Cheddar Garlic Biscuit taste test and comparison - Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Red Lobster, and Homemade!

It's time for another yummy taste test! 
I sometimes get asked where I come up with my different taste test ideas. Taste test ideas can come from pretty much anywhere. Friends, advertisements, or just walking down the aisles of the grocery store. This particular one came as a result of NOT being able to find something that I was always used to buying. 

Every once in a while, I like to make a night-time snack of garlic cheddar biscuits. I'm used to seeing the $1 bag of Betty Crocker drop biscuit mix, but for some reason, couldn't find it in the grocery store. Instead I was seeing this new Pillsbury bag. And then another more expensive option of Red Lobster biscuits. Hmm. 

And so, during my summer travels, I was always keeping an eye out for the Betty Crocker biscuit mix. It looks like it's a regional thing because I finally found them while in California. I gathered everything I found over the summer and then when I got back to Colorado decided we'd figure out once and for all which one is better! 

And, because I like making things myself at home too, I decided to see if I could also throw something together quickly with ingredients I had at home that could compete with the national brands. 

There's the Betty Crocker Bisquick Cheese Garlic biscuits ($1.69), Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix ($2.86), and Pillsbury Cheddar Garlic Biscuit Mix ($1.19). 

They all have a little bit different preparations, which we'll get into next. They also cook between 400F-450F but since I want to have everything ready at the same time, we'll go with 425F and watch the tops to see when they're done. 

Let's get started with the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix. Just going into the competition, these are the ones I'm expecting to taste the best. At the seafood restaurant Red Lobster, the Cheddar Bay biscuits are the best thing on the menu! 

This box comes with the biscuit mix and a butter herb packet for spreading on top later. You need to provide 1/2 a cup of sharp cheddar cheese and 3/4 cups of cold water. 

To keep the biscuits light and airy, the goal is to mix as little as possible. Just enough to bring everything together loosely. I dolloped the biscuit batter onto a baking sheet and started on the next contender. 

Which happens to be the Pillsbury Cheddar Garlic Biscuits. This mix uses 1/2 a cup of milk (instead of water), and an optional 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Optional Cheddar Cheese? Of course we're going to put it in. The ingredient list does have cheddar cheese powder as the third ingredient, but more cheese is always going to be better. 

And this is what those look like when they're done. 

Next we have the Bisquick cheese garlic biscuits that I'm so used to making. These are the simplest of all. Just add 1/2 cup water and bring together. 

No optional ingredients to add here, but looking at the mix, I can see that there are bits of cheese already added. Romano and Cheddar cheeses according to the ingredient list. 

And this is what they look like when they're mixed together. They are a lot more yellow than any of the other biscuit mixes. And honestly, they have a bit of a weird smell to them. 

If we're making all those other biscuits, I want to see if there's a drop-biscuit recipe that I can make myself with what I already have at home that can compete. I found something on SugarSpunRun for Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits that I wanted to try out. 

Looking over the ingredients, yes, I'd usually have all of those things in my pantry anyway. Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and garlic powder. 

Then we also have cheddar cheese, melted butter, and buttermilk. I don't ever have buttermilk, but I do have milk and vinegar. Just 1 tablespoon of vinegar then fill it up to the 1 cup line with milk and you've got a quick substitution for buttermilk. 

There we go! 

Into the oven with everything!

Oops, almost forgot. My mom likes to taste test the raw dough before it goes into the oven. Yes, yes, I know you're not supposed to eat raw flour, but it's just like eating raw cookie dough. You do it anyway. 

What are her thoughts? 

Sheila - I like the Red Lobster. It's smoother. I like Pillsbury second because it has a good taste to it. I might need to try another bite. 

Joe - Jeez! Taking a whole corner of a biscuit! Leave some to cook! 

Sheila - I like the texture of the Pillsbury. 

Joe - It seemed a little drier than the rest. 

Sheila - Yes, it was. And your homemade had a good taste to it also. 

Joe - And the Bisquick? 

Sheila - I liked the Bisquick the least. The flavor wasn't as good. 

The Red Lobster biscuit mix comes with one other addition to make their biscuits even better. An herb butter sauce that you spread on top of the biscuits once they have cooked! 

Ian took a whiff of the herb packet and said it smelled like the ramen packets. I smelled it as well and yes, it's got that savory, chickeny, herb type smell to it. 

Just melt a stick of butter in the microwave, add the herb packet, and spoon over the cooked biscuits. 

Those Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits are looking delicious! All that butter goodness on top is sure to give it a leg up on the competition. 

With the Pillsbury Cheddar Garlic biscuits I can see the cheddar pieces getting nice and browned on top. That's sure to give some delicious flavor. 

For the Bisquick cheese garlic biscuits, I see the cheese that was included has made itself more visible. That yellow color is still quite prominent. 

And finally, the homemade biscuits, which also included a butter herb topping, are looking amazing. The edges are crispy, while the tops didn't quite get there. I probably could have left them in for a little longer, but they still are going to be delicious. 

Now comes the fun part! Tasting all four biscuits and deciding which is our favorite! 

Ian - It is time for food! 

Sheila - Those look yum! This is so exciting!

Patrick - So many biscuits!

