Jalapeño Poppers
22 Comments
Feb 07, 2025
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Jalapeño poppers are the ultimate party appetizer—especially for game day! This version is packed with an oozy cheesy filling dotted with crispy bacon bits and fresh chives, then baked until bubbly and golden.
Why You’ll Love These Jalapeño Poppers
While deep-fried jalapeño poppers might be popular, I think these oven-baked jalapeño poppers are even better! Skipping the breadcrumbs allows the rich, cheesy filling, and the fresh, spicy jalapeño to truly shine with every bite. Plus, the crumbled bacon bits add a crispy texture with salty, and smoky flavors that are even more satisfying. Honestly, I’d take crispy bacon over breadcrumbs any day! Here’s what else you’ll love about my recipe:
- They’re a great make-ahead appetizer. If you’re all about time-saving tips like I am, you’ll appreciate that you can prep the jalapeños and filling a day in advance. Then, just bake them fresh the next day!
- They’re super easy to make. You just have to stir, fill, and bake! I also prefer crumbled bacon in the filling rather than wrapped on the outside. I find that bacon wrapped jalapeños never get quite crispy enough.
- They’re always a crowd pleaser. While my guacamole, 7-layer dip, and nachos are non-negotiable Super Bowl foods, these jalapeño poppers are right up there with them. This finger food favorite always disappears fast, so I suggest making a double batch!
Jalapeño Poppers Ingredients
- Jalapeños: The name says it all! Grab a bunch of large jalapeño peppers that are all about the same size, wrinkle-free, and have a deep green color.
- Cheeses: A blend of cream cheese and white cheddar cheese creates the perfect cheesy filling. You can also use mozzarella or pepper jack cheese if that’s more your thing.
- Bacon: Six strips are all that’s needed for crispy bacon bits in every bite.
- Garlic and Chives: A fresh duo for an herby, garlicky touch.
How To Make Jalapeno Poppers
- Deseed the peppers. Slice the jalapeño peppers in half and scoop out the seeds and membrane. Then, place them on a baking sheet and set aside. Remember not to rub your eyes after slicing jalapeño peppers to avoid a burning sensation—I’ve done it before and it’s the worst thing ever!
- Make the cheesy filling. Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, 4 strips of crumbled bacon, chives, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Fill the peppers. Scoop a portion of the filling, and fill the jalapeño peppers. Make sure to flatten the top so that the cream cheese isn’t mounded too high for each pepper. Otherwise, some of the filling may leak out.
- Bake the peppers. Bake the jalapeño peppers for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until they’re lightly golden on top. Then, garnish the tops with the remaining 2 pieces of cooked and finely crumbled bacon, and some extra chives. Serve this immediately as they taste best when they’re warm!
Helpful Tips
- Soften the cream cheese first. Let your cream cheese thaw at room temperature plenty of time beforehand, so it’s soft enough to mix the filling.
- Don’t overfill your peppers. The first time I made these, a few peppers had more filling than others, which created a bit of a cheesy mess when they oozed out on the baking sheet.
- Prep them ahead of time. Fill and refrigerate the poppers on a baking sheet, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Then, they’re all prepped and ready for baking the next day!
More Party Appetizers
- Best Hummus: You can never go wrong with a crudite platter!
- Mediterranean Baked Feta: Another go-to cheesy appetizer.
- French Onion Dip: The caramelized onions are SO good.
- Stuffed Mini Peppers: Another fun variation, but with sweet bell peppers.
If you make this jalapeno poppers recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Easy Jalapeño Poppers
Description
Video
Equipment
- Heavy Duty Baking Sheet My favorite sheet pans for baking!
- Glass Mixing Bowls The perfect set of mixing bowls for all my recipes.
Ingredients
- 10 large jalapeños
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 strips bacon, cooked crispy
- 3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives, plus more for garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Deseed the peppers. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice the jalapeño peppers in half, and use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds and membrane. Place them on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Make the filling. To a medium mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, 4 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir together until well combined.
- Fill the peppers. Use a spoon to scoop a portion of the filling and fill the jalapeño peppers.
