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.
Excellent recipe for the cheese mixture. However I find the bacon makes it a bit greasy for me. So I started ezperimenting. I added green onion, garlic, and minced jalapeno to the mixture (I like a da spicy). I then minced the bacon, cooked it up, and added to the cheese. Stuffed the peppers then topped with pepper jack, 400deg for 15 mins so the peppers stayed a bit more firm. So far thats the winner.
We thought we weren’t big fans of poppers but after watching an episode of DDD, we decided to try this recipe. OMG we enjoyed these. The recipe ingredients are simple but delish. Made a 1/2 recipe because it’s just the two of us, served with Southwestern Salad. Will be making again!
I’ve made this recipe so many times Halloween party, for my family, birthday party, etc. everyone loves these and so do I! Thank you for sharing this recipe ❤️ I make mine with half the amount of cheddar cheese too as someone else who commented suggested to do that if you like to taste more of the cream cheese. I also add garlic powder, very yummy!
Made them again today for Memorial day and decided I must make a comment as I love this recipe!
My boyfriend and I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! We also had some Marconi Peppers that we are growing out back (next to our Jalapeño plant) that fell off the plant prematurely and used the mixture and recipe with those as well. It was heavenly! This is our definite “Go To” recipe from now on for Jalapeño Poppers and now also Marconi Poppers! Marconi Peppers are Large Long mild Peppers and get sweet as they fully ripen. But we pick them early to make the poppers. Thank you for such a wonderful and Delicious recipe!!!
I got jalapeños in my eyes wowza! Thats spicy!
Wear some gloves if you can next time, but if you don’t have them treat the jalapeño juice like essential oil. You never want to put water in the oils first, that makes them worse rather than better. You treat it with another oil. Get some vegetable oil or some other cooking oil and rub it all over your hands, then get some dish washing liquid (no water yet) and rub that real good all over your hands. This will be very messy. Then finally rinse it off really good. You may want to do the soap thing once more. I know this sounds like a big pain, but you’re basically dealing with jalapeño oil and you have to treat it differently. Water is not your friend at first, oil is. Hope this helps.
My sister has been bringing these to many family functions for years, and are always a big hit. She will also add a little brown sugar to the top and some cayenne pepper.
Excellent way to prepare jalapeños! I added finely chopped green onion to the cheese mixture and used thick applewood smoked bacon that was pre- cooked and crumbled on top of the jalapeños. Yummmmm!
We added 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the filling and pre-cooked the bacon slightly. We also tried wrapping the poppers with the bacon as suggested and tried some with 1/2 of a slice placed on top…The slice on top was a winner as it cooked more uniformly. Really easy recipe and sooo YUMMY!!!
Great tip, and great recipe. Super easy and YUM!
My family loved it just as is. Its a great recipe.
Just made for super bowl snacks. Big hit with the fiancé and dropped some off at my parents’. Mixed half mozzarella and half cheddar cheese. Will make again!
My God this is the greatest thing i have eaten. Don’t take out all the seedsand membrane.b you’re eating a jalapeno. There’s the heat/flavor. The very best snack. Next time i will pre-cook the bacon a while before wrapping the jalapenos. I feel that may be perfection.
I made your bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers today and they were gone in five minutes. Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe — it is a total hit with my family.
I love this recipe so much I’ve made it many times for gatherings and someone even paid me once to make them for a party! The only thing I changed was adding garlic powder, using only 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese ( I like tasting more of the cream cheese and less of the cheddar cheese) and I used maple bacon. So yummy, thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe and so easy, make them all the time! I add garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder. Before wrapping the bacon I press the cheese into Pablo bread crumbs. Gives an extra crunch like the fried ones
Like this recipe but forgot to buy bacon and had sausage so I browned that, threw in the cream cheese to combine and then filled the peppers. I also left some seeds and ribs in a few poppers and proclaimed Popper Roulette! Wouldn’t recommend this for kids but had a few laughs with adults😅🤣
My family devoured these! We actually fought over the last few! I did have to cook them a bit longer than directed but I like my bacon extra crispy! It didn’t affect the cheese mixture though & they were absolutely delicious!
Can you prep the mixture the day before? Prep it all the day before?
Yes you can stuff and wrap the peppers a day in advance!
I added beef kielbasa and chive and onion cream cheese. Mixed in my ninja. Then filled the peppers wrapped the bacon added smoked paprika before baking. Amazing!!!!
Stuck at home in lockdown looking for something to make and this was just the thing. I changed the recipe a bit using half cheddar and half Monterey Jack in addition to the cream cheese. I also wrapped them in Prosciutto instead of bacon because the bacon I had onhand was too thick. I only has to cook them for 17 minutes.
We’ve been making this recipe at Christmas for years. It’s the best recipe on the web for poppers. Delicious!
Best. Stuffed. Jalapenos. Ever.
Drizzle with Captain Rodneys Glaze!