Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

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Jalapeno cheddar biscuits are buttery with tender, flaky layers. Made with all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, lard and high-quality butter. Loaded with shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers. These flavorful biscuits take my buttermilk biscuits to the next level!

They pair beautifully with everything from beef chili, potato soup to scrambled eggs and homemade mixed berry jam.

Close up of biscuits with cheddar and jalapenos.

Homemade biscuits are delicious, straight from the oven, slathered with mixed berry jam, or served with chicken pot pie. We also use them for biscuit breakfast sandwiches (make them the night before and wrap with aluminum foil.)

Biscuits with jalapenos and cheddar in cast iron baking pan.

Why this recipe works

Uses pantry ingredients – Uses ingredients that are readily available at most grocery stores or in your pantry.
Gives you fluffy, extra flaky biscuits – Makes flaky biscuits with soft, fluffy and flaky layers.
Foolproof biscuit recipe – Any level of baker can make this biscuit recipe and have great success!

What you’ll need

All-purpose flour – Be sure and use a high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour brand, such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour. It really makes a difference in baking recipes.
Salt – Adding salt helps us control the amount of salt in baked goods.
Butter – Using a high-quality butter is key in making incredible homemade biscuits. (My favorite butter is Kerry Gold!)
Lard or vegetable shortening – Lard is my personal preference, but you can also use beef tallow or vegetable shortening (Crisco) for this recipe.
Baking powder – Be sure your baking powder is fresh. This leavening agent helps biscuits rise.
Buttermilk – It helps create tender biscuits, the acidity of buttermilk reacts to the baking powder and helps them rise. For best results, we highly recommend using real, whole cultured buttermilk.
Jalapenos – Slice lengthwise, remove the seeds and chopped small. Wear food safe gloves or wash your hands well when handling jalapenos, because you do NOT want to accidently rub hot peppers into your eyes!
Cheddar cheese – Buy bricks of your favorite brand of sharp or extra sharp yellow or white cheddar and shred it yourself.

Ingredients in white bowls for biscuits.

How to make Jalapeno cheddar biscuits

The key to making flaky homemade biscuits is keeping ingredients cold and not overworking the dough!

Mix dry ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
Cut in fat – Use a pastry blender to cut in lard and butter into the dry ingredients.
Add jalapenos & cheddar – Add grated cheddar cheese and chopped jalapenos. Use a spatula to gently incorporate into the flour mixture.
Add the buttermilk – Add cold buttermilk and incorporate with a rubber spatula just until the dough starts to come together. Dough will be slightly crumbly.
Work the dough – On a lightly floured surface, press the dough together with your hands into a rectangle shape. (This biscuit dough will be sticky!)
Fold the dough – This makes the layers. Gently fold the dough over itself into layers.
Cut the biscuits – Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut biscuits. Do NOT twist the cutter!
Place into baking pan – Place biscuits close together in buttered cast iron pan or baking dish. This helps them rise properly.
Bake – Bake in a preheated 475-degree F oven for 15-18 minutes or until tops of biscuits are golden brown.

Step images of making biscuits in white bowl with flour, butter and lard.

Step images of biscuits with jalapenos and yellow cheddar in white bowl incorporating ingredients.

Tips on making homemade biscuits

Cold fat – Cold butter and lard help create pockets of air while they bake. It’s similar to making homemade pie crust.
Using lard and butter – Using both of these ingredients helps to achieve the flakiest and fluffy biscuits.
Real buttermilk and quality ingredients – Using high-quality flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour and real, whole cultured buttermilk creates tender biscuits.
Don’t overmix – Mix ingredients just until combined. Overworking biscuit dough will result in hard and flat biscuits.
Don’t use too much flour – Lightly flour the work surface. Too much flour can make your dough tough.
Flatten and fold – Use your hands or a rolling pin to gently flatten dough, form into a rectangle shape and fold over to create layers. (I prefer to use my hands very little, as your body temperature can heat up the biscuit dough.)
Don’t twist the biscuit cutter – Press the biscuit cutter down firmly, in a stamping motion into the dough. Twisting seals off the edges and prevents biscuits from rising properly.
Bake close together – Biscuits rise best when pressed up against each other in a baking dish.
Bake in cast iron – One of the best methods for baking biscuits. Cast iron helps distribute heat more evenly, helps biscuits rise well and outer edges have a good crust. Our favorite is the 9×13-inch cast iron baking pan from Lodge.

