I love a quick and tasty appetizer and my Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon recipe is one of my favorites. The jalapeño peppers are cut in half and de-seeded before being stuffed with a cheesy filling, flavored with chives. The poppers are then wrapped in bacon which is glazed with butter and honey before being baked to crisp perfection in a hot oven.

       

JALAPEÑO POPPERS WITH BACON

Everyone knows how delicious jalapeno poppers are but have you tried wrapping them in bacon? These are amazing!

The filling is cheesy, so it melts in your mouth, and I’ve decided to flavor the cheese with chives, which adds a lovely mild onion flavor.

Each popper is wrapped in salty bacon, which I like to glaze with a mixture of melted butter and honey.

This ensures the bacon crisps up in the oven, giving it a slightly sweet flavor which was a big hit with all the family.

I like to bake my poppers in the oven as I find oven bake jalapeño poppers are lighter and less greasy than frying.

You also could make these in the air fryer. 

This easy jalapeño poppers recipe is ideal for tailgating, a holiday get together or a snack for the family to enjoy! 

If you like this appetizer recipe you should also try Air Fryer Crab Rangoon, Mediterranean Pinwheels, Antipasto Skewers, Easy Baked Feta, or this Cowboy Caviar Dip.

These are also perfect game-day appetizer recipes. 

JALAPEÑO POPPER INGREDIENTS

PEPPERS: This recipe serves 6, allowing 2 jalapeños per person. Jalapeños are the best choice as they have a mild chili heat which is suitable for most palettes.

BACON: I use bacon slices which I wrap around each of the jalapeños. You can use smoked or un-smoked bacon, whichever you prefer.

CHEESE: I use a combination of shredded cheddar cheese and cream cheese to fill the poppers. You can opt for a sharp cheddar, or something like a Gruyere if you want a really strong cheesy flavor.

FLAVORING: I flavor the cheesy filling with ciboulette (fresh chives), garlic powder, black pepper and salt. 

GLAZE: A combination of melted butter and honey is brushed over the bacon, just before the poppers go into the oven. This adds great flavor to the bacon, allowing it to crisp up beautifully and adding great sweet and salty flavor to the poppers.

HOW TO MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPERS

PREPARE THE JALAPEÑOS. Start by preheating the oven to 350F and prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Then slice each jalapeño in half, long-wise, and remove their seeds. Place them, hole upwards, in the prepared baking tray.

MIX TOGETHER THE CHEESY FILLING. Place the softened cream cheese into a bowl and mix through the shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and fresh chives.

Give it a good mix together until everything is well combined.

FILL THE JALAPEÑOS. Fill each jalapeño popper with the cream cheese mixture to the surface but don’t overfill, you don’t want any filling spilling out.

Then, wrap each one of the poppers with a slice of bacon.

GLAZE THE BACON. Now mix melted butter with honey and brush over the bacon-wrapped jalapeños.

BAKE THE POPPERS. Place the tray into the hot oven and bake the jalapeño poppers for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is golden and jalapeños have softened. Serve warm straight from the oven.

ARE JALAPEÑO POPPERS SPICY?

Yes, jalapeños are a variety of chili so they do hold some heat, although they are a milder variety of chili. Make sure to remove all of the seeds which helps keep the spice under control.

CAN I MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPERS WITH BACON AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, once assembled, place the poppers onto a tray, cover and store in the refrigerator until you are read to cook.

CAN YOU FREEZE JALAPEÑO POPPERS?

I don’t recommend freezing these jalapeño poppers with bacon as the jalapeno peppers break down too much during the freezing and defrosting process. 

RECIPE TIPS & MODIFICATIONS

• TAKE THE CREAM CHEESE OUT OF THE FRIDGE 30 minutes before you plan to start preparing the poppers. This will allow the cheese to soften a little and make it easier to mix with the the other ingredients.
• PLAY WITH THE FLAVORS, you can add in any other flavors if you wish, for example other fresh herbs, dried herbs, onion powder, smoked paprika, or some Cajun spice blend.
• ADD SOME EXTRA CHILI HEAT, by adding some chili powder or red pepper flakes to the cheesy filling.
• ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS after handling chilies and avoid touching your face and eyes.
• FEEDING A CROWD, this recipe is easy to double or treble depending on numbers.
• STORE LEFTOVERS IN THE FRIDGE for up to five days. To reheat, place them in a skillet, covered with a lid, over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
• TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LOW-CARB OR KETO, avoid using honey to brush them. Instead, you can leave the honey out or replace it with another liquid keto-friendly sweetener.

TRY SOME OF THESE OTHER GREAT TASTING APPETIZERS:

HONEY GOAT CHEESE BALLS

BACON PIZZA BITES

GOAT CHEESE FIGS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO

HAM CHEESE & CRANBERRY ROLLUPS

MEDITERRANEAN QUICHE WANTONS