Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits
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The BEST cheddar biscuit recipe ever! Loaded with crispy bacon bits, extra-sharp cheddar cheese and chives.
Featured Comment
why i love this recipe
- Tall, buttery, flaky goodness in every bite
- Perfect for breakfast or served alongside soups and stews
- Easy, fool-proof recipe, even for first-timer bakers
- Freezer-friendly for all your future biscuit needs
tips and tricks for success
- Freshly grated cheese goes a long way. Pre-packaged shredded cheese can save a few minutes in the kitchen but they contain anti-caking agents that prevents them from melting properly, resulting in a grainy texture.
- Start with frozen butter. Using frozen butter is ideal, contributing to a better rise and flakier biscuits. If using warm butter, it will melt too quickly during mixing. We want the butter to melt in the oven for those super flaky layers.
- Use buttermilk. While adding a slightly tangy flavor, buttermilk is a key ingredient here contributing to the flavor, texture and rise. Using milk will lead to more neutral flavors along with flat and dense biscuits. You can also make a buttermilk substitute using milk, adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Avoid overworking the dough. Knead the dough just until it comes together. Overworking the dough can lead to dense, dry biscuits.
- Use a floured biscuit cutter. Flouring the biscuit cutter beforehand will prevent sticking. Avoid twisting the cutter as the biscuits may slope and rise unevenly.
- Mix it up. Swap out the bacon for diced ham, green onions for chives or your favorite cheese for the cheddar.
- Make them taller. For taller bacon and cheese biscuits with softer edges, bake the biscuits on a baking sheet with the edges touching.
- Chill the biscuits prior to baking. Freezing the biscuit dough prior to baking for about 15 minutes will ensure that the butter remains cold, allowing the biscuits to rise properly for that favorited lighter, flakier texture.
- Freeze before baking. Although leftover biscuits can be frozen before or after baking, freezing before baking is preferred to preserve texture and for optimal freshness.
FREEZING AND STORAGE
Storage
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Freeze before baking
Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 weeks. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
Freeze after baking
Let the biscuits cool completely. Transfer the biscuits to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 weeks. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits: Frequently Asked Questions
A quick and easy buttermilk substitute is creating your own buttermilk with whole milk and something acidic such as lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
You can add 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to 1 cup milk, letting it stand for 5-10 minutes.
A sharp knife should do the trick using a downward motion. Using a dull rim, such as a glass or mason jar, can prevent the biscuits from rising.
Yes! Biscuits are very freezer-friendly, flash freezing once assembled (before baking) and storing in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a large bowl, combine bacon, flour, cheese, chives, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Grate butter using the large holes of a box grater. Stir into the flour mixture.
- Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut out 10-12 rounds using a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove biscuits from freezer. Place into oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve warm.
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yummy!! I will definitely try this
I haven’t made these delicious looking biscuits…yet. I wanted to make them for company, but wanted to make them a couple of days in advance to save on the mess. Can they be made ahead and then frozen without ant adverse affect on flavor?
Becky
Not at all, Becky! I have frozen these biscuits before (prior to baking) and they still turned out SO GOOD. 🙂
Super tasty!!! I love the texture… so instead of butter, I saved the bacon fat and it yielded just enough for the recipe and I was pleased I didn’t waste. I also didn’t have chives and used parsley instead, it was sooo good. Otherwise, I followed the recipe pretty closely, I loved making biscuits this way, might have to try other variations!
Those are great modifications! Thanks for sharing, Elin! 🙂
This is 3/4 cup unsalted butter before grating right. Not 3/4 cup of grated butter. So this would be a stick and a half of grated butter that will be used.
Yes, that is correct. 3/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen, prior to grating. Hope that helps, Sheldon!
Love this recipe.
Made these yesterday for my contribution to Easter dinner and they were a huge hit! Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe.
So glad they were a hit, Nicole! We love them too! 🙂
omg looks so delicious! I have to make this.
They’re so tasty!
These look amazing! Do you think that these could be refrigerated overnight and baked the next day to serve warm?
A couple of hours in the fridge should be okay but I do not recommend letting them sit in the fridge overnight. Since biscuits get their rise from baking powder and baking soda, they need to be baked fairly quickly, otherwise the rise formed by the leavening settles out and you are left with hardtack.
This looks to die for… Too bad I don’t eat pork… Can I make them without using the bacon ?
Sure!
Can’t wait to try it. They look so delicious, .For the lady who don’t eat pork, the turkey bacon is a good substitute.
This was the best recipe for biscuits I have ever made. I doubled the batch because I was serving 5 others for thanksgiving and they loved it! I will never make another recipe again, this one was just way too good. I highly recommend this.
Can this be made with GF flour?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Can they be reheated the next day.
Yes, of course! 🙂
I can here to recopy the recipe that had come to my email box in February. I’ve used it so many times, it looks……very used! These are our favorite biscuits! And now I see here there are two more tasty ones to try.
Thanks so much Chunga!
Thank you for sharing with us!
I made these tonight and they came out GREAT. One note.. I did a little experiment and froze half of the biscuits while the other half went directly into the oven. The biscuits that went directly into the oven rose 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch taller than the ones that went in the freezer. I kind of prefer the taller ones, but the taste is great regardless.
Thank you for sharing, Keena!
in case you don’t get buttermilk what else can I use
You can actually create a buttermilk substitute from plain milk with lemon juice or vinegar! Here’s how:
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-quick-easy-buttermilk-substitute-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-185757.
Hi,
I really like your recipes!
I realize I’m commenting on a post from February this year, but I had to say, I have never heard of using frozen butter and grating it! I am going to use grated frozen butter from now on when I make biscuits! I can’t wait to try these!
On another note, I am dreaming of Pad Thai now!
Thank you for this simple, yet truly amazing tip about the frozen/grated butter! Seriously!!
Thank you so much, Lisa!
Sam’s club has a 20 oz package of real crumbled bacon that will work well with this recipe.
Okay people looking to freeze overnight and bake in the morning… this is what worked for me: I followed the recipe exactly except bacon because I am vegetarian. Froze them on a baking sheet, (covered the sheet w press n seal) overnight. Then in the morning, preheated oven to 475. Baked biscuits for 5 mins. Lowered temp to 425 and baked for 10 more mins. Removed from oven and cooled for 5 mins.
I’d like to know where you found that yummy-sounding street Thai noodle place! I live in So Cal and want to try it! And I will definitely be making these biscuits too. They look so decadent.
AWSOME! I used Cloverdale Thick Cut Peppered bacon and the coarse pepper really added to it. I also used just 1 teaspoon salt figuring the bacon had salt and had to add a little more buttermilk. I loved the thicker biscuit. This is much better than any I’ve tried in a restaurant or other recipes! 10 + Stars!
Wow Trish, what a huge compliment! Thank you!