These zucchini cheddar cornmeal biscuits may be the highest calling for your bumper crop of zucchini. They are fluffy, richly flavored with butter and sharp cheddar, and the added cornmeal gives them a little extra something special. An easy drop biscuit prep method means you can get these to the table in short order!
These taste just like a certain seafood restaurant’s cheddar biscuits… but better, with the toothsome addition of corn meal. Zucchini biscuits are, of course, perfect for late summer when zucchini is plentiful. They also make a great side dish for fall with roast chicken or turkey, cozy soups, or pulled pork. These buttery biscuits would make a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving table. And don’t pass on an opportunity to make an epic breakfast sandwich with any leftover biscuits!
If zucchini keeps appearing at your doorstep in the late summer, first thank your neighbor who is probably zucchini-ed out! Then, make these biscuits, a delicious zucchini and burrata bowl, or a batch of pumpkin zucchini bread to share!
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Zucchini - One medium zucchini is what you need for this recipe, and it should yield about 2 cups of shredded zucchini. If you use a large one with seeds, cut it down the middle first and scrape out any big seeds before shredding.
- All-Purpose Flour - This flour gives a great mix of tender texture with structure that can stand up to the corn meal.
- Corn Meal - The bite of the cornmeal is just perfect in these biscuits. Corn meal is not the same as corn flour, which is milled until it is a fine, smooth powder. Corn meal is coarsely ground and has a pale yellow color.
- Baking Powder - Baking powder helps give lift to these biscuits, resulting in a fluffy texture.
- Salted Butter - Salted butter is what we always have on hand. If you use unsalted butter, add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients. Keep the butter chilled until right before shredding it.
- Sharp Cheddar - I played around with a few different cheeses for this recipe, but sharp cheddar was the clear winner.
- Egg - One large egg helps hold the biscuit dough together.
- Milk - Use any variety of milk here, 2% milk is what the recipe was developed with.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and gather a quarter sheet pan or a 9”x13” pan for baking.
Spray your sheet pan lightly with cooking spray.
Using the large holes of a box grater, shred the zucchini.
Add the zucchini to the center of a clean kitchen towel. Twist up the bundle and squeeze the zucchini to release as much moisture as possible. About ¼ cup of liquid was released from this batch. Set the zucchini aside and use the liquid for a vegetable stock or discard it.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, salt, and baking powder.
Using the same box grater that you’ve wiped down, grate 5 tablespoons of butter directly into the flour mixture.
Grate the cheddar cheese into the dry ingredients using the large holes of the box grater. Add the squeezed zucchini.
Toss the dry ingredients with the butter, cheese, and zucchini until all of the shreds are coated with flour evenly and nothing is clumped.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until no dry flour remains. Yor cornmeal biscuit dough is now ready!
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and either drop by spoonful onto the prepared pan or use a large cookie scoop to transfer scoops of dough.
Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter and brush it over the tops of the drop biscuits.
Bake the biscuits for 20-22 minutes, until they are browned on top and golden underneath. Remove the biscuits from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
There will be a bit of butter pooled around the biscuits right as they come out of the oven, but it will mostly be absorbed once it’s time to serve them. These savory cornmeal biscuits are best with just a few minutes of resting time!
Substitutions and Variations
There are many ways to adapt these biscuits to enhance your meal or add some additional flavor. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Change the Cheese - Use a smoked gouda or a mild cheddar cheese in place of the sharp cheddar.
- Add Herbs - Add chopped fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, or dill along with the shredded cheese, butter, and zucchini and coat the herbs well with the flour mixture.
- Add Spices - Add crushed red chili flakes for a spicy cornmeal biscuit. To add smoky flavor, add chili powder or smoked paprika. Onion powder or garlic powder will pump up the flavor as well.
- Add Bacon - Cooked, cooled, and chopped bacon can be tossed in with the cheese, butter, and zucchini to get coated with flour before the wet ingredients are mixed in.
