Name: Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 12 jalapenos; 250 grams cream cheese (room temperature); 1 cup diced bacon (Note 1 ); 1/2 tbsp dried onion; 11 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 cup tasty cheese; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp pepper; 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

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Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers are a tasty choice! With bacon and crunchy breadcrumbs stuffed jalapenos are a crowd pleasing appetizer!

Jalapeno popper being dipped into greek yoghurt on large platter

My Coconut Prawns, spinach cob loaf and cranberry brie are delightful appetizers!

My Air Fryer Stuffed Jalapenos and Jalapeno Pinwheels give you a similar combination of ingredients with different methods.

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Recipe highlights
Ingredients
Instructions
Frequently asked questions
How to guide
Top tips
Related recipes
📖 Recipe

Recipe highlights

Freezer friendly: you can make this recipe and freeze prior to cooking to make entertaining a breeze! Cook either from frozen or defrost then cook.
Party favourite: these jalapeno poppers are great to serve to guests as not everyone will have tried them, but their flavour combination works!
Vegetable appetiser: it is easy to open a bag of chips and serve with a dip, however, with a little more effort this appetizer will be the highlight of the night
Game day snack: just like chicken wings, no party is complete without an appetizer that is the perfect match for sport and socialising

Ingredients

The photo below shows you exactly what we need for this recipe. It is a great visual guide when shopping for ingredients. The recipe card below has the quantities required.

As you can see, the recipe calls for:

jalapenos: these are beautiful green peppers that have a spicy taste! The heat comes from the seeds, so if we remove them, they are not so hot.
coriander: fresh herbs are best for this recipe! The coriander is optional, but well worth it for the depth of flavour.
cream cheese: we want room temperature cream cheese. So grab it out of the fridge as a 1st step and set on the bench to soften.
diced bacon: using store bought diced bacon is quick and easy as we don't need to chop it, only cook.
panko breadcrumbs: these are the larger more coarse breadcrumb you will find, look for them in the Asian foods part of the supermarket.
tasty cheese: we use 2 types of cheese for this recipe. You can grate your own or use store bought grated cheese.
garlic powder: this spice will be with the dried herbs at the supermarket. It adds garlic flavour in an easy, fuss free manner.
dried onion: this ingredient will also be with the herbs and spices in the shops. It saves time and tears but still delivers that typical onion flavour.
salt and pepper: we use these 2 ingredients to season the recipe. We only need a small amount of each.

Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. Some of the steps are a little bit fiddly, but the results are worth it!

Cream Cheese Jalapeno Method 1 to 4 with text over lay

Cut the jalapenos lengthways in half (Photo 1) (Using Wusthof Classic Ikon Carving Knife 20cm)
Remove the seeds a stem from the insides (Photo 2) (Wusthof Classic Ikon Paring Knife 8cm)
If needed rinse the jalapenos so they are ready to stuff! (Photo 3)
Fry bacon until cooked and use paper towel to drain (Photo 4)

Cream Cheese Bacon Jalapeno method 5 to 8 with text over lay

Start the stuffing with the cream cheese in a medium bowl (Photo 5)
Add the cooked bacon (Photo 6)
Season with salt and pepper (Photo 7)
Add dried onion (Photo 8)

We maximise flavour in our stuffing by adding the cooked bacon, dried onion, garlic powder, tasty cheese, salt, pepper and coriander!

Add the garlic powder (Photo 9)
Use kitchen scissors to chop the coriander (Photo 10) Wusthof Classic Ikon Pull Apart Scissors
Add chopped herbs and cheese mixture (Photo 11)
Use a spoon to stir (Photo 12)

Bacon Jalapeno Poppers method 13 to 16 with text over lay

Stir, stir, stir till stuffing is consistent (Photo 13)
Stuff the jalapenos with the cream cheese mix (Photo 14)
Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over cream cheese filling (Photo 15)
Bake for 15 - 20 mins in the oven (Photo 12)

The before and after photos below are to show you what your poppers will look like along the way.

Jalapeno poppers on a baking tray before and after oven baking

Frequently asked questions

What are jalapenos?

Jalapenos are a green chilli vegetable that are a little bit spicy.

Commonly used with nachoes and other Mexican recipes, they add a kick of flavour, as well as variety in taste and texture.

Usually about thumb length they are a carrot type shape and have a little stem at the top.

Once cut in half, they can be stuffed with your favourite fillings to make jalapeno poppers which are insanely popular!

How do you make stuffed jalapenos less spicy?

To make jalapenos less spicy we need to remove the seeds and filling.

I have worked with my friends over at Everten Love to Cook as they have a handy knife set which provides all the tools for a recipe like this!

This Wusthof Classic Ikon 8pc Knife Block Set is the very thing you need in your kitchen and I am going to show you how to use 3 pieces from this set to make our jalapeno poppers!

Can you cooked Stuffed Jalapenos in the Air Fryer?

Yes, you can cook jalapenos in the oven or Air Fryer.

Please refer to my Air Fryer Stuffed Jalapenos recipe for the best way to air fry the recipe.

How to guide

How to store the recipe

Once the poppers are cooked, store in a sealed air tight container for up to 2 days.

Can I freeze the peppers

Yes! This is a freezer friendly recipe you can make in advance.

Simply follow the steps to make and stuff the jalapeno poppers.

Then place in layers in an air tight sealed container into the freezer for up to 2 months

How to reheat the recipe

The best ways to reheat the recipe is to place them in a flat layer in the air fryer and cook until heated through.

I recommend reheating straight from frozen, so that the peppers don't get soggy as they defrost.

Top tips

These tips will help you to get the best out of the cooking process:

You can use gloves if you are concerned about the hot chilli seeds
Use the knife to cut the inner stem crossways and a teaspoon to scoop the seeds out
Ensure you are using room temperature cream cheese so it is ready for stirring!
You won't need to use oil when cooking the bacon as it will render in its own fat
The jalapenos will likely be cheaper to purchase in bulk from the fruit store, than from the regular supermarket.
make and freeze this recipe for easy entertaining!

If entertaining is your favourite thing to do, you might like to try one of the following:

Chicken Liver Pate
Coconut Prawns (with 2 different dipping sauces)
Grazing Platter (to feed a crowd)
Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella Sticks
Mini Quiches (12 different ways)
Baked Brie with garlic
Baked Camembert with Cranberry Sauce

Or check out my entire appetiser recipes collection!

Cream Cheese Jalapenos on a white plate with bowl of Greek Yoghurt

I almost feel the need to warn you these cream cheese stuffed jalapenos are SERIOUSLY amazing!

Don't say I didn't give you the heads up when you gobble down one, then another, then another.

Luckily the recipe makes a good few so you will stop the jalapeno obliteration at some point, but give your friends a shout and they can take care of the rest.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos with Greek Yoghurt

Serve your poppers with Greek Yogurt or my Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

Let me know if you have any questions, I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below.

Adrianne xx

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