These bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers are the perfect party appetizer, and great for game day snacking! With the winning combinations of the smoky crispy bacon wraps, rich cream cheese and cheddar filling, and the mild jalapeño spice, there’s an explosion of flavor in every bite. So to all you football fans out there, this one is for you. I’m completely obsessed with the flavor of these jalapeño poppers, you need to try them! This bacon-wrapped twist takes your classic jalapeño popper to the next level. I cannot ever have just one or two of these delicious poppers, so I’d recommend making a double batch! This is a great recipe for birthday parties and family gatherings. It’s even great for kids because the jalapeños aren’t really that spicy once the seeds and membranes are scraped away. With the added cream cheese mixture stuffed inside, these little guys are a huge hit with our kids! Jalapeños are irresistible, I use them a lot because I love their fresh flavor, and how well they go with other savory flavors. I already made a deconstructed version of this recipe as a Jalapeño Popper Dip, and it’s one of my favorite appetizer recipes. If you love flavorful appetizers like this one, be sure to check out my collection of Easy Appetizers for a Crowd. It contains some of my favorite appetizers, like Classic Philly Cheesesteak Dip, Sweet, Savory & Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken Wings, and my Delicious Easy Chicken Parmesan Sliders!
Why We Love This Recipe
Quick and easy recipe takes just 40 minutes from start to finish! Completely customizable in heat and flavorings, you can add your favorite savory garnishes to it as well. This fun finger food is handy for a party table spread. Bursting with amazing flavors!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Bacon – Use smoked bacon to give the best smoky flavor for these poppers. Jalapeño Peppers – For best results find large, fresh jalapeños and half them lengthwise yourself. Cream Cheese – Use your favorite kind, full fat or reduced fat. Cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese works well, depending on the heat level you want. Garlic – Garlic powder will work fine here, as you will be adding it into the filling. Salt and Black Pepper – Enhances all the flavors, giving a slight kick to the cream cheese mix.
How to Make Jalapeño Poppers
Prep the jalapeños. Firstly, you need to wash and slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise. Scrape out all of the seeds and white membrane using a spoon. You might want to wear rubber gloves to do this. If you don’t have any, try sticking your hand in a plastic Ziploc bag to protect your skin from the jalapeño juice. Make cream cheese filling. Combine the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper together in a bowl. As long as the cream cheese is softened by sitting on the counter for half an hour, this should be easy to do with just a spoon. Stuff the jalapeños. Fill each of the jalapeño pepper halves with the cream cheese mixture. Make sure you don’t overfill or you will have a mess while the poppers bake since the cheese will ooze out all over the place. I find it easiest to just spread the cream cheese in with a butter knife. Add bacon wraps. After they have been stuffed, wrap the bacon fairly tightly around each jalapeño and arrange it so that the seam where the bacon ends is on the bottom of the jalapeño. Doing this tends to keep them wrapped without using toothpicks, but you can secure the bacon with a toothpick to help it stay put if you need to though. Remove the toothpics before serving. If your jalapeños are larger, you might want to use a full slice of bacon for each popper rather than just a half piece. Set on a wire rack. Put the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers on a wire rack that has been sprayed with cooking spray set over a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easier clean-up. Bake. Let the jalapeño poppers bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400°F until the cheese is melted and the bacon is cooked all the way and crispy. Serve. Remove them from the oven and serve hot with cool ranch dressing as a dipping sauce.
How to Make Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
If you have an air fryer, you can easily use it to cook your stuffed jalapeño poppers. Simply preheat the air fryer to 325°F, then cook the jalapeño poppers in a single layer for 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bacon is crisp. You may want to turn them over halfway through cooking. You may have to cook them in smaller batches, but this is ideal for a smaller crowd or for snacking!
Storage and Reheating
Freezing: You can freeze these delicious appetizers on the baking sheet for 60 minutes, then transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or reusable bag. When ready to serve, just place as many of the frozen jalapeño poppers as you would like on a baking sheet and bake without thawing, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the regular baking time to account for them being frozen. Reheating: Leftovers (if there are any) reheat pretty well in the microwave the next day. The bacon won’t be as crispy, but it’s still a delicious bite! Or chop them up and stir them into a bowl of mac and cheese for something different. It’s so good!
Tips for Success
As spicy as you want: If you get all the seeds and membranes out, then your jalapeño poppers will hardly be spicy at all. I hardly notice any spiciness when the jalapeños are prepped this way. The cream cheese filling will cool much of the spiciness that remains after removing the seeds and membranes. If you like them very spicy, try leaving in some of the membranes and seeds. Look for larger jalapeños: I try to choose ones that are about 3-4 inches long each. They are easier to clean and easier to stuff with the filling. They also make more of a substantial bite for a party appetizer, and are easier to hold! Regular vs. thick-cut bacon: The choice is really whichever your family prefers, although I like to stick with regular bacon for this recipe. Thick-cut bacon will need a few extra minutes of baking time to cook all the way through. It might also be slightly more difficult to wrap around the jalapeno halves and have it stay put without a toothpick, so just keep that in mind.
Substitutions and Variations
Garnish with finely chopped green onions or chives. Alternatively, add finely chopped green onions or chives into the cream cheese mixture. The seeds and membranes are the spiciest parts of a jalapeño, keep some of it in if you want a spicier bite. Turn up the heat by adding some red chili flakes on top, or mix them into the cream cheese before stuffing it into the jalapeño halves. For ultimate heat, try and source some scotch bonnet peppers. Scotch Bonnets may be cute and round, but these bad boys pack a fiery punch! Add chopped bacon to the cream cheese mixture before adding it to the jalapeños. Use a mixture of cheese like cheddar and mozzarella, or pepper jack and cheddar for extra cheesy flavor. Substitute the jalapeño peppers for sweet peppers for a crowd that doesn’t do spicy foods.
More Amazing Appetizer Recipes
Papa John’s Copycat Garlic Knots Slow Cooker Little Smokies in Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce Oven Baked Korean BBQ Chicken Wings Bacon Green Onion Deviled Eggs Pickled Eggs
This post was originally published in February, 2019. The content was updated in November, 2022.
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