Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
These Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers are wildly popular and make the perfect low carb appetizer. Cheese filled jalapeño peppers are wrapped in bacon and crisped to perfection in the Air Fryer.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love These Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
- Fresh jalapeño peppers
- Filled with a blend of 2 creamy cheeses
- Wrapped in smoky bacon
- Air fried to crispy perfection
- Quick and easy to make
Don’t have an Air Fryer? No worries, you can bake these in the oven instead (see tips for instructions down below).
The inspiration for these was my beautiful jalapeño peppers that I grew in my garden. Jalapeño peppers are super easy to grow and even just one plant will yield quite a few peppers! There’s something to be said for cooking things with ingredients that you grew yourself, am I right!?
I take traditional jalapeño poppers and wrap them in bacon, then air fry them till the bacon is crispy. I cannot tell you how much flavor the bacon gives the peppers and filling, SO good!
Perfect for your next game day, BBQ or get together, they are always a huge hit! You can serve them up with Ranch Dressing or a number of other dressings that you like. These are also great all on their own!
🛒 Ingredients for Jalapeño Poppers
- Jalapeño peppers
- Cream cheese
- Uncured bacon
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Garlic powder
- Optional: Ranch Dressing for dipping
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
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🔪 How to Make Bacon Wrapped Keto Jalapeño Poppers
Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes.
Cut each jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and ribs. Try not to touch the seeds ribs too much and be sure to wash your hands before moving on!
Add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar and garlic powder to a bowl and mix until well combined.
Fill each jalapeño pepper half with the filling, I use a mini silicone spatula to make it easier.
Depending on the size of your peppers, take a slice of bacon and wrap it around each 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 and ending under the pepper. This will prevent the bacon from shrinking up and exposing the filling, which could ooze out.
Set them in the air fryer basket @ 370°F for 12 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
Serve while they are still warm, with optional ranch dressing to dip them in.
☑️ Storage Instructions
Leftover jalapeño poppers will keep perfectly in an air tight container in the fridge for several days.
🍴 What Sauces to Serve with Jalapeño Poppers
You can serve these with many different dipping sauces that you like including:
The jalapeño poppers will go nicely with just about any dressing you choose. If you have no dressing on hand, or the ingredients to make it, no worries, these are actually just fine all on their own. Or you can serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side.
If I have some on hand, I like to garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro. If you don’t have any, don’t go out of your way to get some, really.
💡 Tips
Preparing the Jalapeño Peppers
If you want the stems in tact (completely optional) on each half, start by cutting the stem down the center, and run your knife all the way down the middle of the pepper. Alternatively, you can cut the stem down or off, just be sure not to cut the end off the pepper itself, of your filling will ooze our all over your air fryer.
Gently run your knife around the ribs to remove them, along with the seeds and discard them. Any ribs you cannot get with your knife, you can use a spoon to scrape out. Just be careful not to tear through the pepper.
Anytime you are working with jalapeño peppers or any hot pepper, always wash your hands and the knife as soon as you are done. The last thing you want is to rub your eye with jalapeño juice on your hands!
The Filling for Stuffed Jalapenos
I used full fat cream cheese, shredded cheddar and garlic powder in the filling. On Keto, you always want to use full fat cheese, cream and cream cheese as these are healthy fats and make up a portion of our macros.
You can substitute the cheddar cheese with any other cheese that melts well, like Colby or Monterey Jack, or even a mix of them. Many stores sell a Mexican cheddar mix, you can use that if you like.
For the bacon, be sure to use a regular/thin slice for these. I also try to buy uncured bacon, with no nitrates/nitrites and preferably no or very low sugar. Always read the labels, you’d be surprised what is on some bacon packaging!
How to Check the Hotness of Jalapeños
If you’re like some people, you want that perfect blend of heat but want to enjoy the flavor of the pepper also. So how can you pick out the perfect jalapenos at the store? There’s is a fairly easy way to spot the best jalapenos just from looking at the skin.
As a jalapeno ages, it will begin to get white little lines running down the length of pepper.
This is an indication the pepper has been under stress. The more the stress has been under, due to frequently not being watered properly or just due to its age, the more white lines it will have and the hotter it will be.
You’ll want to look for a smooth green skin on each pepper for that perfect balance of heat and pepper flavor.
Are Jalapeno Poppers Keto?
Absolutely, between the bacon and cream cheese, they are loaded with healthy fats too! There’s less than on carb per medium size jalapeno so they make an excellent Keto appetizer or side dish.
Can I Make Keto Jalapeno Poppers in the Oven Instead?
Definitely! But I recommending baking them on a baking sheet that has a wire rack. This will help allow air to circulate around so the bacon can crisp up. Bake them in a preheat 400°F oven, for about 22-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
How do I Reheat Jalapeno Peppers?
When you get ready to reheat them, you can put them back into the Air Fryer or on a baking sheet in the oven and gently reheat them for several minutes @350°F.
🍽️ More Keto Jalapeño Pepper Recipes
- Jalapeño Popper Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese
- Jalapeño Popper Egg Salad
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Soup
- Cheddar Jalapeño “Cornbread”
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Chicken
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Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients
- 6 jalapeño peppers
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 12 slices uncured bacon, not thick cut
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional Ranch Dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes. Cut each jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and ribs. Be sure to wash your hands before moving on!
- Add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar and garlic powder to a bowl and mix until well combined.
- Fill each jalapeño pepper half with the filling, I use a mini silicone spatula to make it easier.
- Depending on the size of your peppers, take 1/2-3/4 of a slice of bacon and wrap it around each 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 and ending under the pepper. This will prevent the bacon from shrinking up and exposing the filling, which could ooze out.
- Set them in the air fryer basket @ 370°F for 12 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
- Serve while they are still warm, with optional ranch dressing to dip them in.
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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Rate this Recipe*Originally published on August 15, 2019, updated on July 3, 2026 with improvements to the recipe, new photos, new recipe information and helpful tips.
Delicious!!!
Thank you so much.
This is my go-to recipe! I’ve made it too many times to count and we keep liking them more each time! lol. An easy and simply delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing your talented tastes with us!
You’re so welcome. It’s one of those classics I always go back to.
Can they be prepared ahead of time?
Though they are best when freshly made, I have made them ahead of time and then just reheated them in the air fryer.
I have a new Instant Pot Vortex Plus and air frying 370F/13min was perfect! They crisped up and there was no need to add more time at a higher temp. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Everyone loved these, especially with ranch dressing for dipping.
YAY! I am so happy you guys enjoyed them. They are my favorite appetizer for sure.
Hi, is it 125 cal per jalapeño?
Yes, the serving size is two halves or one whole jalapeno.
Hello, i have a 1.6 gt air fryer. The temp only goes up to 200c, what would i have to put the temp at, how many at once and how long would i have to cook them for ?
Thanks,
Shelley
It should be around 187c, according to the conversion charts and you’d follow the rest of the recipe as noted.
Thanks for the recipe. I love these spicy poppers. I used to make them in the oven. But now I have an air fryer. I would like to know the nutritional differences of oven vs. air fryer for these poppers. Can you share? Thanks!
It would be the same, unless you add any extra ingredients.