Jalapeno poppers in 2 ways!
Mmmmm, jalapeno poppers! These irresistible cheesy and spicy appetizers are easy to make and sure to impress your friends. Perfect for any celebration like Canada day today or really any event. This simple recipe beats the frozen store-bought version any day!
Snacky’s, appy’s, finger food – these jalapeno poppers are the perfect pre-meal appetizer or perfect for your guests to grab and munch on while entertaining. I absolutely love finger food and to be honest, sometimes I’d prefer to have a platter of tasty little eats as opposed to a full proper meal.
Variations…
Here are 2 different ways to create these super yummy jalapeno poppers, bacon wrapped or breaded and deep fried. Both are absolutely delicious, but it really depends on your personal preference, time and the ingredients you have on hand.
The bacon-wrapped option is much quicker and my personal favourite. The breaded version on the other hand adds a crispy crunchy texture that imitates the poppers you’ll find at your local bar or the grocery store. My advice? Try both!
Tips:
- Spice level. If you follow the recipe but omit the jalapeno seeds, you’ll end up with a quite mild jalapeno popper. To make spicy jalapeno poppers, add the seeds and more hot sauce!
- Jalapenos are generally pretty tame when it comes to spicy peppers, but to be on the safe side, wear gloves while handling them.
- When is oil ready for frying? Oil is ready when you can flick some water into it and it starts bubbling immediately.
Jalapeno Poppers, 2 ways
Equipment
- Deep fryer or oil and a pot
- Bowl
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 6 whole jalapenos halved lengthwise
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese finely grated
- 1 tbsp hot sauce I prefer Tabasco or Frank's, but feel free to use your preferred hot sauce.
- 3 strips bacon cut in half
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Wash and slice the jalapenos lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds of the halved jalapenos and set aside.
- For the filing: in a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper until well combined. *For a little spice, add the seeds of 1-2 jalapenos. For a lot of spice, add the seeds of 3-4 jalapenos.
- Fill each halved jalapeno with the cream cheese filing.
- For the bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, preheat oven to 400℉. Cut the bacon strips in half. Wrap half a slice of bacon around 6 jalapeno pepper halves filled with the filing. Bake at 400℉ for approximately 20 minutes or until bacon fat is rendered and is cooked to your liking.
- For the deep fried jalapeno poppers, heat the vegetable oil in a medium pot on medium-high heat. To prepare the remaining 6 jalapeno pepper halves, set up the flour, beaten egg and panko in 3 separate bowls. Dip into the flour, egg, flour, egg, and panko. Fry the breaded jalapeno poppers until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
