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Our Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers are perfect for game day gatherings and parties! They’re filled with creamy cheese, wrapped in bacon, and drizzled with honey for that sweet and spicy fix!
Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are a must make for game day and get-togethers!
In My Sweet & Spicy Era
I’ve been on a serious hot honey kick lately, drizzling it on pizza and roasted veggies with abandon and making these hot honey chicken tenders on repeat, but then I had the bright idea to drizzle regular honey on my bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and here we are. Fully embracing the sweet and spicy combination.
Between the tender peppers, the creamy cheesy filling, the crispy bacon, and the caramelized sweetness of the honey I honestly can’t stop popping these in my mouth. They’re not TOO hot, since we remove the seeds from the peppers, so I could literally eat the whole pan myself.
Sometimes we make these as a side dish for dinner (hey, peppers are a vegetable!). They go great with our sloppy joe recipe or some parmesan crusted chicken.
If you need more snacks for your next party try out these bacon wrapped little smokies. You can never have enough bacon! Our guacamole recipe or homemade queso dip is always a big hit at parties too.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Flavors: There’s a great combination of flavors going on here! You’ve got the spicy heat from the jalapenos, the creamy cheese filling, the savory and crispy bacon, and if you’re like us you add a bit of honey for sweetness!
- Party Food: Jalapeno poppers are classic party appetizers that your guests are sure to enjoy. You might want to make a double batch though! You can easily increase the quantity just don’t overcrowd the baking sheet too much.
Ingredient Notes:
Jalapeno Peppers – You’ll start with 6 medium sized jalapeno peppers.
Cheese – We’re preparing the cheesy filling with cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. Start with room temperature softened cream cheese for easy mixing! You could also grate your own cheddar for the best flavor.
Seasoning – A simple mix of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt is all we’re using to spice up the cream cheese filling. This is also delicious with our pimento cheese recipe in place of the cheesy filling.
Bacon – Use regular cut bacon here. Thick cut bacon won’t crisp up as nicely.
Honey – This is an optional ingredient but we love the way the sweetness of the honey offsets the spicy jalapeno and savory bacon!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations:
We’re using some pretty standard jalapeno popper ingredients in this recipe but there are a few ways that you can change things up!
Bacon: Instead of bacon you could make prosciutto wrapped jalapeno poppers just to switch things up a bit.
Mix-Ins: Some potential mix-ins for the filling include minced garlic, minced onion, and chives. You could also add some smoked paprika to get a smoky flavor!
Sweetness: We’re using honey to add sweetness but you could also sprinkle some brown sugar on the bacon to make it candied bacon.
Mac & Cheese: This recipe originally called for mac and cheese in place of the creamy cheesy filling. It’s a delicious twist!
If you don’t want to heat the kitchen up with the oven or just in the mood to try something different try our air fryer jalapeno poppers!
Step by Step:
Slice the jalapenos in half and scrape out the seeds. It’s best to wear gloves while doing this to avoid burning your skin.
Add the ingredients for the filling to a bowl and give it a good stir to combine.
Spoon the filling evenly between the jalapenos. Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap each jalapeno with a half slice of bacon.
Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is as crispy as you’d like. You can speed it up with a broiler, just be sure it doesn’t burn. Brush with honey and broil for 1-2 minutes.
Helpful TipS!
Preparing Jalapenos:
When preparing jalapenos (or any hot peppers) it’s a good idea to use gloves. The oils from the pepper can burn your skin, or worse get into your eyes. If you aren’t using gloves make sure you wash your hands well immediately after preparing.
Storage & Freezing:
Let the jalapeno poppers cool completely before storing. Transfer to an airtight container or bag and store in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. They can be reheated in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.
To freeze jalapeno poppers place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour or until they are solid. Transfer the jalapeno poppers to a freezer safe bag or container and store for up to a few months.
You can reheat the frozen jalapeno poppers from frozen in the oven, or thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs:
We like to serve jalapeno poppers with my homemade ranch dressing or this blue cheese dressing for dipping! You can even dip jalapeno poppers with BBQ sauce. Try them with my bourbon BBQ sauce.
No, you do not need to cook the bacon before wrapping and baking the jalapeno poppers. The bacon will crisp up as the poppers bake. You can crisp it up even more by turning on the broiler at the end of cooking.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 6 medium jalapeno peppers
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons honey optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Carefully scrape out the seeds and membranes with a spoon and discard. See note.
- Add the cream cheese, cheddar, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to a small bowl and stir well to combine.
- Spoon the cheese evenly between the jalapenos.
- Cut the bacon slices in half and wrap each jalapeno with a half slice of bacon.
- Arrange the jalapeno poppers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is as crispy as you’d like. To speed along the crisping of the bacon, you can also turn the broiler on and keep a close eye on things. The bacon will crisp up quickly.
- Once bacon is crisp, brush the bacon with honey and place under the broiler for 1 minute to caramelize a bit. Keep a close eye on the honey as it will burn quickly.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
sanna says
I love this flavor combo, I could eat a whole plate of this!
Karly says
Me too! Thanks, Sanna!
Raymund says
Wow this will be a great beer match! I would love to have this with ice cold Corona
Karly says
Beer + poppers = winning combo! 🙂
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Oh my goodness, these look ah-mazing! I’ve never thought of stuffing a jalapeno with mac and cheese… brilliant! We have definitely talked about canceling our cable as well but haven’t gotten the nerve to do it yet. 🙂
David @ Spiced says
So we have totally had that exact same conversation in our house! I could go without cable, but the college football…I can’t give that up. I swear ESPN is keeping cable companies afloat! Speaking of college football, though, these jalapeno poppers sound amazing. Like I need a tray of these to appear on the table Saturday afternoon. And I love that pimento cheese addition! 🙂
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
You canceled cable? Honestly we hardly watch tv and I would love to cancel it, but it is part of the package…I am told. I do think though that these divine little poppers need to be a part of my package! Love the use of mac and cheese!
Stephanie says
HAHAHA!!! omg. I’m sorry, we have this conversation DAILY. We still can’t bite the “cancel the cable” bullet. But, I just read this post out loud to my husband and maybe… just maybe, we’ll get there one day. (Oh, but amazing bacon wrapped jalapeno popper recipe by the way)- I’m only into football for the food. It’s just the way it is for me. And now I have my next game-day recipe ready. Until next time, Karly!
Dianna says
Yummy! It looks so delicious! I imagine the taste of jalapeno! Going to shopping for the weekend!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
If I made these I would have to eat them all myself since no one else likes spicy, I’m not complaining I’m not the best sharer and i LOVE THIS!
Karly says
Haha, nothing wrong with keep them all to yourself. 🙂
Caitlin says
Oh yum! I just finished cooking bacon right before finding this recipe… now I wish I had used it to make these! Next time, I will certainly have to.