Equipment
In the photos here, the biscuits are baked on a quarter sheet pan which is almost the same size as a 9” x 13” pan. Use whichever you have on hand, but know that if you use a dark colored pan that the biscuits may brown more quickly on the bottom. It may help to decrease the oven temp to 400°F and increase the baking time by 5-7 minutes.
A wooden spoon is a great tool for stirring the dough together, but I’ve been using a Danish whisk for sticky doughs like these zucchini cheddar cornmeal biscuits and I really like it. The stiff wire and large openings mean that the dough won’t get stuck between the wires and it incorporates the wet and dry ingredients quickly.
Serving Suggestions
These rich biscuits are perfect for summer barbecues, as sides on a holiday table, with a hearty bowl of soup, or served with pulled pork.
Any leftovers are perfect the next day in a breakfast sandwich. Split the biscuit and toast it. Then layer it with ham, bacon, or a sausage patty and a perfectly fried egg for breakfast perfection!
Make This recipe Kid Friendly
These are perfect for kids, with their cheesy flavor and buttery exterior. You might consider making 18 smaller biscuits instead of the 12 pictured here to keep up with smaller bellies. Make simple ham sandwiches out of these zucchini cheddar cornmeal biscuits for an easy kid-approved dinner!
Storage
Store the baked biscuits in an airtight container or zip top bag in the refrigerator once they have completely cooled. Reheat them using a toaster oven, microwave, or even air fry them at 375°F for 5 minutes to retain that buttery crisp exterior.
You can also freeze the baked and cooled biscuits in a zip top bag. To reheat them, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and reheat using any of the methods above.
Top Tip
Like with muffins and quick breads, you want to avoid over mixing the dough when incorporating the wet and dry ingredients to achieve this fluffy texture in your cornmeal biscuits.
FAQ
Cornmeal is coarsely ground dried corn, and differs from corn flour. Corn flour is ground to a soft, fine powder while cornmeal is coarsely ground. Masa harina is similar in texture, but is coarsely ground nixtamalized corn. Corn grits are usually made of white corn (or hominy) that is a coarser grind than cornmeal.
Start with cold butter to ensure that it stays solid while the biscuits are mixed. Once the biscuits are in the oven, the butter melts and creates steam which helps create fluffy, light biscuits. Also, handle the dough as little as possible once you combine the wet and dry ingredients to keep the texture light.
Yes, the zucchini holds a lot of moisture and that liquid will throw off the balance of wet and dry ingredients in the recipe, resulting in soggy biscuits.
More Recipes for Garden Treats
If you’ve got a green thumb (or a great farmers market) and have plenty of late-summer produce to cook with, consider any of the recipes below:
Pairing
Here are some delicious recipes to pair with these tasty zucchini cheddar cornmeal biscuits:
Try It and Share
I hope you give these Zucchini Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits a try and that they are a hit at your table. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook so that I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes. Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily!
Recipe
Zucchini Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits
Equipment
- 9" x 13" pan
- quarter sheet pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups zucchini (shredded, from one medium zucchini)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 cup corn meal (150g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoon salted butter (cold, divided)
- 1½ cups sharp cheddar (shredded, 156g)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup 2% milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and spray a quarter sheet pan or 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray.
- Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Place the zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze as much moisture out of it as possible. Set the zucchini aside. Discard the approximately ¼ cup of liquid or add it to a vegetable stock.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, salt, and baking powder.
- Grate 5 tablespoons of the butter directly into the flour mixture.
- Add the zucchini and the shredded cheddar into the mixture and toss everything lightly to coat the butter, zucchini, and cheese with the flour mixture.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
- Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon just until the flour is incorporated.
- Use a spoon or large scoop to divide the dough equally into 12 drop biscuits on the prepared sheet pan.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and brush it over the biscuits.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until browned on top and golden underneath. Allow the biscuits to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Cassie Waltman says
What are your favorite fillings for the epic breakfast sandwich you can build with these delicious biscuits?