Wrapped in crispy brown sugar bacon and filled with a rich cheddar cream cheese filling, these bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are the ultimate sweet and savory appetizer!
You can’t ever go wrong with a plate of jalapeno poppers on your appetizer table! Especially if we’re involving bacon.
This classic appetizer couldn’t be easier to whip up and I can honestly say that they are the easiest and BEST poppers you will ever make!
Again, the whole bacon-wrapped thing is playing a major role here, but they’re amazing nontheless.
Whenever we’re hosting a football watch party, these poppers are the first appetizer we turn to and they’re always the first to disappear!
Shockingly, you can’t really go wrong when you’ve got spicy peppers, rich cheddar cream cheese, and bacon all hanging out in a few bites.
These Jalapeno Poppers feature…
- Spicy jalapenos stuffed with a cheddar cream cheese
- Crispy brown sugar bacon strips
- Minutes to make with only a few basic ingredients
Making the Jalapeno Poppers
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Jalapenos
- Cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Green onion
- Garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- Bacon
- Brown sugar
How to Adjust Heat Level
The heat level of these poppers will primarily depend on the jalapenos you use. We find that farmers market or garden-fresh jalapenos are typically much spicier than ones you buy in grocery stores.
If you would like a mix of spicy and mild poppers to appeal to a variety of heat preferences, feel free to use half mini sweet peppers and half jalapeno peppers.
Tips For Perfect Jalapeno Poppers
- Buy 10 jalapenos – depending on the size of your jalapenos, we found that we usually have enough of the cream cheese filling for 8-10 peppers, so error on the side of having more.
- Soften cream cheese – this will make it much easier to incorporate into the other ingredients.
- Cut bacon strips in half – we found that cutting the bacon strips in half on the long side yields the perfect size for wrapping around the peppers.
- Wrap poppers tightly in bacon – the bacon will shrink as it cooks and we want it to stay tightly wrapped around the peppers.
- Sprinkle bacon with brown sugar – this is a little trick for getting a touch of sweetness into the bacon. It balances out the flavors perfectly!
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these jalapeno poppers.
- Try a different cheese – try gouda, pepper jack, Parmesan, or mozzarella.
- Skip the bacon – for vegetarian-friendly poppers, skip the bacon and top poppers with panko breadcrumbs instead.
- Use Neufchatel – for low-calorie poppers, feel free to use Neufchatel cream cheese in place of the regular.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead options.
- Prep peppers – the jalapenos can be halved and stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Make filling – the cream cheese filling can be made up and stored in refrigerator up to 6 days.
- Assemble poppers – the poppers can be assembled through Step 3 and stored in refrigerator up to 3 days. Add an extra 5 minutes to bake time if baking from cold.
Trust me, these poppers are going to quickly become an appetizer staple in your house! The rich cream cheese filling paired with the sweet bacon strips really takes these little bites to the next level.
New snack addiction, let’s go!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More amazing appetizers to try next!
- Pimento White Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms
- Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli
- Caramelized Onion Mushroom Flatbread
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 8-10 medium jalapenos, halved and de-seeded
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup minced green onion
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8-10 strips bacon, cut in half width-wise
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a medium sheet pan with parchment paper and arrange jalapeno halves in a single layer. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, cheddar, green onion, garlic, and Worcestershire until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese filling and wrap each jalapeno in a strip of bacon. Sprinkle brown sugar over each bacon-wrapped jalapeno.
- Bake jalapeno poppers at 400F 20-25 minutes until bacon is crispy and jalapenos are tender. Serve jalapeno poppers warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 8/31/23.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
These poppers are adorable, Sarah! I can’t get over how flawless they look. Like I just want to reach into my computer and sneak a few of these babies for breakfast! What a fun snack to serve at a party! And anything wrapped in bacon is always a winner in my book! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Gayle! I totally get wanting to eat these for breakfast—I was THIS close to giving into that crazy craving! LOL.
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
And now you made me miss this awesome combo: bacon and jalapeno peppers. I think it tastes as good as it looks on the picture.
