Jalapeno Poppers have to be one of my favorite snacks. I certainly don’t care how these lovely nuggets of heat come, I think they are fantastic. You can stuff them with cheese, bacon, shrimp, or just about anything else and they are going to disappear.
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!
Table of Contents
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 stuffed peppers are then breaded and fried until golden brown. What is not to love about that?
Serve up these beauties with pineapple curry or honey Sriracha sauce for an added kick. Or mellow out the heat with a dairy-based sauce such as sour cream or a blue cheese dip.
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.
Before You Begin
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.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Jalapeno peppers
- 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
How to Make Jalapeno Poppers
- Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to scrape out the pith and seeds from the peppers.
- Place cream cheese and cheddar cheese in a bowl and stir until well blended.
- Use a spoon to fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture.
- Place flour, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder in a bowl and whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Place milk into a separate shallow bowl.
- Dip stuffed jalapeno into the seasoned flour.
- Place the floured jalapeno in the milk and turn it over to coat all sides with milk.
- Place the jalapeno back into the seasoned flour and turn it over to coat all sides with flour.
- Place the floured pepper on a rack on a baking sheet and let the peppers sit for about 10 minutes.
- Pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.
- Dip floured jalapeno pepper into the milk again.
- Dip the jalapeno into the bread crumbs.
- Place the jalapeno back on the rack.
- Heat oil to 350 degrees.
- Dip the jalapeno into the milk and the bread crumbs for a second time.
- Let the breaded jalapenos set for about 5 minutes.
- Fry the jalapeno poppers one or two at a time until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Drain fried jalapeno poppers before serving.
Make More 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.
How to Freeze Jalapeno Poppers
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.
Love jalapeno peppers? Try these recipes!
- Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
- Candied Jalapenos
- Cheddar Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
- Jalapeno Cornbread
- Jalapeno Cream Cheese Wontons
- Jalapeno Ranch Dip
Great Game Day Recipes
- 7 Layer Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Fried Cheese Curds
- Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
- Taco Ring
- Vegetable Dip
- White Queso Dip
Check out more of my easy appetizer recipes and the best game day food here on CopyKat!
Jalapeno Poppers
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
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ 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.
- In a bowl, combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese until well blended.
- Use a spoon 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.
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 ?
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!
Stephanie
I am happy to hear you enjoyed the poppers!
Gina
If I put bacon should I cut it up raw and add to the cream cheese
Greg ellison
A great recipe I would not change a thing.????????????????
Gre ellison
A wonderful recipie would not change a thing.????????????????
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 like these served with a nice homemade ranch dip. I will see about getting a dip recipe for this dish.
Glenda
How can I just use cheddar cheese instead of cream cheese not really fond of it in my poppers.
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.
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 !!!
Kassie Cote
How do i bake them
Stephanie
I don’t think these would bake well. I personally would spray the heck out of them with a non stick spray and hope that would crisp up the batter enough.
Slonka
I think I will attempt these for the family sometime this weekend. Looks like a great recipe. Thanks, Stephanie.
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!!
Stephanie Manley
If they are gigantic thick walled peppers, you may want to blanch them. Sometimes I get them, and it takes a while to cook them down. I am glad you enjoyed the peppers.
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.
Stephanie Manley
Sometimes it depends on how large the jalapenos are. I have thought about doing that too when they are really large.
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.
Stephanie Manley
Great idea. I will have to give this a try sometime.
Stephanie Manley
I really like this idea. I want to give this a try soon.
Rana
You first dip them in flour and then the seasoned flour? Or is this a typo – is it milk then the seasoned flour?
Wendy Mitchler
My bread coating didn’t stick at all.
Diane
These were great! I’ll make again. Thank you!
Hanifa Vasta
Can one make a filling with jelopeno ,3cheesses and some feta and wrap in a spring roll sheet.
Stephanie Manley
I think you could do this in an egg roll wrapper and fry it 😉 But I am from Texas.
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.
Sandy
I am making these tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
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!!
stephaniemanley
Oh I bet this had a very nice flavor! Great substitution on your part.
Staci
Thank you so much. Made these tonight and my husband loved them. They were delicious!!!!!
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.
Rana
You first do them in flour and then the seasoned flour? Or is this a typo – is it milk then the seasoned flour?
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!!!
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.