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These homemade ham and cheese biscuits are both tender and buttery. Made with black forest ham and sharp cheddar cheese, these easy drop biscuits are baked right in a cast iron skillet.
This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been updated for content.
There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked homemade biscuits in the morning. My family loves this simple version for drop biscuits with bits of ham & cheese. They are made from scratch with little effort and just a handful of ingredients.
These ham and cheese biscuits are great stuffed with scrambled eggs for hearty biscuit sandwiches. This delicious recipe also makes a great side dish with a bowl of soup.
Serve this easy recipe for cheesy ham biscuits for a delicious weekend brunch with a citrus salad or grilled peaches!
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🧀 Ingredient notes
- Butter - Make sure to use unsalted butter that is super cold instead of room temperature. This will help to ensure tender biscuits that are not overly salty.
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk not only helps to activate the baking powder for a flaky texture in these biscuits, but it also adds flavor. If you don't have buttermilk, mix ½ cup of whole milk with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and let it sit in the fridge while you mix your dry ingredients. It will look a bit lumpy, but that's ok. If you have leftover buttermilk after making this recipe, try making strawberry drop biscuits, crispy fried chicken sandwiches, or buttermilk pancakes. You can also learn how to freeze buttermilk to use it at a later date.
- Ham - Black forest ham can typically be found at your local deli. It has a rich, smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with the sharp cheddar cheese. Honey ham or smoked ham would be great alternatives as well, just watch out for varieties that may be overly salty. It is also a great way to use up leftover ham from the holidays!
- Cheese - I like using sharp cheddar cheese to contrast in flavor to the rich flavor of the savory ham. Alternatively, mild cheddar or Swiss cheese can also be used for these ham and cheese drop biscuits.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Meat - These easy drop biscuits would also be good with sausage or bacon instead of ham.
- Scallions - Add ¼ cup of thinly sliced scallions with the ham & cheese for extra flavor.
- Gluten Free - Replace the all-purpose flour with a cup for cup gluten free flour.
- Dairy-Free - Use the buttermilk substitute listed above, but replace the milk with a dairy-free or plant-based substitute. Replace the cheese and butter with a dairy-free or plant-based substitute.
- Vegetarian - Omit the ham in this recipe to make this recipe vegetarian.
🥣 Step by step ingredients
First, preheat the oven with the cast iron skillet inside and whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cut 6 Tablespoons of the cold butter into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry blender until it's well mixed in the flour.
Add in the buttermilk, ham, and cheese and stir until the mixture just forms a wet dough. Place the dough in the freezer to chill for a bit and add the remaining butter to the skillet in the oven to let it melt.
Remove the skillet from the oven using an oven mitt and drop the mounds of dough into it in 8 equal pieces on top of the melted butter.
Place the skillet back in the oven and let the biscuits cook for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown on the tops and edges. Let the hot biscuits cool for about 5 minutes and then serve!
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⭐ Expert tips
- To make the most tender, flaky biscuits, be careful not to over-mix the dough. Just stir the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are no longer wet and just mixed together.
- To also help the biscuits be both tender and flaky, make sure your ingredients are super cold. Ingredients can be measured out and stored in the fridge ahead of time to help with this.
- Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to evenly divide the dough and place it in the hot skillet.
- Make sure to use oven mitts or gloves to take your skillet in and out of the oven so you don't get burned!
🥘 Alternative cooking methods
Cut - Add an extra ½ cup of flour and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Flatten and shape the dough into a square using a rolling pin and then fold it over on itself. Repeat this twice and then shape it into a rectangle. Use a biscuit cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into squares or circles. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze while the oven preheats. Bake as directed.
Pan - While these drop biscuits have the best texture when made in a cast iron skillet, they can also be made using a pie or cake pan, a small baking dish, or a muffin pan. Don't preheat these pans ahead of time like you would the cast iron skillet, but do make sure they are greased with butter or cooking spray. Cooking times may vary.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
Finished biscuits can be made ahead of time and warmed up in the microwave or oven.
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month.
🥞 More breakfast recipes
If you loved this recipe for easy ham and cheese biscuits, check out these other breakfast recipes that I know you will love too!
- Cheddar Chive Biscuits
- Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
- Overnight Baked Blueberry French Toast
- Nutella Pancakes
Recipe
Ham and Cheese Drop Biscuits
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and divided use
- ⅔ cup buttermilk, cold
- ½ cup diced black forest ham
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine and remove any lumps.
- Cut 6 Tablespoons of the cold butter into small pieces and using a pastry cutter or fork, cut it into the flour until the butter pieces are the size of small peas and well incorporated.
- Add buttermilk, ham and cheese and stir until the mixture just comes together into a wet dough. Place the dough in the freezer to chill for 5 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter to the preheated cast iron skillet in the oven to melt.
- Once the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the oven using a towel or oven mitts. Scoop the dough out in 8 equal pieces and drop it into the buttered skillet.
- Place the skillet back in the oven and allow the biscuits to bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops and edges of the biscuits are golden brown. Let biscuits cool for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
- Don't over-mix the dough or they will become tough.
- Make sure the ingredients are super cold to make the most flaky biscuits.
- Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to evenly divide the dough and place it in the hot skillet.
Substitutions and Variations
- Buttermilk Substitute - Mix ½ cup of whole milk with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes before use.
- Ham - Honey ham, smoked ham, or leftover holiday ham can be used.
- Cheese - Use, mild cheddar or Swiss cheese.
- Meat - Replace ham with bacon or sausage.
- Scallions - Add ¼ cup of thinly sliced scallions.
- Gluten-Free - Use a cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- Dairy Free - Use the buttermilk substitute but use a dairy-free or plant-based milk. Substitute the butter for a dairy-free or plant-based substitute.
- Vegetarian - Omit the ham.
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