Dollar Tree Has A $1.25 Copycat Of Red Lobster's Best-Selling Item

Thanks to Dollar Tree, foodies don't have to shell out for a meal at Red Lobster to get a taste of the chain's craveable, baked-in-house biscuits. The cost-effective chain stocks more than a few epicurean delights that budget-conscious foodies may be sleeping on — which is why we're shining the spotlight on Harvest Hill Garlic Herb Biscuit Mix, one of six not-to-be-overlooked gourmet foods sold at Dollar Tree. For just (roughly) a dollar, home cooks can whip up an uncanny dupe for Red Lobster's iconic, fan-favorite Cheddar Bay biscuits. Simply butter, water, and a little freshly-grated cheddar cheese, and you're on your way to the Cheddar Bay...er, to the Harvest Hill? Either way, bold, savory biscuits await you.  

On the official Dollar Tree website, the Harvest Hill Garlic Herb Biscuit Mix currently costs $1.25 per 8.5-ounce box. The box makes eight biscuits, according to the package directions, which shakes out to less than $0.15 per biscuit. In a two-part assembly that will look very familiar to seasoned sailors of the Cheddar Bay, to make Harvest Hill's garlic and herb biscuit mix, the biscuit dough gets kneaded with cold water and shredded cheddar cheese, then baked in an oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 to 16 minutes. To finish, those still-warm biscuits get brushed with ¼ cup of melted butter mixed with the included seasoning blend pouch. Both biscuit mixes follow identical directions – and their ingredient labels are wildly similar, too.

Both brands' mixes list buttermilk in the biscuit ingredients labels. Their respective herb seasoning blends also share garlic powder, onion powder, and salt; Dollar Tree's contender adds "natural butter flavor and Red Lobster's adds parsley. It's worth mentioning that multiple customer reviews of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay mix specifically champion the name-brand over competitor spin-offs. One Amazon customer writes, "No imitations! Absolutely the best and exactly like the restaurants!" and a Walmart reviewer agrees, "Spend the money [and] get THIS! I am a tightwad. I'm cheap. I buy mostly generics. But, this one is worth paying for the brand name."  Still, Red Lobster fans' primary praise seems to be the biscuit mix's likeness to the restaurant product — praise which is also echoed by Harvest Hill buyers. 

Dollar Tree customers rave, "Just Like National Brand. Bought this at my local Dollar Tree store. Very moist and tastes just like Red Lobster Biscuit mix for much less. Quality was great." A YouTube foodie review agrees, "Decadent, I feel like I'm at a restaurant." All in all, these dry mixes yield doppelganger biscuits whose chief difference comes down to price point. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix currently costs $2.50 per 11.36-ounce box on Amazon (double the price of a Harvest Hill box) or $2.86 at Walmart. The slightly larger box yields 10 biscuits instead of 8, but those biscuits still shake out to $0.25-$0.29 each, 167%-193% costlier per unit.