Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

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

1. 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.
2. Soften cream cheese – this will make it much easier to incorporate into the other ingredients.
3. 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.
4. Wrap poppers tightly in bacon – the bacon will shrink as it cooks and we want it to stay tightly wrapped around the peppers.
5. 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

This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 8/31/23.