An air fryer at 350°F for about 3 minutes, or a regular oven at the same temperature for about 7 minutes, gets Cheddar Bay Biscuits closest to fresh. You get a light crust outside and a soft, cheesy inside. A microwave is the fastest option. But it's also the most likely to leave them dense or a little rubbery unless you take a few extra steps. Red Lobster sells them by the half dozen and the dozen; our Cheddar Bay Biscuits page has the current prices and calories.
The biscuit's texture is exactly what makes it easy to ruin when reheating. A cheddar biscuit brushed with garlic butter has more moisture near the surface than a plain dinner roll. Dry heat handles that moisture very differently than a microwave does.
Why these biscuits dry out so easily on reheat
Cheddar Bay Biscuits start as a soft, buttermilk dough with cheddar mixed in. Right after baking, they're brushed with garlic butter. That butter is a big part of what makes them taste fresh. It's also the first thing to go during storage and reheating. It soaks into the biscuit and evaporates, instead of sitting on the surface the way it does straight from the oven.
Once a biscuit has cooled and been stored, some of its moisture is already gone. Reheating without accounting for that just speeds up the loss. That's why a carelessly reheated biscuit often comes out tougher and drier than it started, not just warm again.
Air fryer: the closest to fresh
An air fryer set to 350°F for about 3 minutes usually gives the best reheated Cheddar Bay Biscuit. The moving hot air crisps the outside a little while it warms the inside. That copies the contrast the biscuit had straight from the oven better than a microwave or a regular oven does.
Preheat the air fryer for a couple of minutes before adding the biscuits. A fully hot basket gives more even results than one still warming up. Put the biscuits in a single layer, not stacked, so hot air reaches every side.
Oven or toaster oven: close second, no air fryer required
A regular oven or toaster oven at 350°F for about 7 minutes is the next best choice. It's also easier if you don't have an air fryer. Wrap the biscuits loosely in foil before they go in, and add a few drops of water inside the foil. That traps steam that dry oven heat would otherwise pull out.
If you like a slightly firmer top, open the foil for the last minute or two. Skip that step if the biscuits already feel a little dry going in.
Microwave: fastest, but needs a few extra steps
A microwave reheats a Cheddar Bay Biscuit in under a minute. That makes it the obvious choice when time matters more than texture. The catch is that microwaves heat unevenly. Bread can turn chewy or rubbery if it's left in too long or run at full power.
Wrap the biscuit in a slightly damp paper towel before microwaving. That helps keep moisture that would otherwise cook off. Use reduced power, about 50%, in short bursts of 15 to 20 seconds instead of one long run. That heats more evenly and makes it easier to stop before the biscuit overcooks. Check it after each burst. It only takes a few extra seconds.
Reheating from the fridge versus from frozen
In an airtight container, Cheddar Bay Biscuits usually hold up in the fridge for a few days before the texture clearly drops. After that, freezing keeps them better than more time in the fridge. Fridge temperatures actually make baked goods go stale faster than freezing does.
You can reheat from frozen with any of the methods above. It just takes longer, since the center needs more time to catch up. Thawing the biscuits in the fridge overnight gives the most even result. It keeps the outside from overcooking while the center is still cold. If you're short on time, reheating straight from frozen still works. Add a couple of extra minutes at the same temperature and check the center before serving.
What the cheese does during reheating
The cheddar reacts to reheating differently than the dough around it. That's part of why a reheated biscuit can feel uneven, even when the bread came out fine. Cheese that's already melted once, during baking, firms up as it cools. Reheated too fast on high heat, it can turn a little greasy or separate. It doesn't melt back into the dough the way it did the first time.
Gentler, slower reheating gives the cheese time to soften evenly. That might be a moderate oven or a low microwave setting. The cheese won't overheat in the time it takes the dough to warm. It's one more reason a quick blast on high usually turns out worse than the same time at a slightly lower temperature.
Bringing the garlic butter back
A lot of the original flavor comes from the garlic butter brushed on right after baking. So brush on a little fresh melted butter right after reheating. A pinch of garlic powder mixed in helps. That closes the gap between reheated and fresh. You don't have to do it, but it's a small step that clearly improves the result. It helps most with the oven and air fryer, where the original topping has soaked in instead of sitting on top.
Storing biscuits before you even get to reheating
How you store a biscuit before reheating matters almost as much as how you reheat it. Biscuits left out uncovered keep losing moisture to the air. Even a same-day reheat can come out drier than expected if they sat on the counter for a few hours first.
An airtight container or a zip-top bag slows that moisture loss a lot. Keep it at room temperature for same-day use, or refrigerate it for anything longer. Let the biscuits cool most of the way before you seal them. Sealing them warm traps steam inside, which can make the bottoms soggy instead of keeping them evenly moist.
Reheating a whole batch versus a single biscuit
Reheating one biscuit isn't quite the same as reheating a dozen. A single biscuit in an air fryer or toaster oven heats quickly and evenly. Nothing blocks the hot air from reaching every side. A full tray or basket needs more attention. Biscuits touching each other block the airflow between them. The ones in the middle of a crowded batch lag behind the ones at the edges.
Leave a little space between each biscuit, even if that means two smaller batches instead of one big one. The whole group comes out much more even. This matters more for a full dozen from a family meal than for one or two leftovers, where crowding isn't an issue.
Why fresh-baked biscuits are hard to fully replicate on reheat
Even with care, reheated biscuits don't taste quite the same as fresh ones. That comes down to the moment they leave the oven the first time. Fresh Cheddar Bay Biscuits get their garlic butter while they're hot enough to soak it into the surface. The outside has a just-baked texture, slightly crisp and then instantly soft. That starts to soften and even out within an hour or two.
Reheating brings the temperature back up and can restore a good amount of that contrast, especially with dry heat like an air fryer or oven. But it's working with a biscuit that's already changed since baking. That's not a reason to skip careful reheating. It's a reason to keep your expectations realistic. A well-reheated biscuit gets close to fresh, usually close enough that you won't notice with the rest of a meal. Side by side with one straight from the oven, though, there will still be a small gap.
If you're ordering biscuits to go
The Half Dozen Cheddar Bay Biscuits and the One Dozen Cheddar Bay Biscuits are both add-ons you can order for takeout. Ordering a bigger batch is common for takeout and family meals. So it's worth knowing how to reheat leftovers well, instead of reheating the first batch carelessly and writing off the rest as best eaten the same day.
The short version: reach for the air fryer or oven first, and add a little moisture back as you reheat. Treat the microwave as the fast option, not the best one. A biscuit reheated with a little care comes out close to fresh. One reheated dry on high power usually doesn't.