Learn how to make the best Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers!
These spicy Mexican-inspired snacks are the perfect appetizer to serve at the Super Bowl, Academy Awards or at fun family summer barbecues.
It’s quick & easy to cook Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers in an Air Fryer. The homemade recipe takes under 40 minutes to prepare, fulfilling a quick craving for spicy peppers, melted cheese and crispy smoked bacon!
We’ve taken a traditional Jalapeno Poppers recipe and left out the breading and deep frying to create a healthier option that is lower in fat and calories.
Our tasty and addictive Air Fryer snack recipe features flavourful ingredients like jalapeno peppers, cream cheese, mozzarella or cheddar cheese, onion powder, garlic powder and bacon strips.
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What Are Jalapeno Poppers?
Jalapeno Poppers are typically served as a snack or appetizer at casual restaurants and pubs in Canada and America. They’re featured on menus beside other shareable dishes like nachos with queso, chicken wings, antojitos, and poutine.
Traditional recipes feature jalapeno peppers that have been hollowed out, stuffed with a mixture of cheese, spices and sometimes meat, breaded and deep fried.
They’re sometimes called an armadillo egg, especially if wrapped in bacon or sausage meat to give the appearance of an armadillo shell. The term has been used since 1972 in Texas. As chile relleno can be made with jalapeño, the jalapeño popper is considered a Tex-Mex version of the traditional Mexican dish. The name Armadillo Eggs comes from the dishes perceived similarity to Scotch Eggs. When smoked or grilled and stuffed with sausage, they are also referred to as A.B.T or Atomic Buffalo Turds!
Our air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers recipe significantly reduces the calories and fat of a typical recipe. We avoid the use of breading and use the air fryer cooking method rather than deep frying.
You’ll still experience an enjoyable crunch as the bacon is perfectly crispy, exterior of the peppers are firm, and melted cheese filling is smooth and creamy.
My Family Loves Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
My family loves Jalapeno Peppers so much that we make our own Fermented Jalapeno Peppers each Fall to enjoy year round on cheese and charcuterie boards.
Jalapeno Poppers served at restaurants are typically deep fried straight from the freezer. Kitchen’s typically purchase the product already prepared from factory’s like McCain, who are also famous for their onion rings and french fries.
You can also purchase frozen Jalapeno Poppers at your local grocery store, cheddar and cream cheese options are the most common. You can deep fry, bake or air fry them at home as they are already breaded and pre-cooked.
Jalapeno Poppers at restaurants are often served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Guests are encouraged to share a basket of Jalapeno Poppers as they’re a filling snack. They’re best paired with a hoppy craft beer like IPA.
My family always loves ordering Jalapeno Poppers when we visit a sports bar or pub. For a brief moment in time my mom tried the Keto diet so I made these Keto Jalapeno Poppers for her.
After purchasing an air fryer I decided to develop a recipe so we could enjoy them at home more regularly. This Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers recipe allows you to still enjoy the mouth-watering snack you love, but with less calories and carbs.
Best Air Fryers
An air fryer is a small countertop convection oven designed to simulate deep frying without submerging the food in oil. A fan circulates hot air at high speed, producing a crisp layer via browning reactions.
In 2010, Philips introduced the Airfryer brand of convection oven at a consumer electronics fair in Berlin. It used the patented Rapid Air technology, though the term air fryer is now used generically.
Early air fryers were barrel-shaped, though more recently, many have come to resemble toaster ovens and pressure cookers, offering additional functions like toasting, baking, dehydrating and rotisserie.
A decade after their launch, Air Fryers are now one of the trendiest kitchen appliance. They are particularly popular with gourmands living in condos or apartments in big cities like Toronto as they reduce the number of appliances taking up space in your kitchen.
- Hamilton Beach: I tested this recipe with a Hamilton Beach toaster oven-style air fryer. They are an excellent option for those looking for an affordable air fryer and I particularly like mine as it allowed me to replace my toaster, dehydrator and rotisserie. It’s also easier to spread food out and make it crispy by using a baking tray rather than a basket.
- Instant Vortex: This popular air fryer is brought to you by the inventors of the popular Instant Pot. It’s 6 quart capacity features an easy to clean tray that air frys, roasts and bakes.
- COSORI: This 5.8 quart air fryer is an 11-in-1 cooker featuring a nonstick basket and helpful shake reminder setting.
- Ninja: This premium brand is the perfect option for those looking to invest in a heavy duty stainless steel air fryer. The product has been designed to look similar to an Instant Pot, with the top of the air fryer flipping backwards so you can easily lower a basket filled with food.
- NuWave: This sleek digital air fryer features a traditional removable basket and reaches temperatures up to 390 F.
Best Way To Safely Slice Jalapeno Peppers
I was initially nervous to cook with jalapeno peppers at home as I had heard so many scary stories about people stinging themselves with hot pepper oil.
If you’ve never sliced a jalapeno pepper before don’t fret! You can easily prepare Jalapeno Poppers safely if you follow these steps. When in doubt, clean your hands with soapy water and never touch your eyes with your hands.
- Wear gloves on your hands to ensure the oil in the pepper does not absorb into your fingers.
- Remove the pepper interior using a small spoon. Discard the pith and seeds in a small bowl positioned beside the cutting board on your counter.
- Many Jalapeno Popper recipes indicate you should slice the pepper in half and then stuff them with filling. Once baked the peppers lose their structure and get soft and can be sloppy and messy to eat. Don’t slice your jalapeno peppers in half! There is a better way…
- Instead, use a grapefruit knife to gently cut out the top of each pepper to create cute jalapeno boats.
- Keep the stems on as they are attractive on the plate and help keep the structure of the pepper in tact after baking in the oven.
