You’ll love these bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers stuffed with cream cheese and shredded cheddar. Similar to jalapeño poppers except that these are low-carb, keto, and baked in the oven.
You will only need five ingredients to make this easy and fun party appetizer. I’ve been making these bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers for the past few years and they are always a winner.
I first became obsessed with jalapeño popper type appetizers during a Caribbean trip: I was staying at a resort where they made amazing fried jalapeño poppers, which were leagues better than anything else they had on the menu. I ended up ordering them literally every single day that I stayed at that resort. After I returned home, I starting making this bacon wrapped version so that I could have an easy way of making them at home without breading and frying.
I love making these bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers when my outdoor pepper garden is thriving. Last year, I had four plants that were waist high and they produced a total of about 30 jalapeño peppers. Recipes such as these stuffed jalapeño peppers and my chunky jalapeño artichoke and spinach dip are great ways to use them up.
How do you make jalapeño peppers less spicy?
You can make jalapeño peppers less spicy by making sure to remove all seeds and membranes, which is where all of their capsaicin (that’s what makes chili peppers hot) is located. If your skin is sensitive to capsaicin — mine definitely are because I’ve had pepper hands before — then you should wear gloves while handling jalapeños.
If you can’t tolerate chili peppers at all but you still want to try these out, I recommend using mini sweet bell peppers instead of jalapeños. You might have seen them in the produce section of your grocery store — they usually come in clear packaging with various colors and are about the same size as a jalapeño.
What do you stuff jalapeños with?
I stuff jalapeños with a simple mixture of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and garlic powder. If you don’t have cheddar cheese but have some other kind of cheese handy, you can use that instead. Other cheeses that work well include pepper jack or Mexican blend cheeses.
When mixing cream cheese with shredded cheddar cheese, it is easiest if your cream cheese has been softened first. I usually microwave the cream cheese by itself until soft. Try 5-10 second microwave bursts until the cream cheese becomes spreadable. Alternately, you can skip the softening step and just use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese with the cheddar.
When you’re stuffing the jalapeños, don’t over-stuff or else the cheese stuffing will slide out when baking. I usually stuff just enough to fill the pepper. If you’re using toothpicks to secure the bacon, there’s no need to wrap the bacon very tightly around each pepper. Otherwise, your baked jalapeños will end up looking like they’ve had the cheese choked out of them.
What goes well with jalapeño peppers?
I recommend pairing these bacon wrapped jalapeños with summer side dishes such as:
- artichokes with balsamic mayo dip (includes tutorial on how to cook artichokes)
- hot crab dip with cream cheese
- greek salad with avocado dressing
- stuffed portobello mushrooms
- shrimp avocado salad
Video on how to make bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers:

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Peppers Stuffed with Cream Cheese
You’ll love these bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers stuffed with cream cheese and shredded cheddar. Similar to jalapeño poppers except that these are low-carb and baked in the oven.
Ingredients
- 6 jalapeño peppers (about 8 ounces) sliced lengthwise in half with seeds and membranes removed
- 6 slices bacon cut widthwise in half
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
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Add cream cheese to a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave until slightly softened, about 15 seconds. Add cheddar cheese and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
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Stuff each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture. Wrap a halved bacon slice around each pepper. Secure with a toothpick as needed.
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Place the stuffed peppers in a single layer onto a baking tray.
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Bake at 400 F until the cheese is starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for a few minutes to crisp up the bacon. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Info
This recipe yields 1 g net carbs per serving (1 bacon wrapped jalapeño half).
Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
Calories 70 | |
Total Fat 5g | 8% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 16% |
Trans Fat 0g | |
Cholesterol 18mg | 6% |
Sodium 120mg | 5% |
Potassium 20mg | 1% |
Total Carb 1g | 0% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 1% |
Sugars 0.5g | |
Protein 3g |
Here’s a photo of my burgeoning jalapeño balcony garden from last year (notice how they turn red when they ripen on the vine!):
Easy and yummy!
Can I leave the jalapeños ready for the oven since a day before a party?
So delicious – huge party hit – can’t wait to make them for this Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing!!
Made these today and they were amazing! Only change is that I used 1/2 herb & garlic cream cheese mixed with regular cream cheese. So good!
Mmm herb and garlic cream cheese sounds really good!
I made these today and my husband and I LOVED them. Thank you
You’re very welcome, Dawn! Hope you get a chance to make them again soon.
I made these last summer and we’re perfect. So made them again and had no room in fridge to hold till the party and put outside, two trays,,,,,, dog LOVED them too 🙀🤦♀️
Haha that’s amazing! Next time you’ll need to clear out more room in the fridge for more trays 😉
Made as appetizer for taco night. They were a hit !
That’s great to hear! I never have any leftovers with this recipe 😉
I used pepper jack and cheddar cheese mixed in with the cream cheese! Make sure you cook them on 425 until they look done! They are Yummmm
Just made these today! I wanted to play in the kitchen a little after pulling off the Thanksgiving feast and this was perfect! They are SOOO good!!! Thanks!
Glad to hear you loved these, Debbie!! 🙂
Can these be frozen prior to cooking?
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t think you would get good results that way.
I really want to make these but I think I will add crabmeat into it.
That would be an excellent idea. 🙂
Made these a year ago for a football watching party. They were a hit! A year later, someone who attended the party requested that I make them for their party. You know they are good when a year later you are still getting requests for them! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hi Jeannie, thanks for your comment! I’m so happy to hear that they were a hit. I often make these just for myself so that I can eat them all for dinner without sharing with anyone else 😉
Fantastic the cheese absorbs some of the heat and the bacon adds that delicious combination of sweet, salty and hot!
Glad you like it, Gary!
Made these tonight for a small gathering & they were great! I doubled the recipe bc I had 12 peppers, so I froze 1/2 of thrm, hoping they will be just as good out of the freezer at the next function.
Hi Kelly! I’m glad they turned out great. I haven’t tried freezing these before, but I have frozen whole jalapenos in the past and they defrost well 🙂
I made a ton of these poppers using both jalapenos and those small sweet peppers for those who did not like heat. I also added a little of my homemade taco spice to the filling. They were an absolute hit at our father’s day, birthday party, and got rave reviews from the hot and non-hot crowd. This recipe is a winner!!
Wonderful, I’m so glad to hear that!! I love how you added homemade taco spice — yum 🙂
OMG! These look absolutely divine! I really love the combination of bacon and cheese. Love it!