If store-bought frozen poppers have left you disappointed, you must try these homemade Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers! Never soggy and loaded with bacon, this recipe satisfies where others fall short. The heat of the jalapenos is perfectly balanced with the cheddar cheese and bacon cream cheese filling. Additional cheese, bacon, and breadcrumbs are layered on top of the filling for a crisp top that browns up nicely in the air fryer.
Air Fried Jalapeno Poppers are a fun and spicy appetizer for game days, cocktail parties, taco nights, and casual parties. Cooking the jalapeno poppers in the air fryer is quick and frees your oven up for other recipes if you’re hosting a larger gathering. For more easy appetizers, try my air fryer chicken wings, air fryer buffalo cauliflower, or air fryer potato wedges.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Jalapeño peppers – fresh jalapeño peppers are just the right shape to hold the cheesy filling and offer a bit of heat to this appetizer. Select fresh jalapeños that are firm to the touch with brightly colored skin that is free from dark spots.
Cream cheese – softened cream cheese balances the spice of the peppers and makes a rich and creamy filling. Soften the cream cheese to room temperature so that it easily combines with the other filling ingredients.
Bacon – crispy bacon is used in both the filling and topping for this easy recipe. You can make the bacon ahead of time if you want to save time the day you’re serving this recipe.
Seasoning – I like to use a combination of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to season the filling. You can add chili powder, a few shakes of hot sauce, or a pinch of cayenne pepper for extra heat if desired.
How to Make Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
1. Cut each of the jalaeño peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. (I recommend wearing gloves during this process!)
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, half of the crumbled bacon, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
3. Fill each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture and smooth the top of the filling.
4. Place the stuffed peppers on a plate or baking tray and top evenly with cheddar cheese, and the remaining bacon.
5. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the stuffed peppers.
6. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Working in batches if needed, place the stuffed pepper halves into the air fryer basket leaving a little space between each. Air fry for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the tops are golden brown, and the peppers have softened. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Wear gloves when handling the peppers. A disposable pair of food-prep gloves comes in handy and will prevent the oils from the peppers from soaking into your hands. Remove the gloves after preparing the peppers, and avoid touching your face or eyes while working.
- Don’t forget to remove the seeds. This recipe is best if you remove the seeds from the center of the peppers. Use a spoon to quickly and efficiently scrape out the seeds. Additionally, remove the flesh near the seeds if you prefer a milder taste.
- Use softened cream cheese. The cream cheese will combine easily with the other ingredients when it is softened. Allow it to sit at room temperature until you can easily indent it when you gently but firmly press on it with your finger.
- Air fry the bacon ahead of time. If you’d like to save time, you can make air fryer bacon a day ahead of time and refrigerate it. Crumble the strips into bacon bits before adding to the filling.
- Fill peppers so the cream cheese mixture is level with the edges. Fill the peppers with the cheese and scrape it so that the top is level and not overflowing. This will prevent excess cheese from leaking out and burning, and create a large surface for the cheese, bacon, and breadcrumbs topping. Depending on their size, you may have leftover filling or need more or fewer peppers.
- Preheat your air fryer if recommended by the manufacturer. Some air fryers require preheating, while others do not. Refer to the usage instructions that came with your air fryer and preheat if your model recommends that step.
- Air fry in batches. Spread the filling in the pepper halves and place them on a plate or baking sheet to add toppings. Load as many peppers into the air fryer basket as will fit in a single layer with a little room around each, and fry multiple batches as needed, based on the capacity of your air fryer.
- Adjust cook time as needed. Increase the cooking time as needed if using larger peppers or decrease it if you use smaller peppers or you find your air fryer runs hot. I like to check them after 5 minutes to see if they are browning too quickly, and adjust from there to ensure I have perfect poppers!
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes to re-crisp the topping.
Enjoy this recipe fresh out of the air fryer and serve with ranch dressing and celery. Or serve with one or more dipping sauces, such as blue cheese, salsa, or buffalo hot sauce. These also pair well with other delicious appetizers like chicken wings, fried pickles, sheet pan nachos, or tortilla chips with spinach artichoke dip.
Vary the type of shredded cheese used or stir in sliced green onions, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, or a diced shallot to change up the filling. You can even add some buffalo sauce into the filling for a spicy, tangy stuffing.
If you want the air fryer poppers to have crunchier tops, add more bread crumbs and spray the top lightly with cooking spray before cooking. This will help the added bread crumbs brown more easily.
This recipe that uses jalapeno halves requires no flipping, and doing so would result in the cheese and toppings falling out and burning. Pause the cooking of the air fryer midway through cooking and use tongs to rearrange the poppers in the basket, if some are cooking faster than others.
Using an air fryer to cook or reheat poppers is a great way to get crisp, not soggy poppers. The breadcrumb topping in this recipe also promotes browning and crispiness for an appetizer that satisfies!
If you don’t have an air fryer, try my original oven-baked jalapeno poppers recipe, with cheddar cheese and panko breadcrumbs.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this air fryer jalapeno poppers recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 6 jalapenos
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (112g)
- 3 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (78g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese (28g)
- 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Cut each of the jalaeño peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, half of the crumbled bacon, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
- Fill each pepper half with cream cheese mixture and smooth the top of the filling. Place the stuffed peppers on a plate or baking tray and sprinkle the tops evenly with cheddar cheese, the remaining bacon, and breadcrumbs.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- Working in batches, if needed, place the stuffed pepper halves into the air fryer basket leaving a little space between each. Air fry for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the tops are browned, and the peppers have softened. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Wear gloves when handling the peppers. A disposable pair of food-prep gloves comes in handy and will prevent the oils from the peppers from soaking into your hands. Remove the gloves after preparing the peppers, and avoid touching your face or eyes while working.
- Don’t forget to remove the seeds. This recipe is best if you remove the seeds from the center of the peppers. Use a spoon to quickly and efficiently scrape out the seeds. Additionally, remove the flesh near the seeds if you prefer a milder taste.
- Use softened cream cheese. The cream cheese will combine easily with the other ingredients when it is softened. Allow it to sit at room temperature until you can easily indent it when you gently but firmly press on it with your finger.
- Air fry the bacon ahead of time. If you’d like to save time, you can make air fryer bacon a day ahead of time and refrigerate it. Crumble the strips into bacon bits before adding to the filling.
- Fill peppers so the cream cheese mixture is level with the edges. Fill the peppers with the cheese and scrape it so that the top is level and not overflowing. This will prevent excess cheese from leaking out and burning, and create a large surface for the cheese, bacon, and breadcrumbs topping. Depending on their size, you may have leftover filling or need more or fewer peppers.
- Preheat your air fryer if recommended by the manufacturer. Some air fryers require preheating, while others do not. Refer to the usage instructions that came with your air fryer and preheat if your model recommends that step.
- Air fry in batches. Spread the filling in the pepper halves and place them on a plate or baking sheet to add toppings. Load as many peppers into the air fryer basket as will fit in a single layer with a little room around each, and fry multiple batches as needed, based on the capacity of your air fryer.
- Adjust cook time as needed. Increase the cooking time as needed if using larger peppers or decrease it if you use smaller peppers or you find your air fryer runs hot. I like to check them after 5 minutes to see if they are browning too quickly, and adjust from there to ensure I have perfect poppers!
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