This jalapeno poppers in air fryer recipe, with bacon and cream cheese, is about to become one of your family's favorites! We are combining jalapenos, cream cheese, bacon, and cheddar cheese to create a super easy and tasty appetizer. Ready in just 30-minutes, our homemade jalapeno poppers recipe is a WHOLE LOTTA YUM way to add a little spice to your table.
You'll love Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
If you are like most people who don't enjoy spicy foods you tend to steer clear of recipes that have jalapeno in the title because we all know that jalapenos are known for their ability to kick the heat up a notch or two - even just a little.
Peppers, however, are unique in their heat, and jalapenos are no different. The heat from all peppers comes from both the seeds and the oil inside the pepper. By removing the seeds and oil you are left with a pepper that is no longer spicy.
For me, this works out well because I am not a fan of spicy food myself. And once the seeds and oil are gone, the jalapeno transitions from a spicy pepper to a mild one.
Oh, and my son told me that other than the air fryer chicken wings, this cream cheese jalapeno popper air fryer recipe is his favorite appetizer! 😉
Why You'll Love This!
- Our air fryer jalapeno poppers recipe is the perfect appetizer whether you are feeding a crowd or just a few. This recipe makes 12 poppers, but you can easily adapt it to fit your guest list.
- With two different kinds of cheese, your keto jalapeno poppers offer up more than enough fat and protein for low-carb and keto eaters.
- Change up the cheese or toppings in your homemade jalapeno poppers in air fryer recipe to accommodate preferences or simply to try something new.
- While we love cooking up our jalapeno poppers in the air fryer, we are also including over directions below.
- Made with minimal carbs and no breading, our air fryer jalapeno popper recipe is compliant with gluten-free, low-carb, and keto lifestyles.
Be sure to check out additional air fryer appetizers on the site including frozen waffle fries, air fryer chicken wings with homemade dry rub, and keto chicken tenders all of which are always crowd pleasers!
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Jalapenos
Jalapenos, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and, of course, bacon, are about to combine to create a quick and easy homemade appetizer that you are going to love (and your guests will, too!)
- bacon - precooked either in your air fryer or in your oven
- cream cheese - at room temperature
- jalapenos
- cheddar cheese - shredded
- garlic powder
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
** Get the full recipe instructions at the bottom of the post in the recipe card! **
Jalapeno Poppers Air Fryer Variations
- If you aren't a fan of bacon, or simply are looking to change things up, you can swap bacon for shredded chicken.
- Feel free to experiment with cheeses other than cheddar such as parmesan or Colby Jack.
- If jalapenos just aren't a pepper for you, you can easily create poppers using baby bell peppers.
Equipment to Air Fry Jalapeno Poppers
An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer.
How to cook Jalapeño Poppers in Air Fryer
Making stuffed jalapeno poppers is easier than you think. We are going to simply get some bacon precooked, cut and clean the peppers, and prepare the filling. Easy!
Oh, and we do recommend wearing gloves when working with the peppers. Wearing a pair of clean, disposable gloves will keep the jalapeno oil off your skin. This is a good thing as the oil can burn your skin. Ouch!
Prep Ingredients
To prepare your jalapenos, first clean them off. Cut down the center of the pepper and through the stem. You can opt to remove the stem or leave it on (we choose to leave the stem on).
Pull out the white membrane and seeds located inside the peppers. I like to use a melon baller to clean out my peppers.
If you prefer your keto jalapeno poppers a little spicy, leave some of the insides, well, inside the pepper.
To make the filling
Combine your softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the bacon as well.
Fill your peppers with the cream cheese mixture and top with additional cheddar cheese and/or bacon.
For this keto jalapeno popper recipe, I first cook up my bacon. If you are in a rush, you could purchase pre-cooked, but the flavor may not be the same (and this bacon in the oven recipe is super easy for precooking bacon!). The cream cheese does need to be at room temperature, but if your cheese is too cold, you can cut it into cubes and microwave it for 15-20 seconds. And even though they are not listed on the ingredients list, I do recommend using gloves when working with the peppers.
Jalapeno Poppers In Air Fryer Temperature
Your air fryer jalapeno poppers are going to cook in a 400F air fryer. It is best to preheat the unit for 5 minutes before you begin cooking your jalapeno poppers. Most units will have a preheat setting or function, but if yours does not you can turn the unit on and allow it to run at 400F for at least 5-mintues before attempting to use it to cook.
How long to cook Cream Cheese Jalapenos
Cook your jalapeno poppers in air fryer in your preheated unit for 9 minutes. We made 2 batches, one in our small basket air fryer and one in our large Omni Plus fryer. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may need to cook the poppers in batches.
