Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

Jalapeno Poppers have to be one of my favorite snacks. They are the perfect party appetizer, one thing is for certain when you bring these out, the good times are going to roll. Best of all you can stuff them with cheese, bacon, shrimp, or just about anything else and they are going to disappear.

overhead view of a jalapeno poppers in a bowl


I think the first time I tried a jalapeno popper was when I was working in a restaurant, or you might just call it a place that served food. I thought these hot poppers were the best thing we had on the menu.

Crispy, creamy, and just a bit spicy, Jalapeno Poppers are a hard-to-beat party snack or tailgate food everyone will love. The next time you get a craving for these classic restaurant apps, forget about going out. You can make the best poppers at home! I know you are going to love this jalapeño poppers recipe.

What’s a Jalapeno Popper?

Anyone who hasn’t tried a Jalapeno Poppers is in for a real treat with this recipe. It all starts with stuffing a hollowed-out jalapeno pepper full of your choice of cheese and other ingredients. The best part of making these is you get to customize the cheese filling any way you want. Just think of all of the fun ways you can make these your stuffed pepper.

The stuffed peppers are then breaded and fried until golden brown. What is not to love about that?

Whatever way you like to eat your stuffed jalapeno peppers, after you realize how easy they are to make at home, this recipe will become your go-to crowd-pleaser.

jalapeno popper with a bite taken out of it on top of a pile of the poppers

Are Jalapeno peppers spicy?

Some jalapeno peppers are spicy, and some are mild. it is a wives tale that if you look at a jalapeno pepper and see brown streaks on it, they are hotter, than those without the brown streaks on them. If you do not like super spicy flavors I would remove the seeds and the white inner membranes in them when you cut them open.

Before You Begin – Some Words of Caution for Jalapeno Recipes

Making Jalapeno Poppers isn’t tricky, but there are a few basics safety tips anyone who does often cook with jalapeno peppers needs to know. Jalapenos peppers are not exceeding hot, but they can pack quite a wallop with a Scoville rating of between 2,500 and 8000. Before preparing the recipe, remember to:

  • Wear gloves when working with jalapenos. The peppers can cause slight skin irritation for people who are highly susceptible to capsaicin oil, but the real risk is forgetting you handled peppers and then touching your eyes, nose or other sensitive areas of your body. That is sure to give you a rather nasty surprise. Remember to always wash your hands with soap immediately after preparing the peppers.
  • Test your peppers before stuffing them.  Some jalapenos are mild, and some are wild. Do yourself a favor and find out which type you have before starting. The tip of the pepper is the mildest part of the pepper and up by the stem is where the heat-level tops out. Slice off the tiny bit of the tip of the pepper, taste the pepper, and this should give you an idea of how hot they are.
  • Reduce the heat by cleaning out the pepper thoroughly. The pepper’s seeds and the very top layer of flesh on the inside of the pepper called the pith contain the most capsaicin oil. Use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds and remove the pith. You can rinse out the peppers to get rid of even more heat. Make sure the peppers are bone dry before starting to stuff.

Jalapeno Popper Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Fresh jalapenos
  • Cream cheese
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Milk
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Paprika
  • Chili powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Seasoned bread crumbs
  • Vegetable oil for frying
jalapeno poppers ingredients

