Bacon, Ham & Cheddar Biscuits
Yield: 10–12 biscuits
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 14–18 minutes
Oven: 425°F (220°C)
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar — optional
Butter & dairy
8 tablespoons (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup (240 ml) cold buttermilk
Meat
6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
4 oz (115 g) cooked ham, finely diced
Cheese
1½ cups (150–170 g) shredded sharp cheddar
½ cup (50–60 g) additional cheddar for the tops
Optional flavor additions
2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño
The combination of cold butter, buttermilk, cheddar and bacon is also used in established bacon-cheddar biscuit recipes.
Full Step-by-Step Recipe
1. Cook the bacon
Cook 6 bacon strips until crisp but not burnt.
Transfer to paper towels and let cool.
Once cool, chop into small pieces.
You want approximately ½–¾ cup cooked bacon.
Tip: Don’t chop it into powder. Small ¼-inch pieces give you the visible bacon pieces shown in the photograph.
2. Prepare the ham
Dice the ham into approximately ¼-inch cubes.
Pat very moist ham with paper towels.
Excess moisture can make the biscuit dough sticky.
For the closest appearance to the photograph, use a slightly thicker piece of ham rather than very thin deli slices.
3. Chill your ingredients
This is important.
Put the cubed butter in the refrigerator or freezer while preparing everything else.
Your:
butter
buttermilk
cheese
bacon
ham
should be reasonably cool.
Cold butter creates little pockets of fat in the dough, which help produce flaky, tender biscuits.
4. Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl combine:
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
optional sugar
optional smoked paprika
Whisk thoroughly.
5. Cut in the butter
Add the cold cubed butter.
Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour.
Stop when you have a mixture resembling coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Don’t completely disappear the butter.
Those little pieces are desirable.
Established biscuit recipes similarly recommend working cold butter into the flour until pea-sized pieces remain.
6. Add bacon, ham and cheese
Add:
chopped bacon
diced ham
1½ cups shredded cheddar
chives, if using
Toss everything together.
This coats the meat and cheese lightly with flour and helps distribute them evenly.
7. Add the buttermilk
Pour in approximately ¾ cup of the buttermilk first.
Gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
Add the remaining buttermilk gradually until you have a thick, shaggy dough.
You may need all of it—or slightly less/more depending on your flour.
The correct dough should:
hold together when pressed
look somewhat rough
feel moist
not be liquid
not be kneaded smooth
Don’t overmix.
Overworking biscuit dough develops gluten and can make the finished biscuits tough.
8. Make the biscuits
You have two good options.
Option A — Drop biscuits
This is the easiest and gives the rustic appearance in your photo.
Use a large spoon, cookie scoop or approximately ¼-cup measure.
Drop portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Leave approximately 1½–2 inches between biscuits.
Option B — Cut biscuits
For more uniform biscuits:
Lightly flour your work surface.
Turn the dough onto it.
Gently press it to approximately ¾–1 inch thick.
Fold it in half.
Press gently again.
Cut rounds using a 2½–3-inch cutter.
Don’t twist the cutter when cutting—the straight downward motion helps the biscuits rise evenly.
9. Add the cheese topping
Place the biscuits on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheddar over the tops.
For the photograph-style finish, allow a little cheese to hang over the edges.
Those melted crispy cheese edges are delicious.
You can also add a few tiny pieces of bacon and ham to the tops.
10. Brush the tops
For extra browning, brush the tops lightly with:
2 tablespoons buttermilk
or
1 tablespoon melted butter.
Buttermilk brushed on biscuit tops is a common technique for helping them brown nicely.
11. Bake
Preheat the oven to:
425°F / 220°C
Bake for approximately:
14–18 minutes
until:
tops are golden
cheese is melted
edges are browned
centers are cooked through
For very large drop biscuits, you may need closer to 18–22 minutes.
Similar bacon-cheddar biscuit recipes bake at approximately 425–450°F.
12. Optional finishing butter
As soon as the biscuits come out, brush them with:
1 tablespoon melted butter
tiny pinch garlic powder
tiny pinch parsley
This gives them the glossy golden finish visible in many bakery-style biscuits.
Let them rest for 5 minutes before eating.
Secret to Getting Them Like the Photograph
The most important things are:
1. Keep the butter COLD
Don’t use softened butter.
2. Don’t overmix
The dough should look somewhat messy.
3. Use plenty of cheese
Sharp cheddar gives a stronger flavor and better color.
4. Use crispy bacon
Soft bacon can make the interior greasy.
5. Dice everything small
Large meat chunks can cause the biscuits to break apart.
6. Bake HOT
A properly preheated 425°F oven helps the biscuits rise quickly.
7. Don’t flatten drop biscuits
Keep them relatively tall.
Best Bacon-to-Ham Ratio
For the pictured flavor, I’d use:
½ cup cooked bacon + ½ cup diced ham + 1½ cups cheddar.
If you want them more bacon-forward:
¾ cup bacon
¼ cup ham
If you want ham-forward:
¼ cup bacon
¾ cup ham
Cheese Options
Best overall
Sharp cheddar
Extra creamy
Mild cheddar + Monterey Jack
Stronger flavor
Sharp cheddar + Parmesan
Smoky
Smoked cheddar
Spicy
Pepper Jack + sharp cheddar
I’d recommend 75% sharp cheddar + 25% Monterey Jack if you want very melty biscuits.
Spicy Version
Add:
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 small jalapeño, finely diced
Pepper Jack in place of ½ cup cheddar
This turns them into bacon-jalapeño-cheddar biscuits.
