Now you can enjoy all the savory indulgence of a jalapeno popper without the deep frying. Baked jalapeno poppers are loaded with a bacon cream cheese filling then generously coated in a seasoned panko topping.
INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you’ll need to make these poppers.
- Jalapenos. If your peppers are large you can get away with using 6. If they are on the smaller side, grab 7 peppers. You’ll slide them length-wise and remove all the seeds as well as the “rib”. The rib is the white membrane strip that can pack a lot of heat. I just carefully run my knife down the rib to try and remove as much as I can.
- Cream cheese. What’s a popper without cream cheese?! You’ll need 4 ounces, softened.
- Pepper jack cheese. Let’s get cheesy. You’ll need 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and this helps to add a subtle heat to the cream cheese filling.
- Bacon. I’ve never really enjoyed “bacon wrapped” snacks, I feel like the bacon never gets crispy enough for me. So for these, you’ll cook the bacon first and crumble it then mix into the cream cheese filling. The hardest part is trying not to snack on the bacon crumbles lol.
- Panko + butter. The panko topping gives just enough crunch you won’t miss the deep fried crispiness!
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt.
WORKING WITH FRESH JALAPENOS
Whether you’ve cooked with fresh jalapenos before or not, here are some helpful tips!
- Don‘t touch your face or your eyes! That pepper burn is real, so make sure you’re thoroughly washing your hands, don’t touch your face, and even wear food prep gloves if needed.
- Wash your cutting board. If you plan on handling the peppers in the middle of the prep you’re going to have to clean the knife (or grab a new one) and wash the cutting board. You don’t want to accidentally introduce the intense heat from the seeds onto another ingredient like the shredded cheese or bacon crumbles.
- Avoid washing the interior of the peppers. Having splashing water come into contact with the seeds can make the air a bit spicy and send you into a coughing fit. (ask me how I found this out lol)
LEFTOVER STORAGE AND REHEATING
These are definitely best when eaten right away, but if you find yourself with leftovers store them in the fridge and eat within 3 days. If you’re serving these at a party, this is not a make ahead snack.
To reheat them: Preheat your oven to 250 degrees then bake for 10 minutes. They won’t be as crispy as the day you first made them but I still really enjoyed them a few days later as a snack.
Got jalapenos? Try more of these pepper recipes!
Jalapeno Popper Bagels
Jalapeno Popper Dip
Jalapeno Corn Dip
Jalapeno Chicken
Jalapeno Cheddar Scones
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Baked Jalapeno Poppers are an easy way to enjoy the indulgence of a popper without the deep frying! These are loaded with cream cheese, pepper jack cheese and crumbled bacon and then top with a seasoned buttery panko topping.
Ingredients
6–7 jalapeno peppers (if the peppers are large you can use 6, if they are small go with 7)
4 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the panko topping
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
1. Cook and crumble the slices of bacon.
2. While the bacon is cooking, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the jalapeno peppers by slicing them length-wise and removing all seeds and ribs (the white membrane part).
3. In a bowl combine the cream cheese, crumbled bacon, pepper jack cheese, salt, and garlic powder.
4. In another bowl combine all the ingredients for the panko topping.
5. Fill the peppers with the cream cheese filling then press into the bowl of panko breading to get a generous amount of topping on each. Depending on the size and number of peppers you might have some leftover topping.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes then enjoy! I find these have so much flavor I don’t even need to dip them in anything.