How to Make Jalapeno Poppers

  1. Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise.
  2. Use a spoon to scrape out the pith and seeds from the peppers.
    jalapeno peppers cut in half and seeded
  3. Place cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a small bowl and stir until well blended.
    cheddar and cream cheese mixture in a bowl
  4. Use a small spoon to fill each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture.
    cheese filled jalapeno peppers
  5. Place flour, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder in a bowl and whisk to combine thoroughly.
  6. Place milk into a separate shallow bowl.
  7. Dip stuffed jalapeno into the seasoned flour.
    coating a cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper in flour
  8. Place the floured jalapeno in the milk and turn it over to coat all sides with milk.
    a flour coated cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper in milk
  9. Place the jalapeno back into the seasoned flour and turn it over to coat all sides with flour.
    coating a cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper in flour
  10. Place the floured pepper on a rack on a baking sheet and let the peppers sit for about 10 minutes.
    flour coated cheese filled jalapeno peppers on a wire rack
  11. Pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
  12. Dip floured jalapeno pepper into the milk again.
  13. Dip the jalapeno into the bread crumbs.
    coating a cheese stuffed jalapeno pepper in breadcrumbs
  14. Place the jalapeno back on the rack.
  15. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
  16. Dip the jalapeno into the milk and the bread crumbs for a second time.
  17. Let the breaded jalapenos set for about 5 minutes.
  18. Fry the jalapeno poppers one or two at a time until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
    jalapeno poppers frying in oil
  19. Drain fried jalapeno poppers before serving.

What should I dip my jalapeno poppers in?

There are so many possibilities when enjoying this game day snack. Here are a few suggestions for you.

Storing and reheating leftover jalapeno poppers

It’s a rare occasion when you have any leftovers, but should store leftovers! Here are a few tips for you.

  • Refrigerate – after they have cooled off to room temperature place in an airtight container, they will last 3 to 4 days.
  • Freeze – after they have cooled off to room temperature store in an airtight container and freeze for 3 months.

What to serve with jalapeno poppers?

If you are serving these as part of a party menu, I recommend going with a Mexican theme. Here would be some suggestions to help round out this theme.

Make More jalapeño poppers Than You Need

The recipe below makes 30 poppers, but you can easily make two or three times that amount at one time. Then you can freeze the poppers and reheat them when you are ready to enjoy.

Can you freeze Jalapeno Poppers and reheat them later?

Cook them as directed, let cool, place them spaced apart on a baking sheet, and then freeze solid. When frozen, place them in freezer bags. Reheat frozen jalapeno poppers in a 350-degree oven until hot, around 20 minutes.

overhead view of jalapeno poppers in a bowl

Love jalapeno peppers? Try these recipes!

Great Game Day Recipes

Check out more of my easy appetizer recipes and the best game day food here on CopyKat!

overhead view of a jalapeno poppers in a bowl

Jalapeno Poppers

Cheddar and cream cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers are so easy to make from scratch.
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Jalapeno Poppers
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 30
Calories: 133kcal

Ingredients

  • 30 jalapeno peppers
  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • teaspoon paprika
  • teaspoon chili powder
  • teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the pith and the seeds inside of the peppers. The seeds and the pith are where the intense heat is, so you want to remove the heat.
  • Prepare the cheesy filling by combining the cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese in a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Use a ssmall poon to fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture.
  • Prepare seasoned flour by placing the flour into a small shallow bowl. Add salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder to the flour. Whisk or stir spices into the flour until it has a uniform appearance.
  • Place milk into a separate shallow bowl.
  • Dip stuffed jalapeno into the seasoned flour, the milk, and then back into the seasoned flour.
  • Place floured pepper on a baking sheet with a rack. Let the peppers "dry" for about 10 minutes. This step is crucial for the peppers. The flour layer will help the stuffing remain inside the pepper, and give the breadcrumbs something to hold onto.
  • Pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
  • Dip floured jalapeno pepper into the milk and then into the bread crumbs. Place pepper back on the rack.
  • Heat oil to 350 degrees.
  • Dip pepper into the milk and the bread crumbs for the second time. Go ahead and dip all, this should be enough drying time for the coating. The bread crumb coating needs about five minutes for its drying time.
  • Fry peppers one or two at a time until golden brown. This will only take a minute or two.
  • Remove poppers from the oil and drain on a wire rack resting on a baking sheet. Draining them on paper towels can leave the bottoms a bit sogy.

