Jalapeno Poppers are my obsession! Fresh Jalapenos are sliced in half and filled with a rich creamy cheese filling and topped with a crisp Panko topping. These poppers are baked until golden and bubbly for the perfect game day snack!
This easy Jalapeno Popper recipe makes the perfect bite; crispy, creamy, spicy, cheesy… and quite honestly the best appetizer ever!
Jalapeno Popper Dip is not only my daughter’s favorite recipe of all time, it’s the one recipe I’m asked to bring to every single gathering. I love jalapenos in any way, shape or form! Making homemade poppers is super easy and tastes way better than frozen store bought or restaurant!
How to Cut a Jalapeno
You guys, whatever you do, please please please don’t cut these without wearing gloves (and don’t touch your face). The oils in the peppers can cause burns on your hands, I speak from experience, it’s VERY painful.
The spice in jalapeños is found in the seeds and inner membranes. To reduce the heat in this recipe, clean out all of the (light colored) inner membrane and seeds. If you like lots of heat, leave a little bit of membrane.
When I cut the jalapeños for poppers, I cut them lengthwise and try to keep the stem intact on both halves (mainly for appearance).
To cut jalapenos to make jalapeno poppers:
- Put on gloves!!
- Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out seeds and membranes and discard.
How to Make Jalapeno Poppers
Jalapeno Poppers have a few essentials; the jalapeno itself, a creamy filling and breading.
- Jalapenos: Obviously!! We use fresh and slice them in half (as mentioned above). If you have people in your group who cannot tolerate any spice (like my husband) you can also make these using baby bell peppers which don’t have heat! Make some of each!
- Cheesy Filling: Cream cheese is the base and I add in a sharp cheddar as it has more flavor. I also add a dash of garlic powder and some chives which you can add or skip. I find green onions have a bit too much onion flavor so chives add just the right amount (or add a pinch of onion powder if you’d like). You can also add crisp cooked bacon, cilantro or your own favorites!
- Crispy Breading: A traditional deep fried popper has a breaded coating. When making baked poppers, I find it’s not worth the time/effort to try to coat the whole jalapeno in crumbs. Instead, I make a simple Panko topping to sprinkle on top for the perfect crunch! If you’d like to make keto Jalapeno Poppers, simply skip the bread crumbs for your low carb friends!
- Optional: There are lots of amazing things you can add to jalapeno poppers! If you’d like skip the bread crumbs and wrap them in bacon to make Bacon Wrapped Poppers! Add your favorites; onions, monterey jack cheese, ground beef or sausage. The sky really is the limit!
At a restaurant, they’re usually coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried and while I love them, I truly do not love deep frying. I dislike the smell and the mess and to be honest, I these baked jalapeno poppers taste even better than the fried ones.
How Long to Bake Jalapeno Poppers
I bake these poppers about 20 minutes, enough to soften the peppers and melt the cheese. You don’t want them too soft or they’re hard to pick up and eat!
Once baked, serve these alongside some cool ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Jalapeno Poppers can be made a couple of days in advance or even prepared well ahead of time and frozen. Cook right from frozen about 25-30 minutes at 425°F.
More Jalapeno Recipes You’ll Love
- Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Ball Recipe
- Jalapeno Popper Crescent Cups
- Mini Jalapeno Popper Egg Rolls
- Bacon Wrapped Poppers
- Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeños
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Wearing gloves, slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and membranes.
- In a bowl mix cream cheese, garlic powder, cheddar cheese and chives (if using).
- In a separate bowl, combine Panko crumbs and melted butter.
- Fill jalapenos with the cheese mixture. Top with crumbs.
- Place on a baking pan and bake 18-22 minutes or until golden.
- Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
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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Looks great, and I’m gonna try air frying them for 15 mins
Jalapeno poppers are called this for a reason. When you eat one they should pop as they are sliced but not cut in half and fried whole…… This recipe is simply like a potato wedge and clearly not a popper. Also poppers should be breaded all around them, not sprinkled on top of the half.
Made it for my son and his friend. Both are hispanic and devoured all of it in no time. Thank goodness I made a small platter foryself!!! They were amazing. I mixed cumin, cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and buffalo ranch seasoning in the panko. Delicious!!!!
