Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Jalapeño halves piled with a smoky cream cheese and cheddar filling, wrapped in bacon and baked on a rack until the bacon is crisp and the peppers are tender. Spicy, creamy, salty and easy to make for a crowd.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Wait
- 8 min
- Total
- 1 hr 13 min
- Makes
- 24 poppers (3 per serving)
Steps
Before you start
- Take the cream cheese out of the fridge about 1 hour ahead so it is soft and mixes smoothly with no lumps.
- Wear disposable gloves when seeding jalapeños, or wash your hands well with soap afterward, and don't touch your eyes.
- Choose large, straight, plump jalapeños about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long (roughly 30 g each) so the halves hold plenty of filling and sit flat. Count peppers rather than weighing, since sizes vary.
- Soak 24 toothpicks in water for 10 minutes if you like, though they won't burn at this temperature on a rack.
Heat oven, set up panOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line the rimmed baking sheet with foil and set the wire rack on top.
- The oven will finish preheating while you prep the peppers.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 400°F (200°C) by the time the poppers are assembled
Tip: The foil makes cleanup easy because bacon fat drips onto it instead of baking onto the pan.
Halve and seed peppers
- Wearing gloves, trim the stem end off each jalapeño, then slice lengthwise in half.
- Use a small spoon to scrape out all the seeds and the pale ribs, leaving 24 clean, boat-shaped halves.
- Rinse and pat dry.
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Ready when: Each half is hollow, with no seeds or white ribs left
Tip: The ribs hold most of the heat. Leave a few in if you want spicier poppers.
Mix the filling
- In the medium bowl, stir together the soft cream cheese, shredded cheddar, scallions, garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt with a spatula for about 1 minute.
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Ready when: Mixture is thick, evenly speckled and has no cream cheese lumps
Tip: Shred the cheddar yourself from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has coatings that make the filling grainy.
Stuff the peppers
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each jalapeño half, pressing it in so it is level with the rim or slightly mounded.
- Use the back of the spoon to smooth the top.
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Ready when: All 24 halves are filled and the filling is not overflowing the sides
Tip: Don't overfill. Excess filling melts off and burns on the pan.
Wrap with bacon
- Wrap one half-slice of bacon snugly around each stuffed pepper, stretching it slightly so it overlaps by about ½ inch (1.25 cm) and covers most of the filling.
- Secure with a toothpick pushed through the overlap and into the pepper.
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Ready when: Bacon is snug and the toothpick holds it in place
Tip: Cold bacon is easier to stretch and wrap than room-temperature bacon.
Arrange on rack
- Place the poppers filling-side up on the wire rack with about ½ inch (1.25 cm) between them.
- Make sure the bacon ends are tucked underneath or held by the toothpick.
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Ready when: Poppers sit level and don't touch
Tip: Crowding traps steam and keeps the bacon from crisping.
Bake until crispOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 28 to 34 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 15 minutes.
- The poppers are done when the bacon is deep golden brown and crisp at the edges, the filling is bubbling and lightly browned on top, and the peppers are tender when pierced with a knife tip.
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Ready when: Bacon is deep golden and crisp, filling is bubbling, peppers are soft
Tip: If the bacon is still pale and soft at 30 minutes, bake 3 to 4 minutes more. Thick-cut bacon can take 40 minutes.
Rest and serve
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the poppers rest on the rack for 5 to 10 minutes so the filling sets and the bacon crisps further.
- Remove the toothpicks if you prefer, or warn guests, and serve warm.
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Ready when: Filling no longer runs when a popper is lifted
Tip: The filling stays molten for several minutes. Let them cool before eating.
Good to know
Tips
- Pick jalapeños of similar size so everything cooks at the same rate.
- Using a rack lets the bacon fat drip away so the bottoms crisp instead of turning greasy.
- Pat the pepper halves dry after rinsing so the filling sticks and doesn't turn watery.
- For extra browning, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching constantly.
Make ahead
Stuff and wrap the poppers up to 24 hours ahead. Arrange them on a tray, cover tightly and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the time.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours at a party, then refrigerate. Fridge: store baked poppers in an airtight container up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze unbaked, wrapped poppers on a tray, then bag them, for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 400°F (200°C) for 40 to 45 minutes. Reheat baked poppers on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until hot and the bacon re-crisps.
Substitutions
- sharp cheddar cheese → Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese. Pepper Jack adds more heat; use the same weight, freshly shredded.
- full-fat cream cheese → Neufchâtel (reduced-fat cream cheese). Works well, but avoid whipped or fat-free versions, which turn runny when baked.
- large jalapeño peppers → Mini sweet peppers. For a milder version. Use about 24 halves and shorten the bake time by 3 to 5 minutes.
- regular-cut bacon slices → Turkey bacon. Brush lightly with oil and watch closely, as it browns faster and doesn't render as much fat.
