10 Creative Ways To Use Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

We’re going to be honest here: Red Lobster has very few things going for it. It seems like the claims about the chain going out of business are cyclical, and at this point, it’s become the butt of the joke when talking about fast casual chains. The one thing that’s no laughing matter about Red Lobster, though, are its Cheddar Bay Biscuits. 

We could care less about the Endless Shrimp — it’s the Cheddar Bay Biscuits that keep customers coming through the doors, and it might be the only saving grace for a chain whose menu is filled with, frankly, bad food. These complimentary biscuits are known for their soft texture, subtle cheesy flavor, and herby notes. In more good news, even if the chain continues to follow its downward trajectory and starts shuttering more of its locations, you can still get your hands on this famed side via its boxed Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix. The recipe is simple: combine the boxed biscuit mix with cheddar cheese, butter, and water, and you’ll have a deliciously simple side for DIY Endless Shrimp night. 

Although you can use the mix for its intended purpose — making biscuits — there are also ways to repurpose this mix for other recipes and dishes that could benefit from its flavor. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Chicken and dumplings are one of those classic, Southern dishes that can warm you up on the coldest of days. While there’s something to be said about a made-from-scratch recipe, there’s always the canned biscuit shortcut — which is essentially just cutting out the dough into pieces and placing it in your bubbling crock of stewing chicken and veggies. However, for all the things that canned biscuit dough is, there is one thing it’s not: flavorful. If you want to give your chicken and dumplings a savory edge, try making dumplings out of your Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix instead. 

Once your soup has started simmering away on the stove, it’s time to get crackin’ on your biscuit dough. Mix the contents of the package — along with the seasoning packet, cheese, and water — to create a shaggy dough. When you’re ready, use a scooper, spatula, or spoon (the dough will be sticky) to plop the balls on top of your pot. They shouldn’t be touching, as you want them to steam and cook in the pot. It’s equally important not to mix the pot’s contents, as you want the dumplings to float on top. After about 15 minutes, your chicken and dumplings will be ready to serve. Add an extra sprinkle of parsley for color and to complement the Cheddar Bay seasoning, or consider swapping out the cheddar cheese for pepper Jack for an extra kick of heat. 

If you cruise through the baking aisle at the grocery store, you will see boxes of biscuit mix labeled as “baking mix.” Essentially, biscuit mix has all the components (like flour, leavening, and salt) you need to make a successful bake of anything biscuit-adjacent, including muffins, scones, and quick breads. As such, with some basic recipe tweaking, you can easily transform your Cheddar Bay biscuit mix into a savory quick bread. 

You may need to adjust your recipe by adding more or less milk to ensure that it’s the right texture. Once you have your prepared mix, transfer it to a greased and lined loaf pan and bake until golden brown. Since quick bread is denser and thicker than tiny biscuits, assume that you’ll need to bake it for longer than you would the biscuits. While this is a great mix to start with, you can use it as a jumping-off point for other add-ins. Shredded zucchini would be a great add-in, as it would introduce moisture without detracting from the classic Cheddar Bay flavor. You can serve your quick bread as is, pan-fry it in butter to get it crispy, or even use it as a substitute for regular bread in a sandwich (we recommend a grilled cheese). It could even be a base for tasty homemade garlic bread. 

It’s about to get Midwestern — that’s right, we’re talking about casseroles. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the universal “dump” dish would be a great way to use up leftover Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, seeing as the cheesy, buttery, and garlic flavor would be an excellent pairing for almost any savory filling. We think that it makes an especially compelling addition to a breakfast casserole, as the other ingredients tend not to have too much flavor. Eggs are rather bland and boring, vegetables just add texture, and sausage or bacon adds fat and a greasy mouthfeel. The Cheddar Bay Biscuits are the big bow on top that ties the whole thing together and makes it something you’ll want to add to your plate, rather than something you begrudgingly take after getting the side-eye from whoever brought it to brunch in the first place. 

The most important thing to think about when building a breakfast casserole is the rate at which the components cook. If you’re adding things like breakfast meat, potatoes, or hard veggies (think onions and peppers), you’re going to want to cook them ahead of time. You can even make this a one-pot dish by cooking your components in a cast iron skillet, then pouring the prepared biscuit mix over the components before baking it until golden. For a finishing touch, sprinkle cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking. 

Pot pie is another homey dish that deserves a Cheddar Bay Biscuit touch. Traditionally, pot pie is made by topping a base of meat, veggies, and creamy soup with pie crust. However, pie crust is a pain to make (unless, of course, you read up on our top tips for preparing it), and its texture isn’t always ideal for a wet filling. Enter a far more flavorful alternative: Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix. 

You’ll want to prepare this dish like chicken and dumplings, but instead of leaving the top of the pot on to steam the biscuit mix, it should be removed so that the prepared mix can brown in the oven and form the signature crusty topping on a pot pie. We recommend preparing it in a cast iron skillet so that you can cook the fillings on the stove, add your soup, layer on the prepared biscuit mix, and bake until golden brown. Chicken is a common protein for this dish, paired with cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, but you can also prepare other variations with turkey or just veggies. The biscuits’ flavor is neutral enough that it will not disrupt the flavors of your protein, veggies, or soup base, making this a versatile, homestyle preparation that every home cook needs to try. 

