Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos Recipe

A perfect party appetizer and super popular on game day, this classic recipe is an all-time party snack favorite. 

Simple ingredients often make the best recipes, and these stuffed jalapenos are no exception. If you are scared of them bringing too much heat, don’t be. The cheddar cheese keeps this recipe downplayed, and removing the spicy jalapeno seeds keeps this recipe relatively tame.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Jalapeno peppers – halved and deseeded
• Cream cheese
• Cheddar cheese (alternative choices: Pepper Jack, Colby Jack)
• Bacon strips – Cut in half down lengthwise, this keeps the bacon piece smaller and easier to crisp up.
• Optional: Cajun or Cayenne seasoning

How to make Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Oven Method

Preparation: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.

Prepare the jalapenos. Cut each jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the seeds and discard them. Consider wearing disposable gloves if jalapenos typically irritate your skin. Set the prepped jalapeno halves aside.

Cheese Mixture: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and cheddar cheese until well-mixed. If you’re adding seasoning, we suggest 1 tsp of either: Garlic powder, Black pepper, Cajun, or Cayenne directly into the cream cheese mixture.

Stuffing the Jalapenos: Use a tablespoon to fill each jalapeno half with the cream cheese filling. Be careful not to overfill. Press the filling into each jalapeno shell.

It’s often easiest to use your clean fingers to ensure the filling is smoothly distributed within the jalapeno halves.

Wrapping with Bacon: Cut the uncooked bacon strips in half. Wrap each jalapeno half with a half-slice of bacon. Make sure to tuck the ends of the bacon securely around or underneath the jalapeno to prevent it from unraveling during cooking.

Place the bacon-wrapped jalapenos on the prepared baking sheet.

Baking: Bake in the preheated oven for 15–18 minutes or until the bacon is fully cooked.

Depending on your oven and desired level of bacon texture, you might need to extend the baking time to 23 minutes to ensure the bacon is crispy.

Grill, Smoked, Air Fry

For all methods, remember to adjust cooking times based on your specific equipment and desired level of doneness.

It is impossible to account for every brand, size, and heat level of all kitchen appliances, so the first time you make this recipe, please see if you need timing changes.

Grilling Instructions:

Tip: You can microwave the bacon for 2-3 minutes to render some of the fat off. 

• Preparation: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, around 350°F to 400°F. Follow the original recipe for preparing the jalapeños, stuffing them with the cream cheese and cheddar cheese mixture and wrapping them with the half slice of bacon. Secure the piece of bacon with toothpicks, if necessary.
• Grilling: Place the stuffed jalapeños directly on the grill grates over indirect heat. Cover the grill. Grill for about 15–20 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the peppers are tender. If you want charred edges, move them over direct heat for the last few minutes. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning.
• Serving: Allow the poppers to cool slightly before serving, as the cheese filling will be hot. Remove any toothpicks if used.

Smoking Instructions:

• Preparation: Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to a low temperature, around 225°F to 250°F. Prepare the jalapeños as described in the original recipe.
• Smoking: Place the stuffed jalapeños in the smoker on the grates, ensuring they’re not touching each other. Smoke the poppers for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the bacon is fully cooked and has reached your desired level of crispiness.
• Serving: Let the jalapeño poppers rest for a few minutes after removing them from the smoker to allow the cheese to set slightly. Serve warm. 

Air Frying Instructions:

• We have tested our air-fried poppers on the Ninja Foodi all-in-one. You can see the entire recipe here: Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers. 

Are stuffed jalapenos spicy?

Here’s the good news: when you scoop out those seeds, you’re also ditching the intense heat.

What’s left is a milder jalapeno, perfect for stuffing with a creamy, cheesy filling and wrapping in crispy bacon. Trust me, these little bites of heaven will vanish before your eyes!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Popper Tips 

• If you use too much filling mixture in the jalapeno and overfill, you will not have enough to finish. Remember that when the cream cheese melts, it will ooze out of the shell, so I do not recommend overfilling.
• Add two tablespoons of grated Parmesan Cheese to the mixture.
• As noted before, gloves help prevent jalapeno juice or peppers from accidentally getting into sensitive eyes or nostrils.

What to Serve with Jalapeno Poppers.

Serve with finger foods like pizza rolls, deviled eggs, mini pigs in a blanket, Caprese sliders, or a pile of ranch pickles.