Joe - So some of these had me add cheese, while some didn't. Some are made with milk, while others are made with water. Some are brushed with butter and some aren't. We'll see which ones we like! 

First up are the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits. 

Megan - Delicious!

Ian - But dry. 

Megan - I think they're kinda moist. 

Theresa - But I see what you mean about dryness. The butter topping makes it moist. 

Megan - These are good. 

Patrick - I haven't been to Red Lobster in a while so I don't know how accurate it is. 

Mickey - They taste cheesy. 

Avery - They taste good. 

Which are then followed by the Pillsbury Cheddar Garlic biscuits. 

Ian - That's the stuff! 

Avery - They taste alright. 

Ian - It's dry, but not as dry as the previous. 

Megan - They are chewier, but not as much flavor. 

Avery - Maybe because it doesn't have the drizzle. 

Joe - It seemed light to me. 

Theresa - It's definitely not as dry. 

Joe - Red Lobster uses water, but Pillsbury uses milk. Maybe that has to do with the moistness. 

Sheila - I like the Pillsbury better. 

Theresa - I like the texture of these better, but it seems like they have subtler flavors. 

Ian - Pillsbury is so much better. 

Megan - The butter mix packet is what I liked about the first one. 

Joe - I like the crunchies on top, that I think is part of the cheese. 

Next we'll give the Betty Crocker Cheese Garlic Bisquick a try. 

Joe - This is the one I'm more used to.

Alli - It smells... weird. 

Joe - It does have a different kind of smell to it. Both before it cooked and now. 

Sheila - That's dry. 

Theresa - Very dry. 

Joe - It's also made with water. 

Ian - It's also disgusting. 

Theresa - This one tastes bad. It doesn't taste right at all. 

Patrick - It smelled good, but I'm not a fan of the flavor. 

Avery - I don't like it either. 

Joe - I don't know how to describe that Bisquick one. 

Theresa - It's funky. It has a funky smell. It's got a funky taste...

Then we'll finish it all off with my homemade biscuits. 

Ian - Now for the best of all of them! It's homemade! 

Patrick - Mmm! I like the crispy cheese on the edge. 

Theresa - The smell of it is nicer. 

Alli - It's a little moist. Like too moist. 

Theresa - I like the moistness. 

Patrick - I like that one. 

Ian - I think Pillsbury is better. 

Theresa - I think Joe's is the best. 

Sheila - Homemade is the best. 

Patrick - More flavor. 

Avery - Can I have a little more? 

Theresa - I have to try the Pillsbury versus the Homemade again. 

Sheila - Me too. Those are my favorites. 

Mickey - I need to try the homemade again. 

Theresa - Can I try a little bit of the Red Lobster and a little bit of Bisquick? 

Sheila - To see which is worse? 

Theresa - Yep! 

Mickey - My favorites are obvious to me. 

When's the last time you got to try 4 different cheddar biscuits? What are the final thoughts?  

Theresa - I wonder if the ones that you made with water that are dry, would taste better if you made them with milk. I don't understand why the Betty Crocker ones tasted so bad. 

Ian - My favorite was the Pillsbury because it had a good texture. Next, the homemade ones because the other two were too dry. Bisquick and Red Lobster tie for disgusting. 

Avery - I like yours. (Pillsbury was her worst)

Alli - My favorite was Pillsbury because I liked the texture and the flavor. Then the homemade one. It was a little moist, but I still liked it. Then Red Lobster because I didn't hate it. And Bisquick I hated. 

Sheila - My favorite was the homemade ones. Then Pillsbury, Red Lobster, and Bisquick. That was not the order of how I thought it would go, based on how I liked the dough. 

Mickey - Homemade had the best taste. Pillsbury was next with a good texture and taste. Red Lobster was a close second for me. Then Bisquick was last. 

Theresa - I liked the Homemade biscuit first. It was moist. It had a good cheesy and garlic flavor. Pillsbury was second for me because it had good texture, but it was very mild on the cheddar and garlic flavors. Just a biscuit with a tiny hit of cheddar garlic walking by. Red Lobster was my third. The flavor was good, but the texture was so dry. I wonder if you used milk if it would make it better. Then the Bisquick was funky and not good. I don't think I want to eat it again. 

Joe - My favorite was homemade. For the taste it's the winner. Next was Pillsbury for being moist and having the crunchy cheese texture on top. Red Lobster, I liked the butter topping, but the biscuits were a let down. And for the Bisquick, I don't know what happened to them. They used to be what I loved to snack on, but compared to the others they are not good. I guess it's just tasty in isolation. 

Patrick - I liked the homemade one the most with the cheesy flavor and crunchy edges. Least favorite was the Bisquick. It smelled decent, but the flavor was not there. 

Megan - My favorite was the Red Lobster by far... until I had the homemade ones. It was like the Red Lobster ones on crack. Cheesier, better flavor, better edges. But I do like the buttery topping on both. Bisquick was disgusting, I would never put that in my mouth again. 

Looks like Homemade was the winner with 7 first place votes and 2 second place votes. Pillsbury was next with 2 first place votes. The Bisquick cheese garlic biscuits were obviously last, being the last place vote for everyone but Avery. 

Now we can experiment and put butter mix on all the biscuits and see if it improves things! 

Who is hungry for dinner? No one! We're all full on biscuits!