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These jalapeño poppers are filled with a cream cheese mixture, topped with crumbled bacon pieces, and then baked to perfection. You won’t be able to stop at one!
Appetizers are just what you need to start any party off right! If you want some more appetizer ideas then try my Million Dollar Dip, Kielbasa Bites, egg rolls, or this amazing cheesy bread. They will FLY off of your table!
Jalapeño Poppers Recipe with Bacon
The party just got started with these jalapeño poppers! Add a little heat to your Super Bowl party, then cool it down with a creamy cheese blend that is stuffed full in each jalapeño. Every bite will start with a cool, creamy stuffing and then end with a soft crunch and a little spice to wake you up! With the bacon crumbled in the mix, you will have a savory, spicy, and a little bit salty appetizer that will be the talk of any party!
Jalapeños are essential with this recipe. These are a little spicy, but they have a smooth, cool taste to bring down that heat with the cream cheese mixture. These jalapeño poppers are baked, not fried. By baking your jalapeño poppers, you will have a tender jalapeño rather than a crispy or crunchy one from being fried. I prefer to chop the bacon and crumble it. You can add ground meat or different seasonings and spices to these jalapeño poppers to make them more hearty and flavorful.
Ingredients You Need to Make Jalapeño Poppers
Jalapeños are essential with this recipe! If you want to remove some heat, then when you slice the jalapeno in half and remove the seeds inside. These are what hold most of the heat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Jalapeños: Pick fresh, bright green and bigger than average jalapeños. Then they are easier to stuff and hold!
- Cream cheese: Soften your cream cheese and add it to the mix. This helps cool down the spicyness of the jalapeño.
- Garlic powder: This is a seasoning that adds to the jalapeño popper.
- Salt and pepper: Add these to your preferred taste!
- Cheddar cheese: Shred some of this up and add it to the cream cheese. It tastes so good!
- Bacon: Pre-cook your bacon and then remove the excess grease. When you are finished cooking it then crumble or cut it into small pieces.
- Green onions: Make these thinly sliced and then place them in the mixture.
How to Make Jalapeño Poppers
These only take a few minutes to whip up. They are so fresh and delicious that they will soon become your go-to appetizer for any get-together!
- Preheat oven and slice the jalapeños: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wearing gloves, slice each of the jalapeños in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to remove the seeds and veins.
- Combine filling mixture: In a medium sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar, bacon, and green onions.
- Add mixture to jalapeños and bake: Spoon the mixture evenly in the jalapeños and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the jalapeños are tender.
Tips for Making Jalapeno Poppers
These jalapeño poppers taste so good! Here are a few tips that you can try out to make sure that yours turn out just right.
- Cutting jalapeños: Make sure to wear gloves while cutting jalapeño peppers. This will protect your hands from burning your skin.
- How to slice your jalapeño: Slice them in half lengthwise and remove the rib and seeds for less spicy jalapeños.
- Control the spice level: Take out the rib inside the jalapeño and then remove all of the seeds for a less spicy jalapeño.
- Bacon: Cook the bacon and drain the grease. Then, chop or crumble it into pieces. Use pre-cooked bacon or even crumbled bacon in a jar to speed up the process.
- Cheese: Try blending cheeses together and changing the cheeses up. Add extra cheese on top to bake over the jalapeño poppers.
- Crispier poppers: For a crispier jalapeno poppers, bake them on the top wire rack in the oven.
- Different types of cooking jalapeño poppers: Grilling or using the air fryer are great ways to enjoy jalapeño poppers.
What goes with Jalapeño Poppers?
These baked jalapeño poppers stand out on their own and can be eaten as-is but…If you want to take them to the next level and switch things up then try to add a dip!
Add a dip: If you love to dip then try dipping them in a classic ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or a cilantro lime creamy dressing. These dressings will turn down the heat and help with the spice level!
Different Stuffing Flavors to Try
There are so many ways of stuffing a jalapeño popper. I have a classic, simple way of stuffing my jalapeño poppers with bacon. You can create different flavors and fun ways to add to your baked, stuffed jalapeño popper with these varieties.
