These bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are creamy, spicy and loaded with cheese. The perfect party appetizer!
I have to admit, I have a weakness for jalapeno poppers. As much as I love them, I’ve never made them at home, because I’m not a fan of deep frying in my own kitchen. These bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are baked instead of fried, and let me say, they’re even better than the original! Who can resist fresh jalapenos stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked to crispy perfection? Not me, that’s for sure. This is the ultimate party or game day snack along with other offerings such as antipasto skewers and slow cooker chicken wings!
How to make jalapeno poppers
It probably won’t surprise you that the first ingredient in this recipe is jalapenos. I like to buy jalapenos that are about 3-4 inches long, you don’t want them to be too small or they’ll be hard to stuff. The jalapenos are sliced in half and the seeds and ribs get removed. Removing the seeds and ribs removes most of the heat from the peppers; if you like it spicier, leave some of the seeds and ribs in. The peppers are stuffed with a combination of cream cheese, cheddar cheese and spices.
The final step in the process is the bacon. You definitely want to avoid thick cut bacon here as it’ll take a lot longer to crisp up in the oven. The jalapenos get wrapped in half a slice of bacon and then secured with a toothpick. You can remove the toothpicks before serving like I did here, or leave them in for people to grab off the party platter. Whatever you prefer!
I like to serve my bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers with a side of ranch for dipping, but honestly they’re awesome as-is too. This is one of those party snacks where everyone will be asking you for the recipe! You can even fill and wrap the jalapenos up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them, simply store them in the fridge until you’re ready to go. You might even want to consider making a double batch, these little guys disappear quickly!
More appetizers for your next party
- Sausage Cheese Balls
- Slow Cooker Party Wings
- Cowboy Caviar
- White Queso Dip
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers Video
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeno peppers approximately 3-4 inches long
- 1 8 ounce block cream cheese softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 12 slices bacon do not use thick cut
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
- Cut the jalapenos in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and ribs.
- In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Fill each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture.
- Cut the slices of bacon in half crosswise and wrap each pepper half in a slice of bacon, using a toothpick to secure the bacon.
- Arrange the peppers on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until bacon is crispy and browned. Serve immediately.
I like to kick this up a notch by creating a small trof in the cream cheese and filling it with jalapeno jelly and adding a medium deveined, tail off shrimp. Finish with the bacon wrap and cook as you like, oven, bbq however. Every asks for the recipe. Enjoy😊
My husband will go crazy over these jalapeno poppers! Sounds so delicious!
Such a fantastic appetizer!! I LOVE the bacon! YUM!
I’m making these for the first time. Can you pre cook the bacon a little bit?
Yes that works!
These bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are look so fun and tasty!
I absolutely love these poppers! So creamy and with the right kick of spice!
These are INCREDIBLE and so easy to go overboard eating them! What is the serving size for the nutritional facts listed above?
The serving size is 2 poppers!
I’m not a fan of deep-frying in my own kitchen either but these are right up my alley!! I can’t wait to try them!
I know these are meant to be an appetizer but is it ok if I just eat them as a meal?! They look Ah-mazing!!
I’ve been making these for years, my husband and I love them. I will make them occasionally for our dinner, so yummy!
Hooo boy, these are amazing! A must have for all tailgates and game-watching parties from now on!
YUM! I could definitely see myself eating these for Superbowl. I am so looking forward to trying this one.
Can these be frozen after cooking and if so what is the recommended process to re-heat?
Yum thanks again dinner at the zoo! We’ve previously had jalapeno poppers from costco. I was nervous to try this – you know cutting my own jalapenos. But after using (costco) rubber gloves it wasn’t a problem at all. SO MUCH BETTER than the boxed popper variety from costco freezer section. DELICIOUS!
I just love it. What an awesome combination of Jalapeno and Bacon. Very creative and cheesy and yummy too.
Ahhhmazing appetizer for a crowd, everyone asked for the recipe!
I love jalapeno poppers and these are no exception! Such an easy recipe to follow.
Jalapeno poppers + bacon! These are definitely one of the best appetizers, and always a crowd favorite. 🙂
I cooked these in the air fryer at 390 degrees for 15-20 min. OMG they were delicious
Oh what a great idea, I have been making them in the oven, never even crossed my mind to make them in my air fryer..thanks for the tip 😉
When you cooked them in the air fryer did you just do them in batches? If you did, did you keep them warm in the oven or czn they be eaten cold?
I only made a half batch and did them all at once in the air fryer. I suppose you could cook them in batches and keep them warm in the oven at a low temp.
Beautifully cooked but needed more time I oven
400° took me about 40 mins to get the bacon crispy. 20 mins bacon was soft. I usually cook on the grill and they come out beautiful and zero grease, I had to replace the foil half way through to remove the grease.
I used a rack on my cookie sheet to save em from the grease and turned out awesome!
Can turkey bacon be used instead of pork?
Yes that should work!
I used turkey bacon and it was fantastic!!