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These Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits are buttery, cheesy, and unbelievably easy to make. Mix everything in the food processor, roll, cut, and bake—no fuss, just the best homemade biscuits you’ve ever had.
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“Unbelievably good recipe – great way to use your sourdough discard, but the recipe itself is excellent, everyone is requesting I make this again!” -Irina
These cheddar sourdough biscuits are savory and buttery with the perfect cheesy flavor. Want to kick things up a notch? Add in sliced jalapeños for a spicy twist—or keep them plain for a classic version everyone will love.You can even make them into plain biscuits for strawberry shortcake or Chicken Pot Pie with Sourdough Biscuits.
Why you will love this recipe
- The perfect texture – These biscuits are soft, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth.
- Super easy – Thanks to the help of a food processor, these biscuits are super easy to make and are beginner-friendly.
- Customizable – These biscuits have gooey cheddar cheese for a delicious flavor. However, they are easily customizable with your favorite cheese, or you can add jalapeños if you want to add some spice.
- Under 30 minutes – This recipe is quick and is a great one to get bread on the table in under 30 minutes. Another quick recipe to try is my Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter: I prefer to use frozen unsalted butter. Placing the butter in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before making the dough will help keep it cold throughout, resulting in flaky layers.
- Sourdough discard: A lot of biscuit recipes call for buttermilk, but the sourdough discard will give you a similar tang and tenderness that buttermilk does.
- Milk: I used whole milk, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand.
- Cheese: I used sharp cheddar cheese, but feel free to use other types of cheese, like pepper jack, for an extra kick. If mixing in a food processor or blender, you can just chunk the cheese as it will get broken down when mixed. However, if you are mixing by hand, you will want to shred the cheese with a cheese grater.
- Optional- jalapeños: If I am adding jalapeños, I use a jar of sliced pickled jalapeños, but fresh will work as well. When using sliced jalapeños, try to pat dry the excess moisture with a paper towel before adding them to the dough. If you love this flavor combination, be sure to also try this Jalapeño Cheddar Bacon Sourdough Bread.
See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.
Instructions to make Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
Step 1: Place 2 sticks of butter (1 cup) in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to ensure the butter is very cold when making these biscuits. Cold butter is key to a good biscuit.
Cube the butter and add it to a food processor or blender that can mix dough, along with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Blend for 10-15 seconds, just until the mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, you can make this by hand in a large mixing bowl. Coat the butter in the flour mixture and squeeze the butter between your fingertips until a crumbly mixture is formed, or use a pastry cutter.
Step 3: Add in the remaining ingredients: sourdough discard, cheese, milk, and optional jalapeños.
Note: for the cheese, you can have it cubed if it is going in a food processor. If you are mixing by hand, you need to grate the cheese.
Step 4: Blend again for about 20-30 seconds until the biscuit dough comes together. It should be a shaggy dough, not smooth or fully incorporated. You do not want to overmix the dough. If you are doing it by hand, stir in the ingredients and then place on a floured surface to knead for just a minute until the dough forms.
Step 5: Once mixed, place the dough on a lightly floured counter. Add a light dusting of flour on top and roll the dough with a rolling pin once or twice so it is flat.
Step 6: Fold the dough into thirds, bringing one layer on top of the other like a trifold. Roll out the dough and then turn it 90 degrees and fold it up one more time.
Step 7: Roll the dough into a thick rectangle, roughly 6″ wide x 12″ long.
Step 8: Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 even pieces. If you prefer smaller biscuits, you can cut them into 10 or 12 pieces or use a round biscuit cutter for round biscuits.
Step 9: Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little bit of milk to get a golden brown biscuit.
Step 10: Bake the biscuits for 15-17 minutes in a preheated 425°F oven until browned and baked through.
Brush the tops with melted butter with a pastry brush, then remove them from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure the butter you use for the biscuits is very cold, frozen is best. The key is to keep the butter from melting so that you get tender and flaky biscuits.
- Use cold sourdough discard if possible to help keep the butter from melting.
- Don’t work the dough too much– doing so will heat up the dough and cause the butter to melt.
- Don’t let these biscuits bake too long– if they are overbaked, they can become dry.
- I recommend using a block of cheese instead of a bag of shredded cheese. Shredded cheese has preservatives added to it, which can prevent the cheese from melting properly when baked.
- If you use a jar of jalapeno slices, be sure to pat dry the jalapeños before adding them to the dough to avoid too much extra moisture.
