diff --git a/tempest/common/glance_http.py b/tempest/common/glance_http.py
index 935885149d..55aca5ae58 100644
--- a/tempest/common/glance_http.py
+++ b/tempest/common/glance_http.py
@@ -160,6 +160,9 @@ class HTTPClient(object):
     def json_request(self, method, url, **kwargs):
         kwargs.setdefault('headers', {})
         kwargs['headers'].setdefault('Content-Type', 'application/json')
+        if kwargs['headers']['Content-Type'] != 'application/json':
+            msg = "Only application/json content-type is supported."
+            raise exc.InvalidContentType(msg)
 
         if 'body' in kwargs:
             kwargs['body'] = json.dumps(kwargs['body'])
@@ -173,7 +176,8 @@ class HTTPClient(object):
             except ValueError:
                 LOG.error('Could not decode response body as JSON')
         else:
-            body = None
+            msg = "Only json/application content-type is supported."
+            raise exc.InvalidContentType(msg)
 
         return resp, body
 
diff --git a/tempest/tests/test_glance_http.py b/tempest/tests/test_glance_http.py
index bb2df43a5a..88b8129829 100644
--- a/tempest/tests/test_glance_http.py
+++ b/tempest/tests/test_glance_http.py
@@ -54,26 +54,37 @@ class TestGlanceHTTPClient(base.TestCase):
                         return_value=resp))
         return resp
 
-    def test_json_request_without_content_type_header(self):
+    def test_json_request_without_content_type_header_in_response(self):
         self._set_response_fixture({}, 200, 'fake_response_body')
-        resp, body = self.client.json_request('GET', '/images')
-        self.assertEqual(200, resp.status)
-        self.assertIsNone(body)
+        self.assertRaises(exceptions.InvalidContentType,
+                          self.client.json_request, 'GET', '/images')
 
-    def test_json_request_with_xml_content_type_header(self):
+    def test_json_request_with_xml_content_type_header_in_request(self):
+        self.assertRaises(exceptions.InvalidContentType,
+                          self.client.json_request, 'GET', '/images',
+                          headers={'Content-Type': 'application/xml'})
+
+    def test_json_request_with_xml_content_type_header_in_response(self):
         self._set_response_fixture({'content-type': 'application/xml'},
                                    200, 'fake_response_body')
-        resp, body = self.client.json_request('GET', '/images')
-        self.assertEqual(200, resp.status)
-        self.assertIsNone(body)
+        self.assertRaises(exceptions.InvalidContentType,
+                          self.client.json_request, 'GET', '/images')
 
-    def test_json_request_with_content_type_header(self):
+    def test_json_request_with_json_content_type_header_only_in_resp(self):
         self._set_response_fixture({'content-type': 'application/json'},
                                    200, 'fake_response_body')
         resp, body = self.client.json_request('GET', '/images')
         self.assertEqual(200, resp.status)
         self.assertEqual('fake_response_body', body)
 
+    def test_json_request_with_json_content_type_header_in_req_and_resp(self):
+        self._set_response_fixture({'content-type': 'application/json'},
+                                   200, 'fake_response_body')
+        resp, body = self.client.json_request('GET', '/images', headers={
+            'Content-Type': 'application/json'})
+        self.assertEqual(200, resp.status)
+        self.assertEqual('fake_response_body', body)
+
     def test_json_request_fails_to_json_loads(self):
         self._set_response_fixture({'content-type': 'application/json'},
                                    200, 'fake_response_body')