Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon

These jalapeño poppers are filled with a cream cheese mixture, topped with crumbled bacon pieces, and then baked to perfection. You won’t be able to stop at one!

Appetizers are just what you need to start any party off right! If you want some more appetizer ideas then try this dip, these egg rolls, or this amazing cheesy bread. They will FLY off of your table!

A platter of jalapeño poppers with some dip.

Jalapeño Poppers Recipe with Bacon

The party just got started with these jalapeño poppers! Add a little heat to your party, then cool it down with a creamy cheese blend that is stuffed full in each jalapeño. Every bite will start with a cool, creamy stuffing and then end with a soft crunch and a little spice to wake you up! With the bacon crumbled in the mix, you will have a savory, spicy, and a little bit salty appetizer that will be the talk of any party!

Jalapeños are essential with this recipe. These are a little spicy, but they have a smooth, cool taste to bring down that heat with the cream cheese mixture. These jalapeño poppers are baked, not fried. By baking your jalapeño poppers, you will have a tender jalapeño rather than a crispy or crunchy one from being fried. I prefer to chop the bacon and crumble it. You can add ground meat or different seasonings and spices to these jalapeño poppers to make them more hearty and flavorful.

Ingredients You Need to Make Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeños are essential with this recipe! If you want to remove some heat, then when you slice the jalapeno in half and remove the seeds inside. These are what hold most of the heat. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

Jalapeños: Pick fresh, bright green and bigger than average jalapeños. Then they are easier to stuff and hold!
Cream cheese: Soften your cream cheese and add it to the mix. This helps cool down the spicyness of the jalapeño.
Garlic powder: This is a seasoning that adds to the jalapeño popper.
Salt and pepper: Add these to your preferred taste!
Cheddar cheese: Shred some of this up and add it to the cream cheese. It tastes so good!
Bacon: Pre-cook your bacon and then remove the excess grease. When you are finished cooking it then crumble or cut it into small pieces.
Green onions: Make these thinly sliced and then place them in the mixture.

How to Make

Jalapeño Poppers

These only take a few minutes to whip up. They are so fresh and delicious that they will soon become your go-to appetizer for any get-together!

Preheat oven and slice the jalapeños: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wearing gloves, slice each of the jalapeños in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to remove the seeds and veins.
Combine filling mixture: In a medium sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar, bacon, and green onions.
Add mixture to jalapeños and bake: Spoon the mixture evenly in the jalapeños and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the jalapeños are tender.

Tips for Making Jalapeno Poppers

These jalapeño poppers taste so good! Here are a few tips that you can try out to make sure that yours turn out just right.

Cutting jalapeños: Make sure to wear gloves while cutting jalapeño peppers. This will protect your hands from burning your skin.
How to slice your jalapeño: Slice them in half lengthwise and remove the rib and seeds for less spicy jalapeños.
Control the spice level: Take out the rib inside the jalapeño and then remove all of the seeds for a less spicy jalapeño.
Bacon: Cook the bacon and drain the grease. Then, chop or crumble it into pieces. Use pre-cooked bacon or even crumbled bacon in a jar to speed up the process.
Cheese: Try blending cheeses together and changing the cheeses up. Add extra cheese on top to bake over the jalapeño poppers.
Crispier poppers: For a crispier jalapeno poppers, bake them on the top wire rack in the oven.
Different types of cooking jalapeño poppers: Grilling or using the air fryer are great ways to enjoy jalapeño poppers.

What goes with Jalapeño Poppers?

These baked jalapeño poppers stand out on their own and can be eaten as-is but…If you want to take them to the next level and switch things up then try to add a dip!

Add a dip: If you love to dip then try dipping them in a classic ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or a cilantro lime creamy dressing. These dressings will turn down the heat and help with the spice level!

Jalapeño poppers being stuffed with cream cheese, cheese and bacon mixture.

Different Stuffing Flavors to Try

There are so many ways of stuffing a jalapeño popper. I have a classic, simple way of stuffing my jalapeño poppers with bacon. You can create different flavors and fun ways to add to your baked, stuffed jalapeño popper with these varieties.

Cheese: Goat cheese, mozzarella, Colby jack or Monterey cheese.
Meat: Wrapped bacon jalapeños, shredded chicken, ground beef or crab meat.
Vegetables: Bell peppers, mushrooms, chopped onions.
Seasonings: Cayenne pepper, garlic salt or red pepper flakes.

How to Store Leftovers

These jalapeño poppers go fast and disappear quickly. I tend to double the batch before I take them to a party! If you end up having some leftovers then here is how you can store them to eat later.

Make the stuffing in advance: Add all the cheese, cream cheese and seasoning mixture together. Cover and place in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
Keep them in the refrigerator: Prepare your mixture and stuff each of your jalapeños. Before cooking them place them in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them. They will stay in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Can you freeze you jalapeño poppers? Yes! Stuff the peppers with the cheese mixture and then put them in an airtight container. Try not to stack them. You can freeze for up to 1 month. When you are ready to bake them then place them on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. There is no need to thaw them.
Warming up: Place them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are tender and warmed through.