Air fryer jalapeño poppers

Air fryer Jalapeño poppers Recipe

There are a lot of people that love cooking up jalapenos and eating them straight from the air fryer. And once you add in the rest of the simple ingredients, you’ll see why these air-fried appetizers are a hit! 

The hot heat of the peppers paired with the creamy goodness of the cheese has every bite leaving you wanting more and you’ll have to agree with me that jalapeños and cream cheese are a great match.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Minimal ingredients are needed and yield maximum flavor
• The perfect way to get delicious flavors and taste without turning on the oven.
• It’s the perfect combination of spicy and delicious.

Ingredients

• Jalapeño peppers
• Cream cheese
• Crumbled bacon (optional) I used my air fryer bacon bits
• Shredded cheddar cheese you can substitute with Mexican cheese blend.

Tools for Air fryer Jalapeños

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• This recipe was made using the Cosori air fryer. I like that it comes in 3 colors, Black, Redand White (my favorite)
• Perforated Parchment paper or perforated silicon Mat (optional)
• Kitchen tongs (optional)
• Sharp knife 
• Chopping board
• Spoon (to scoop out the peppers)
• Gloves (optional) 
• Heat resistant mat for your counter top
• Mixing bowl

How long do you cook jalapeño poppers in the air fryer?

For these air fryer jalapeno poppers to be cooked and ready to eat, they’ll need about 5 -6 minutes of cooking time if making these without bacon (bacon wrapped) just cook till cheddar cheese topping is melted.

You want to be sure that you cook them long enough so that the middle is warmed as well. Bacon wrapped jalapeños poppers will take longer to cook because of the raw bacon. It takes about 10 to 12 mins.

How to cut and deseed a jalapeno for poppers

• Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise.
• With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and membrane be sure to leave the stem intact.
• The jalapeño are ready to be stuffed.

How to make jalapeño poppers in the air fryer

This is an overview of the recipe with step by step photos. Scroll down to the end of this post for a printable recipe card with the amount of ingredients and full recipe instructions.

Cut and deseed the peppers and set asideMix the cream cheese and bacon to make the filling.

Next spoon the filling into the peppers (it would be 1 teaspoon per halved jalapeño if you used medium sized jalapeños)

Top the poppers with shredded cheddar cheese.

Arrange the filled poppers in the air fryer basket or rack then air fry at 380°F / 180°C for 5 to 6 mins or until the cheese is melted.

How to make air fryer jalapeño poppers without bacon.

Wondering if you can make air fryer jalapeño poppers without bacon or how you can do it. Yes you can and it’s so easy and doesn’t skimp on flavor either.

It’s as easy as leaving out the bacon crumbles used in this recipe and stuff the peppers with only cream cheese.

Can I use mini sweet peppers for this recipe

Absolutely. If you don’t like jalapeños or you don’t like the heat, mini sweet peppers are a great alternative to using jalapeños. They are delicious too but they are not air fryer jalapeño poppers anymore, those would be air fryer cream cheese stuffed mini peppers.

What to eat with jalapeño poppers. (Serving air fried Jalapeño poppers)

Eating this appetizer dish is a breeze! Just cook, and serve! You can pair these with a dipping sauce or even sprinkle on some extra parmesan cheese. 

You get to cheese how you want to eat your poppers - which is all part of the fun!

How to store and reheat

Storing leftover cooked jalapeno poppers is as simple as adding them to an airtight container and storing them in the fridge.

When it’s time to reheat, you can warm them back up in the microwave, or you can add them back to the air fryer for a few minutes of time. 

To get that “crunch” factor back, heating the poppers in the air fryer is key.

Air frying Tips

• No need to preheat the air fryer. You can cook jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon or not. If you do wrap them in bacon, the bacon crisping up is a great visual indicator that they’re done cooking. (Plus, the crisp bacon adds loads of salty flavor!)
• Do not overcrowd the basket. cook in batches if needed.
• Jalapeños can be spicy so you might need to wear gloves when cutting and deseeding the peppers.

FAQs

Can you air fry frozen jalapeño poppers?

TGIF and other brands of frozen jalapeño poppers cook up nice and crispy in the air fryer. Also If you make these from scratch ahead of time and freeze them, you can just add them frozen to your air fryer and cook them. Talk about the perfect way to meal prep for later!

What is a good sauce for jalapeño poppers?

If you’re a fan of dipping your poppers, a sweet sauce would be a great contrast with the spicy. You can also use ranch or even blue cheese dressing as a dipping option, too.

Are poppers spicy?

More than likely, yes. It’s always a gamble with jalapeno poppers, as you never know which peppers will actually be spicy or not. Some will be packing the heat, while others may not have any heat at all! Which will you get? You’ll have to take a bite to find out!

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