Sarah says
Thanks, Olivia! It’s a combo made in jalapeno popper heaven for sure! 🙂
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
I don’t know what it is about jalapenos, but we always have a lot on our plant too. They seem to grow really well in the hot weather. I love stuffing jalapenos but I have actually never had them wrapped in bacon. I need to try these soon!
Sarah says
I’ve noticed that with mine too! My jalepeno plants totally go crazy during a heat wave. No complaints here though, since everyone knows that means lots and lots of poppers are in the future! 🙂
Rachael | Spache the Spatula says
Yum! I am such a fan of jalapeño poppers, and these look sublime! LOVE the coconut sugar and and chili powder sprinkling!
Sarah says
Thanks, Rachael! These poppers sound RIGHT up your alley, girl! 😉
Cheryl says
Oh man.. We don’t usually eat bacon or pork, but if we did, I would be ALL over these. Like.. how can jalapeno poppers exist WITHOUT bacon?!
For the bacon eaters of course 🙂 These look so amazing and perfect for tailgating!
Sarah says
We don’t eat pork either, so I decided to use turkey bacon instead for these poppers! It turned out just as good. 🙂 And yes, these poppers are NECESSARY for any tail-gating. Thanks, Cheryl! 😀
Cheryl says
Awesome!!! If they turned out this good with turkey bacon I BET they could even do OK with veggie bacon! Maybe add a little extra oil.. mmmm.
Sarah says
Veggie bacon would be a fine sub, Cheryl! 🙂
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Ok, I totally love spicy jalapeno poppers, but I love the fact that you added some sweetness even more! These are definitely going on our game day menu!
Sarah says
Thanks, Christin! And yay! You’ll have to let me know what you guys think of them! 🙂
Danielle says
How perfect do these look?! I love that you wrapped them in bacon too, bacon just makes the world go round. Pinning these! These would be perfect for the start of football season 🙂
Sarah says
Bacon TOTALLY makes the world go round. 😉 Thanks, Danielle!
Isadora says
POPPER!!! Haha! I grew jalapenos once and I swear I only planted two seeds and I had about ten plants pop up and they all produced so many jalapenos! I wish I would have had this recipe back then because I had soooo many! I’m all about snacks and bacon and jalapenos, so this is the snack for me! My favorite thing about football season is all the yummy snacks I get to make!
Sarah says
Right?! Jalapenos just have some freakishly-large reproduction rate. LOL. You totally need to get your hands on some FAST so you can make these poppers, Izzy! 😉
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
Wow, these look amazing! I’ve never tried a popper- but they sound super delicious! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Jess! You totally need to try poppers, girl! 🙂
Joyce says
I have been looking for an easy and spicy recipe for the abundance of poppers available at our Outdoor Market and finally…..THIS IS IT! I cannot wait to buy some on Friday and make this recipe. We love, love spicy…the hotter the better. Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah says
Yay! I hope you like these poppers, Joyce! Let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Melanie @ Carmel Moments says
I love jalapeno poppers. Great pics Sarah! You make them look irresistible.
Pinning!
Sarah says
Thanks for the photography compliments and for the pin, Melanie! Have a great day, lady! 😉
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
These look sooooo good to me! I love jalapeno poppers, and of course anything with bacon is a WIN!
Sarah says
Totally agree, Kelly! Bacon makes anything better. FACT. 😀
Karen @ Lushious Eats says
Oohhh I’m making jalapenos tonight and after seeing these I can’t wait to go jalapeno cray-cray in the kitchen tonight! 🙂 LOVE bacon & all things jalapeno! 🙂
Sarah says
Haha I want to go jalapeno cray-cray with you, Karen! Love the sound of that. 😉
Joanne says
I have a feeling these are going to make me the domestic goddess of football season. #winning
Sarah says
I have no doubt that you’ll have all the guys wrapped around your little finger if you made these poppers for the big games, Joanne. 😀
marcie says
These P-oppers are a touchdown in my book! I love everything about these little thangs and can assure you I’d eat my fill. Perfect Game Day app and then some! Pinning. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks for pinning, Marcie!
Claire says
My neighbor used to make a version of this, only they did not use sugar or chili powder. They were terrific.
Sarah says
That’s awesome that our recipes were so similar! 🙂