Our baked jalapeño poppers are stuffed with cream cheese and bacon and topped with crispy, golden brown Panko crumbs. They’re rich, creamy, and crazy delicious. They make a perfect game day or party snack!
Here’s an appetizer that is always a favorite. It’s great served warm out of the oven or even at room temperature. The jalapeños have a fairly mild chili flavor when the ribs and seeds are removed.
What’s not to love about a cream cheese and bacon filling? Every time I serve these they’re a huge hit. Give them a try and be ready to give out the recipe.
If you like the flavors of the Southwest, I hope you’ll try my hot Mexican corn dip, Rotel dip, Mexican meatballs, or my Pimento cheese dip (okay the last one isn’t Southwestern but it’s everyones favorite. Don’t miss it!) next!
Baked Jalapeño Poppers Ingredients
- Jalapeños: When jalapeños are young they are green in color. As they mature, they turn red, and their heat increases. I use the younger green peppers. Larger peppers tend to also be milder.
- Cream Cheese: I generally use regular cream cheese, but the flavored cream cheeses would work great and open up more flavor variations.
- Bacon: I use regular or center-cut bacon in this recipe. I also like the nitrite and nitrate-free brands.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: Use plain or one of the varieties that are herb flavored.
How To Slice The Jalapeños For Poppers
Instead of slicing the peppers directly in half, try to only remove the top 1/3 of the pepper, creating a boat shape. This will allow you to add a bit more stuffing and create a more stable shape which is helpful since these are served as finger food.
How Hot Are Jalapeño Peppers
The heat of a jalapeño pepper can vary from pepper to pepper. In general, the heat of a pepper is measured by the Scoville Scale. This scale measures the chemical compound that gives peppers their pungency and heat. The scale is named after famed scientist, Wilbur Scoville in 1912.
Jalapeños are considered to be mild-hot on the scale with a range of 2,000-8,000 Scoville Heat Units. The great news for people who like their peppers on the mild side is that most of the heat in a jalapeño is contained in the seeds and ribs inside the pepper. By removing both of them, you will have a milder pepper.
On the flip side, if you love spicy peppers, simply leave them in the ribs and seeds.
Serving Recommendations
These cream cheese and bacon stuffed jalapeno poppers are perfectly delicious and served alone. Some people like to dip them in ranch or bleu cheese dressing.
Generally, I serve these stuffed jalapeno poppers alongside other appetizers, such as my cowboy caviar, cowboy queso, or white queso dip, and my bbq chicken quesadilla cut into appetizer-sized wedges.
Try my pink margarita, pineapple margarita, or cranberry margarita.
How To Make Baked Jalapeño Poppers With Cream Cheese
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Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat with cooking spray.
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Cook the bacon until crisp then drain on a paper towel; chop into small pieces.
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Mix the bacon crumbles into the cream cheese until thoroughly combined.
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Cut jalapeño in half, lengthwise. Smear each jalapeño boat with cream cheese and bacon mixture.
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Pour the Panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip the stuffed jalapeño into the Panko crumbs cream cheese side down.
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Bake on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes.
***See the full instructions below.
More Delicious Finger Foods
- Bisquick Sausage Balls
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Pizza Pinwheels
- Everything Pigs in a Blanket
- Pizza Fries
- Sausage Balls With Cream Cheese
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Classic Deviled Eggs
- Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
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Baked Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients
- 10 fresh jalapeños
- 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 7-8 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° (190°C). Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Cook the bacon (7-8 slices) until crisp then drain on a paper towel; chop the bacon into very small pieces. Mix the bacon crumbles into the cream cheese (10 ounces) until thoroughly combined.
- Cut the top 1/3 of the pepper (lengthwise) off and discarded, creating a boat shape. Wear plastic gloves if possible and carefully remove seeds and ribs with a spoon.
- Spread each jalapeño boat with cream cheese and bacon mixture. Pour the panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip the stuffed jalapeño into the Panko crumbs (1/4 cup), cream cheese side down.
- Bake on a pan with a rack for 20-25 minutes. If the Panko crumbs aren't golden brown, turn the oven to broil and cook them, watching carefully so they don't burn, for a few minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy.
They look crazy good. I recall when I moved to Colorado from NC that I would remove jalapeno from anything that it came served with. Now? I can eat them raw almost and love serrano even more in dishes for that 'extra' kick.
Mmm, these look delicious!! You have a lot of great recipes on your blog. I'm your newest follower 🙂
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I need appetizers I can serve at room temperature. You have won me with these. thank you so much for this timely and delicious and WINNING post!!!!
You are speaking my language. I always have all of those ingredients in my kitchen. How could I not think of this before. Your posts are always right up my alley! – Gary
Jalapeno poppers are some of my very favorite treats! Definitely going to try these tasty morsels out.
Oh I love jalepeno poppers! These look way healthier than the store bought ones! I will have to try them!
I make a version of these that are stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon (the pioneer woman recipe) but the bacon can be so time consuming to wrap! This looks much simpler, yet just as delicious if not more so! Can't wait to try!
YUM- I'd love a few of these to munch on right now. I'm going to make these soon.
Would it be wrong to go to the store for ingredients right now and just not share with anyone?
Found your blog through Tastespotting. These beauties are baking in the oven as I type. Love this easy and non-fried version. Thanks! 🙂
Bacon? Did I read bacon? Lead me to it! What a marvelous appetizer. I bet the guys love it too.
The other day when you posted this recipe, I saved the link in my “recipes I want to try” folder.
I went to the grocery store yesterda and low and behold they had jalapeno peppers on sale, so I picked up 40 of them for appetizers at today's 4th of July get together.
They were a huge hit!!
I did add shredded cheddar cheese to the cream cheese and bacon mixture to bind it all together and stretch the mixture. And I forgot the panko bread crumbs…
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the recipe, this is a definite keeper!!
awesome! I love how you added the bacon to the stuffing instead of wrapping the popper with bacon!
What tasty little treats! Can't go wrong adding bacon!
Love this recipe! These peppers look divine! Thanks for sharing! Happy 4th!
Wonderful appetizer, my son would really like this.
I love jalapenos poppers, but hate how they're usually deep fried when you order them at a restaurant…this recipe is the perfect solution!
Hope you and yours have a wonderful Fourth!
YUM! Jalapenos and cheese are a great great combination. Definitely making these in the future!
I love jalapeño poppers, so I know I'm going to love these.