Jalapeño Poppers

I’m not the biggest fan of football in the world, but I am the biggest fan of football food. Give me all the tailgate parties, please and thank you.

These Jalapeños Poppers are the perfect game day food. You can even prepare them ahead of time and just pop the jalapeño poppers in the oven right in time for kick off. These are made with easy to find ingredients and I have step by step photos to show you how to cut your jalapeños so no one’s tongue gets set on fire.

How to Make Jalapeño Poppers

This is a brief overview of how to make these delicious jalapeño poppers. For the full recipe with all of the measurements please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

1. Cook the bacon. Cut the bacon into small pieces and then cook in a cast iron pan. Remove it from the heat right as it begins to crisp up using a slotted spoon.
2. Cut the jalapeños. Read more on this below and see my step by step photos. I highly recommend using rubber gloves to do this.
3. Make the filling. In a small bowl combine the cooked bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chives, and garlic.
4. Fill the jalapeños. With your gloves still on, fill the jalapeños with the filling. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the jalapeños are soft and the filling has begun to brown on top.

Cutting Jalapeños for Jalapeño Poppers

Most of the heat of a jalapeño lives in the ribbing (the white lines you see when you cut it open) and the seeds. So you definitely want to remove both of those for this recipe. Once you have done that, you will find that these have a low to moderate level of heat to them.

As mentioned above, I highly recommend using gloves to prepare this recipe. If you have diced jalapeños before, you know that just the smallest amount of it’s juice in your eye is enough to ruin a day. With the number of jalapeños you are cutting, that juice will easily seep into your skin. Your best bet is to use some rubber gloves.

Start by cutting the jalapeño in half. Then, using a sharp knife, cut just below the stem inside the pepper. Be careful not to cut all the way through. This will easily remove the seeds from the rest of the jalapeño.

Now, using a spoon, scoop out the ribbing and the seeds. Be careful to make sure that all the seeds are removed.

Making Ahead

This recipe can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Make the recipe up to the point of putting it in the oven. Then cover the poppers and put them in the refrigerator. Put them in the oven right before you are ready to serve them.

Freezing Jalapeño Poppers

These also freeze really well. Make them to the point of putting them in the oven. Then lay on them on a wax paper lined plate and put them the freezer for four hours. Transfer them to an airtight container and store for up to three months.

When you are ready to bake them, take out as many as you want. Bake from frozen at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.