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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
Jalapeno Poppers
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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I would have given it a 5 this time but, there is no noted allowance for using Poblanos. I have used this recipe many time though and have had great success! This time I used poblanos because they started to go bad. I also ad-libbed with the cheese and used a different sharp cheese, along with Andouille sausage. This recipe is very versatile and, is a go to for me.
Thank you
thank you ..they were delicious!
Delicious
Tyfs! They were ❤
I made these tonight. soooo delicious and easy. We had many jalapenos from the garden and I was looking for ideas of what to do with them . Now I am hopping the plants produce more before the season ends. I did add chopped up cooked bacon. thank you for sharing this recipe.
Great recipe. Have made them many times. No fail recipe. Pop mine in the air fryer for a few minutes and turn out perfect.
If I make these the night before, do I still add the breadcrumbs before refrigerating? Afraid of the breadcrumbs getting soggy and losing that amazing crisp! Thanks!
You can add the before or after. If you’d like to keep them separate, you can mix them with the butter and store in a separate container.
I just made these and they’re delicious! I just added a little sprinkle of salt on top, to help bring out the flavors. But I’m a bit of a salt fiend, so if you’re not, you really don’t need it. Will definitely make this again.
Yummy, I did give it a 5 I changed it up a little BUT the panko on top was wonderful. I added cheddar cheese in the cream cheese and crisp chop bacon.
The amounts of filling and topping measured perfectly. It’s so satisfying to use it all up, and all 24 little poppers were exactly right! These were very tasty and this will be a go to appetizer for us
Yum Yum. These went quicker than it took me to slice. Evidently, I missed a seed or two here and there. It was a real surprise to bite into one that lit you up just a bit. It was all good though, no complaints. Making again for Labor Day gathering.
This was seriously SO GOOD. We were gifted a bunch of homegrown jalapenos & I made them into poppers last night – they looked & tasted like a gourmet appetizer. I can’t wait to try the dip version too. Thank you for the recipe, I can already tell that we’re going to make these for years & years!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sarah!
Easy to make. I used dried fried onions instead of panko. I mixed cooked bacon crumbs into cheese. delicious
Perfect recipe, easy and delicious.
Loved em.
Used Honey Nut Chex as breadcrumbs for a subtle hint of sweet and good crunch.
Made these tonight and they were amazing and so, so easy!!! Love that they come together so quickly.
This is a great recipe. We have an over abundance of jalapeños this time of year, so we make a lot of them and freeze them
to use throughout the winter. Sometimes we add smoked salmon to them and dip them in raspberry jam. Very delicious!
Thank you for the recipe!
That sounds delicious, Sally! Thank you for sharing.
Do you freeze them before or after cooking?
It’s best to freeze jalapeño poppers before they’re baked. Prepare them, then freeze on a tray before transferring to a sealed container. When ready, bake them directly from frozen per the recipe.
Very delicious and easy! Great way to use some of your garden jalapenos, thanks for sharing the recipe.
Absolutely the best recipe! I’ve made them several times and everyone loves them!
I can’t give a true rating because I changed the recipe a bit. The basic recipe is fantastic and it has been a hit time and time again. The only change I had to make was I didn’t have Panko breadcrumbs but flavored breadcrumbs only and because I had more than 6 jalapenos, I used the whole 8 oz of cream cheese and a TBSP of garlic. OMG, so good, they didn’t even cool out of the oven before they were half gone.