- Bake the peppers. Bake the jalapeño peppers for 15 to 20 minutes, until they're lightly golden on top. Garnish the tops with the remaining 2 pieces of cooked and finely crumbled bacon, and extra chives. Serve while warm.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: Place any leftover poppers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheating tip: Preheat to 375°F (190°C), place poppers on a baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until warmed through and crisp.
- Prep them ahead of time. Make and refrigerate the poppers on a baking sheet covered tightly with plastic wrap. Then, it’s easy to bake the next day!
- Pro tip: Make sure to not overfill the peppers too much, or else the cheese will overflow and ooze out. If you happen to have leftover filling, you can always save it and add it to scrambled eggs or slather it on a tortilla for a super tasty quesadilla (I did this and show it on the video above). So yum!
Nutrition
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Behind the Scenes
I might not be big into football, but I am big into jalapeño poppers! So I was more than happy to test this one a few times to get everything just right. The first time I made this recipe I had a little extra filling, so I topped up the peppers with mounded filling. Not a good move, as it then overflowed a bit on the baking sheet (though you know I scraped all that cheese up and ate it). But lesson learned for take two, as pictured above. I call that jalapeño popper perfection!
These were PERFECT for game day! With a super simple prep and pretty staple ingredients this ending up being a really great last minute addition to the super bowl spread and everyone raved about them!
Yay! Happy to hear everyone raved about them, Stefanie. Thanks for sharing! :)
GAME-CHANGER!
Oh my stars! I’ve made Jalapeño poppers for years, but the traditional bacon-wrapped-around-the jalapeño way. Doing it like this is BRILLIANT and SO much better!
Loved your new way of making these!
My jalapeños were a bit on the wimpy side so I added a couple shakes of cayenne powder to the cheese mix to amp up the heat a little.
Thank you Lisa!!
Hi Robin, thrilled to hear you loved these jalapeño poppers, more than the bacon-wrapped version! Also, love the little touch of cayenne powder, sounds delicious!
It was labor intensive to prepare the peppers. Mine had a lot of seeds and the spoon was not effective. I used a small knife and it worked. The filing was very tasty and easy to make it took longer to cook but might have been my oven. Loved the bacon and chive addition. My family loved this addition to Super Bowl appetizers. I was very pleased and will make again.
Hi Lynn – I’m happy to hear that you would make this recipe again, even though there’s a little bit of work in prepping the jalapeno peppers. I’m glad it’s worth it! :)
Another 5/5! Two words: Wickedly good! Like another post on here, I also saved half of the filling and used on sturdy cracker, Pretzel Crisp etc. Both were a hit!
Awesome! I’m happy you loved the recipe. And thanks for sharing how you served the filling up, Lynn.
I made these for the game last night and they were awesome!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed them, Ronette.
Made these for Super Bowl Sunday and they were a big hit! We made the full filling recipe and baked half of it in the jalapeños as instructed and half in a casserole dish for those who don’t like jalapeños (served with crackers). Both versions disappeared so fast!
Hi Danielle – I love that you served some of the filling up on it’s own. That’s a brilliant idea. And I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Made these for the game tonight!! I had one before we left to the party…AMAZING!!!!
Yay, happy to hear they were a hit for Super Bowl, Melinda!
So much deliciousness in every single bite! I almost ate the entire pan before I remembered they were for my guests.
Haha, that’s always something I have to be careful of as well. ;)
Just made the Jalapeño poppers! Turned out so, so good! Hubby gave it a 5/5.
Followed the recipe exactly. Love the idea of bacon pieces inside the filling, since I’m not a fan of chewy bacon. Thank you Lisa for another great recipe!👏😊
Yay, thanks so much for that glowing review, Kat! I’m happy that you and your hubby enjoyed them with the crispy bacon on the inside. :)
Looks so irresistible! What bacon do you recommend that is GF, Lisa?
I usually buy Applegate Farms. Hope you enjoy these jalapeno poppers!
What brands do you use for the cream cheese and cheddar cheese? Also, is there any way that you could make these dairy free yet still healthy?
Hi Christina – I usually just buy whatever organic cheese I can get at my local grocery store, but I’m not super particular on brands. And you could always sub in a vegan cream cheese alternative if you’d like.