Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
on Jan 24, 2024, Updated Mar 09, 2024
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These Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers make a great appetizer for any occasion! The crispy bacon, gooey cream cheese, and tender jalapeños ensure there is flavor in every bite.
When it comes to snacks and appetizers, these bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are a real winner. The savory, crispy bacon envelopes a rich cream cheese filling.
You can cook these jalapeño poppers in both the oven and the air fryer, making them easy to make ahead of time. Simply whip together your cream cheese and spices, fill your jalapenos, wrap them in bacon, and you are good to go!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Has the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.
- Uses low cost, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Makes a great appetizer for any occasion.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cream Cheese—Room temperature cream cheese will be easier to work with.
- Seasoning Mix—A flavorful mix of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Bacon—Either thick cut or regular bacon.
- Jalapenos—The larger your jalapenos are the more filling they will hold.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
Whether you are looking to add texture or flavor to your jalapeno poppers, there are a few ways in which you can modify this recipe. Some of our favorites are:
- Add some spice: If you are looking to add some heat to your jalapeno poppers then you can fold ½ cup of pepperjack cheese into the cream cheese mixture. You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few drops of tabasco sauce to the cream cheese.
- Add some texture: After you fill your jalapeno poppers, try dipping the cream cheese side in Italian bread crumbs. The breadcrumbs will crisp up as the poppers cook, giving you both flavor and texture.
- Change your spices: Switching out your spices is an easy way to customize this appetizer. Some of our favorite spices to add are paprika, black pepper, cumin, and dried oregano.
How to Make Jalapeno Poppers
Step #1. Preheat your oven. Whisk together the cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Step #2. Mix until smooth and creamy.
Step #3. Slice all of your jalapenos in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Fill each jalapeno half with the cream cheese mixture.
Step #4. Wrap each jalapeno with one slice of bacon. Transfer the poppers to a baking sheet and cook until the bacon is crispy. Allow the jalapeno poppers to cool after they finish cooking.
Recipe FAQs
You really can’t go wrong with a dipping sauce for this appetizer! While they don’t need a sauce to be the star of the show, adding a sauce is a great way to take this recipe to the next level. Some of our favorite sauces include ranch with cilantro, chunky salsa, regular ranch, and easy aioli.
There are two main ways to tell that your bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are finished. The first way is to look at the bacon. Your bacon will become darker in color and should be a tad bit crispy. Your bacon does not need to brown since it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Another way to tell that your poppers are finished is to look at the cream cheese filling. Your filling will begin to brown slightly when the poppers are ready to come out of the oven.
Expert Tips
- You can also cook your jalapeño poppers in the air fryer for 20-25 minutes at 400°F.
- You can use regular or thick cut bacon in this recipe. We found that regular bacon needed closer to 20 minutes of cooking time while thick cut required closer to 25.
- Allowing your jalapeño poppers a little bit of time to cook helps the bacon crisp up a little more.
- It is not necessary to cut the stems off of your jalapeños, but you are welcome to remove them if you’d like.
- Room temperature cream cheese will be easier to work with since it isn’t as stiff. When I have time I like to set out my cream cheese about 30 minutes before I want to start prepping this recipe.
Can I make these jalapeño poppers ahead of time?
Of course! Being able to reheat these jalapeño poppers in the air fryer makes them easy to reheat quickly. You can also fill your jalapeño, wrap them in bacon, and then store them in the fridge uncooked for up to 3 days. Simply transfer your poppers to a cooking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap until you are ready to cook them.
How to Store Leftover Jalapeño Poppers
These jalapeño poppers are best served fresh, but you can transfer your poppers to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat your poppers in the microwave. Start by cooking them for 40 seconds and continue adding 30 seconds until the cream cheese is warm. It is important to note that the leftovers will not be as crispy as freshly cooked jalapeño poppers.
Alternatively, you can reheat your poppers in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F. This will help add a little bit of crispiness back to your leftovers.
More Appetizers To Consider
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Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
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Perfect Oven French Fries
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My Favorite Classic Cheese Board
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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 block
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 slices bacon
- 6 jalapeños, large, fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt using an electric hand mixer. Mix until smooth and homogenous.
- Slice each of your jalapeños in half and hollow them out using a spoon. Fill each jalapeño half with a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture.
- Wrap each filled jalapeño half in a slice of bacon and place on a baking sheet. Cook your jalapeños for 25 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow your bacon wrapped jalapeños to cool for 5-10 minutes on the counter.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can also cook these in the air fryer for 20-25 minutes at 400°F.
- These poppers are best served fresh, but your leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat your poppers for 40 seconds in the microwave. You can add 30 seconds as needed until the jalapeño poppers are warm all the way through.
- You can also reheat your poppers in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F to reconstitute a little bit of crispiness.
- For some extra heat you can fold ½ cup of shredded pepper jack cheese into your cream cheese mixture.
- You can use regular or thick cut bacon in this recipe.
Allowing your jalapeño poppers to cool gives the bacon time to crisp up a little more.