Biscuit dough in white bowl, dough on floured work surface.

One of the most important things to do when making homemade biscuits is keep ingredients cold and not overwork the dough. I use a bench scraper to gently help fold the dough.

Rolling out biscuit dough on white marble.

Cutting biscuits with metal biscuit cutter on marble counter, unbaked biscuits in rectangle cast iron baking pan.

Recipe FAQs

How to get biscuits to rise better?

Keep ingredients cold, don’t overwork the dough, gently fold dough into layers three times, stamp biscuits, do NOT twist the cutter, place biscuits smack up against each other in cast iron, and bake in a VERY hot oven (475-500 degrees F).

Baked jalapeno cheddar biscuits with jalapeno slices on top of biscuits in rectangle cast iron baking pan.

Close up of cheddar and jalapeno biscuits in cast iron baking pan on wood cutting board.

Biscuits with cheddar and jalapenos in small bowl.

More easy breakfast and brunch recipes

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Closeup of cheddar jalapeno biscuits in cast iron pan.

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Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

Prep Time12

Cook Time15

Jalapeno cheddar biscuits are buttery with tender, flaky layers. Easy to make and super flavorful, loaded with cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers.

Course: Breakfast or Brunch

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: people

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Jessica Robinson

Ingredients

▢ 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
▢ 2 ½ tablespoons baking powder
▢ ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter cold
▢ ¾ cup lard, tallow or vegetable shortening cold
▢ 1 ½ -2 cups whole cultured buttermilk cold
▢ ½ – ¾ cup freshly grated cheddar cheese yellow or white
▢ 1-2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed & chopped small
▢ jalapeno peppers sliced thinly in rounds (for garnish on top)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, gently combine flour with salt and baking powder with a spoon.
Cut in the lard and butter until you have coarse crumbs. Add grated cheddar cheese and chopped jalapenos. Use a spatula to gently incorporate into the flour mixture.
Incorporate the buttermilk and gently bring it together into a dough with your hands or a rubber spatula. Start with 1 ½ cups buttermilk and add more buttermilk as needed, if necessary. The biscuit dough will be sticky!!
Pat down on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll into a rectangle shape. Fold several times. Roll out into rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Use a rubber bench scraper to help work with the dough.
Be careful NOT to add too much flour or overwork the dough. Cut biscuits with a 3-inch cutter, using a stamping motion, do not twist it.
Pick up scraps of biscuit dough and shake off excess flour. Press back together. Carefully refold the dough and roll out to a rectangle. Cut out the remaining biscuits. Be careful not to add too much flour or handle the dough too much!
Place biscuits closely together into a buttered cast iron baking pan or baking dish. Top each biscuit with a thinly sliced jalapeno pepper.

Recipe Notes

Tips on making flaky homemade biscuits

Make sure butter, lard and buttermilk are super cold to ensure flaky layers

Use high-quality ingredients, such as flour and butter. Higher quality butter has a higher fat content and will yield better results.

Cut butter into small pieces with a sharp knife or grate frozen butter with a cheese grater before incorporating into the flour mixture.

Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own with 1 cup whole milk and 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients.

Do NOT twist the cutter when cutting out biscuits! Twisting motion will seal edges of biscuits and prevent them from rising properly.

Bake in cast iron skillet or baking pan. This helps biscuits bake better and more evenly.

Rotate your baking pan 180 degrees about half way through the baking process.

Nutrition

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