Jalapeno Poppers with Bacon
Jalapeno Poppers are the ultimate appetizer. You’ll love these halved jalapenos stuffed with a rich cream cheese and bacon mixture.
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Just like our Guacamole and Spinach Artichoke Dip, these bacon stuffed jalapeno poppers are such a hit at parties and they always disappear fast.
These are great paired with a dip like our popular Avocado Ranch or Jalapeno Ranch.
How to Make Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapeno Poppers use simple ingredients and are so EASY to make. It’s similar to our Cheeseball filling but stuffed into jalapeños.
- Bacon: Cook the bacon using your favorite method. We just cut it into small pieces and cook on the stovetop until crispy. Once cooled, chop bacon into small pieces.
- Jalapenos: Purchase fresh jalapenos. Cut in half and scrape out the seeds.
- Make Filling: In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the filling.
- Fill Jalapenos: Fill the halved jalapenos with the cream cheese filling, distributing the mixture evenly between the pepper halves.
- Bake: Bake the jalapenos until the cheese is melted and is golden.
How to Cut Jalapeños
Jalapeno Peppers are spicy! We highly recommend you wear kitchen gloves to clean the peppers to protect your skin from being burned.
- Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise.
- Remove the seeds and membranes. TIP: You can leave in some of the membranes for extra spiciness.
Pro Tip: If you love more heat in your jalapenos, you can leave in some of the membranes for extra spiciness.
Make-Ahead
You can assemble the jalapeno poppers up to 3 days in advance and keep them refrigerated in an airtight container. Bake or air fry per the instructions before serving.
Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
We love the air fryer for making quick and easy appetizers like our popular Air Fried Chicken Wings. You can make Jalapeno poppers in the Air Fryer in a single layer at 325˚F for 10-12 minutes.
Storing Leftovers
Once cooled, refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container. To reheat, cover the dish with foil and cook until reheated through.
The jalapeno bites are not overly spicy and the perfect appetizer or side dish for potlucks and parties.
Other Popular Appetizers:
- Charcuterie Board – this appetizer can be your entire menu
- Cowboy Caviar – you’ll be so happy it makes a big batch
- Pico De Gallo – learn the secret to authentic pico
- Baked Wings – so much better than fried
- Jalapeno Popper Dip – perfect for game night
Did you make this Jalapeno Popper recipe? Please share your rating and review in a comment below.
Jalapeno Poppers
The BEST recipe for Jalapeno Poppers. Sliced jalapenos loaded with a cheesy cream cheese and bacon mixture.
Ingredients
- 12 jalapenos
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp green onion, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 8 oz bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos.
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In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, green onion, shredded cheese, and cooked bacon for the filling.
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Fill the jalapeno halves with the mixture. Placed stuffed jalapenos on a baking sheet and bake at 400˚F for 18-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts golden in color. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the poppers and serve.
Valentina Ablaev
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Can I prep this a day ahead and store in freezer or fridge and then bake it the next day?
Hi Lola! I think that could work. These also reheat very well. Once cooled, refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container. To reheat, cover the dish with foil and cook until reheated through.
Are the peppers firm after baking? It seems like they would be mushy.
Hi Debi, following this recipe they should not be mushy. We found this still had a nice bite to them.
These are so yummy but I missed the part about wearing gloves and now my fingers are on fire and I can’t get them to stop burning. I have never cooked with jalapeno peppers so I didn’t know I was supposed to wear the gloves.
Hi Ashley! I’m sorry, yes gloves will help that!
We made these for a dinner party last night, filled some mini colored peppers as well and they were a HUGE hit. It was so nice to be able to prepare them the day before and pop them in the oven just before the company arrived. Thanks for an awesome recipe, it is a definite keeper.
Hi Gaye, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad they were a hit. Thank you for sharing your experience.
These are perfect. I was craving something cheesy and had all the ingredients and this 100% hit in all the right spots. 12 minutes I’m the air fryer.
Sounds awesome, Marie! Thanks for your good comments and feedback. I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe!
I do my wings similar to your recipe. I add mushrooms and horseradish. Makes a big difference. Thanks
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tim!
Also, I use Hidden Valley Ranch with habanero peppers just before serving. I do them in my air fryer. They are delicious.
Hi Natasha
Could I use large red & green peppers in stead of jalapeños?
Unable to get large ones in UK. Or maybe baked potato skins using the potato mixed with the ingredients in your recipe?
