How do you make something epic into something healthy when the main ingredients are flour, butter and cheese? Challenge accepted! Get ready to meet your new favorite dinner carb: healthier cheddar biscuits inspired by the Red Lobster favorites.
Instead of starting with a standard biscuit recipe and making healthy swaps from there, we used a gluten-free biscuit recipe base to get us started.
The flours might be the most important part of the recipe. We used a combination of almond and arrowroot, making these biscuits gluten-free. Plus, the almond flour is lower in carbs and higher in healthy fat and fiber than ordinary wheat flour.
Next, we cut down on the amount of fat and substituted ghee for butter. Ghee is a clarified butter. It has little to no lactose, and contains a greater amount of omega 3 fatty acids than typical margarine, which can benefit brain function, fight inflammation, improve bone and joint health, amongst other health benefits. A vegan butter would work here, too, especially one that’s nut-based. Given that we’re using about half the fat in the namesake recipe, you can afford to splurge on the real thing without feeling guilty. Honey replaces refined sugar as a sweetener.
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About the cheese: We often hear “everything in moderation,” and this is no exception. One of the simplest ways to make a recipe healthier is to pull back on the amount of the splurge ingredients. In this case, cutting back on cheese doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And if you want extra plant-based nutrition, you can always swap for your favorite plant-based cheese.
Cheddar biscuits ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ¾ cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup cold ghee
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee
- ½ tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
To make the cheddar biscuits, whisk the almond flour, arrowroot flour, salt, baking soda and garlic powder in a large bowl.
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Cut the cold ghee into the dry ingredients until you have small crumbs.
Whisk the honey with two eggs, and then mix this with the dry ingredients using a spatula. Fold in the low-fat cheddar cheese.
Form into six large biscuits, dropped from a large spoon, and bake for 15 minutes. Once they’re out of the oven, brush with melted ghee, garlic powder and fresh parsley and enjoy the look and taste of your favorite lobster-accompanying cheddar biscuit without all the guilt.
Healthier Red Lobster cheddar biscuits
Yield 6 large biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- ¾ cup arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup cold ghee
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee
- ½ tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In large mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients (almond flour, arrowroot, salt, garlic powder and baking soda).
- Cut ghee into dry ingredients with pastry cutter or form, until you have small coarse crumbs.
- In small bowl, whisk together honey and eggs.
- Gently combine wet and dry ingredients with spatula, until just combined. Fold in cheese.
- Drop batter onto prepared sheet with large spoon.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, checking at 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons ghee and add finely chopped parsley and garlic powder.
- Once baked, brush biscuits with melted ghee mixture.
- Serve immediately.
Courses Bread
Looking for another carb to satisfy your taste buds? Learn to make fresh Bavarian pretzels in our tutorial below.