This easy appetizer is popular for a reason. They’re subtly spicy without being at all overwhelming (even my spice-averse friends enjoy these!), and the cream cheese and bacon filling is loaded with savory, tangy flavor. For more appetizer recipes, try my baked wings recipe, nachos recipe, and buffalo chicken dip recipe.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Jalapeño peppers — you need 12 jalapeño peppers, totaling about 340 grams. Pick fresh jalapenos that are vibrant in color and feel firm. Cheese — softened cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese are mixed together for the creamy filling. A perfect balance to the mild heat of the peppers! Bacon — precook the bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel to remove any excess fat before crumbling it. Green onions — thinly sliced green onion adds loads of flavor to the stuffing. If you want less onion flavor, feel free to swap them out with chives, or omit them altogether. Seasoning — the jalapeño popper filling has lots of flavor from cheese, green onions, and bacon, so additionally, you only need garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to season the mixture. Topping — for the crisp golden topping, you’ll need unsalted butter and panko breadcrumbs. Panko gets much crispier than regular dry bread crumbs, but you can make the swap in a pinch.
How to Make Jalapeño Poppers
- Before working on the jalapeno peppers, put on a pair of gloves to protect your hands. Cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds and white membrane. You will have 24 jalapeño halves.
- Grab a medium bowl and work on the cream cheese mixture. Combine the softened cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese.
- Then add crumbled bacon, sliced green onion, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the bacon and cheese mixture evenly into the pepper halves and place each one on the prepared baking sheet.
- Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix until all the panko bread crumbs are coated in butter.
- Spoon the panko topping mixture over the tops of each stuffed pepper. Bake the jalapeño poppers in oven preheated to 400°F for 25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Let the poppers cool for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite dipping sauce. They’re also delicious at room temperature, so don’t worry if they sit for a little while before everyone digs in.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Wear gloves when handling jalapeño peppers: I recommend wearing gloves when slicing and seeding the peppers, even if you aren’t sensitive to spicy peppers. The oils can irritate your hands, or you can end up with a not-so-fun surprise when touching your face or eyes after working with any spicy peppers, even milder ones like jalapeños. Control the spice level: To have these as mild as possible, scrape out all the seeds and inner membranes. If you want them a little more spicy, leave some seeds and the membranes intact. For an extra spicy kick, add cayenne pepper to taste to the filling. Use different cheese: For less tang, use mild cheddar cheese. If you want more of a kick, go with pepper Jack. Gluten-free option: To make this recipe gluten-free, you have two options. You can omit the panko breadcrumb topping altogether or swap out the breadcrumbs for your favorite gluten-free alternative.
If you’ve tried this jalapeño poppers recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