How To Make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers in Air Fryer
You can make homemade Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers in an Air Fryer in less than 40 minutes!
There are two methods to making Air Fried Jalapeno Poppers, which depend on the style of air fryer you are using.
- Traditional Basket: air fryers with a removable basket are still the most common. In order to make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers in these machines, gently lower them into the basket into a single layer. Ensure they aren’t crowded and don’t touch. This will guarantee they get crispy and not soggy when cooking.
- Toaster Oven Tray: modern air fryers featuring a glass door and tray configuration make it easy to prepare bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers in an air fryer. Simply place the stuffed peppers on the tray and watch the bacon get crispy and cheese bubble and melt through the glass door.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers Air Fryer Cooking Tips
- When shopping at the grocery store grab the largest jalapeno peppers you can find as they’re able to hold the most filling. Also make sure the peppers have their stems in tact.
- We’ve used thick slices of smoked bacon to add an additional level of flavour but you can use your favourite breakfast bacon. We once made this recipe using maple bacon strips and it was delish!
- You want to pair the soft cream cheese with a shredded cheese that melts well like mozzarella or cheddar. You can also substitue for gruyere, havarti, asiago or use a mixture of them all.
- If you like extra spicy snacks feel free to add a few dashes of your favourite hot sauce to the cream cheese filling.
- Place the bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers in one flat layer in your air fryer. Avoid stacking, overlapping or touching, otherwise you’ll end up with an unevenly cooked and soggy product.
What To Serve With Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers cooked in an air fryer are the perfect snack for cheese, bacon and spicy snack fans!
They’re a popular game day snack during the Super Bowl as well as fun gatherings like Academy Awards parties or Tex Mex themed birthdays. We love to eat them with craft beer or tequila cocktails.
Hosting a movie or game night and looking to serve a buffet of mouth-watering snacks? You may also like to prepare these popular recipes:
- Mexican Queso Dip
- Vegan Mango Pico de Gallo Salsa
- Guasacaca Venezuelan Guacamole
- Mutabbal Vegan Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip
- Crispy Tod Mun Pla Thai Fish Cakes
- Berenjenas con Miel Spanish Fried Eggplant
- Mucver Tarif Vegetarian Turkish Zucchini Fritters
- Indian Vegetarian Paneer Frankie Kathi Rolls
- Cheesy Vegetarian Antojitos
- Baked Chicken Cracklings
- Nuts & Bolts Snack Mix
- Lebanese Spiced Minced Beef Stuffed Pita Arayes
- Keto Spinach Dip
- Vegan Melitzanosalata Greek Eggplant
- Parippu Vada Recipe With Coconut Chutney
- Burrata Bruschetta Crostini with Tomato Chutney
- Marshmallow Fluff Fruit Dip
How To Store Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
It’s unlikely that you’ll have any leftovers as our favourite spicy appetizer is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Seriously, who is going to neglect a lonely pepper stuffed with oozing cheese on a tray?
If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and simply pop them in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes to reheat. We do not suggest reheating using a microwave as they get soggy. A toaster oven can help crisp up the pepper and bacon so they are crunchy.
If you’re like my family, why not double the recipe to ensure you have plenty of Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers to enjoy throughout the remainder of the week?
Can You Freeze Jalapeno Poppers?
Yes you can! It’s easy to flash freeze Jalapeno Poppers and have them ready for your next cheese craving or impromptu backyard barbecue.
To freeze the jalapeno poppers before air frying, simply prepare the stuffed pepper boats, put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze.
After they have frozen solid, place them in a durable freezer bag and pull them out to enjoy air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers whenever you’re keen for a spicy kick! Once they’ve thawed pop them in the oven when hunger strikes!
You May Also Enjoy These Air Fryer Recipes…
- Air Fryer Breakfast Sausage
- Healthy Vegan Roasted Garlic in Air Fryer
- Cheesy Bacon Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Easy Crispy Air Fried Cornish Hen
- Viral TikTok Air Fryer Pasta Chips
- Smoky BBQ Bone In Air Fryer Pork Ribs
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
- Easy Seasoned Air Fryer Bone In Pork Chops
- Easy Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Easy Frozen Sweet Potato Fries In Air Fryer
- Frozen Chicken Fingers Tenders & Strips In Air Fryer
- Easy Frozen Onion Rings In Air Fryer
- Easy Frozen Burgers In Air Fryer
- Frozen Eggo Waffles In Air Fryer
- Easy Homemade Air Fryer Nachos
- Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread In Air Fryer
- Easy Homemade Air Fryer Popcorn
How To Make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers in Air Fryer
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- cheese grater
- Pairing knife
- mixing bowl
- spatula
- Small Spoon
Ingredients
- 12 Jalapeno Peppers
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 4 oz Cheddar Cheese or Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 6 slices Bacon cut in half
Instructions
- Using a paring knife, cut off one-third of each pepper lengthwise, to create a "jalapeno boat," so they can be easily filled. Use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes from each pepper, and discard.
- Min a mixing bowl use a spatula to combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Fill each jalapeno pepper boat with the cheese filling using a small spoon.
- Wrap half of a bacon strip around each stuffed jalapeno pepper. Start from the bottom so you can tuck in the ends. Wrap them fairly tight and be sure you have plenty of bacon wrapped around. This will prevent the bacon from shrinking and exposing the filling, which can ooze out.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 350 F.
- Place stuffed jalapeno peppers on an air fryer basket. Air Fry for 15 minutes. Remove the peppers and check for doneness. Increase the temperature to 400 F and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Serve air fryer back wrapped jalapeno poppers with sour cream or your favourite dip.
Nutrition
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