Garlic-Cheddar Version
Add:
1 teaspoon garlic powder to the dough
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
After baking, brush with:
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of parsley
Very good served alongside soup.
Buttermilk Substitute
If you don’t have buttermilk:
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup.
Add regular milk until you reach 1 cup.
Stir and wait approximately 5–10 minutes.
Then use it as the buttermilk.
Make-Ahead Instructions
These are excellent for making ahead.
Prepare and shape the biscuits.
Place them on a parchment-lined tray.
Freeze until solid.
Transfer to a freezer bag/container.
Bake directly from frozen.
Add approximately 3–6 minutes to the baking time.
Frozen homemade biscuits can be stored for several months when properly packaged. A similar bacon-cheddar biscuit method specifically recommends freezing shaped biscuits for later baking.
Refrigerator Storage
Store baked biscuits in an airtight container.
Room temperature: about 1 day
Refrigerator: 3–4 days
Freezer: approximately 2–3 months for best quality
Reheat at:
350°F / 175°C for 5–10 minutes.
Avoid microwaving for too long because the biscuits can become chewy.
Approximate Nutrition
This depends heavily on the exact bacon, ham and cheese used.
For 12 biscuits, a reasonable estimate is:
Nutrition Approx. per biscuit
Calories 260–300
Protein 9–11 g
Carbohydrates 25–28 g
Fat 14–17 g
Saturated fat 7–9 g
Fiber 1 g
Sugar 1–2 g
Sodium 500–700 mg
The sodium can be considerably higher depending on the bacon, ham, cheese and salt.
For comparison, a published bacon-cheddar biscuit recipe reports about 308 calories, 11.6 g fat, 33.9 g carbohydrate and 15.9 g protein per serving, although its formulation differs from this recipe.
Nut & Allergy Information
Peanuts
No peanuts are intentionally included.
Tree nuts
No tree nuts are intentionally included.
Almonds
None required.
Walnuts
None required.
Pecans
None required.
Cashews
None required.
Dairy
Yes.
The recipe contains:
butter
buttermilk
cheddar cheese
Gluten
Yes.
All-purpose wheat flour contains gluten.
Eggs
No eggs are required.
Soy
Not intentionally required, but check the labels of processed bacon, ham and cheese if cooking for someone with a soy allergy.
Pork
Yes.
Both bacon and traditional ham are pork.
If you need a pork-free version, use turkey bacon and turkey ham.
Vegetarian
No, because of bacon and ham.
Important Allergy Cross-Contact Note
If you’re making these for someone with a severe nut allergy, don’t rely only on the ingredient list.
Check the packaging for:
“may contain”
“processed in a facility”
shared-equipment warnings
This is especially relevant for packaged bacon, processed ham and pre-shredded cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my biscuits hard?
Most likely the dough was overmixed or too much flour was added.
Mix only until the ingredients come together.
Why didn’t they rise?
Possible causes:
old baking powder
butter was too warm
dough was overworked
oven wasn’t fully preheated
Why are they greasy?
Too much bacon fat, overly soft butter, or very fatty cheese can cause this.
Drain bacon extremely well before adding it.
Can I use bacon grease instead of butter?
Yes, but I recommend replacing no more than 2 tablespoons of the butter with chilled bacon grease.
The bacon flavor becomes much stronger.
Can I use pre-cooked bacon?
Yes.
Make sure it is reasonably crisp and chop it finely.
Can I use deli ham?
Yes, but thicker diced ham gives a better texture.
Can I use leftover holiday ham?
Absolutely. It’s one of the best uses for leftover ham.
Can I use self-rising flour?
Yes, but you’ll need to substantially modify the baking powder and salt because self-rising flour already contains leavening and salt.
For the most predictable result, use regular all-purpose flour with the quantities above.
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Yes, but buttermilk provides acidity and a characteristic biscuit flavor.
If using regular milk, adding a little lemon juice or vinegar gives a closer result.
Why is the bottom too brown?
Your baking sheet may be conducting too much heat.
Try:
parchment paper
a lighter-colored baking sheet
moving the tray to the middle rack
Why did the cheese burn?
Some cheese may be exposed directly to the hot pan.
Use slightly larger shreds and don’t place huge piles of cheese on the edges.
Can I make them without ham?
Yes.
Use:
1 cup cooked bacon + 1½ cups cheddar
for excellent bacon-cheddar biscuits.
Can I make them without bacon?
Yes.
Use approximately:
1 cup diced ham + 1½ cups cheddar.
Can I add sausage?
Definitely.
Replace the bacon with approximately ½–¾ cup cooked crumbled breakfast sausage.
Can I add green onions?
Yes. Use 2–3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions.
Can I add jalapeños?
Yes. Use 1 small finely diced jalapeño, removing the seeds for less heat.
Can I make them sweeter?
Add 1–2 tablespoons sugar.
For a sweet-savory version, serve warm with honey butter.
Can I make them as large as the ones in the photo?
Yes. Make approximately 10 large drop biscuits rather than 12 smaller ones.
Increase baking time slightly and make sure the center is fully cooked.
My Best Version
For the closest match to your photograph, I would make:
2½ cups flour + 1 tbsp baking powder + ½ tsp baking soda + 8 tbsp cold butter + 1 cup buttermilk + 6 strips crispy bacon + 4 oz diced ham + 1½ cups sharp cheddar + garlic + onion powder + black pepper.
Make 10 large rustic drop biscuits, add extra cheddar and bacon on top, brush lightly with buttermilk, and bake at 425°F for about 16–20 minutes.
