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.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and I serve these often as a low carb appetizer! However mine never cook in the 20-25 minutes noted in the recipe. More like 45-50 minutes.
The first time I made these, they turned out amazing. The second time, I felt sassy and added blue cheese crumbles for extra briney flavor. I’m keeping the blue cheese crumbles in the recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe!
These are SO GOOD!! I’m a heat junkie, so I actually chilled up the rib and seeds after hollowing out the jalapenos, and mixed it back into the cheese filling – perfect kick of heat! I also sprinkled a good topping of Cajun seasoning on the top of the bacon before baking and WOW!! I might use parchment paper next time instead of foil, because the bacon and cheese filling did stick a bit, but it just meant crunchies for me to much on after.
Full disclosure, I made these for breakfast after having a craving hit and they were the best darm poppers and best breakfast decision ever! Thanks for the recipe!
Can we freeze the poppers? When ready to cook should I defrost them or just put them in the oven directly, if so at what temperature and for how long? Thank you!
You can freeze them cooked and then reheat from frozen, try 375 degrees F for about 7-9 minutes.
i’ve been making these poppers for a coupla years now. my family LOVES them. they are a bit of a labour of love, but imo totally worth it. we find any excuse to make them… i’ve probably made them 15 times and each time they are a hit! thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi!
Am I able to prep these a day ahead even if I precook the bacon slightly because of its thickness?
You could fill the peppers a day in advance but I’d be concerned about using parcooked bacon and letting it sit for a day because of food safety issues.
They turned out delicious! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Absolutely fabulous!
Made once. Made again!!!
I add sausage to the cheese mixture…1/2 regular, 1/2 hot Jimmy Deans. Perfection. Freeze well.
i wonder how you can make up several and freeze for later use.
I would probably freeze them raw!
I have made jalapeño peppers up, lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and then freeze them up. After they are frozen I put them in a ziplock bag. You can then bake as many as you want.
I also always date the bag.
That’s a great idea!
How long do you bake them for and at what temp? Do you thaw first or straight into the oven from the freezer? Thank you!
SUPER IDEA!!!! I’m doing it!!
Super easy and delicious! We partially cook the bacon in the oven (put bacon on cooling racks on a jelly roll pan & bake at 400F) until it’s just barely starting to brown and then wrap the jalapenos.
Love this recipe!
These have been some of my go-to party foods for the past 5 years. I love them and I always get tons of compliments when I make them.
Oh my goodness were this delicious 🤤loved every bite
Delicious! I only had thick sliced bacon, so I cooked the bacon first, for about 10 minutes, and then followed the recipe and it was perfect!!
My son said that these where the best thing he ever put in his mouth. Id agree its either first or second in my book. I will never eat any other Jalapeño popper ever again. With out bacon its never gonna come close.
I didn’t have onion powder. Forgot the salt and pepper and used extra sharp kraft cheese. And I did wrap the hole thing in bacon and cut off the extra with scissor. I dont know how much difference all that made. But il never know because I dont want to change it. Lol
(I doubt it was that much difference)
These were amazing! I had my sin mix up the ingredients while I halved and seeded the peppers. I used neufchatel cheese and it worked great.
We have made these several times. They are a favorite of our family and with my teen son’s friends. Easy to make. Thanks!
Yes yes I make them too and yessss good
I like extra onion powered wow
Hey now whats up ?
They were good, but next time I’ll use a whole slice of bacon rather than a half slice.
Very tasty and fast! Thanks!
I could never get the bacon crispy enough..ended up just taking it off and eating them without, which was still good. But the next time, I used bacon bits instead and it was awesome, and so easy!
Partially cook bacon first if not cocked enough following 20-25 mins in oven.
Tip: Turn your oven to broil high and keep and eye on them. Broil will crisp the bacon but you have to watch you don’t burn the peppers. Try adjusting oven shelf while on broil if you find that happening.
I was worried about the bacon not getting crispy enough. So I baked them on my cooling rack, set inside a sheet pan. I also switched the oven to the low broiler setting for the last 3 or so minutes. They were perfect. Also worth noting, I rolled them into the bacon slices so that the ends were underneath and it kind of stretched the bacon out some. I think that helped it crisp up as well. I pressed the filling into the jalepenos firmly enough that there was no trouble with it falling out while rolling.
I absolutely love this recipe, simple and delicious. 😋