Red Lobster Biscuit Mix: Almost as Good as the Real Thing

I recently wrote a post about Red Lobster biscuits made from scratch (and admitted I have a problem; hi, I’m Mandy and I’m addicted to biscuits). It happens that right after I made that recipe, I stumbled upon the mix at the supermarket. I’d never seen it before and it was hidden in the cheese section, not sure why, but I jumped on the opportunity to try it.

As I mentioned previously, I, like millions (I think) of others, love Red Lobster biscuits; you can find the recipe here. They’re cheesy, crunchy yet soft, full of garlic flavor, and great cold or hot. But does the box mix live up to the expectations we have from loving them fresh at the restaurant or from scratch?

I love some box mixes because they taste homemade without the extra cardboard flavor. I was actually surprised at how good the Red Lobster box mix tasted. It was almost as good as the homemade or fresh biscuits. It did taste a little flat overall and lacked the same punch in your mouth, but I’d say pick up a box next time you see it.

Let’s talk about the differences. Nothing really compares to biscuits made from scratch. I’m sorry if that bursts your dreams or balloons or whatever, but it’s true. They’re warm and fluffy and you can mix everything without it coming in a powdered form. That was one of the biggest differences I noticed. The box mix definitely tasted powdery. It didn’t taste like everything melted together like the butter and shortening and cheese were melted into one biscuit. It tasted as if you added fresh cheese to a great mix; which is what you do (see the box instructions).

I also would have rather added milk, like in the homemade recipe, than water. I know that box recipes love the “just add water” catchphrase, but milk would have helped. Typically when I make box mixes, I use milk, but I wanted to give this mix a fair test by doing exactly what it said on the box. If you make the box mix, use milk, you’ll thank yourself later.

Overall, the texture was exactly the same. Depending on Costco holiday hours you should be able to get in and order the ingredients in this post. It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It took less time to cook than the homemade ones and probably less time to table than the restaurant depending on your location. I didn’t notice that it lacked any substantial texture issues and it did fluff up, although not as much as the other versions.

The butter topping mixture comes from a separate packet mix but does taste very accurate. They tell you to melt way too much butter though. I had tons left over after dousing the poor biscuits in it. I would use about half the amount of butter they say on the box. I ended up throwing away a lot of extra butter and garlic mix. It did taste great though and I didn’t notice much of a difference between the homemade or restaurant Red Lobster biscuits and the mix topping.

If you don’t want to spend the time to make the biscuits from scratch, I’d say the Red Lobster biscuit mix is a very close second. You have to be careful, just like when you make them from scratch, not to over mix or your biscuits will turn out like crackers. They are almost identical to the restaurant quality and they’ll bring back your smile on a sad day. For biscuit comfort food, I’d reach for the Red Lobster biscuit mix over any other pre-made biscuits mix any day.

Summary

Reviewer

Mandy Ellis

Review Date

2014-03-17

Reviewed Item

Red Lobster Biscuit Mix

Author Rating

4