About this recipe
Crispy, creamy, and packed with flavor — these air fryer jalapeno poppers are stuffed with cheesy filling and ready in minutes. The perfect easy starter for beginners and snack lovers alike.
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I’ve been loving appetizer recipes lately! Whenever I go out to eat, I get super excited for apps - pretty much just as excited as for the main!
By Anadi Misra ·
By Anadi Misra ·
By Anadi Misra ·
Along with French fries, jalapeño poppers are a top choice for appetizers! I’m always up for some heat in my food, and these jalapeño poppers will certainly deliver! However, don’t worry, they won’t be overly spicy - and I’ll discuss this later on in this post how to minimize the heat if you are sensitive to heat!
If you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel (please do if you’re not already so you stay up to date on all my video recipes!), then you’ve seen I started a new theme for August called #hotshots2022, where we’ll be preparing lots of tasty finger foods! I recently had some amazing jalapeño poppers when I ordered a pizza, and I knew I just had to try them at home! For more details about the benefits of having a theme and how going out to eat can inspire your next amazing creation in the kitchen, be sure to check out my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! free motivational guide! If you try out these jalapeño poppers as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge, then be sure to share your creation on Instagram so I can get hungry!
Don’t forget to watch the video to follow along as I prepare these crowd pleaser Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers! I’ve got all the details whether you’re baking these in the oven or air frying them. Let’s get cooking!
My air fryer is the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 2-basket air fryer. My favourite feature of this air fryer is the fact that you can make two different dishes at the same time. I love this aspect if you’re making a complete meal in the air fryer. For instance, if you want to pair some Chicken Wingswith the Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers, then you can make them at the same time as the poppers. Everything can be prepared hot and fresh at the same time! I recommend you watch this videofor a more detailed review.
If all the inner white ribs of the jalapeño were removed, then these poppers would be more towards mild than spicy. Similarly, if you left all of the ribs in the jalapeño, these poppers can get quite spicy. There is a range of spice levels down the middle based on how much of the ribs you leave on the jalapeños.
Another note, is the act of roasting the peppers intensifies the spice in the jalapeños.
Time to see what we’ll need for our Air Fried Jalapeño Poppers. The ingredient list is quite minimal, making this an accessible and quick appetizer! Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD to see all ingredient quantities and instructions and to save the recipe for later! The recipe card will also allow you to scale the individual ingredients for our filling based on how many poppers you want to make. You can make these just on a casual weeknight or for a huge crowd and you’ll have the right amount of filling - no calculations and ratios on your end!
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a whisk or a spatula, combine well together. Reserve as needed for the recipe and freeze the rest.
Cut the jalapeños in half.
Then using a paring knife or a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño.
In the meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon bits until they are crispy.
Then transfer to a plate or bowl line with paper towels and lightly pat dry.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese.
Mix well until combined, taste and adjust with salt to preference.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeño halves - making sure not to overstuff it.
In a pan or microwave, melt the garlic butter.
Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and add the melted butter on the breadcrumbs. Mix well until there are no lumps.
Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the jalapeños.
Set the temperature between 375 F to 390 F and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
To remove the cooked jalapeño poppers, use a thin spatula to remove from the air fryer basket.
You can switch up your Jalapeño Poppers in so many ways! Here are a couple of ideas:
Be sure to comment below how you’ll customize your Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Poppers!
This is such an easy appetizer recipe. To be honest, you can have them with anything you want! They’re unbelievably light, so they’re a blank canvas to mix and match with a meal to remember! Here are some ideas to complete your special gathering or just to pair for an awesome game day party!
For sure you can! If you check out the video, you’ll see that I baked the jalapeño poppers in the oven as well to do a comparison of air frying and baking in the oven. To bake your jalapeño poppers in the oven, set the oven to 425 F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
Serve hot!
As you can see, the air fryer popper (on the left) looks significantly different from the baked one! The air fryer method was much easier and got the cheese a nice golden brown. You can achieve a similar effect in the oven, but I just took it out early because I was hungry and so that you can compare!
Yes, you definitely can, and I really recommend you do! These are such easy appetizers to prepare, assemble, and cook, so if you have a large party to deal with, I’d get these out of the way so you can focus on other more complicated dishes! Let’s review how to store leftovers and how to reheat Air Fried Jalapeño Poppers.
If you have extra jalapeño poppers, store them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3 days due to the cheeses in here.
You can reheat your jalapeño poppers in the oven or air fryer.
To reheat in the air fryer, turn it on to 350 F and heat for about five minutes, or until the cheese is molten and the jalapeño poppers are entirely warmed through. To reheat in the oven, preheat it to 350 F. It will take about 10 minutes to reheat in the oven.
I would not recommend you reheat your Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers in the microwave or else the breadcrumbs will get soggy and lose their nice crunchy texture!
However, for best results, I do recommend you serve these fresh! If you want to still save some time, you can prep your jalapeno poppers by doing the following:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Crispy, creamy, and packed with flavor — these air fryer jalapeno poppers are stuffed with cheesy filling and ready in minutes. The perfect easy starter for beginners and snack lovers alike.
Be the first to rate ✦
25 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Total
24
poppers
medium
Level
Tap any quantity to scale
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a whisk or a spatula, combine well together. Reserve as needed for the recipe and freeze the rest.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a whisk or a spatula, combine well together. Reserve as needed for the recipe and freeze the rest.
Cut the jalapeños in half. Then using a paring knife or a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño.
Cut the jalapeños in half. Then using a paring knife or a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño.
In the meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon bits until they are crispy. Then transfer to a plate or bowl line with paper towels and lightly pat dry.
In the meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon bits until they are crispy. Then transfer to a plate or bowl line with paper towels and lightly pat dry.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, bacon, green onions and cheese. Mix well until combined, taste and adjust with salt to preference.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, bacon, green onions and cheese. Mix well until combined, taste and adjust with salt to preference.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeño halves - making sure not to overstuff it.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeño halves - making sure not to overstuff it.
In a pan or microwave, melt the garlic butter. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and add the melted butter on the breadcrumbs. Mix well until there are no lumps.
In a pan or microwave, melt the garlic butter. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and add the melted butter on the breadcrumbs. Mix well until there are no lumps.
Spoon 2–3 tsp of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the jalapeños.
Spoon 2–3 tsp of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the jalapeños.
Air-fryer method - Set the temperature between 375 F to 390 F and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
Air-fryer method - Set the temperature between 375°F (191°C) to 390°F (199°C) and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
To remove the cooked jalapeño poppers, use a thin spatula to remove from the air fryer basket.
To remove the cooked jalapeño poppers, use a thin spatula to remove from the air fryer basket.
Oven method - Set the oven to 425 F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
Oven method - Set the oven to 425°F (218°C) and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
Serve hot!
Serve hot!
118
Calories
3g
Protein
4g
Carbs
10g
Fat
0g
Fiber
1g
Sugar
175mg
Sodium
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Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
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