Our jalapeño cheddar biscuits are flaky, tender, buttery, and cheesy with jalapeõs and cheddar and each bite. The best part? They go from prep to plate in less than 30 minutes and are SO EASY to make.

The final shot of three jalapeno cheddar biscuits on a plate.

Can we talk about these for a sec? Jalapeño cheddar biscuits are pretty much one of our favorite things to bake up as a side for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Between our two sites, we have over 1,500 recipes and counting. It’s not often that we get to circle back to them all.

These homemade biscuits are different. We make at least once or twice a month and they’re always buttery, flaky, and perfectly cheesy.

It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish, so you can fluffy biscuits on the table in no time.

Why Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits Fail and How to Fix It

Please read this section before making the biscuits. These are my best tips for getting good results and keeping expectations reasonable.

Mixing with a food processor: You’ll want to pulse the butter very briefly just until the flour looks like coarse. I also dump the jalapeños right in, and they get chopped into small bits.

When you drizzle in the buttermilk, go super slow. It takes a minute for the moisture to incorporate with the flour. Add just enough buttermilk to make the dough hold together when pressed (similar to making a pie crust). You don’t want it sticky. It can go from dry to sticky very fast in a food processor.

Mixing in a bowl: If you mix the dough in a bowl, be careful about taking too long to cut in the butter. If you’re using your hands, the heat from your fingers causes the butter to soften and that’s not what you want. Work quickly to get the butter mixed in.

Mixing in a bowl gives you more control when adding the buttermilk. You can add a little at a time, stir it in, and only add more if needed.

Don’t over the dough: Regardless of which mixing method you choose, don’t overwork the dough. Spend as little time as possible combining the ingredients. Stirring, patting, and pulsing continuously for long periods for time will turn the biscuits into hockey pucks.

Skip the rolling pin: When you layer in the cheese and fold the biscuits, don’t use a rolling pin. It not only over develops the gluten and makes the biscuits tough, but it also compresses the layers and they don’t rise.

You’ll want to gently pat the dough into a large rectangle, sprinkle on some of the cheese, and fold it closed like a book. Pat it down gently again, add more cheese, and fold it close again. Repeat this three to four times to create beautiful, flaky layers.

Chill the dough: This is optional, but it makes such a huge difference in the outcome of the biscuits. The food processor is going to warm the butter, and your hands are going to warm the butter.

You need cold butter to create steam as the dough bakes, leaving little pockets between the folds that turn into flaky layers. The best way to get cold butter is by chilling the biscuits for 30 minutes or so before baking. That will bump up the total time for the recipe, but it’s so worth it!

Common Biscuit Making Questions

No, not at all. We use tamed (pickled) jalapeños, and only add enough to taste jalapeño not to add a lot of heat. If you want to make them spicier, swap out the tamed jalapeños with a hot variety or use fresh, diced jalapeños.

You can also increase the amount. Just make sure to pat them dry so they don’t add extra liquid. I recommend not going over ¼ cup.

Check the baking powder, and make sure it’s still fresh and hasn’t expired. If it’s still good, here are some other reasons biscuits don’t rise and may even spread:

The butter was too warm. After cutting the biscuits, they needed to be put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the butter time to firm up.
The biscuits weren’t touching in the pan. I try to place the biscuits side by side in the pan so they can climb against each other and rise tall.
The dough was too thin when you cut it. For thick biscuits, you need the dough to be thick. I aim for about ¾ to 1-inch. John cuts his about ½-inch thick. He gets more biscuits, but they aren’t quite as tall.
The dough was overworked. If the gluten was overworked, the dough will get tough and dense. It will stay flat instead of rising.

If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a drinking glass, a clean and empty tin can, or cut the biscuits into squares instead. We’ve also greased an 8×8-inch baking dish and placed the dough into it in one large piece. Gently press it into an even layer and bake.

If you don’t have buttermilk, that’s not a problem. Use sour milk (1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice + enough whole milk to equal ½ cup). Stir those ingredients together and let it sit for 10 minutes or so until it begins to thicken.

You can also use whole milk. The biscuits won’t be quite as soft, but it works fine. Just be aware with either of these swaps, you may not need as much.

How to Make Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450°F, and line a baking sheet or 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. You can also grease it well with butter.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor by pulsing a couple of times.

Add the cold butter and jalapeños and pulse just until the flour resembles coarse cornmeal.

With the food processor still running, slowly drizzle in the buttermilk until the flour begins to come together.

Top-down view of a food processor with the mixed dry ingredients.

The pickled jalapenos have been added to the food processor.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1-inch thick rectangle.

Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over the dough, fold the dough in half so the cheese is on the inside. Pat it down again so it’s about a 1-inch thick. Sprinkle another ¼ of the cheese over the dough and repeat the process. Continue until all the cheese has been used.

The final layer should be about ¾-inch to 1-inch thick and have no cheese on top. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour and press straight down to cut out the biscuits. Do not twist! Twisting seals off the edges of the biscuits, and they won’t rise as well.

Transfer the unbaked biscuits to the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown on top. They will still feel soft in the center but shouldn’t be doughy.

Brush lightly with melted butter if desired. Serve these jalapeño cheddar biscuits warm!

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator: Jalapeño cheddar biscuits are best stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

Freezer: These biscuits freeze well. Wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Drop them into a large Ziploc bag, and they’ll stay fresh for up to 2 months.