Ultimate Jalapenos Popper recipe for a party appetizer that everyone loves! Crispy on the outside with melted cheese and bacon on the inside.
When it comes to appetizers, the jalapenos popper has it all! It is deep fried, cheesy and spicy, plus it includes bacon. Serve these fried peppers with seasoning ranch for dipping.
Wearing gloves, slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. You can use a jalapeno pepper corer or a teaspoon.
Mix together the cream cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, chopped bacon bits, and sriracha sauce.
Fill the jalapenos halves with the cheese mixture and set aside.
In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, plain bread crumbs, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt.
Put flour in the second wide, shallow bowl and beaten eggs in the third bowl. Dip the stuffed jalapenos popper halves in the beaten eggs and then coat with flour. Dip them in the beaten eggs again and then coat with the bread crumb mixture. Set aside on piece of parchment paper or a wire rack.
Heat oil in a deep fryer (or large pot with a thermometer) to 375˚F. Working in batches, fry several jalapenos poppers at once, for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
Can I bake these jalapeno poppers instead of frying them?
Yes, they can be baked rather than fried but your results will vary from the deep fried ones. Coat the jalapeños poppers, place them on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 425˚ For 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the coating is browned. (Another option is to fill the peppers but sprinkle the breading over the cheese filling instead of coating the jalapeños in it.)
Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Garnish with a little dried parsley for color, if desired.
How do you reheat jalapenos poppers?
Deep fried jalapeno poppers can stored in the refrigerator and reheated. If you want to store them longer, see the instructions below for freezing them.
- Oven: Bake at 375˚F for 8-12 minutes.
- Air fryer: Cook at 350˚F for 3-5 minutes.
- Microwave: Warm on high for 20-30 seconds.
Can this jalapenos popper recipe be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this jalapenos popper recipe in advance! There are two ways to do so. You can fry the jalapenos popper first and then freeze them or you can prep them and fry them later.
When frying the jalapenos poppers ahead of time, allow them to cool and put them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the freezer until they are partially frozen. Then, store them in an airtight container or plastic ziptop bag in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat in the oven at 425˚F for 12-15 minutes.
To fry them later, stuff the jalapenos, coat them with the breading, and put them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the fridge or the freezer until the jalapeno poppers filling and coating has hardened. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or gallon size freezer bag and store in the fridge (for up to 24 hours) or the freezer (for up to three months), until ready to fry.
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Jalapenos Popper Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 jalapenos seeded and sliced in half
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- ¼ cup chopped bacon bits
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 eggs beaten
- peanut oil or canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix together the cream cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, bacon bits, and sriracha sauce.
- Spoon cheese mixture into jalapenos halves.
- Put the flour into one bowl and the beaten eggs in a second bowl.
- In the third bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, plain bread crumbs, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt.
- Dip the stuffed jalapenos halves in the beaten eggs and then coat with flour. Dip in the beaten eggs again and then coat with the bread crumbs mixture.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer (or a large pot with a thermometer) to 375˚F. Fry a few jalapenos poppers at once, for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
- Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Video
Jom says
Bland. This recipe actually made the jalapeños boring.
Also, I tried this recipe twice. I followed everything precisely, double checked my temperatures, and followed everything to a T.
The breading will not stick to the smooth skin of the jalapeños.
I tossed them out both times. A waste of good jalapeños.
Life is too short to eat boring greasy poppers with the breading falling off of them.
Tonia Larson says
Hello Jom,
If you dip the jalapenos in the eggs and coat them in flour, it allows the breading to stick. I’m not sure which part of the jalapeno poppers were bland. The filling includes seasonings, bacon, and spicy cheese. Plus, the breading has seasonings in addition to the peppers having flavor. If you thought they were so boring the first time, I’m not sure why you went for a second round but you could’ve adding some of the jalapeno seeds to make the filling hotter and extra seasoning for more flavor.
~Tonia
Reeda says
Recipe was perfect. I had to omit cayenne for some of the family though.