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Jalapeño Poppers are a classic appetizer that are wildly popular! These are wrapped in bacon and crisped to perfection in the Air Fryer.
Don’t have an Air Fryer? No worries, you can bake these in the oven instead (see tips for instructions).
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 bake ’em 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!
How to Make Jalapeño Poppers in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
6 jalapeño peppers
4 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
12 slices of uncured bacon (not thick cut)
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional: Ranch Dressing for dipping
Preparation
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 on a wire racks, I put 6 on each and bake @ 370F for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400F 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.
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
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!
Equipment
I used my Power Air Fryer Oven (with the racks) to make mine, but you can use any air fryer you have. What I love about the Air Fryer Oven is that you never have to anything you bake, because the air circulates around everything perfectly!
It has 3 racks that will fit a good amount of food them them! But it also comes with skewers, fry basket (great for nuts) and a rotisserie rack that rotates! I also use this Air Fryer to make my Air Fryer Crispy Buffalo Wings and my Air Fryer Zucchini Fries!
I also use these silicone mitts for removing the racks while they are hot. They are nice and slim, so you can easily fit your hand in there to retrieve the racks. I absolutely love them!
If you have another type of air fryer, you can certainly use what you have. Just be sure to follow the instructions per the manufacturer and the cooking temp/time should be the same.
Can these be Made in a Regular 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 400F oven, for about 22-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
Serving
You can serve these with many different dipping sauces that you like including:
The jalapeño poppers will go nicely with either 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.
Storage
Store in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container or freeze. 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 @350F.
More Keto and Low Carb 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
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers – Keto/Low Carb
INGREDIENTS
- 6 jalapeño peppers
- 4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
- 12 slices of uncured bacon not thick cut
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional: Ranch Dressing for dipping
PREPARATION
- 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 on a wire racks, I put 6 on each and bake @ 370F for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400F 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.
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