Video

Notes

It is highly recommended you wear gloves when cutting the jalapenos. The oils in the peppers can burn your skin.
You can freeze the fried jalapeno poppers to enjoy later. Place them spaced apart on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Store frozen poppers in a zip-top freezer bag. To reheat frozen jalapeno poppers, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until hot, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 0.5mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Molly

    I was looking for this recipe and looked at yours because you had the video. I made these for my Tex Mex themed dinner and they were a Big hit. Delicious! Well done. Easy to make. Just what I was looking for. Thank you ?

  2. Angie

    Made these tonight with garden fresh jalapenos and OH MY GOSH!!! They were perfect! Followed recipe to the t. Waited 30 min. between each set and they fried up great. Kudos to the creator of this wonderful recipe. Cheers!

  3. Ron

    It would be nice to include a dipping sauce with these. I tried these recently at a well-known restaurant chain and they had a nice “refreshing and cool” sauce that really played well with the heat of the peppers. I know they included avocado, and I use sour cream / natural yogurt with sriracha sauce for a quick and simple sauce.

      • Stephanie

        I don’t think this will work well. It is possible, but the cream cheese really helps it melt a little nicer. Or you could try it with American cheese, not Velveeta, but American cheese you buy from the deli department in your grocery store.

  4. Joe D

    Great recipie!
    I used fresh jalapeño and I would definitely blanch mu peppers first to soften them up.
    I used three times as much flour and twice as much bread crumbs as this recipie called for when I made mine.
    I am so happy that I found this recipie! I love jalapeño poppers !!!

  5. Slonka

    I think I will attempt these for the family sometime this weekend. Looks like a great recipe. Thanks, Stephanie.

  6. Michele Riccardi-Mees

    Absolutely the best!!…I used fresh jalapeños from my garden…wouldn’t change a thing on your recipe…blanching was not necessary at 350 degrees for 2 minutes…peppers were perfect.. ..waiting is the key after flouring and breading…I waited 30 minutes after each step..Thank You!!

  7. Dee

    Good recipe, but the peppers seemed a bit hard still. would definitely blanch the peppers first. Also used quite a bit more milk and breadcrumbs than it called for. I’ll be making these again.

      • Dee

        We have been putting them in the toaster oven on broil for about 15 mins, then flip and cook another 7. They come out fully cooked, and one side is softer, so it doesn’t tear up the roof of my mouth. I’m making another batch today! Actually a double batch lol We freeze them and eat these a few times a week. Kudos! Love this recipe! And yes, mine are rather big peppers.. But we’re ok with them in the toaster, and staying away from all the fat when frying.

      • Sue Ballard

        I make a lot of egg rolls and poppers, I’m thinking that if you wrapped a popper in an egg roll skin it would brown the skin way before the pepper inside can cook. I’d like to know if this worked.

  8. Kelly Miller

    Made these tonight. We didn’t have breadcrumbs, so instead, we threes bag of turkey stuffing in the food processor. Turkey only because it’s what we had 🙂 all I can say is wow! Next batch will include Franks red hot sauce in with the cheeses and more seeds!!

  9. alana

    Made these. They were great, however it was difficult to keep the breading from falling off while deep frying. We put half in the freezer. Perhaps those will work better since the breading will be frozen to the pepper before frying.

    • stephaniemanley

      I generally don’t have this problem. I might suggest that you really wait a bit in between coating and the frying. It is really critical you do this.

  10. Sandy Flowers Stephens

    YUM!! I have been over run with Jalapenos at my house!! I have made jalapeno jelly, candied jalapenos and used them in my homemade Salsa that I canned… This sounds like another good way to use my peppers!! Thanks, can’t wait to try these!!!

  11. Danielle

    Could I just hollow the peppers out or do they need to be cut in half? Also do you need to use a second cheese or can it be just cream cheese?

    • stephaniemanley

      You could do it that way. I have seen them more often done like I split them as pictured in this recipe.

      You can also prepare the recipe anyway you like. You could use only 1 type of cheese, but I wrote the recipe using a couple of types of cheese because I thought that they tasted better this way.

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