Hi Caroline, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. But I think it will work well too. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Made these for New Years Eve. They were delicious. I like that bacon is in the recipe and not wrapping the pepper.
We love it this way too! Thank you so much for sharing that great review with us!
This was delicious and very easy to pull together. Putting the chopped bacon into the mixture makes much more sense than wrapping it around the jalapenos where it doesn’t get crisp cooked.
Great to hear that you loved this recipe, Teresa. Thank you for the review!
Love your cooking recipes ,and how simple you make everything look ❣️
I’m glad you’re enjoying them. Thank you for the review!
Made these twice in one week, they are so delicious ! 2 of the guys in our group don’t like spicy food, I encouraged them to try and they ended up surprised that they were so mild and tasty. They ate half the plate ! Just be sure all the seeds and the white membrane are totally removed ! Amazing Appetizer.
I’m so glad these were a hit, Patti!
I really want to try to make these, but I can’t have bacon for several reasons. Can I substitute the bacon with something else?
Hi there, you can omit it from the recipe or use other meat that you prefer.
You can totally experiment with other meats, or just leave out the bacon. I hope you enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. 😊
Hi Natasha,
Made 2 dozen for happy hour last night. They were gone wll before the hour was up. Delicious appetizer!!! My wife calls you my girlfriend cuz I prepare so many of your recipes!!!
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing that with us, Pat. GLad it was a huge hit!
I have to wear a wet scarf over my face when I handle jalapenos. If I don’t, the tiny airborne particles get in my throat and I don’t stop coughing for hours. Weird huh?
These were very good!! BUT make sure to be careful when touching your face, my brother and I were crying our eyes out for 45 mins and could not get any relief from rinsing with water and even cool milk!
Hey Raleigh! Absolutely! I always handle these with gloves to be safe! I’m so glad you loved this recipe!
Where can I find your recipe for the best baked mac and cheese. Had alot of cheese and you layer the sauce
Hi Donna, I have a Creamy Mac and Cheese Recipe. I hope you love it!
Love the recipe, but, how can I handle the jalapeños? They are just way too spicy, almost not able to eat them. I´m a huge fan… greetings from Costa Rica!
Hi Priscilla, make sure you are wearing gloves and make sure to scrape out the membrane and seeds. I’m glad to hear you like jalapenos!
These are the best jalapeño poppers I’ve ever had!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Sophia!
We made these on a charcoal grill, sprayed a vegetable bbq cooking pan w/ olive oil spray. Cover to reach as close to 400 degrees as you can get, turn pan (or in our case do-si-do 2 pans) after grill reaches 375-400 for a few minutes… When the cheese tops start to brown (1 rotation – maybe 20min total for us), you’re done. Ours slid right off the stainless grilling pan onto a serving dish. The ones that turned over didn’t stick (ie sufficiently but lightly browned). Tongs come in handy. One lesson we learned is to not overload the poppers with cheese – about even with the popper side is sufficient / better.
The mods we made to this recipe:
– no Parmesan;
– 1/2 mild cheddar, and 1/2 made up of (about 3/4 sharp white cheddar, 1/4 blue cheese)
– 2 cloves of garlic
– himalayan salt and pepper straight from grinders (probably about 2-3 x more pepper than called for)
Left over filling can be used on crackers.
That’s it.
Maybe the best poppers I’ve ever had – enjoy!
Very nice feedback, thanks for sharing that with us! I’m glad the modifications that you made worked out well too.
Can these be frozen? If so should they be cooked first or not. Thanks!
Hi Laurie, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
These are amazing and an awesome quick dish! We don’t eat pork so I omitted the bacon. I also left some of the membrane and seeds of the peppers to give it a little kick and it was perfect! One more confession…I prepped these 7 days, SEVEN, one week in advance haha and they were still PERFECT!! Cheese can last forever anyway so there was nothing wrong with them hanging out in the fridge until I needed them 🙂 For those who like to prepare in advance, I thought that would be useful information 🙂 Thanks for the awesome recipe!! Totally a keeper.
You’re welcome, Jaymie! I’m so so happy to hear that!
Thank you so much for letting us know that they can be made ahead of time and keep well in the fridge!
I am by myself and now I know that I can make these and have some each day!
I am so excited! 🙂
These were phenomenal!! I didn’t have cheddar cheese so I used cream cheese, 1 cup parmesan and 1 cup triple blend cheese and I also only scraped a little of the insides of the jalapeños. They turned out amazing and we couldn’t stop eating them!! So yummy thank you for the recipe!
