Baked Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon
Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers baked in the oven with a creamy cheddar and cream cheese filling. Crisp bacon, mild heat, about 45 minutes start to finish.
40% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 25 min
- Resting
- 5 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories
- 295
- Protein
- 13 g
- Per serving
- $1.48
Why this recipe works
These are the oven version of the game-day classic: no deep fryer, no breading, just halved jalapeños packed with a cheesy filling and wrapped in bacon. They hold well on a platter, which makes them easy to bring to a party.
- Thin-cut bacon cooks in the same time as the peppers soften, so it crisps instead of staying chewy around a collapsed jalapeño.
- Scraping out the white ribs as well as the seeds is what controls the heat; the ribs carry most of the capsaicin.
- Mixing cheddar into the cream cheese gives the filling body, so it stays inside the pepper instead of running out onto the pan.
Ingredients
You will need
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small spoon or melon baller
- Kitchen gloves
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center and line the baking sheet with parchment.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Halve and seed the peppers
Wearing gloves, cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise through the stem. Scrape out the seeds and white ribs with a small spoon.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Make the filling
Stir the cream cheese, cheddar, scallions, garlic powder and smoked paprika together until evenly mixed.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Fill and wrap
Fill each jalapeño half level with the filling. Wrap a half slice of bacon around each one, stretching it slightly, and set them on the sheet with the bacon ends tucked underneath.
AI-generated illustration of this step. Bake
Bake until the bacon is browned and crisp and the peppers are tender, 22 to 25 minutes. If the bacon needs more color, broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Cool for 5 minutes before serving so the filling sets.
AI-generated illustration of this step.
Cook's notes
- Wash your hands and the knife well after handling the peppers, and keep your hands away from your eyes even with gloves on.
- For milder poppers, soak the seeded halves in ice water for 10 minutes and pat dry before filling.
- Assemble up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then add 3 to 5 minutes to the bake.
Nutrition per serving
295 calories
$1.48 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 18% of calories | 13 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 7% of calories | 5 g |
| Fat | 76% of calories | 25 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | |
| Sodium | 510 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What temperature do you bake jalapeño poppers?
400°F works best: hot enough to crisp the bacon in about 25 minutes while the peppers turn tender but not mushy.
Can you make jalapeño poppers in an air fryer?
Yes. Cook them in a single layer at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bacon is crisp.
How do you make jalapeño poppers less spicy?
Remove every bit of the white ribs and seeds, choose larger, smooth-skinned peppers, and soak the halves in ice water for 10 minutes before filling.