There’s nothing wrong with a towering stack of pancakes drenched in maple syrup and a pat of melted butter or one decked to the nines with peanut butter and chocolate or fresh blueberries — but dare we say that savory pancakes and waffles deserve some attention, too? 

You can easily transform your biscuit mix into a suitable pancake or waffle mix by adding in milk and eggs. The consistency is going to be a little smoother and watery than standard, shaggy biscuit dough, so you may need to tweak your add-ins to ensure it reaches the perfect texture. The savory pancakes would be excellent with a pat of melted butter on top, and you may even want to add some chopped ham or bacon to the batter for an extra savory twist. You might even want to try kid-friendly bacon dippers. Pour oval strips of batter onto a heated skillet or griddle, add your bacon slices, and cover with more batter until the meat is totally encased. 

Your savory waffles could be served as a side dish at your next brunch gathering, or could even be used as the base for a savory breakfast sandwich. Add extra cheese, herbs, or seasoning to make the batter extra flavorful. 

There are many alternatives for pizza dough that you may never have even thought of — including biscuits. Sure, you can make mini pizzas with plain canned biscuit dough. However, using a boxed biscuit mix allows you to put your own creative spin on the recipe and enhance each bite with a buttery, garlicky, and extra cheesy flavor.  

You can prepare the Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix as you normally would. Then, when you’re ready to assemble, place the sticky dough into a greased (emphasis on greased) pan. Cover your hands in oil so that it’s easier to manipulate. Then, par-bake the crust in the oven. This step is critical, as if you just baked the entire thing in one shot, you’d end up with a very raw dough and very well-done toppings. After the initial par-bake, you may only need to bake your pizza for an additional 10 minutes or so, as you just need to fuse the toppings to the crust and melt the cheese. To make things extra indulgent, combine the seasoning packet with melted butter and apply it before par-baking your pizza. 

There are few toppings that wouldn’t work on this pie. A classic cheese, with pizza sauce and mozzarella, is a great start, though you could also take inspiration from the cheddar flavor and make a cheeseburger pie with ground beef, pickles, lettuce, and homemade burger sauce. 

There are tons of cornbread mixes to choose from at the store, but one creative ingredient you may never have thought to add to it is biscuit mix. Cornbread obviously has a grittier and coarser texture than biscuit mix, but when you combine the two, you get a subtly nutty flavor (thanks to the cornmeal), and the savory flavor of your biscuit mix (in this case, the Cheddar Bay-inspired one). 

You’ll want to combine your dry biscuit mix and cornbread mix together, and then add a complementary ratio of add-ins. The two may share some of the same add-ins, like water, milk, and melted butter; you just need to play with the recipe to find the perfect amount of each one. You can also forego the cornbread mix and use cornmeal in your recipe instead. Regardless, the mixture will be dense, as both cornbread and biscuit batter are heavy. You may also want to add extra cheese, garlic powder, and herbs to bolster the flavor. 

We recommend topping your cornbread with the provided Cheddar Bay seasoning packet. Once you nail down a basic recipe, consider adding tasty mix-ins, including chopped jalapeños, pepper Jack cheese, and pimentos. 

We did say that biscuit mix was analogous to “baking mix,” so why not try to make cookies with it? Obviously no one is replacing the chocolate chip cookies that are so near and dear to our hearts; we’re only suggesting a tasty alternative that savory lovers will surely appreciate. 

To make cookies with boxed biscuit mix, you’ll need to combine the dry mix with butter, eggs, and vanilla. Typically, you’d need to add sugar as well, but for a savory rendition with Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, you’ll just need to stick to the savory add-ins. Once you have a cookie dough-like consistency, drop your “cookies” onto a lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown. You can add extra cheese, herbs, or seasonings to make the cookies your own. You might even try to turn them into sandwich cookies by adding a layer of cheese spread between them. They’re an excellent mid-afternoon snack and are at home on a charcuterie board. 

There are many uses for store-bought pancake mix for more than just breakfast. If you can use pancake mix for things like frying, and you can use biscuit mix for pancakes, does that mean you can use biscuit mix for frying? We’re going with it. 

You can bring together a batter using the boxed mix, eggs, beer, and seasoning. Dredge your food of choice in the batter — it’ll work for tempura veggies, corn dogs, and more — and shallow-fry them in oil until golden brown. You could even fry just the biscuit mix itself by bringing it together with a little bit of buttermilk and plopping it into the hot oil. These savory donuts would be excellent paired with a garlic butter dipping sauce, which you can prepare using the packet of Cheddar Bay seasoning. 

Sausage balls are a terrific appetizer, especially when you want to switch up your tailgate fare. To prepare them at home, bring together mild or hot Italian sausage with milk, your Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, cheese, and seasonings like scallions, black pepper, and salt. The flour in the biscuit mix will help the balls stay together, while the seasonings will help infuse every bite with Red Lobster-inspired goodness. Once the balls have been shaped (a cookie scooper works great for this), deposit them onto a lined baking sheet and bake until they’re juicy. 

A honey mustard dipping sauce is an excellent accompaniment for the sausage and cheddar cheese, though you could also branch out to other creamy dips and dressings. You can even prepare these sausage balls ahead of time, bake them, and then warm them up in the oven before you’re ready to serve. They’re very tasty, and you may not even realize that they’re made with Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix!