If you love spicy and you love cheesy, you’ll definitely love Jalapeño Poppers! This cute little appetizer recipe has New Year’s Eve written all over it, and it’s perfectly easy and delicious for football games as well. …Or, if you’re just as obsessed with them as I am, they’re also great for a regular Monday afternoon.
What Are Jalapeño Poppers?
Jalapeño poppers are a staple in American pop food culture and are often served at sports bars or other fast-casual restaurants. They can take several forms, sometimes breaded and deep fried, sometimes baked, and sometimes wrapped in bacon, but they always consist of fresh jalapeño peppers stuffed with a flavorful mix of cheese for that spicy-cheesy-creamy flavor combo.
For this jalapeño popper recipe, we went the easy and budget-friendly route (obvi) and opted for baked poppers with just enough bacon added in to give great flavor without making them over-the-top expensive. These jalapeño poppers are easy enough for even a beginner to make, and tasty enough that you’ll be thankful you didn’t drop a ton of cash on ordering out!
Are Jalapeño Poppers Spicy?
Yes, jalapeño poppers are pretty spicy! Despite removing the seeds and ribs (the spiciest part of the jalapeño), some of the spicy oils remain in the jalapeño, giving these poppers just the right amount of spicy heat to balance the creamy cheeses. If you’re not a spicy foods fan you’ll probably want to skip this one!
What to Serve with Jalapeño Poppers
I love these little poppers on their own, but if you want a dipping sauce I would definitely recommend ranch dressing. I’m not usually a ranch person, but the flavor combination between the spicy jalapeño poppers and cooling ranch dressing is hard to beat! I’d also serve them with another starchy appetizer, maybe something like our Steak Fries or Loaded Smashed Potatoes.
Recipe by Cook Good Recipes
The perfect easy appetizer for New Year’s Eve, tailgating parties, or the big game, this Jalapeño Popper recipe is a spicy, cheesy home run!
Servings: 6 (2 poppers each)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- ($0.50)
- ($1.50)
- ($1.10)
- ($0.62)
- ($0.10)
- ($0.10)
- ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is brown and crispy. Remove it from the pan and let it cool on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and white ribs, being careful not to tear or puncture the peppers.
- Once the bacon is cool, crumble it into tiny pieces and reserve about 1 tablespoon to use as a topping. Add the bacon to a bowl with the cream cheese, shredded cheddar (reserve a small amount for topping as well), sliced green onion, Everything bagel seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix the ingredients together until they’re evenly combined.
- Divide the cheese filling between the 12 pepper halves and then spread it out to fill and smooth out the top.
- Place the filled peppers on a large parchment-lined baking sheet then sprinkle the reserved crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese over the top.
- Bake the peppers for 15 minutes or just until the cheese is melted and slightly bubbly. Avoid over-baking the peppers or else they’ll become too soft to pick up and enjoy. Allow the poppers to cool just enough to handle, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Look for jalapeños that are about 3 inches long.
Nutrition
Serving: 2poppers Calories: 149kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 5g Fat: 14g Sodium: 228mg Fiber: 0.5g
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How to Make Jalapeño Poppers – Step by Step Photos
Cook about 2 oz. of bacon (about 2 slices) in a skillet over medium heat until it is brown and crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and let it drain on a paper towel-lined plate as you prepare the rest of the dish.
Slice six jalapeño peppers in half length-wise, then scrape out the seeds and white ribs with a spoon, taking care not to tear the outside of the pepper. To prevent the transfer of spicy oils from your hands to your eyes, mouth, or nose, either use gloves while preparing the peppers or see our tips above for removing jalapeño oil from your hands.
Once the bacon is cool enough to touch, crumble it into tiny pieces. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the bacon to use as a topping, then add the rest to a bowl with 4 oz. of room-temperature cream cheese, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (reserve about 2 Tbsp for topping), 1 sliced green onion, 1 teaspoon Everything Bagel Seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Mix these ingredients together until evenly combined.
Divide the cheese mixture evenly between the 12 jalapeño halves, then spread it out to fill the peppers, smoothing out the top.
Place the filled jalapeños on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, then sprinkle the reserved bacon bits and shredded cheddar over top.
Bake the jalapeño poppers in the preheated 425ºF oven for 15 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted and bubbly on top. Avoid overcooking the poppers or else the peppers will get too soft to pick up and eat. Allow the peppers to cool just enough to handle, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe by Cook Good Recipes
