Bacon makes everything better, including cream cheese stuffed Jalapeno Poppers. Simple appetizer recipes like these are sure to make you the winner on game day no matter who you’re rooting for in the Super Bowl.
Not your Mommas Jalapeno Poppers
Everywhere you look there are recipes for bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. Pinterest and Google certainly have no shortage of them – but they’re all the same. With the Super Bowl coming up and grill season just around the corner, I decided to take it up a notch in the creation of the ultimate bacon infused jalapeno poppers.
These little guys are deliciously spicy and pack a mouth full of flavor in every bite with the use of homegrown bacon and fresh lime juice. In this recipe, I even made a version with panko bread crumbs as a topping and a gluten-free version overflowing with spicy cheese.
Jalapeno Popper Ingredients and Substitutions
- Jalapenos or your hot pepper of choice
- Cream Cheese
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan Cheese
- Bacon or make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon altogether
- Panko Bread Crumbs or Parmesan Cheese for topping
- Smoked Paprika, Regular Paprika, Chili Powder, Black Pepper or Hot Sauce
- Lemon or Lime Juice
Making Jalapeno Poppers is super easy in general. This recipe calls for a few more ingredients than the standard one but is still easy to assemble. The most challenging part of the process is cutting and deseeding the peppers without getting the oil everywhere – especially if you have little ones running around. But the filling for poppers can be combined all at once in a bowl and simply mixed together.
How do you cut a Jalapeno Pepper for Poppers?
I have gotten Jalapeno juice in my eyes before and it was horrible. So I don’t take making jalapeno poppers lightly. So if my instructions seem a bit over the top – it’s for good reason! I’m not about to get oil all over my babies. No thanks. Here are some tips and tricks for preparing jalapenos with minimal spread of the oil.
- I highly suggest you designate a spot away from everyone and lay down a couple newspapers, paper towels, or some other disposable product that will cover the area.
- Gather your needed utensils and products including a plastic cutting board that can be thoroughly washed and bleached after use, a sharp paring knife, a spoon, a baking sheet, a pair of gloves, an apron, a bowl of water, and a trash bowl.
- After laying your newspaper down, put your cutting board in the middle, adorn your apron and gloves, and set your bowls up.
- Using a paring knife, cut the jalapeno in half by cutting just before the top stem. Slice down at a slight angle to correct from the off-center mark. You could also cut the head portion right off but this gives a slightly more interesting look to the poppers when they’re displayed.
- Using a spoon, pull from the top down, scooping out the inner seeds and membranes. This is where the heat is. The fewer seeds and membranes, the milder the pepper will be. If you like it hot, leave some in.
- Place the seeds and membranes in the trash bowl and rinse your empty peppers in the water bowl. Then set open face on a baking sheet. Repeat this process for all of your jalapenos.
- Once completed, wash everything you can with Dawn dish soap (known for capturing oil in its magnificent bubbles), clean with bleach spray, and throw away what you can. If you are not going to start the laundry right away, I recommend putting your apron in a plastic bag until you’re ready to do laundry so it doesn’t contaminate anything else.
Can you prepare Poppers ahead of time?
You guys should know by now that I am head over heels for any recipe you can batch make or make ahead of time. If you’re preparing for a huge get-together, this is a great recipe to make ahead of time and freeze. You can freeze the peppers cut like shown above or you can even fill them and freeze them. Simply fill them and put them in ziploc bags then freeze. They can go right from the freezer to the oven when you’re ready to bake them. When using the freezer to oven method I suggest using a piece of parchment paper in between the pan and the poppers.
Looking for some more party appetizer ideas? Check these out!
Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Avocado Texas Caviar
Roasted Garlic Boneless Buffalo Wings
BBQ Bacon Totchos
Chicken Roll Ups
20-Minute Pepper Jelly Glazed Meatballs
Bourbon BBQ Little Smokies
Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Mini Pigs in a Blanket
Healthy Layered Taco Dip
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Rate these Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
I can’t wait to hear how these tips and tricks for making jalapeno poppers made your game day appetizer prep such a breeze. I would love if after you try this recipe because I know you will, go ahead and rate the recipe with 5 stars! Leave me any comments or questions below and I’ll be happy to answer them. Then head over to Instagram and tag me in your stories @theKatieMChase and show me how you’ve made the recipe.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapenos
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 6 bacon strips cut into bits
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook bacon strips until crispy. Cut into bits and set aside.
- Half and de-seed the jalapenos.
- Mix the remaining ingredients including the bacon in a bowl. Using a butter knife and spoon, spread the mixture into the cleaned jalapenos.
- Place the filled jalapenos cheese side up on a baking sheet.
- Optional: add the panko bread crumbs atop the cheese mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Enjoy with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce.
These are one of my favorite appetizers!
Holy yum! Jalapeno poppers are my jam. These look ah-mazing. Thanks for the recipe!
These were so good! Used cheddar jack, skipped the breadcrumbs. You are right about jalepenos, those seeds are dangerous!
It never fails that those seeds somehow make their way into a few of them. My husband is all about the spice while I would like a calmer jalapeno. Cheddar jack sounds like a super yummy change!