Ham and Cheese Drop Biscuits

These easy homemade ham and cheese drop biscuits are both tender and buttery. Made with black forest ham and sharp cheddar cheese, these biscuits are made in a cast iron skillet for the best addition to breakfast or brunch!

This post was originally published in October 2017 and has been updated for content.

There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked biscuits in the morning. My family loves this version of drop biscuits for Sunday morning breakfast or for a quick grab and go breakfast during the week. They are rich, buttery and great for a hearty breakfast sandwich, stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs!

🧀 Ingredient notes

• Butter - Make sure to use unsalted butter that is super cold. 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.
• 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.
• Cheese - I like using sharp cheddar cheese to contrast in flavor to the rich flavor of the ham. Alternatively, mild cheddar or swiss cheese could also be used.

📋 Substitutions and variations

• Meat - These biscuits would also be good with diced or crumbled cooked sausage or bacon instead of ham.
• Scallions - Add ¼ cups of thinly sliced scallions with the ham and cheese for extra flavor.
• 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 cutter 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. Once it's melted, remove the skillet from the oven using an oven mitt and drop the chilled biscuit dough into it in 8 equal pieces.

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.

⭐ 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.
• Make sure to use oven mitts or oven gloves to take your skillet in and out of the oven so you don't get burned!

🥘 Alternative cooking methods

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, small casserole dish or 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 baking spray. Cooking times may vary.

⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions

I don't recommend making the drop biscuit dough ahead of time. The finished biscuits, however, can be made ahead of time and warmed up in the microwave or oven for serving time.

Baked and cooled biscuits can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and the freezer for up to 1 month.

🥞 More breakfast recipes

If you loved this recipe for ham and cheese drop 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

Amanda

These easy homemade ham and cheese drop biscuits are both tender and buttery. Made with black forest ham and sharp cheddar cheese, these biscuits are made in a cast iron skillet for the best addition to breakfast or brunch! 

5 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 248 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter divided
• ⅔ cup cold buttermilk
• ½ cup diced black forest ham
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

 

• Place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat it and 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 and remove the dough from the freezer. 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.

Notes

• 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 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.
• Make sure to use oven mitts or oven gloves to take your skillet in and out of the oven so you don't get burned.

• Buttermilk Substitute - Mix ½ cup of whole milk with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and let it sit in the fridge for 5 minutes. Mixture will be thickened and slightly lumpy. 

 

Substitutions and Variations

• Ham - Black forest ham can typically be found at the 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 maybe overly salty.
• Cheese - Sharp cheddar cheese adds a great contrast in flavor to the rich flavor of the ham. Alternatively, mild cheddar or swiss cheese could also be used.
• Meat - These biscuits would also be good with diced or crumbled cooked sausage or bacon instead of ham.
• Scallions - Add ¼ cups of thinly sliced scallions with the ham and cheese for extra flavor.
• Vegetarian - Omit the ham in this recipe to make this recipe vegetarian.

 

Alternative Cooking Methods

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, small casserole dish or 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 baking spray. Cooking times may vary. 

 

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

It's not recommended to make the drop biscuit dough ahead of time. The finished biscuits, however, can be made ahead of time and warmed up in the microwave or oven for serving time.

Baked and cooled biscuits can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days and the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuitCalories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 666mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 454IUCalcium: 140mgIron: 1mg

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