After cooking as finished, garnish with bacon if desired.
Jalapeno Poppers Air Fryer Recipe Tips
- Removing the seeds and oil will transform the jalapeno from a spicy pepper to a mild one; however, if you prefer a spicier popper, simply leave some of all of the insides.
- For best results, try to use jalapeno peppers that are uniform in size.
- Air fryer units can sometime vary in how hot they cook, so keep an eye on your jalapeno poppers during the last couple of minutes of cook time.
- This is a very easy recipe to cut in half if desired!
What goes good with Jalapeno Poppers
- Other Appetizers: If you're serving a variety of appetizers, some ideas we love serving with jalapeno poppers are stuffed mushrooms, antipasto skewers, or air fryer dry rub chicken wings.
- Cooling Dips: Since jalapeno poppers have a spicy kick, they go well with cooling dips. You could serve them with a creamy ranch, blue cheese, or even a yogurt-based dip.
- Drinks: To help balance the heat, consider serving poppers with a cool drink like a cold beer, a margarita, or lemonade. This could include a cold beer, a margarita, or lemonade.
- Grilled meats: If you're serving jalapeno poppers at a barbecue or cookout, they go well with grilled meats like chicken, steak, or pork chops.
- Salads: A fresh salad can help balance the richness and spiciness of the poppers. A simple green salad, a coleslaw, or even a fruit salad.
Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers FAQs
If you don't have an air fryer, you can easily pop jalapeno poppers right in your oven! Simply prep as stated above and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes.
Yes, they our jalapeno poppers in air fryer recipe is keto! Peppers are a low-carb vegetable, and the combination of full-fat cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon all add the necessary fat and protein that a keto lifestyle requires.
Made as we have prepared them, your jalapeno poppers contain just 2 net carbs per serving (and 5 grams of protein!).
More Keto Appetizer Recipes
Looking for more keto appetizer recipes?
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Pepperoni Chips
- Parmesan Crisps
- Frozen Jalapeno Poppers in Air Fryer
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Air Fry Jalapeno Poppers with Cream Cheese
An easy bacon cream cheese jalapeno poppers recipe for either your oven or your air fryer. These make the BEST appetizer idea for a crowd, plus they're gluten free, low carb, nut-free, and keto friendly.
An easy recipe to cut in half if you just want to make 12 popper halves!
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, precooked
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 12 jalapenos
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Prep the Jalapenos
Here is where those gloves are going to come in real handy! Wearing a pair of clean, disposable gloves will keep the jalapeno oil off your skin. This is a good thing as the oil can burn your skin. Ouch!
To prepare your jalapenos first clean them off. Cut down the center of the pepper and through the stem. You can opt to remove the stem or leave it on (we choose to leave the stem on).
Pull out the white membrane and seeds located inside the peppers. I like to use a melon baller to clean out my peppers.
If you prefer your keto jalapeno poppers a little spicy, leave some of the insides, well, inside the pepper.
Mix the Filling
To make the filling, combine your softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the bacon as well.
Fill the Peppers
Fill your peppers with the cream cheese mixture and top with additional cheddar cheese and/or bacon.
Air Fry
Cook your air fryer jalapeno poppers in your 400F air fryer for 9 minutes. I made 2 batches, one in our small basket air fryer and one in our large Omni Plus fryer. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may need to cook the poppers in batches.
After cooking as finished, garnish with bacon if desired.
Oven-Baked Jalapeno Poppers
If you don't have an air fryer, you can easily pop these in your oven! Simply bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Swap the jalapenos for baby bell peppers if you don't like spicy
Using pre-cooked shredded chicken instead of bacon works great
Change up the cheeses, why not try 3 cheese blend, or Colby-Jack?
Instead of mixing in pre-cooked bacon pieces, you can also wrap a slice of raw bacon around each jalapeno half.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 127Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 32mgSodium 234mgCarbohydrates 2gNet Carbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 5g
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Andrea says
These were awesome. I wrapped the bacon instead of putting crumbles in the mix. They came out perfecly crisp and cooked, though I did have to cook them about 6 minutes longer. I think this was because of wrapping the bacon instead of doing crumbles.
WholeLottaYum says
We're glad you loved them! We go back and forth between wrapping them in bacon or mixing in crumbled bacon. Both are delish!
Chris says
Going to try this for tomorrow pot luck. Wonder if they'll get "soggy" if I cook then transport in foil covered pan? I won't have a way to rewarm.
Betty says
Can you stuff these then freeze to cook at later time?
Mel says
Hi Betty! I haven't tried this yet. If you do freeze them to cook at a later time, be sure to cook them from frozen rather than letting them thaw. I'd love to know how they turn out, and will definitely give it a try myself next time I make them.