Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers
Jalapeño halves piled with a smoky cream cheese and sharp cheddar filling, wrapped in bacon, and baked on a rack until the bacon is crisp and the peppers are tender. Par-cooking the bacon first means it crisps by the time the filling is hot.
- Prep
- 36 min
- Cook
- 33 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 24 min
- Makes
- 24 poppers
Steps
Before you start
- Set the cream cheese out 1 hour ahead so it is fully soft and mixes without lumps.
- Use regular thin-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon will not crisp in the time it takes the peppers to cook.
- Wear disposable gloves when seeding the jalapeños, or wash your hands well with soap afterward. Do not touch your eyes.
- Pick jalapeños that are straight, plump and about 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) long so they hold the filling.
Preheat and set upOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position an oven rack in the center and heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Line the rimmed baking sheet with foil and set the wire rack inside it.
- Cut the 12 bacon slices in half crosswise to make 24 pieces.
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Ready when: Oven reads 400°F (200°C).
Tip: Foil under the rack catches the bacon fat and makes cleanup easy.
Par-cook the baconOven 400°F / 205°C
- Lay the 24 bacon pieces in a single layer on the rack, not overlapping.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 8 minutes, until the fat has started to render and the bacon is pale golden and still flexible.
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Ready when: Bacon is lightly browned at the edges, shrunken a little, and bends without snapping.
Tip: If the bacon turns crisp it will crack when wrapped. Pull it early if your oven runs hot.
Drain and cool bacon
- Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let it cool for 5 minutes, until you can handle it comfortably.
- Leave the oven on.
- Wipe the rack clean or swap in a fresh foil-lined sheet with the rack.
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Ready when: Bacon is warm, not hot, and still pliable.
Halve and seed jalapeños
- Wearing gloves, cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise through the stem, keeping the stem on one side if you like.
- Scrape out the seeds and the white ribs with a small spoon, leaving a smooth boat shape about ½ inch (1.25 cm) deep.
- You should have 24 halves.
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Ready when: All seeds and white ribs are removed and the halves sit level.
Tip: Most of the heat lives in the ribs. Leave a few ribs in if you want hotter poppers.
Mix the filling
- In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, garlic powder, smoked paprika and kosher salt with a spatula until evenly combined and spreadable.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth with no white cream cheese streaks and no dry cheddar pockets.
Tip: Shred cheddar from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking starch and makes a drier filling.
Fill the peppers
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon (15 g) of filling into each jalapeño half and level it with the back of the spoon so it is flush with or slightly mounded above the edge.
- Use all of the filling across the 24 halves.
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Ready when: Each half is full and the filling is smooth on top.
Tip: Do not overfill. Heaping filling slides out and burns on the rack.
Wrap with bacon
- Wrap 1 piece of par-cooked bacon around each stuffed half, stretching it slightly so it overlaps itself by about ½ inch (1.25 cm) and ends tucked underneath.
- Place each popper seam-side down on the rack, spaced about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Secure with a toothpick if the bacon springs open.
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Ready when: Bacon holds snugly around the pepper, with the filling still visible on top.
Tip: Wrapping the bacon around the pepper rather than over the filling keeps the top open so the cheese browns.
Bake until crispOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake the poppers at 400°F (200°C) on the center rack for 22 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is deeply browned and crisp, the filling is bubbling and lightly golden, and the jalapeños are tender when pierced with a knife tip.
- Rotate the pan front to back once at the 12-minute mark.
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Ready when: Bacon is crisp and mahogany brown, filling is bubbling and spotted gold, and filling registers 165°F (74°C).
Tip: If the bacon is crisp but the peppers are still firm, tent loosely with foil and bake 3 to 5 minutes more.
Cool and serve
- Let the poppers rest on the rack for 10 minutes.
- The filling is extremely hot straight from the oven and will firm up slightly as it cools.
- Serve warm.
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Ready when: Filling no longer runs when a popper is lifted, and bacon feels crisp.
Tip: Resting on the rack keeps the bacon from steaming and going soft.
Good to know
Tips
- Par-cooking the bacon is the key step. Raw bacon wrapped around peppers stays flabby by the time the peppers are done.
- Bake on a rack so hot air reaches the bacon on all sides and the fat drips away rather than making the bottoms greasy.
- Rinse the spoon and your gloves after seeding. Capsaicin on a spoon can transfer to the filling and make some poppers hotter.
- Pat the seeded jalapeños dry before filling so the filling does not slide around on wet surfaces.
Make ahead
"Assemble the poppers through step 7, then cover and refrigerate on the rack-lined pan for up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge at 400°F (200°C), adding 3 to 5 minutes to the bake time."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours when serving. Refrigerator: store cooled poppers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezer: freeze baked poppers on a tray, then bag them for up to 2 months. Reheat from the fridge or freezer on a rack at 375°F (190°C) for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 from frozen) until hot in the center and the bacon re-crisps."
Substitutions
- sharp cheddar cheese → pepper Jack cheese. Use the same weight for a creamier, spicier filling.
- full-fat cream cheese → mascarpone or Neufchâtel. Neufchâtel is a lighter swap with similar texture. Mascarpone gives a richer, milder filling.
- large fresh jalapeños → mini sweet peppers. Halve and seed 12 to 14 peppers for a no-heat version. Reduce bake time by about 3 minutes.
- thin-cut bacon → turkey bacon. Skip the par-cook, or reduce it to 4 minutes, since turkey bacon is leaner and does not render as much.