Yay, that is fantastic and great to hear that it was a sucess! Thanks for your good review, Courtney.
These were excellent. The only thing I did different was omit the salt because my bacon had enough of it and I added a couple more pieces of bacon. Will definitely make again. My first food review. Love your videos.
Will try more of your recipes.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review here, Becky. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I going to try these as a main dish by adding shredded leftover chicken!!!
Yum! That sounds delicious! I’d love to know how you like that!
Just made these as an appetizer and they were fantastic!! Everyone loved them! All agreed they were the best we have ever had. Thanks for sharing!!
Aren’t they the best! I’m so happy you also enjoyed them, Dave!
We cannot eat spicy foods but love the taste of jalapeño. Is there a way to do these? Sound and look so delicious.
Hi Laurie, naturally they will be spicy, but the filling and bacon help that. Make sure to follow all the steps in properly cleaning out the jalapeno 🙂
Hi Natasha can I substitute jalapeño peppers for regular mini peppers?
Hi Irina, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. But I think it will work well too. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Spray foil with olive oil spray, put peppers on foil and grill on low until cheese is nice and creamy and peppers soft. Leave some seeds in the pepper if you like them hot.
Thank you for sharing your method for grilled jalapeno poppers.
Can you prepare & freeze these & bake them at a later date?
Hi Shazia, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Was wondering if they can. Be pan fried instead? I don’t have a oven 😭
Hi Suzanne, I haven’t tested it to say for sure, but it may work covered on a skillet. You might google some instructions for that. Also, we have air fryer instructions above if you have an air fryer.
I make mine like this but add a medium piece of pre cooked fajita chicken meat in the bottom. One that fits the pepper without being to large, I sometimes have to cut it to fit good. Then put the cheese mixture on top and around the meat.
That sounds great! thank you for sharing!
Hi, I don’t have green onions but would really like to make these tonight. Would you replace with another onion or ingredient or just make them without?
Hi Randi, it would work with chives or even leaving out the onion would be ok.
Hello Natasha, I wonder if I can make these in an air fryer? And if so, would it be the same amount of time?
Hi Inna that is a great question. I haven’t tested that in an air fryer to advise. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like that.
These were amazing, so quick and eat and I air fried them for 9-10 minutes! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Stacey!
I make mine in my air fryer. 375 for around 8 to 10 minutes depending on how many you are making.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Tim!
These are dangerously addictive! Very quick, easy, and keto friendly. What else can you ask for!? Your recipes never fail. Thank you.
Aww! Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Olga. I’m glad you’re enjoying our recipes.
Love these! Jalapeno poppers are a Super Bowl tradition at our house, and I like that these are less mess and use less bacon than the typical bacon-wrapped poppers. Thanks!
Hello Brooke, awesome! I’m glad you loved it.
These were delicious! I could have eaten the whole batch by myself!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I have been doing this recipe for years but I add grated cheese to the cream cheese mix and then I add dill weed in as well. The rest of the recipe is the same. Everyone loves them! 😁👍
Aren’t they so good! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tim!
These jalapeño poppers are the best! Made them for a party and they didn’t last 5 minutes, now make them at home for a weekend snack for the family!
That is awesome, Liz! I’m happy to hear that, thank you for your good feedback!
They are great done on a gas grill
Yes! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Absolutely scrumptious! My husband loves finger foods and we’ve been enjoying your pizza dough recipe with lots of different toppings. After we saw the Jalapeno Poppers, I knew I had to give them a try! They were a big hit. Not too spicy but so full of flavor. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe.
Fantastic review! Thank you for sharing that with us, Valerie.
Hi wondering if you have or thought of creating a cookbook, be a go to for many 💙 Your recipes tried and true!Thank You ❤️🇨🇦
Hello Faye, I am currently working on a cookbook. I’ll definitely share it with everyone when it’s done!
i want one of your cook books cant wait anna i made your butter crust apple pie it was delicious all your recipes are easy and true and so good, im 74 and the first pie i ever made, i have made alot of your recipes because i know they will turn out and be good thanks so much
I am already working on a cookbook, thanks for patiently waiting! I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try.
