Summary:
These jalapeño poppers are halved peppers stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar, wrapped in bacon, and baked in the oven until crisp and charred — each bite is an explosion of flavor and contrasting textures. Easier and lower carb than the traditional method of breading and frying, this 5-ingredient recipe is a tasty appetizer for keto diets.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare Jalapeños (Note 3): Slice each pepper lengthwise in half. Use spoon to scrape out and discard seeds and membranes from each pepper.
- Make Cheesy Filling: Microwave cream cheese in heatproof mixing bowl until very soft to touch and easily stirred, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir in cheddar cheese and garlic powder until well-mixed.
- Stuff Jalapeños (Note 4): Stuff each pepper half with cheesy filling, then wrap halved bacon slice around each. Secure with toothpick, as needed. Place stuffed and wrapped pepper halves in single layer on baking tray, optionally lined with foil for easier cleanup.
- Bake & Serve: Bake at 400 F until cheese is starting to brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Optionally, broil for a few minutes to crisp up bacon. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve (Notes 5-6).
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (3 stuffed jalapeño halves): |
| Calories 210 (73% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 48% |
| Cholesterol 53mg | 18% |
| Sodium 370mg | 15% |
| Net Carb 2g | |
| Total Carb 2.5g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.5g | 3% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 9g |
PHOTOS
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.
Has anyone tried make these in an air fryer?
Yes…I made them in the air fryer yesterday! I did them at 375 for about 12-14 minutes. Each batch seemed to need a slightly different cooking time, and I wanted the bacon crispy and the jalapeños a tiny bit charred.
I just did this for supper used my airfryer 400 for 15 min. Turned out good.
Is this a recipe that you recommend can be frozen before baking?
I think these would freeze well. After assembling, put the entire baking tray in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then transfer them to a resealable freezer bag if you’re not planning on using them soon.
I made these on Memorial day Monday and since I had some left over brisket and pulled pork from BBQ’ing Saturday, I chopped it up and mixed it in with my cream cheese for 2 different batches of peno poppers. I used whole penos and wrapped the entire thing head to toe in bacon and then in a sheet of sharp cheddar. OMG delish! My new go to popper!
Easy and yummy!
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!
Fantastic! The cheese absorbs some of the heat and the bacon adds that delicious combination of sweet, salty and hot!
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.
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!!
I usually make these for summer barbecues either whole or halved- my daughter loves them! Added 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1/4 Himalayan salt. This added a great southwest taste!
Made this for Christmas Eve. Used pepper jack cheese as suggested. These are awesome!!! Since there were only two of us this year, I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well!
Wow! Really good! I used Wright Brand Hickory smoked thick-cut bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. Quick, easy, and delicious! I’m adding this recipe to my go-to appetizer list.
Love this easy recipe. I make it all the time. Great snack!
I don’t like spicy foods at all so my husband planted me some “Fooled You” jalapeño peppers. They taste just like the hot ones but are as mild as a green pepper. These were fabulous made with your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Can these be made ahead of time and then reheated? Trying to meal prep for long weekend.
I make the poppers ahead of time & reheat them just before serving the appetizers. They are always a hit. We love them!
These are amazing!!! I’ve taken them to multiple parties and never given a recipe out so many times. Delicious!!!! I prep them the night before and keep them in the fridge…that way all I have to do is pop them in the oven the day of. This will be a forever recipe for me 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Best poppers I have ever had! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
So delicious – huge party hit – can’t wait to make them for this Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing!!
I made these today and my husband and I LOVED them. Thank you
I made these last summer and they’re perfect. So I made them again and had no room in fridge to hold them till the party and put outside, two trays, dog LOVED them too 🙀🤦♀️
Made as appetizer for taco night. They were a hit !
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!
Can these be frozen prior to cooking?
I really want to make these but I think I will add crabmeat into it.
OMG! These look absolutely divine! I really love the combination of bacon and cheese. Love it!