreshed in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.
For extra savory depth, add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder to the dry ingredients.

Make ahead

Prepare the dry mixture (flour, baking powder, salt, pepper) and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Alternatively, drop unbaked biscuits onto a baking sheet, freeze for 1 hour, transfer to a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to baking time.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: Store baked biscuits in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refrigerator: Up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freezer: Wrap baked biscuits individually and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat: Warm baked biscuits in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5–7 minutes, or microwave individual biscuits for 15–20 seconds.

Substitutions

sharp cheddar cheese → smoked gouda, gruyere, or white cheddar. Each cheese brings different flavor; smoked gouda adds depth, gruyere adds nuttiness, white cheddar sharpens tang.
bacon → crumbled cooked sausage, chopped ham, or prosciutto. Sausage adds spice, ham adds sweetness, prosciutto adds richness. Use about ½ cup of any substitute.
buttermilk, cold → plain Greek yogurt thinned with milk (½ cup yogurt + ¼ cup milk). Yogurt adds tang; if thinner than buttermilk, reduce the ratio slightly or add less initially until dough is shaggy.
bacon → fresh herbs: 2 tablespoons chopped chives, thyme, or dill mixed into the dry ingredients. Herbs add freshness without the smoky richness of bacon. Combine herbs with the bacon for extra flavor.