SO TRUE WISH YOU WOULD CREATE A COOK BOOK ALSO, NATASHA, I LOVE ALL OF YOUR RECIPES AND HAVE MADE ALOT ALWAYS SO PERFECT, NEVER FAIL AND LOVE THE WAY YOU EXPLAIN INSTRUCTIONS SO GOOD, PIE DOUGH, APPLE,ECT. FIRST TIME I EVER MADE DOUGH OR A PIE AND I’M 74 LOL, TRYING THE POPPERS RIGHT NOW, LOVE, LOVE YOUR RECIPES AND LOVE WATCHING YOU MAKE EVERYTHING,YOU ARE SO CUTE AND FUNNY AND ENTERTAINING, THANKS I’M JUDY FROM OHIO
I’m working on it, Judy. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
By the directions you’ve got it listed twice to bake these?
Hi Nancy, thank you so much for pointing that out. I have updated it.
Made these tonight and they turned out so delicious! Followed the recipe except I had the smoker going with a chunk of mesquite in it so threw them in. Wow great flavor will make again. Wanting to try the chicken lasagna next.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Made these poppers for the football weekend, fantastic. Bacon into the mixture great idea, no more wrapping. John
That’s nice to know. I’m glad you liked it, thanks for sharing!
Made these for football day and what a hit!!! YUM!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can you do a red velvet cupcake or cake
Hi Hana, I have that on my to-do list. Thank you for the request.
Did you see that she has a red velvet cake? I saw a video for it.
Hi natasha can you try turkish simit and I hope my suggestion and do it in a video
I will have to look that up. Thank you for the suggestion.
HI NATASHA, COULD YOU MAKE A ROAST THAT IS A BEEF ROAST WITH A PORK ROAST ON TOP, SOMEONE TOLD ME THERE GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS MADE THIS AND IT IS CALLED LION ROAST, AND SO FLAVORFUL AND MAKES THE GRAVY SO GOOD, SOUNDS GOOD, HOPE YOU MAKE IT SOME TIME ON A VIDEO, THANK YOU JUDY FROM OHIO
Thanks for your suggestion, Judy. I’ll take note of that. In the meantime, you may check out my Roasted Beef Tenderloin recipe.
I wonder if it’s really spicy?
Hi Oksana, it really depends on the jalapenos. Some are spicy and sometimes they are very mild. Most of the ones at the grocery store are fairly mild-moderate spiciness. Also, baking removes some of the spiciness and if you want less spice, be sure to remove and scrape out the seeds and the white stuff inside the jalapenos.
I use an apple corer to clean the pepper cores
That is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Ive been making these for years! I include some cumin, chili powder, some homemade spicy chili powder. For ease, i use bacon pieces (for salads) and also mix in shredded cheese into the mixture. After I fill the peppers I sprinkle any leftover bacon and shred cheese on top.
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Rose!
I normally wrap them in bacon. If I do it this way not so much bacon and looks so much easier. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! I hope you love this recipe!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Looks yummy and nutritious!
Thank you Teresa! I hope you love this jalapeno appetizer.
Natasha you are the best cook I know I have never been disappointed in any recipe I’ve tried I love to watch you and you are very intertaining also so cute, I made your butter pie crust and the first time I ever made a pie crust and I’m 74 years old, and loved it, thank you so much for sharing your recipes, I have learned so much from you!!!!! don’t stop ever your friend anna…..
Awww thank you for that wonderful feedback. Thank you so much Anna!
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this one with my family.
Hi Katie, please try! I hope this becomes your new favorite at home.
Super delicious! Perfect appetizer for game day! The guys are going to LOVE these for the Super Bowl!
Hi Betsy, that sounds fun! I hope these will become a hit and your new favorite at home!
We have made this for decades with bacon and wrapped around them but after seeing your recipe this looks much more tastier have all the ingredients going to make them Today 🙂 we made so many of your recipes the truth is we like 99% of them Thank you so much ❤️
Thank you for that wonderful feedback! I hope you give this a try soon! It is so so good!
Gave these a try with dinner and they did not disappoint! Loved all the flavor with a kick! Easily, a new favorite!
Thank you so much for your great review, Sara! I’m glad you loved this recipe.
Looks delicious! I’ve tried these before except that I didn’t put bacon. I bet they’d taste amazing with it!
Also, an of topic question, are there gonna be bloopers this year?
Thank you Anna! I hope you try these jalapeno poppers with the bacon in them also. We are working on a bloopers video and hopefully will have one posted next week. I’m glad you enjoy those.