- Cheese: Goat cheese, mozzarella, Colby jack or Monterey cheese.
- Meat: Wrapped bacon jalapeños, shredded chicken, ground beef or crab meat.
- Vegetables: Bell peppers, mushrooms, chopped onions.
- Seasonings: Cayenne pepper, garlic salt or red pepper flakes.
How to Store Leftovers
These jalapeño poppers go fast and disappear quickly. I tend to double the batch before I take them to a party! If you end up having some leftovers then here is how you can store them to eat later.
- Make the stuffing in advance: Add all the cheese, cream cheese and seasoning mixture together. Cover and place in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
- Keep them in the refrigerator: Prepare your mixture and stuff each of your jalapeños. Before cooking them place them in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them. They will stay in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Can you freeze you jalapeño poppers? Yes! Stuff the peppers with the cheese mixture and then put them in an airtight container. Try not to stack them. You can freeze for up to 1 month. When you are ready to bake them then place them on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. There is no need to thaw them.
- Warming up: Place them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are tender and warmed through.
More Recipes with Bacon
I am one of those people who believes that bacon really does make everything better! These jalapeño poppers are really next level delicious because of the crumbled bacon. Here are a few more of my favorite bacon recipes that you must try! They are super easy and everyone loves them.
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Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon
Ingredients
- 10 large jalapeños
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wearing gloves, slice each of the jalapeños in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the seeds and veins.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar, bacon, and green onions.
- Spoon the mixture evenly in the jalapeños and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the jalapeños are tender.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my go to jalapeño popper recipe. I love that you still get the traditional bacon, but putting it in instead of the tedious wrapping (and usually not crispy). I have not had complaint yet! So delicious! ?
Recipe states fresh jalapeńos. I hope that is just to say not pickled because I would like to try this recipe with home grown whole frozen peppers. Perhaps I will try cooking just one without the filling to see how the pepper responds to thawing and baking. And perhaps the cooking time would be shorter because the pepper will be softer after thawing. Or it could be nasty. Does anyone have experience trying to use frozen jalapeños?
Hi Deb, you are correct in assuming I said fresh instead of pickled. I have never made these with frozen peppers, but I would guess they would end up mushy. If you are up for experimenting, let me know how they turn out!
adding buttered panko adds a crunch and improves this recipe
I had previously jazzed up a standard jalapeño poppers recipe with most of the ingredients in this recipe. But, my ratios were off. This recipe is perfect! I like my poppers spicier than most people. So, I remove the seeds but I leave in the ribs.
Wow -My wife doesn’t really like jalapenas, but she loved these! Thank you. Made these with fresh jalapenas from the garden.
Easy and delicious the best combination
Oh so good!
Where is your video?
Made this for the holidays last year. Everyone loved it so I have to make it every year now LOL. Easy & fantastic. This year I’m making it with both jalapenos & mini sweet peppers
Best Popper Recipe I have had!! Perfect accurate directions as well!
Best ever
This recipe is extremely simple and easy to follow! I think anyone would be able to follow the instructions.
One tip I would like to leave is that after trying this in the oven, try this recipe on the smoker. It will add another layer of flavor that I think others would enjoy.
These turned out so so great! Thank you even though I did my own but used all your ingredients! They not only smelled fantastic but tasted just as they smelled! Thank you
Hi Alyssa I made yours just a few min ago! They smell awesome! I did however make my twist on it using Cheyenne pepper along with a chipotle and garlic seasoning! I also sautéed up garlic and onion and mixed all in! Can’t wait to try! Thank you so much
Made these for the first time. OMG! So delicious. I told my husband to try one & he said, “no I don’t like jalapeno poppers”. I said, “try one then”. I came back to the kitchen 2 hrs later and 5 were missing! He loves them now!!! Darn, I have to share. LOL! Thanks for the recipe.
I made the recipe almost as written but didn’t have enough bacon, so I used half bacon and half imitation crab. They were delicious!