Grilled bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are the perfect snack or game day appetizer.
Fresh jalapenos are stuffed with a mixture of cheeses and seasoning and wrapped in smoky bacon and cooked on the barbecue until tender.
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Holly’s Hot Pepper Poppers
- Flavor: These bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers have a smoky, salty flavor with creamy, cheesy filling and a mild kick of heat.
- Prep Note: When cutting several jalapenos, please, please, wear gloves. The oils in the peppers can affect (and burn) your skin if you’re cutting several peppers.
- Recommended Tools: Plastic kitchen gloves are recommended for wearing while cutting the poppers. Cook them directly on the grill, using a grill mat. This helps reduce flare-ups.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve these bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers as a crowd-pleasing appetizer alongside ranch or blue cheese dip.
Ingredients
- Peppers: To reduce the heat from jalapenos (and other spicy peppers), be sure to remove all of the seeds and membranes. You can use any peppers in this recipe, including sweet baby red & yellow peppers.
- Filling: The creamy filling combines tangy cream cheese, sharp cheddar, fresh green onion, and a hint of garlic. Make sure the cream cheese is softened so the filling mixes smoothly and spreads easily into the jalapeños.
How to Prepare Bacon Jalapeno Poppers
- Prep Peppers: Cut jalapenos and remove the seeds/membranes.
- Mix filling: Combine cream cheese, cheddar, and seasonings.
- Fill Peppers: Spoon the mixture in and wrap in bacon (full recipe below).
How to Cook Bacon Wrapped Poppers
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers: I slightly pre-cook the bacon; this also helps reduce flare-ups, and it always results in crisper bacon without overcooking the peppers. To grill cream cheese poppers from frozen, we turn the grill down and cook them low and slow to ensure the middle heats & melts.
Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Poppers: In the winter, we bake this stuffed jalapeno popper recipe in the oven. Preheat to 425 degrees, place on a parchment-lined pan, and bake about 18-23 minutes or until bacon is crisp and cheese is melted. Broil 1 minute at the end if needed. So easy!
To Make Ahead and Freeze
Jalapeno poppers are the perfect snack to have on hand for unexpected guests. I often make a couple of large trays and freeze them (before cooking). Once frozen, I move them to a sealed container (or freezer bag) and store them for a few months.
When guests pop by, pour a pitcher of mojitos, heat the grill, and throw these on right from frozen.
More Amazing Appetizers
Did you enjoy these Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 jalapeños
- 6 ounces cream cheese the block, not the spreadable
- 1 green onion finely minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 12 slices bacon
Instructions
- Cut the stem off each jalapeno and cut in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scrape out seeds & membranes.
- In a small bowl combine cream cheese, green onion, garlic powder and cheddar cheese. Stuff into the jalapeno halves.
- Wrap each jalapeno completely with bacon ensuring the cheese is covered. Secure with toothpicks.
To Grill
- Place jalapenos on grill cut side down and grill just until bacon begins to crisp (about 6 minutes). Gently loosen bacon from the grill and flip jalapenos over. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook an additional 10-12 minutes or until bacon is cooked and cheese is melted.
To Bake
- Preheat to 425°F, place on a parchment lined pan and bake about 18-23 minutes or until bacon is crisp and cheese is melted.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
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What is the serving size of the poppers ?
This makes 12 poppers Mary. Enjoy!
A tip for less spicy jalapeño poppers is to soak the jalapeños after you cut and seed them for about 30 minutes. Takes essentially all of the heat out and them, but still have marvelous flavor!
Great tip!
My cream cheese always melts out before the bacon is crisp….am I doing something wrong?
Christine, are you using regular cream cheese? Spreadable or low fat may melt out more quickly. One suggestion may be to precook your bacon a little so it will crisp up more quickly. Hope that helps!
What about freezing the cream cheese like maybe put small scoops of the cheese mixture on a cookie sheet then just drop a scoop in the pepper and proceed
Fantastic! Cleaned out the seeds, and the ribs, and they were mild enough for the kids, too!
Have you ever tried some off the pre-cooked bacon (like from Sam’s club)? Thanks
I have not, but you’re welcome to try other types of bacon. :)
Just did tonight and it worked GREAT!
These look Delicious
Have you tried them? :)
I like to use Turkey bacon also :). I put on 450 degrees or high heat on grill o crisp bacon quickly. We enjoy a little crisp to the jalapeno. SO yummy :)
Thank you! I wondered if turkey bacon could be used
I was just wondering if I could use the pre cooked bacon? If so how would I make it on the grill without burning the bacon. Thank you
I have only prepared this recipe as written, if you decide to try it with the pre cooked bacon let me know how it turns out.
What temp should the grill be on? I don’t want to burn them! Also, do I place them directly on the rack or on a grill pan? Thanks!
I do these directly on the grill. I frist crisp the top and then continue to cook over a low or medium low heat (depending on your grill). You want to make sure they have time to cook without burning.
These are f*ing amazing! I use a mixture of jalapeños, mini bell peppers and Anaheim chilies. I also use a mixture of bacon and turkey bacon. The turkey bacon seems to hold up better and the strips are wider so they hold in more of the cheese mixture. I have yet to figure out how to keep the cheese filling from spilling out all over my BBQ…
So glad you love them, they’re one of my favorites too! I love the idea of using different peppers (my husband doesn’t like spicy as much as I do)!
I have made these and topped them off with Jalapeno (Pepper) Jelly Amazing.. Thank You!
I made these the other night and OMG they were beyond amazing. Super easy too. I used trader Joe’s black forest bacon and it was perfect! I highly recommend these. Easy enough for a weeknight. I am making them again this week!
I use a grapefruit spoon (with the little serrated edges) to clean out the seeds and membranes. Works like a charm!
Great tip!!
These look so good and I’m growing my own ‘mild’ jalapenos (we’ll see how MILD they really are one of these days. ) I would just like to tell you how much I enjoy your recipes and to tell you how HAPPY I am that it is SO EASY to print your recipes. Thank you so much for that.
Aww, thank you Marty! :) I didn’t even know you could grow mild jalapeños!!
Recipe taste great but didn’t mention anything about wrapping them in foil ,,, grease fire potential
Holly, thanks so much for sharing your awesome Grilled Bacon Jalapeno Poppers with us at Full Plate Thursday today! Have a really fun day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
These look dangerously delicious, Holly!! YUM! Pinning this!
I love jalapeño poppers!
Come link up with me today!
This looks just like our recipe but, we add roasted garlic, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped chives and we par-cook the bacon so it doesn’t get burned on the grill. We found so jalapeno holders so we can just cut the tops off the peppers so the cheese doesn’t ooze out.
Oh my gosh yummy additions Molly!!
I found a Jalapeno popper holder on Amazon… it’s going in on my next order! Thanks for sharing!
Can i make these in the oven??
You sure can! Either broil them or you can bake them at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
If you cook them low and slow….350 degrees for about 50 minutes, they will be flavorful, but not spicy hot. I think the longer they cook, the more flavorful they become.