Storage instructions for sourdough biscuits
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
These biscuits can be frozen. Simply place them in a freezer-safe bag or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature and quickly warm them up in the microwave.
Serving Sourdough Biscuits
These Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits make for a delicious side dish, breakfast, or snack. Or even better, can you imagine how delicious these would be with sausage gravy?! While they taste great by themselves, you can top them with jam, honey (or hot honey), or butter.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, active starter or discard will work in this recipe. I recommend using it straight from the fridge so that it is cold.
Yes! To long ferment the sourdough biscuit dough, simply make the biscuits and instead of baking, add the raw cut out biscuits to the fridge for 24-48 hours and then bake as instructed.
Yes! You can freeze the unbaked biscuit dough. To freeze before baking, cut out the biscuits, place them on a sheet pan to freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
Absolutely. You can make the dough a day ahead and keep it in the fridge covered until ready to bake.
More sourdough Recipes
Soft Sourdough Bread Recipes
Sourdough Discard Hamburger Buns (1 hour rise)
Sourdough Breakfast Recipes
The Best Sourdough Monkey Bread
Sourdough Discard Recipes
Cheesy Garlic Sourdough Scones (30 minutes)
Soft Sourdough Bread Recipes
Sourdough Garlic Bread (Ready in 20 minutes!)
Tried this Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits
Ingredients
- 280 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 cups
- 13 grams baking powder, 1 Tablespoon
- 9 grams salt, ½ Tablespoon
- 227 grams unsalted butter, 1 cup
- 176 grams sourdough discard, 1 cup
- 105 grams milk, ½ cup
- 150 grams cheddar cheese, 1 cup
- 70 grams optional: jalapeños, sliced, ½ cup
Instructions
- Place the butter in the freezer for at least 15-30 minutes to chill. If you have time, let the butter fully freeze before using as this will produce a better biscuit.227 grams unsalted butter
- Preheat the oven to 425℉
- Cut the butter up into cubes and place in a food processor (or blender with dough capabilities) with the flour, baking powder, and salt. Or you can mix by hand or with a pastry cutter.280 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, 13 grams baking powder, 9 grams salt
- Blend for 10-15 seconds until you have a crumbly mixture.
- Add the sourdough discard, milk, cubed cheese, and optional jalapenos and pulse again until combined about 20-30 seconds. If you are mixing by hand use shredded cheese instead and knead until just combined.176 grams sourdough discard, 105 grams milk, 150 grams cheddar cheese, 70 grams optional: jalapeños, sliced
- Once mixed, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Add a light dusting of flour on top and roll the dough once or twice so it is flat. Fold the dough into thirds, bringing one layer on top of the other like a trifold. Roll out the dough and then turn it 90 degrees and fold it up one more time. Roll the dough into a thick rectangle, roughly 6" wide x 12" long.
- Using a bench scraper cut the dough into 8 equal parts, or smaller if you prefer a smaller biscuit.
- Place on a parchment or non-stick silicone lined baking sheet and brush the tops with milk.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Brush butter on the top of each and place on a cooling rack to cool.
Notes
Tips for Success
- If your dough is too dry add a 1-2 Tbsp of cold water to the dough.
- Make sure the butter you use for the biscuits is very cold, frozen is best. The key is to keep the butter from melting so that you get flaky and tender biscuits.
- Use cold sourdough discard if possible to help keep the butter from melting.
- Don’t work the dough too much; doing so will heat up the dough and cause the butter to melt.
- Don’t let these biscuits bake too long; if they are overbaked, they can become dry.
- If you use a jar of jalapeno slices, be sure to dry off the jalapenos before adding them to the dough to avoid too much extra moisture.
- I recommend using a block of cheese instead of a bag of shredded cheese. Shredded cheese has preservatives added to it which can prevent the cheese from melting properly when baked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m usually not a biscuit person but I love this recipe!! The biscuit is light and slightly crunchy, and the flavors are distinct. I’ve made this several times and have gotten many compliments. One thing I changed is I shredded the cheddar and fresh jalapeños first in the food processor into smaller chunks, then followed the steps and added them back in at the end. With the recipe as is the cheddar and jalapeños would stay in large chunks and not get incorporated into the dough. Maybe it’s a problem with my processor. Also don’t work the dough too much so that it gets a nice rise. But 10/10 recipe and will make this again.
These are so good. My husband and Dad love them.
Unbelievably good recipe – great way to use your sourdough discard, but the recipe itself is excellent, everyone is requesting I make this again!
These biscuits were really good. I will be making them again. I think they would be really good with chili.