Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Drop Biscuits
These caramelized onion gruyere drop biscuits are downright addicting! You can caramelize the onions thread of time and refrigerate or freeze them! Then combine the ingredients for the gruyere drop biscuits and bake them! They are sure to be a hit!
Warm, cheesy, and oniony.
I’m here to tell you you should not be making these gruyere drop biscuits for Thanksgiving. And you most definitely shouldn’t make them for Christmas either. And the reason is that these biscuits are sure to go flying right off the plate, and you will undoubtedly get asked for the recipe. Please don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I made a plateful of these drop biscuits a month back, and between the two of us, they disappeared, one by one, until there were none left. And that’s when I knew I had to make sure I left you a little warning too.
Each bite is loaded with salty and nutty, cheesy goodness with a hint of sweet, balsamic caramelized onions. They’re a rip off of my cheddar bay biscuits that I have loved and adored; first at Red Lobster and then at home for the last 10 years. And though I won’t say they’ll replace the garlic and cheddar version, I love having an option to change things up, and these would be perfect served alongside mashed potatoes, turkey, and green bean casserole.
What do you need to make Gruyere drop biscuits?
- All-purpose flour: both bleached or unbleached flour will work for this recipe. I usually use unbleached flour.
- Granulated sugar: granulated sugar adds just a hint of sweetness to the drop biscuits
- Baking powder: is the leavening agent so that the drop biscuits aren’t super dense.
- Seasonings: I like to add a dash of garlic powder, dried parsley, and some salt to the biscuits to give them some more flavor
- Melted butter: I prefer to use melted butter when making drop biscuits as they don’t have the layers that traditional biscuits do (for which you need cold butter cut through the flour mixture.)
- Milk: milk adds moisture to the biscuits. It reacts with the baking powder, which then allows the biscuits to rise.
- Shredded Gruyere cheese: shredded cheese adds a delicious nutty flavor. See below for substitutes.
How to make perfect caramelized onions:
- Saute. Grab a large cast-iron skillet and pop it over medium heat. You want to allow the skillet to heat up before you add the onions. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Then add the onions and sauté them for 5 minutes or until they start to sweat.
- Let them hang out. When the onions shrink back a little, lower the heat to low, and season them with sugar and dried thyme. Then, let them cook on the lowest setting for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so that nothing sticks until they caramelize and turn golden. You can also let them go slightly longer if you prefer them sweeter. And if you do, I suggest cutting back on the amount of sugar you use in the biscuits.
- Season them. Once golden, add balsamic vinegar and season with salt. Taste and adjust with additional balsamic vinegar or salt as desired. Allow the onions to cool to room temperature before adding them to the biscuit mixture.
How to make onions and gruyere drop biscuits:
- Preheat the oven. You’ll want to line a baking sheet with parchment paper so that the biscuits do not stick to the pan. Then, melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Make the biscuit batter. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and kosher salt. Add the melted butter and the milk to the mixture and stir to combine. Then, add the caramelized onion and cheese and fold the biscuit batter until it’s combined.
- Bake the biscuits. Drop 2 tablespoons worth of biscuit dough on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Melt the remaining butter, add in another pinch of dried parsley and brush the warm biscuits with the butter. Serve them warm. They’re so delicious!
FAQs about gruyere drop biscuits:
- Do you have a suggestion for something other than gruyere, something more economical? Yes, you can replace the gruyere with freshly shredded white cheddar cheese. Still delicious!
- Can I use a combination of cheeses? Yes, you can use a mix of cheeses. I tried shredded asiago, fontina, white cheddar, and a gruyere mix which turned out equally well!
- Can you caramelize the onions in advance? Yes, you can caramelize the onions and once cooled, you can refrigerate them for up to 2 days or pop them in the freezer. If you freeze them, defrost the onions in the refrigerator overnight and if there is excess moisture, dry the onions on a paper towel before adding to the biscuit batter.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
- Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
- One Hour Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls
- Soft and Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
And if you’re looking for sides, for Thanksgiving, look here 🙂
Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Drop Biscuits
These caramelized onion gruyere drop biscuits are downright addicting! You can caramelized the onions thread of time and refrigerate or freeze them! Then just combine the ingredients for the gruyere drop biscuits and bake them! They are sure to be a hit!
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion, quartered then thinly sliced (such as yellow or white)
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sugar AND balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
Biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon EACH: granulated sugar AND baking powder
- ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, dried parsley, AND kosher salt
- 1 ¼ stick (10 tablespoons) salted butter, divided
- ¾ - 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded Gruyere (or white cheddar)
Instructions
- ONIONS: In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and the butter and let it melt. Add the onions and sauté them for 5 minutes or until they start to sweat and shrink a little. Lower the heat to low and season with sugar and dried thyme and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden and caramelized. Make sure to stir the mixture every 5 minutes. If the onions are caramelizing too fast, turn down the heat a little more. Add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Allow the onions to soak up the vinegar then remove from heat. Let onions cool to room temperature. At this point, you can refrigerate the onions (for later) or complete the biscuits.
- BISCUIT BATTER: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat; set aside. Place 1 stick of butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the butter until it is completely melted, about 45 seconds, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and kosher salt. Add the melted butter and ¾ cup of milk into the dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula, fold to combine the ingredients. Add the caramelized onions and cheese and fold into the biscuit dough until combined. If the dough is dry, add one tablespoon of milk (up to 4 times) until the dough just comes together. You don’t want it to wet-looking! I needed 2 tablespoons.
- BAKE: Drop 2 tablespoons worth of dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown on the outside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl until melted, about 20 seconds. Stir in another pinch of dried parsley (optional.) Brush the freshly baked buns with butter and serve warm!
Made these tonight for Christmas dinner tomorrow! They are outstandingly delish. Onions took foreverrrr to caramelize, so next time I would do that ahead of time. Thanks for the recipe!
Love that you’re serving these tomorrow, Lindsey! Hope everyone you share them with enjoys them!
I am reading this at midnight, droolling over this recipe and your scrumptious photos. Can’t wait for it to be morning so I can get on it! Thank you so much for sharing
Can I make these to take to a party an hour or two away. Will they still be good at room temp, or should I reheat them?
How many does this yield?
16-18 biscuits! You can always find this info above the recipe title 🙂
I can’t wait to make these! However, I have always learned that biscuits should be made with cold butter. What makes these different?
These are beyond Fantastic! My bread-baking hard-to-please husband gobbles them up like candy! Making them two days in a row and he is happy as can be! Me too!
Thank you for this keep forever recipe!
Sounds amazing. Can you make these ahead of time? Would love to make for Xmas. Wondering if I can make the night before and just pop in the oven the day of
These look fabulous! Could I make them 2 days ahead? I would love to have them for Christmas, but would have to make them the day before Christmas Eve. Wondering if they can be reheated in the oven or what you would recommend? Thank you!