Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
These jalapeño cheddar biscuits are buttery, cheesy, and dotted with fresh jalapeño for a little heat in every bite. Cold butter, tangy buttermilk, and a quick stack of the dough help create tender layers, with extra cheddar and jalapeño on top.
Want to keep it simple and versatile? Try making classic buttery biscuits using my homemade biscuit dough.
Serve a warm batch of these biscuits alongside chili or soup, or split a biscuit for a savory breakfast sandwich. I personally love pairing these with my spicy Chili con Carne.
There’s no yeast or rising time involved, but do allow for the short freezer chill before baking—it helps firm the butter back up after shaping.
Quick Look: Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
- 🔪 Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 10–15 minutes chilling
- ⏲️ Cook time: About 20 minutes; 45–50 minutes overall
- 👪 Servings: 10 biscuits
- 📋 Main ingredients: All-purpose flour, butter, cheddar, jalapeño, and buttermilk
- ♨️ Cooking method: Mix → cut in butter → stack and cut → chill → bake
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Chili, broccoli cheddar soup, scrambled eggs, or breakfast sandwiches.
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Jump to:
- Quick Look: Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
- 💭 Top Tip
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- More Essentials to Make From Scratch
- Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- No yeast needed: Baking powder provides the lift, so there’s no proofing to wait for.
- Simple layering: Cutting and stacking the dough adds layers without a long folding process.
- Easy and versatile: Making these from scratch is simple and effective. The biscuits are versatile (like my Parmesan croutons) and can be paired with a lot of foods.
Recipe Ingredients
All-purpose flour: Forms the dough. Measure carefully and avoid packing the flour into the cup, which can make biscuits dry.
Baking powder: Helps the biscuits rise. Check that it is fresh; baking soda is not a direct substitute.
Butter: Use cold, cubed butter. Leave small pieces in the flour mixture rather than working it into a smooth paste. Use jalapeño butter for a deeper jalapeño flavor.
Cheddar cheese: Shred it before starting and reserve some for the tops. Sharp cheddar gives a more pronounced cheese flavor.
Jalapeño: Thinly slice it, saving some slices for topping. Remove the inner membranes and seeds if you want less heat, though individual peppers vary. Use jalapeño flakes if you can't find fresh jalapeños.
Buttermilk: Keep it cold until you are ready to mix. You’ll also use a little extra to brush the biscuit tops.
Granulated sugar, salt, and garlic powder: Balance and season the dough without adding extra liquid.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Milder biscuits: Remove the jalapeño membranes and seeds, and choose slices with less membrane for the tops.
- More heat: Leave some of the jalapeño membranes in the dough. The heat will depend on the pepper. I like to use my jalapeño infused salt to season the biscuits.
- A different cheese: Try a mild cheddar for a gentler flavor or use part Monterey Jack in place of the cheddar.
- A little smoke: Replace part of the cheddar with smoked cheddar. Keep the total amount of cheese the same.
How to Make Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and garlic powder in a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the cold butter cubes. Work them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with small butter pieces remaining.
Step 3: Add most of the shredded cheddar and half of the sliced jalapeño, reserving the rest for topping. Pour in the cold buttermilk.
Step 4: Stir gently with a spatula just until the dough comes together. Stop once the flour is moistened; avoid kneading the dough smooth.
Step 5: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it out, cut in half, and stack the halves. Roll again to about 1 inch thick, then cut the biscuits straight down with a biscuit cutter.
Step 6: Place on a lined baking sheet and press gently. Brush with extra buttermilk, then add the reserved cheese and jalapeño. Freeze for 10–15 minutes, then bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden.
💭 Top Tip
Keep the butter cold from mixing through baking. If the dough feels warm or the butter starts to smear, pause and chill it. Do not skip the 10–15-minute freezer rest after shaping.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Use a light hand: Overmixing develops the flour’s gluten and can make the biscuits tough.
- Keep the thickness even: Roll the stacked dough to about an inch thick so the biscuits bake at a similar rate.
- Press straight down: Lift the cutter straight up rather than twisting it, which can pinch the edges together.
- Gather scraps gently: Press them together for the last biscuits without repeatedly kneading or rolling them.
- Use color as well as the clock: Look for a light golden finish. The cheese on top may brown before the rest of the biscuit.
How to Serve Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
Serve warm with chili, roasted tomato pepper soup, a bowl of homemade baked beans or my doctored up baked beans, or even a barbecue dinner. They also make a savory partner for scrambled eggs or an omelette.
Split a biscuit and fill it with egg and cheese for breakfast, or use my sheet pan eggs and a little butter.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
They have a noticeable jalapeño flavor, but the heat varies with the pepper. Removing the inner membranes and seeds can reduce the heat. Keep in mind that the slices on top may taste hotter than a bite of the dough.
Warm butter, old baking powder, or rolling the dough too thin can limit the rise. Keep the ingredients cold, use fresh baking powder, and follow the shaping and chilling steps.
The dough may have been mixed or handled too much. Stir just until combined and handle the scraps gently when cutting the remaining biscuits.
Let the biscuits cool, then keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within 3–4 days. Warm in the oven until heated through; a microwave will soften them more.
Yes. Cool completely, wrap well, and freeze in a sealed freezer bag or container for up to two months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator, then warm in the oven before serving.
More Essentials to Make From Scratch
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter cubed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup buttermilk cold
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and garlic powder.
- To the bowl, add the cold butter and use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour and turn it into coarse crumbles.
- Now add almost all of the the shredded cheese, half of the sliced jalapeños and pour in the cold buttermilk.
- Gently stir with a spatula until the dough comes together. Don't overmix.
- Roll the dough on a flat surface, cut it in half, stack the layers on top of each other and roll again until the dough is about 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out your biscuits.
- Arrange the biscuits onto a lined baking sheet, press down on them gently, brush with a little extra buttermilk and top with the remaining shredded cheese and sliced jalapeños.
- Freeze for 10-15 minutes to re-chill the butter, then pop into a preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits look light golden brown. Remove, cool and enjoy.
Notes
- Use cold butter and buttermilk straight from the refrigerator to create tender, flaky biscuits with beautifully defined layers.
- Cut the butter into small cubes before adding it to the flour, and work it in gently until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with small pieces of butter remaining.
- Use freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded cheese may not melt as smoothly.
- Remove the seeds and white membranes from the jalapeño for milder biscuits, or leave some of the membranes intact if you prefer more heat.
- Mix the dough just until the flour is moistened and everything comes together. Avoid overmixing or kneading, as this can make the biscuits dense and tough.
- Cut and stack the dough as directed to create flaky layers without having to fold or knead it repeatedly.
- Roll the stacked dough to approximately 1 inch thick and press the biscuit cutter straight down without twisting to help the biscuits rise evenly.
- Gather leftover dough scraps gently and press them together before cutting additional biscuits. Avoid repeatedly rolling the dough.
- Brush the biscuit tops with a little extra buttermilk before adding the reserved cheddar and jalapeño slices for a golden, flavorful finish.
- Don't skip the 10–15-minute freezer chill before baking. This helps firm up the butter and prevents the biscuits from spreading excessively.
- Bake at 400°F for approximately 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden and cooked through.
- Swap some of the cheddar for Monterey Jack or smoked cheddar for a different flavor, or add chopped chives for extra freshness.
- Serve warm with chili, soups, scrambled eggs, or barbecue dishes. You can also split the biscuits and use them for savory breakfast sandwiches.
- Store leftover biscuits in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
