Keto Cheddar Bay Biscuit
Published August 13, 2019 • Updated February 24, 2026
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I make this keto cheddar bay biscuit chaffle when I want that Red Lobster flavor without leaving my kitchen. Sharp cheddar, garlic, and a quick garlic butter brush on top.
I started making this chaffle because I missed Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Not in some vague way. I mean I genuinely craved that sharp cheddar and garlic combination every time we drove past a Red Lobster. So I figured out how to get it in a keto chaffle, and now this is one of the recipes I come back to constantly.
The batter is simple: egg, sharp cheddar, almond flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. What makes it taste like the real thing is the cheese-to-flour ratio. I use a full quarter cup of sharp cheddar (not mild, not medium) because that’s what gives you the punchy, salty bite that Cheddar Bay Biscuits are known for. Mozzarella makes a fine chaffle, but it doesn’t have the flavor punch you need here.
The part most copycat recipes miss is the garlic butter. At Red Lobster, they brush melted butter with garlic and parsley on top of every biscuit right out of the oven. I do the same thing here. Melt a tablespoon of butter, stir in a pinch of garlic powder and some dried parsley, and brush it on the chaffle while it’s still hot. That one step takes this from good to “wait, this actually tastes like the restaurant.” I tested it side by side (with and without the butter) and the difference is obvious.
These freeze well too. I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, toss them in a freezer bag, and they keep for about a month. When I reheat, I use a toaster oven at 350 for a few minutes until the edges crisp back up. The microwave works in a pinch but you lose the texture.
For serving, I pair these with soup more than anything else. A bowl of keto cheeseburger soup or keto turkey soup with one of these on the side is a full low carb meal that actually feels like dinner. They’re also great alongside keto buffalo chicken meatballs or even just a simple Caesar salad. One reader told me she uses two of them as sandwich bread with sausage and bacon in the middle, and I’ve been doing that for breakfast ever since.
Each biscuit has roughly 2-3 grams of net carbs, so they fit into a keto day without any math gymnastics. I’ve been making variations of this since I started developing chaffle recipes, and this one stays in the rotation because it scratches a very specific itch. If you’ve been missing restaurant flavors on keto, start here.
How to Make a Cheddar Bay Biscuit Chaffle
Set your waffle maker to medium-high heat, not the max setting. I’ve burned more chaffles than I’d like to admit by cranking it all the way up. Medium-high gives the outside time to crisp while the inside stays soft.
Whisk the egg first, then fold in the cheddar, almond flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt. The batter should be thick but pourable. If it looks too dry, your almond flour might be coarser than mine. Pour it into the center of the waffle iron and let it spread on its own. Don’t push it to the edges or you’ll get thin, brittle spots.
Cook for 3-4 minutes. I watch for steam to slow down, that’s my signal it’s close. The chaffle should release easily when it’s done. If it sticks, give it another 30 seconds.
The finishing move: melt a tablespoon of butter, stir in a small pinch of garlic powder and dried parsley, and brush it over the hot chaffle. This is what makes a keto Cheddar Bay Biscuit taste like the real thing. Skip it and you’ll wonder what’s missing.
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Ingredients
1 egg -
¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese
-
2 tablespoons almond flour
-
½ teaspoon baking powder
-
½ teaspoon garlic powder
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pinch of salt
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat waffle maker
Preheat waffle maker to medium high heat.
Mix ingredients
Whisk together egg, cheddar cheese, almond flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt.
Add to waffle maker
Pour chaffle mixture into the center of the waffle iron. Close the waffle maker and let cook for 3-5 minutes or until waffle is golden brown and set.
Serve
Remove the chaffle from the waffle maker and serve.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How many chaffles does this recipe make?
I get two chaffles from my mini Dash waffle maker (the small 4-inch one). If you have a full-size waffle maker, it makes one larger chaffle. I usually double the batch because my family goes through them fast.
Can I add Old Bay seasoning?
I tried this after a reader suggested it, and it works. I add about a quarter teaspoon to the batter. The Old Bay gives it a slightly different flavor profile (more seafood-seasoning territory), which makes sense if you're pairing these with shrimp or fish. I like it both ways.
Can I freeze these?
I freeze them all the time. Wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag for up to a month. When I reheat, I use a toaster oven at 350 for about 3-4 minutes until the edges get crispy again. The microwave works but you lose that crunch.
How do I make the garlic butter topping?
I melt a tablespoon of butter, stir in a small pinch of garlic powder and some dried parsley, and brush it on the chaffle right after it comes out of the waffle maker. This is the step that makes it taste like the actual Red Lobster biscuit. I don't skip it anymore.
What can I serve these with?
I pair mine with soup most often. Keto cheeseburger soup and keto turkey soup are my go-to combos. They're also great with a Caesar salad, alongside keto chicken casserole, or next to a keto skillet lasagna. Basically any low carb dinner that needs bread on the side.
Can I use a different type of cheese?
I've tested mozzarella and pepper jack in place of the sharp cheddar. Mozzarella makes a milder chaffle that's perfectly fine but doesn't have that signature Cheddar Bay punch. Pepper jack adds a nice kick if you like heat. My preference is still sharp cheddar because that's what makes this taste like the original.
What can I use instead of almond flour?
I've subbed coconut flour, but you only need about 1 tablespoon since it absorbs way more liquid. The texture comes out a little denser and less biscuit-like, so I prefer almond flour for this one. If you're nut-free, coconut flour is your best bet.