This recipe was very delicious! However there wasn’t any spice and tasted more like green pepper than jalapeno. I was wondering if that has something to do with the jalapenos themselves or if thats what happens to jalapenos when you remove the insides? Thanks so much
When you clean out the membrane and seeds in jalapenos you lose most of the heat, if you would like them to be hotter don’t fully remove the membrane!
It just depends on the jalapeno and certain times of the year they are hotter. I grow them and the same plant can produce very mild jalapenos in one batch and then in 3 months they can be hotter than heck. I always taste the jalapenos before I use them in a recipe to know how much additional heat to add.
This is the best poppers recipe I have ever tried! My grocery store was out of chives, so I bought chive cream cheese- and it still tasted great. We loved the crunch from the panko. This recipe is easy and delicious!
Delicious! The filling was easy to mix, instructions on preparing the peppers were clear, and the jalapeños were a big hit with everyone who tried them. This recipe is a keeper!
This was the first time I’ve ever made Jalapeno poppers & these were awesome! I had 6 really big jalapenos so I made the full cheese & panko recipe. So good. I baked them for18 minutes. We dipped them in blue cheese dressing (hubbie idea). They were perfect! My husband & I are addicted. Thank you for a great recipe.
These are amazing! Instead of ranch or blue cheese another yummy idea is pepper jelly with the poppers. Just adds a light sweetness and a little bit of heat. My family always eats them with the jelly.
These are amazing! I flipped the cream cheese to cheddar ratio because I prefer a more cheddar taste, and brushed a little olive oil on the outsides of the peppers to ensure that they would soften and they were off the chain! Making them again today for a Christmas Eve appetizer!
I’m going to make these for Christmas (the day after tomorrow) so I hope you see this question quickly. Since I have so much food to pull together on Christmas Day, I was wondering if I could assemble these in advance and bake them the following day?
Yes, these can be prepared in advance and baked the next day. Place them in the refrigerator and be sure to cover them or place them in a sealed container.
These are delicious and super easy to make! Thanks!
I made these last night because I had a bunch of jalapenos leftover from a different recipe. They were just starting to look a little wrinkly but I thought they’d be okay.
Well, I learned a lesson last night: use fresh jalapenos– unless you love incredible heat! I can handle a bit of heat but my mouth burned from the pepper for about an hour, and I only ate one! My husband loves spicy things and quite happily ate all the rest of them but I was so sad to miss out on these…the cheese mixture was delicious.
So I’ll be making these again for sure, but with perky, fresh jalapenos lol
I wish I’d tried Kevin’s suggestion below to soak them in cold water overnight first!
Hello
This recipe sounds awesome and looks really yummy
I am thinking of making some for a potluck at my work
I am thinking of purchasing a warming tray to keep them warm
do you think they will be fine sitting on a warming tray for the day
(I plan on cooking them the night before)
I think they would be great. The crumbs may not be as crisp but these taste good hot or even room temp!
Very Delicious! Best recipe I’ve found! Love the cheese combination and the the Panko crunch!
If you want to take the sting out of the peppers,soak them in cold water overnight after you’ve cleaned them from of seeds and membrane!! The longer they soak the less burn they will have!!!
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I actually slightly roast then take seeds and membranes out of peppers, then stuff them with the filling and wrap each one in a wonton or egg roll wrapper and bake or fry. Make sure you allow them to cool a bit before biting in, otherwise you’ll get a squirt of very hot stuff. So good! Actually making some today because a good friend gave me a whole bunch of fresh jalapeno peppers.
That sounds delicious Deborah!
Brilliant idea with the wrappers!
Looking forward to making these for a socially distant girls night on the deck. I have so many fresh jalapeños from my garden. How far in advance can I prepare?
These should be fine up to 24 hours in advance. I would suggest keeping the crumbs separate and adding them just before baking to keep them crisp. Have a fun girls night!!
This is a flavorful recipe. I use this same recipe but I add a one pound package of ground sausage. They are really good poppers!!
I use a grapefruit spoon to remove seeds and veins in the peppers, it works great
Great tip Winni! Thank you!