Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
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Love some heat? These Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers will be adored by everyone! Jalapeños stuffed with a smooth and creamy cream cheese filling topped with crispy breadcrumbs and bacon bits. They’ll disappear off the table in a flash!
Easy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
I’ve been loving appetizer recipes lately! Whenever I go out to eat, I get super excited for apps - pretty much just as excited as for the main!
Along with French fries, jalapeño poppers are a top choice for appetizers! I’m always up for some heat in my food, and these jalapeño poppers will certainly deliver! However, don’t worry, they won’t be overly spicy - and I’ll discuss this later on in this post how to minimize the heat if you are sensitive to heat!
If you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel (please do if you’re not already so you stay up to date on all my video recipes!), then you’ve seen I started a new theme for August called #hotshots2022, where we’ll be preparing lots of tasty finger foods! I recently had some amazing jalapeño poppers when I ordered a pizza, and I knew I just had to try them at home! For more details about the benefits of having a theme and how going out to eat can inspire your next amazing creation in the kitchen, be sure to check out my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! free motivational guide! If you try out these jalapeño poppers as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge, then be sure to share your creation on Instagram so I can get hungry!
Don’t forget to watch the video at the bottom of this post to follow along as I prepare these crowd pleaser Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers! I’ve got all the details whether you’re baking these in the oven or air frying them. Let’s get cooking!
How to Cut the Jalapeños
Cut the jalepeños down the middle and then using a spoon or a knife, remove the white parts of the peppers, the ribs and the seeds. Most of the heat in the peppers are from the ribs of the pepper, you can control the heat level by remove all or parts of the ribs to match your preference.
Tools Needed For Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
Baking tray (if baking in the oven)
Ramekin (handy for your garlic butter)
My air fryer is the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 2-basket air fryer. My favourite feature of this air fryer is the fact that you can make two different dishes at the same time. I love this aspect if you’re making a complete meal in the air fryer. For instance, if you want to pair some Chicken Wings with the Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers, then you can make them at the same time as the poppers. Everything can be prepared hot and fresh at the same time! I recommend you watch this video for a more detailed review.
Are these Jalapeño poppers spicy? How do I make jalapeño poppers less spicy?
If all the inner white ribs of the jalepeño were removed, then these poppers would be more towards mild than spicy. Similarly, if you left all of the ribs in the jalepeño, these poppers can get quite spicy. There is a range of spice levels down the middle based on how much of the ribs you leave on the jalepeños.
Another note, is the act of roasting the peppers intensifies the spice in the jalepeños.
Tips for Addictive Jalapeño Poppers
Play around with the spice level by leaving some of the ribs in the jalepeño before stuffing them. Most of the heat lives in the white parts of the pepper.
Using similar sized peppers will help with consistency in both filling and the final platter of jalepeño poppers.
Be careful before eating once the poppers are done, the cheese and the juices from the peppers will be super hot!
Ingredients for Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers
Time to see what we’ll need for our Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers. The ingredient list is quite minimal, making this an accessible and quick appetizer! Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD to see all ingredient quantities and instructions and to save the recipe for later! The recipe card will also allow you to scale the individual ingredients for our filling based on how many poppers you want to make. You can make these just on a casual weeknight or for a huge crowd and you’ll have the right amount of filling - no calculations and ratios on your end!
For the garlic butter
For the Jalapeño Poppers
Jalapeño peppers: Find the best jalapeños you can find! You want them nice and firm. Try to find them as close in size as possible for even shapes.
Cream cheese: I recommend you use a full fat cream cheese for a creamier and thicker filling.
Cheddar cheese: You can use any yellow cheddar of your choice, but for a stronger flavour use old cheddar.
Breadcrumbs: I’m actually using regular plain breadcrumbs instead of Panko breadcrumbs. Panko breadcrumbs have bigger grains, and we want these to be smoother.
Garlic butter: As described above.
Bacon: Use any kind of bacon you choose. I’m using double thick cut bacon here and it was absolutely amazing!
Green onions: Chop them up and add to the cheese mixture.
How to Make Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
For the garlic butter
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a whisk or a spatula, combine well together. Reserve as needed for the recipe and freeze the rest.
For the Jalapeño Poppers
Cut the jalapeños in half.
Then using a paring knife or a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño.
In the meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon bits until they are crispy.
Then transfer to a plate or bowl line with paper towels and lightly pat dry.