Can I use these as sandwich bread?
One of my readers started doing this and I picked it up immediately. I put a slice of sausage or bacon between two chaffles and it holds together perfectly. They're sturdy enough for a keto cheesesteak-style filling too. I make extras specifically for this now.
Six batches in and I started adding a tablespoon of cream cheese to the batter, which gives them this pillowy center that I didn't know I was missing. The garlic butter brush at the end is still the part I refuse to skip.
Made these for a spring dinner and a friend who doesn't eat low-carb kept coming back to the biscuit plate asking what I brushed on top. The garlic butter finish is no joke. Next time I'm making triple.
Batch seven and I finally dialed in the timing on mine (4 minutes flat, not the full 5, and the edges come out with this deep golden crisp that I love). The garlic butter brush at the end is what makes it. I grew up going to Red Lobster constantly and this is the first thing in two years on keto that actually took me back there. Making a double batch tonight.
Tried probably four or five other keto biscuit recipes trying to chase that Red Lobster thing and none of them really got there, but this one actually did it. The garlic butter brush on top is what I kept skipping in other recipes thinking it was optional (it is not optional). I'm pretty new to chaffles so I wasn't sure I'd pull it off, but the sharp cheddar comes through. Honestly tastes like the real thing. The others just didn't.
Batter alone gets you a cheese waffle. That garlic butter step is what makes it taste like a biscuit. Not optional. Glad the sharp cheddar came through on the first try.
Added a teaspoon of cream cheese to the batter on a whim and now I can't make them any other way. The center gets this almost custardy softness while the outside stays crispy, which is freaking perfect. The other thing I'm telling everyone: don't hold back on that garlic butter at the end. Really brush it in while it's hot. That's what actually gets you to Red Lobster territory.
Cream cheese in the batter. That custardy center while the outside stays crispy is exactly what these need. And the garlic butter has to go on while it's steaming or you lose half the flavor.
I've tried a few keto cheddar bay biscuit recipes and something always felt off, like the garlic was there but it wasn't really there. The garlic butter brush at the end is what the others were skipping. Made these on a weeknight and they tasted closer to the real thing than anything I've attempted so far, which as a beginner is honestly kind of wild.
The garlic butter brush is what makes these actually taste like Red Lobster. Batter alone gets you halfway there.
First time using my waffle maker for anything other than actual waffles, and I kind of expected it to come out like an egg puck. The garlic butter brush at the end is what got me. Going to figure out what else this thing can do.
The egg puck fear is real. Try putting a sausage patty between two of these while the iron's still hot.
I've made probably six different keto biscuit recipes over the past year trying to find something that actually tastes like bread and not wet almond flour. This one got closer than anything else I've tried, and I'm pretty sure it's the garlic butter brush at the end that makes the difference. Something about that step takes it from 'technically a biscuit' to actually craveable. The sharp cheddar flavor came through in a way it doesn't with a lot of recipes that call for the pre-shredded bags (I used the block and grated it myself). I'd give it five stars except my texture wasn't quite right on the first try. Making batch two tonight once I sort out my waffle maker.
Grating from the block is right. Pre-shredded has a coating that kills the melt. For batch two: fully preheated iron, and don't crack the lid until the steam dies down.
Brush the garlic butter on while it's still in the waffle maker with the lid cracked. It soaks into the crust instead of sitting on top. Completely different texture.
Making another batch this week just to try this. I always brush after it comes out, never thought to crack the lid and go in early.
First time using my waffle maker for anything savory and the garlic butter brush at the end is what seals it. Tastes freaking exactly like the real thing. I burned my first one figuring out the heat but once I got it right I made four more in a row.
First one always goes to the iron gods. Four more right after you figured it out though, can't argue with that.
My son walked in while these were on the waffle iron and asked if we were going to Red Lobster. That smell (the garlic, the butter hitting the hot iron) is dead-on. He's 13 and not easily impressed with anything I cook right now, so that landed. The texture is a bit denser than the original because of the almond flour. Fine, but worth knowing if you're expecting that fluffy pull-apart thing. I add an extra pinch of garlic powder because we like things on the stronger side. That tweak and these are exactly what I want on a weeknight when I don't feel like going anywhere.
A 13 year old asking if you're going to Red Lobster is a better review than anything I could write. Extra garlic powder is the right call, I go heavy on mine too.
After trying four or five keto cheddar bay biscuit recipes, this one finally sticks. The garlic butter brush at the end is what the others skip and it's what makes it actually taste like you're in a Red Lobster parking lot at 7pm. Nothing else has come close.
Red Lobster parking lot at 7pm. That's exactly it. The garlic brush is what everyone skips and then wonders why theirs tastes flat.
My daughter watched the whole thing with zero confidence, then swiped the last one off the iron before I could plate it. Said it smelled exactly like Red Lobster after the garlic butter.
The garlic butter brush right off the iron is what does it. Can't blame her.
Does this just make one chaffle? Or 2?
It depends on the size of waffle maker. If you have a small mini Dash waffle maker, it will make two standard 4 inch waffles. A larger waffle maker, you can make one.
Forgot the "old bay" seasoning in "cheddar bay chaffle" try it you won't be disappointed! Good recipe!
Yeah I do this too. About a quarter teaspoon straight in the batter. Really leans into the cheddar bay vibe.