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These easy, fluffy Jalapeño Cheese Rolls are made with a homemade brioche dough and stuffed with a sweet honey butter, cheddar cheese and jalapeños. The perfect appetizer, snack, or side dish for any meal.

Baking dish with baked jalapeño cheese rolls.


 

All about these Jalapeño Cheese Rolls

If you’re looking for a fun bread side dish for a holiday meal or just a regular family dinner look no further! These savory, Jalapeno Cheese Rolls are made with a soft, rich brioche dough just like cinnamon rolls, but are filled with cheddar cheese and jalapeños for a savory twist.

These rolls will pair perfectly with your Texas Smoked Brisket, Shredded Pork or Jalapeno Honey Glazed Ham. There’s so much to love about these rolls! They are:

  • Soft, tender, and fluffy.
  • Sweet and spicy with a combination of jalapeno and sweet honey butter.
  • Cheesy

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients needed to make jalapeno cheese rolls laid out on the counter.
  • Flour: this recipe has been tested with all purpose flour.
  • Cheese: mild or medium cheddar cheese is our go to, it pairs wonderfully with the jalapeño and has a nice melt. You can of course sub this for another type of melting cheese if you would prefer.
  • Milk: whole milk is the preferred choice for the dough.
  • Yeast: the recipe is written to use active dry yeast, although you can use instant yeast and adjust the directions for it in the beginning of the recipe.
  • Honey: this is used to sweeten the dough and also to make a sweet honey butter for the inside filling.
  • Pickled Jalapeño: we like using the pickled version for baking, you can use fresh, but we would advise roasting it first to ensure that it’s cooked thoroughly and softened.

How to Make

How to make cheese rolls, showing activated yeast in a glass mixing bowl and dough resting in a clean glass bowl.
  1. Activate Yeast: Combine the warm milk and honey then stir in the active dry yeast. Let this sit for about 5 minutes until frothy. If using instant yeast you can skip this step.
  2. Mix Dough: Add the remaining ingredients for the dough and knead briefly for 2 minutes. Remove from the mixing bowl and knead by hand on the counter with a small amount of flour to form a smooth ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for 1-1.5 hours.
  3. Roll out & Add Toppings: Punch down the dough, remove to a lightly floured work surface and press the dough out to a rectangle. Brush with the honey butter, layer the shredded cheese and diced jalapeños.
  4. Slice: Roll the dough to form a long log shape, then cut into 12 equal size pieces. It’s easiest to do this with a sharp serrated knife.
  5. 2nd Rise & Bake: Place the rolls into a prepared baking pan, let rise another 30 minutes while the oven preheats and then bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden on top.
Brioche dough pressed out into a rectangle, topped with honey butter, cheese and diced jalapeno. Then rolled into a log shape and sliced into rolls.

Expert Tips

  • Cheese: always use freshly grated cheese from a block.
  • Flour: use the least amount of flour as possible when kneading the dough into a ball and pressing out the dough to form the rolls. We want to keep our dough nice and supple, not dry.
  • Room temperature butter: use room temperature butter to make the honey butter for the filling, this allows you to mix the honey with the butter and get a nice smooth and creamy consistency.
  • Knife: slice the rolls with a nice sharp knife to avoid pressing down and smashing the rolled shape.
Up close view of fluffy cheese rolls with diced jalapeno.

FAQs

Can I prep the dough ahead of time?

Yes, the dough can be prepped and the rolls assembled, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Can be kept for up to 1 day.

Why are my cheese rolls not soft?

If the rolls came out dry, this is due to using too much flour. It’s ok for the dough to be slightly sticky, this will prevent having dry rolls.

How do I know the rolls are done baking?

The internal temperature of bread is 190 degrees F when baked thoroughly. You will also notice the tops of the rolls have a nice golden coloring.

Storage Information

These rolls are best served fresh and warm, that is when they are softest. However, you can absolutely save the leftovers.

  • Store: in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or briefly in the oven before serving.
  • Freezer: wrap in foil and store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove to the refrigerator overnight. Let come to room temperature or reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
Jalapeno Cheese Rolls drizzled with honey and sprinkled with salt flakes.

More Bread Recipes

Jalapeño Cheese Rolls

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Author: Serene
These easy, fluffy Jalapeño Cheese Rolls are made with a homemade brioche dough and stuffed with a sweet honey butter, cheddar cheese and jalapeños. The perfect appetizer, snack, or side dish for any meal. 
Up close view of fluffy cheese rolls with diced jalapeno.

Ingredients  

  • ¾ cup milk warmed to 100-110 degrees F
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
  • 3 cups all purpose flour (400 g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

  • ¼ cup butter room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • ¼ cup pickled jalapeno chopped

Instructions 

  • In large mixing bowl combine the warm milk and honey, stir to mix. 
  • Add the yeast and stir. Let this sit for 5-8 minutes until yeast becomes fluffy on the top.
  • Add in the eggs, cooled melted butter, flour and salt. Mix on low using a dough hook until dough comes together. Keep kneading for 2-3 minutes. Dough will still be a little sticky. 
  • Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of flour on a clean working surface. 
  • Remove the dough to the floured surface and gently shape into a ball. 
  • Lightly coat a clean bowl with oil (avocado or extra virgin olive oil)
  • Place the dough ball into the lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-1/2 hours until dough has doubled in size. The timing can depend on warmth and humidity in the home. 
  • After dough has risen, gently punch down and remove dough to a clean lightly floured working surface. 
  • Using your hands gently press the dough out into a rectangular shape approximately 14×9 inches. (use a cake pan for a general idea of sizing!)
  • In a small bowl add the room temperature butter and honey. Stir until combined and smooth.
  • Spread the honey butter over the surface of the dough. 
  • Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. 
  • Top with the chopped jalapeños.  
  • Starting with the 14 inch side, gently start rolling the dough into a tight roll. Once all the dough is rolled, pinch the dough together where the seam meets. 
  • Using a serrated knife cut the dough roll into 12 rolls. 
  • Spray a 13×9 baking pan with non stick cooking spray. 
  • Place the rolls into the pan and cover with a clean towel. Let the rolls rise for another 30 minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
  • Once the cheese rolls have risen, bake for 25-28 minutes until golden on the top and baked through, you can use a toothpick inserted in the middle to determine if the dough is cooked through. 
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes before slicing to serve. 

Notes

  • Drizzle with extra honey and add a sprinkle of sea salt flakes for extra flavoring.
Storage:
  • Store: in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or briefly in the oven before serving.
  • Freezer: wrap in foil and store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove to the refrigerator overnight. Let come to room temperature or reheat in the oven or microwave before serving.
Make Ahead: 
  • Prepare the rolls according to directions, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. When ready, remove from the refrigerator and bake as directed. 
Yeast: can substitute the active dry yeast for instant yeast. Skip the first step of adding the yeast with the milk and honey and letting rest. Simply add the yeast and all ingredients for the dough into the bowl of the stand mixer and knead together. 

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 538IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Step by step and ingredient images by KJandCompany.co


Welcome to my kitchen!

Welcome to the House of Yumm!! My name is Serene. I’m the food photographer, recipe developer, and official taste tester around these parts.

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