In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese.
Mix well until combined, taste and adjust with salt to preference.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeño halves - making sure not to overstuff it.
In a pan or microwave, melt the garlic butter.
Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and add the melted butter on the breadcrumbs. Mix well until there are no lumps.
Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the jalapeños.
Air Frying the jalapeño poppers
Set the temperature between 375 F to 390 F and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
To remove the cooked jalapeño poppers, use a thin spatula to remove from the air fryer basket.
Variations oF Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
You can switch up your Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers in so many ways! Here are a couple of ideas:
Cheese: Switch the cheddar for white cheddar or use a combination of cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, mozzarella and/or goat cheese.
Meat: You can swap the bacon for chorizo sausage or pancetta. You could even explore other meats such as shredded chicken, crab meat, or ground beef, chicken pork or turkey.
Vegetarian: Take out the meat and replace with chopped onions, peppers, or mushrooms!
Herbs: Change the the green onions for chives or cilantro!
Butter: Substitute the garlic butter with regular butter if desired.
Be sure to comment below how you’ll customize your Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers!
What Goes with Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers?
Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers are such an easy appetizer. To be honest, you can have them with anything you want! They’re unbelievably light, so they’re a blank canvas to mix and match with a meal to remember! Here are some ideas to complete your special gathering or just to pair for an awesome game day party!
I don’t have an Air Fryer! Can I Bake These Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers?
For sure you can! If you check out the video, you’ll see that I baked the jalapeño poppers in the oven as well to do a comparison of air frying and baking in the oven. To bake your jalapeño poppers in the oven, set the oven to 425 F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
Serve hot!
As you can see, the air fryer popper (on the left) looks significantly different from the baked one! The air fryer method was much easier and got the cheese a nice golden brown. You can achieve a similar effect in the oven, but I just took it out early because I was hungry and so that you can compare!
Can I Make Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers ahead of time?
Yes, you definitely can, and I really recommend you do! These are such easy appetizers to prepare, assemble, and cook, so if you have a large party to deal with, I’d get these out of the way so you can focus on other more complicated dishes! Let’s review how to store leftovers and how to reheat Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers.
Storing Leftover Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
If you have extra jalapeño poppers, store them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3 days due to the cheeses in here.
How to Reheat Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
You can reheat your jalapeño poppers in the oven or air fryer.
To reheat in the air fryer, turn it on to 350 F and heat for about five minutes, or until the cheese is molten and the jalapeño poppers are entirely warmed through. To reheat in the oven, preheat it to 350 F. It will take about 10 minutes to reheat in the oven.
I would not recommend you reheat your Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers in the microwave or else the breadcrumbs will get soggy and lose their nice crunchy texture!
However, for best results, I do recommend you serve these fresh! If you want to still save some time, you can prep your jalapeno poppers by doing the following:
Slice your jalapeños and store them covered in the refrigerator
Cook the bacon and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container
Make your cheese filling and store in the fridge covered
Other Delicious Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes!
Watch How to Make Cheesy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Cheesy Air Fryer Jalepeño Poppers
Ingredients
- 1 dozen jalapeños
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 Cup green onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 Cup bacon, finely diced
- 1 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic butter (see below)
- 3/4 Cup plain breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Using a whisk or a spatula, combine well together. Reserve as needed for the recipe and freeze the rest.
- Cut the jalapeños in half. Then using a paring knife or a spoon, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño.
- In the meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon bits until they are crispy. Then transfer to a plate or bowl line with paper towels and lightly pat dry.
- In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, bacon, green onions and cheese. Mix well until combined, taste and adjust with salt to preference.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeño halves - making sure not to overstuff it.
- In a pan or microwave, melt the garlic butter. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and add the melted butter on the breadcrumbs. Mix well until there are no lumps.
- Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of the breadcrumb mixture over each of the jalapeños.
- Air-fryer method - Set the temperature between 375 F to 390 F and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
- To remove the cooked jalapeño poppers, use a thin spatula to remove from the air fryer basket.
- Oven method - Set the oven to 425 F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs and jalapeños are done to your liking.
- Serve hot!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
123.61Fat (grams)
10.85Sat. Fat (grams)
5.94Carbs (grams)
3.97Fiber (grams)
0.41Net carbs
3.54Sugar (grams)
0.92Protein (grams)
2.93Sodium (milligrams)
127.23Cholesterol (grams)
27.62Nutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
