Name: Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed; ¼ cup cream cheese; ¼ cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese; 6 slices bacon, cut in half

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These Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers are made with jalapeños, cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, bacon and air fried to crispy goodness.

Jalapeño poppers might actually be one of my favorite appetizers ever. They are perfectly filled with cheese which helps balance the spiciness from the jalapeños. I used fresh jalapenos which are sliced in half and baked or air fried until golden and bubbly. This appetizer is perfect for gameday or just a fun night in.

Whatever you do, when cutting the jalapeños, wear gloves or just do not touch your face. From experience, I once cut jalapeños and rubbed my eye and had to run my eye under cold water for 10 minutes, so be careful! Once you slice the jalapeño lengthwise WHILE wearing gloves, use a small spoon to scoot out the seeds and membranes.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Cream Cheese Poblano Peppers or my Stuffed Anaheim Peppers.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Jalapeno peppers
Cream cheese
Cheddar cheese
Bacon

See recipe card for Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers quantities.

Instructions

Cut and core the jalapeños.

Add the cream cheese and finely grated cheddar cheese in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Take the halved and cored jalapeño and place the cheese mixture inside the pepper. Repeat with the rest.

Wrap a piece of bacon around the stuffed pepper half. Repeat with the rest.

Cook at 375 for 10-12 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the cheese is browning.

For Oven:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add the cream cheese and finely grated cheddar cheese in a bowl and mix well with a fork.
Take the halved and cored jalapeño and place the cheese mixture inside the pepper. Repeat with the rest.
Wrap a piece of bacon around the stuffed pepper half. Repeat with the rest.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the cheese is browning.

Substitutions

Jalapeños: Ripe jalapeños are usually fat, firm, and develop a bright sheen. When they are ripe, they are bright green, then begin to darken and eventually turn black.

Cream cheese: The cream cheese will be in the dairy section of your grocery store. I bought regular Philadelphia original cream cheese, but you can always mix up the flavors. Scallion cream cheese I’m sure would taste awesome!

Cheddar cheese: I love using cheddar cheese for jalapeño poppers, although parmesan cheese tastes amazing as well. Sometimes adding a big of garlic powder and chives make the poppers amazing.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
Deluxe - top with crispy onions.
Kid friendly - use bell pepper for less spicy.

Check out these Pork Birria Tacos.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

You can leave in for extra time for crispier bacon.