Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread

A warm loaf of this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread will be an instant favorite! This bread combines gooey melted cheese with fresh herbs and diced jalapenos – it’s the ultimate comfort food.

This Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!

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When folks mention monkey bread, the first thought that comes to mind is typically cinnamon and brown sugar. While sweet monkey bread recipes are absolutely delicious (and perhaps a bit more traditional), we’ve become huge fans of savory monkey bread recipes. The concept is similar, but the flavor profile is on the savory side of things.

Instead of using melted butter, savory monkey bread recipes often call for olive oil. And the cinnamon + sugar are replaced with savory options like cheese + fresh herbs. These monkey breads are best served as fun dinner ideas or party appetizers. Once you flip a warm, cheesy loaf of monkey bread onto a plate…it won’t last long! Each bite is filled with herbs and melted cheese. It’s basically cheesy bread taken to a whole new level of deliciousness!

Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread

Todays’ recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread is an easy one. Biscuit dough tossed with olive oil, two types of Cabot cheese and diced jalapenos. Add some fresh herbs, and you’ve got a fantastic recipe! It’s the kind of recipe where you just keep pulling off one more piece. Next thing you know, the loaf is gone, and it’s time to make another one!

I’ve made monkey bread in the past using homemade dough, but I’ve become a big fan of using chopped biscuit dough now. I know refrigerated canned biscuit dough is an American convenience food, so if you are outside of the States, you’ll need to get a bit creative. I recommend starting with the homemade dough that I used in this Cinnamon Monkey Bread recipe.

This recipe literally takes 10 minutes to make. All of the ingredients are tossed into a large bowl and mixed until well combined. Then transfer the mixture into a greased Bundt pan, and send it off to a preheated oven. It’ll take ~45 minutes to bake, but at about 30-35 minutes, your house will begin to smell amazing. There’s something magical about the combination of bread and cheese! By the time you pull that Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread out of the oven, your stomach will be full on growling. I speak from experience here.

Cabot Cheese

When it comes to cheese around our house, we are a Cabot Creamy family! Cabot makes some of the best cheddar cheeses we’ve ever tasted, and now we just keep blocks of Cabot cheese in the fridge at all times. I might shred that cheese up and use it in a recipe like this one, or I might just cut slices off and eat ’em as a snack. It’s fantastic stuff!

Speaking of cheese, I thought it might be fun to share a few tips from Cabot about how to care for cheddar cheese. That’s right. Take care of your cheddar, folks!

• Keep It Cold, but Serve at Room Temp. Blocks of cheddar should be kept in the coldest part of your fridge (likely the back – not the dairy drawer). Do not freeze cheddar cheese. But when it comes to serving that cheese? Let it come to room temperature. The flavors, aromas and textures will be much better at room temp.
• Wrap It Up. Store blocks of Cabot cheese in the original wrapper, but wrap up the open end tightly. If the original wrapper is gone, wrap the leftover cheese in wax paper or parchment paper.
• Cut It Out. If surface mold develops on the cheese, just cut it out. The remaining cheese is absolutely safe to eat, but it’s best to go ahead and finish it quickly. (With delicious recipes like this monkey bread, we rarely find leftover cheese to be a problem around our house!)

For this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread, I recommend using a combination of Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Seriously Sharp brings that classic sharp cheddar flavor, while the Monterey Jack brings the meltability. This Seriously Sharp + Monterey Jack combo is one of my favorite go-to for all sorts of recipes – give it a try!

Variations

I highly recommend making this Jalapeno Cheddar pull apart bread as it is – it’s delicious. However, for the next time you make it (and there will be a next time – trust me), here are some fun variations:

• Add Bacon. Bacon makes everything better, right? Layers of bacon, melty cheese and bread all combined together? Yes, please! Just make sure to cook the bacon first and then crumble it into the biscuit mixture.
• Use Pepper Jack Cheese. This recipe calls for a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. For an added punch, use Cabot’s Pepper Jack cheese in place of the Monterey Jack. Both are excellent melting cheeses. The difference is that Pepper Jack is a bit spicier.
• Omit the Jalapeños. Instead of going spicier, you can omit the diced jalapenos entirely for a loaf of cheesy pull-apart bread.
• Add Ground Beef. Turn this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread into Taco Monkey Bread by adding cooked, crumbled ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning. How good does that sound!?

How to Store Leftover Monkey Bread

Leftover monkey bread should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place the bread on a baking sheet and lay a piece of aluminum foil on top. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through. This bread also freezes well. Just make sure it’s entirely cool before placing it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours or in the fridge overnight before reheating.

If you’re looking for a fun party appetizer recipe, then put this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread on the list. It always gets a bunch of “ooo’s” and “aahh’s,” and it certainly doesn’t last very long. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do – Happy Baking!

Did you make this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) on Instagram – I’d love to see your version!

Cheddar Jalapeno Monkey Bread

A warm loaf of this Jalapeno Cheddar Monkey Bread will be an instant favorite! This bread combines gooey melted cheese with fresh herbs and diced jalapenos – it's the ultimate comfort food.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 276kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 16-oz. cans jumbo refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 6 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese cut into ½” cubes
• 4 oz. Cabot Monterey Jack cheese cut into ½” cubes
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• 2 large jalapenos seeded and diced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ cup chopped green onions plus more for garnishing
• ¼ cup olive oil
• {garnish} sliced fresh jalapeños

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Open biscuit cans and cut each biscuit into 4 quarters; place dough in large mixing bowl.
• Add cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, oregano, jalapenos, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, green onions and olive oil; toss until well combined.
• Spray a bundt or tube pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer biscuit mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Tent with aluminum foil to prevent burning and continue baking for 15-18 more minutes or until top is golden brown.
• Let cool in pan for at least 5 minutes before serving.
• Sprinkle additional chopped green onions on top and garnish with sliced jalapenos before serving

Looking for more savory pull apart bread recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: