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Quick and Easy Jalapeño Popper Recipe

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

This past September, I found myself staring at a half bushel of jalapeño peppers on my kitchen floor.

I had to do something with them, and quick! I whipped out the canning pot and supplies, and canned more jars of pickled jalapeños than one family should ever need…and I still had countless peppers left.

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

Then I remembered seeing a friend post something on Facebook about making and freezing jalapeño poppers. Was is actually possible? I had to try it!

What a perfect solution! I could make the jalapeño poppers ahead of time and pull them out of the freezer as needed. I plopped the basket of peppers on the counter and got to work.

Safety First! Jalapeño Safe Handling

Once upon a time, when I was younger and foolish, I spent an afternoon chopping and freezing jalapeño peppers. Within about 20 minutes of finishing, my hands were ON FIRE. Oh, the burning! The agony! For the next 24 hours, I spent a ridiculous amount of time with my hands in a bowl of ice water. I could hardly sleep that night!

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

I learned my lesson the hard way – always wear gloves when handling hot peppers! Since that incident, I keep a pair of rubber gloves AND safety goggles in my kitchen that are dedicated for use around hot peppers. The goggles protect my eyes from splattering pepper juice when removing the seeds (and yes, I found that out the hard way too! OUCH!).

If you don’t have gloves and goggles available, then use extreme caution. DO NOT touch your eyes or your face after touching the peppers! Wash your hands immediately when done handling the peppers.

That said, these delicious peppers are well worth the safety risk!

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A Flexible Jalapeño Popper Recipe

After searching on-line for jalapeño poppers recipes, I decided to make up my own recipe. My husband always laughs at me – I tend to think of recipes as “suggestions,” not instructions (maybe I just don’t like anyone telling me what to do. Ha!) . I always like to do things “my way”. So feel free to change it up!

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

Think of this recipe as a foundation, something you can build upon if you so desire. The poppers taste great with the basic ingredients, or you can kick it up a notch by adding some extras.

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

The recipe is simple and easy – simply cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, fill the peppers and bake them.

Print
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Quick and Easy Jalapeño Poppers Appetizer

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lori Hernandez
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Description

A simple and easy appetizer that is sure to please at any party!


Ingredients

Units Scale


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Instructions

  1. About an hour or two before beginning, pull cream cheese out of the fridge to soften.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Protect your hands, using food handling gloves (and maybe eye protection).
  4. Wash peppers, dry and slice each pepper in half lengthwise.
  5. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes. Arrange peppers, hollow side up, on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.
  6. Mix softened cream cheese, shredded cheese and Worcestershire sauce in a medium sized bowl. If adding optional spices, add just a pinch at a time and adjust to taste.
  7. Add a scoop of the cheese mixture to the hollow of each jalapeño pepper half. Press into place.
  8. If using bacon, cut the bacon slices in half, making 24 strips of bacon.
  9. Wrap each strip around a cheese filled jalapeño and secure with a toothpick.
  10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden (and bacon is cooked, if using bacon)

Notes

If baking pre-made frozen poppers, be sure to add 2-3 minutes additional baking time. No need to thaw them first – just pull out to the freezer, place them in a baking sheet and put them in the oven.

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You can make these poppers ahead of time and freeze them, as I did, or you can make a fresh batch as needed. For those of you that garden and find yourselves overrun with jalapeños, this is a perfect way to preserve them.

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

I made a huge batch of poppers and froze them on cookie sheets. Once they were frozen solid, I transferred them to freezer bags. If you have a Food Saver System, this would work beautifully to freeze them in perfect serving sizes.

Quick Easy Jalapeno poppers

I love having these jalapeño poppers on hand at all times. When I need a quick appetizer, it’s easy to grab a handful of them, pop them in the oven and have a great snack 20 minutes later. They are always a hit at parties and the recipe is so simple, it’s easy to recite it from memory! Enjoy!

Need more appetizer and snack recipes? Check out other Kitchen Stewardship® appetizer recipes and don’t forget Katie’s ebook featuring 34 Gluten-Free Snacks.
What party will you be bringing these appetizers to? Did you make any of your own changes to the recipe?
Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.

8 thoughts on “Quick and Easy Jalapeño Popper Recipe”

  1. Natasha Smith

    Making these tonight with my stuffed peppers! cant wait! I havent made these in a long time! Would this also work in the airfryer? thank you

    1. Carolyn @ Kitchen Stewardship

      Hi Natasha, I don’t believe the author of this post checks back in for comments any longer. I think it would work in an air fryer, but I couldn’t say what the timing would be. Would definitely require some testing!

  2. Sometimes I prep everything ahead of time and then stuff and bake when ready to serve. Has anyone tried cooked bacon in the cheese mix rather than wrapping?






    1. Carolyn @ Kitchen Stewardship

      Prepping ahead of time sounds like a great plan Lea! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work to used cooked bacon in the cheese, it sounds yummy!

  3. Jaclyn White

    I’m thinking of making these for Sunday’s “big game.” Today is Friday so it doesn’t really make sense to freeze them, and I’d like to eat them fresh–not reheated. Would it work to prepare them today and store them in the fridge instead of freezer? Then I could bake them on Sunday. Thanks for your help! This is my favorite site and I tell anybody who is looking for better health and living to check it out! : )

    1. Thanks for recommending KS to your friends, Jaclyn! I think it would be fine to prepare the jalapeno poppers a couple days ahead of time to prepare for the big game. I’d be comfortable making them 3 days in advance, and I’ll think they’ll hold just fine in the fridge in an air-tight container. Enjoy the game, and the poppers!
      Laura @ Kitchen Stewardship

      1. Jaclyn White

        Good to know! I went ahead and waited to make them until the day of and we ate them fresh. They were SO GOOD! My husband was surprised. : ) I’m definitely buying more peppers and freezing some!






        1. I’m glad you and your husband liked them! It’s great that they’re freezer friendly so they can be ready on short notice whenever the mood strikes. 😉

          Laura @ Kitchen Stewardship

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