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
- Sausage Pinwheels
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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.
Emmalene says
You have a lovely blog here with wonderful recipes! Gonna want seconds indeed…
Chris says
I'm wishing right now that I had thrown some of those onto the smoker, I could use a snack right now and the pork butts won't be ready for another 9 hours.
Jen_from_NJ says
My daughter loves jalapeno poppers so I will definitely need to try these – the addition of bacon must be delicious! Thank you!
Raina says
I have never tried these before. Yours look very yummy. They seem like the perfect appetizer especially for the summer and I like that they are pretty easy to make:)
Rambling Tart says
Those are gorgeous, Kathleen! The browned bits are absolutely wonderful. 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic weekend. 🙂
Kristen says
These look wonderful! I love the addition of Panko crumbs, add nice crunch I'm sure!
Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says
My motto is that anything with cream cheese and bacon has to be good! These look great, I so want to make them! I'm bookmarking it now, thanks!
Susi says
Stuffed jalapenos never last long in our house. I have a recipe that calls for chicken and corn in the filling but how can you go wrong with bacon? I'm making note of this one as well, I don't think there is such a thing as too many recipes :o)
My Kitchen in the Rockies says
I love stuffed jalapenos. My friend will be bringing some on Sunday. I myself do not have a recipe for them and will be taking yours. Thanks for sharing.
Kristin says
These look great! I love stuffed jalapenos. I hope you have a happy 4th.
Karen says
Thanks! I now know what I'm taking to a party on Sunday. The recipe is printing as I type. I've made similar recipes for this, but I think this one looks the best.
Happy 4th!
Karen
Ladybug Creek
Pam says
Wow! Your poppers look delicious! I have definitely got to try this one of these days. They'd make a perfect appetizer!
TKW says
Perfect for the 4th–all of the flavor without the fry!
bellini valli says
These are serious appetizers, and just enough of a firecracker perfect for July 4th.
Ana Powell says
These are so powerful and bursting with delicious and awesome flavours.
Great post.
Wishing you a great weekend ?
Grumpy and HoneyB says
yum! these look delish!!
Norm says
oh how i've missed you blog updates…these look amazing!
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
I bet these would be perfect for the 4th of July holiday! TY for sharing.
Mimi says
I will definitely need this recipe. I planted a three jalapeno plants and they are loaded with peppers.
Have a Happy 4th.
Mimi
Monet says
These would be gone at a flash in my house.
http://anecdotesandapples.weebly.com