Jalapeño Poppers

Prep: 60 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Dry Time: 40 mins
Total: 2 hrs
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 50 poppers

With their irresistible crisp-fried exterior complemented by a creamy, cheesy, slightly spicy interior, jalapeño poppers are understandably a very popular appetizer in restaurants. And our accessible recipe can bring the bite-sized treats to your table in all their glory without much trouble.

All of the ingredients are easy to find, so it just takes some time and a bit of patience when hollowing out the jalapeños, stuffing them with the cheesy filling, and deep-frying until golden-brown. Then your new go-to appetizer or snack is ready for the serving plate.

The Ingredients You Need to Make Amazing Jalapeño Poppers

  • Jalapeño Peppers: For this recipe, look for peppers that are plump and relatively uniform in shape. You'll cut the jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and the white membrane. If you like your poppers a bit spicier, feel free to leave some or all of the membrane.
  • Cream Cheese, Pepper Jack, and Spices for the Filling: A combination of softened cream cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, plus oregano and chili powder makes a meltingly delicious filling. Feel free to swap out the pepper jack for cheddar or another type of cheese if you'd like. You can also dial the heat up or down by increasing or decreasing the amount of chili powder. For a non-vegetarian version, add chopped cooked bacon to the filling for extra flavor and crunch.
  • Milk, Egg, Flour, Salt, and Breadcrumbs for Breading: These poppers employ a variation on the classic three-step breading technique with the extra steps of drying out briefly and a second dip in a milk and egg mixture: After being stuffed, they're first dipped into a mixture of milk and egg, then into flour and salt, then they are placed on a drying rack for about 10 minutes. Then they get another dip in the milk/egg mixture, and then are rolled the breadcrumbs. Doubling up on the milk and flour coating helps the breadcrumb to stick better to the pepper. You can use any type of unseasoned fine breadcrumbs you like, or panko breadcrumbs.
  • Oil for Frying: We call for vegetable oil for deep frying in this recipe because its neutral flavor, relatively high smoke point, and cheapness compared to other oils make it a perfect oil for deep frying. Canola and peanut oils are other good choices.

Do You Have to Blanch Jalapeños for Making Poppers?

For a tender texture, our recipe calls for blanching the peppers before stuffing them. That's because the cook time for heating the filling and crisping the breading isn't long enough to soften the peppers. If you like crunchy peppers, feel free to skip the blanching step.

How Do You Keep Breading on Jalapeño Poppers?

This recipe has a few steps that help keep the breading on the peppers. There's a multi-step breading process that helps the breadcrumbs adhere, plus a chilling step before frying. You'll also want to lower the peppers carefully into the oil, both to keep the breading intact and to prevent oil spatter, which could burn you.

What to Serve with Jalapeño Poppers


Beautiful on their own as an appetizer or snack, these jalapeño poppers can double as a side dish for milder flavors like grilled or baked chicken breasts or flank steak. Alternatively, serve them with chips, salsa, and guacamole for a festive spread.

Tip

If you have leftover filling, it's great spread on crackers or baguette slices.

Warning

When working with jalapeños and other hot peppers, we recommend you use disposable gloves and avoid touching your face, as the jalapeño juices can get into your eyes or nose and cause an uncomfortable burn. If you don't have gloves, put plastic bags over your hands as you work. If you happen to get some pepper on your hands, be sure to wash your hands very well. A dish soap that cuts through oil works particularly well. Also be sure to wash knives, cutting boards, and anything else the peppers touched well.

Jalapeño poppers in a bowl with dipping sauce nearby

The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

"Jalapeño poppers are fun to make and this recipe is no exception. They’re mild if you clean out the pepper’s white membrane; a little more chili powder kicks up the heat. The breading is a classic for poppers and they fry up nicely. If there are any leftovers, the poppers keep and reheat well the next day." —Colleen Graham

Jalapeño poppers on a plate with dipping sauce in the middle
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 11 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 2 teaspoons chili powder

  • 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded

  • 25 jalapeño peppers, cut in half and seeded

  • 3/4 cup milk

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, or panko breadcrumbs

  • 3 to 4 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for jalapeño poppers gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, oregano, chili powder, and pepper jack cheese. Mix well with a spoon. Reserve.

    Cream cheese, oregano, chili powder, and pepper jack cheese combined in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  3. Lower the boil to a simmer, blanch the pepper halves for 2 minutes and then place in an ice water bath. Drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

    Pepper halves simmering in a pot of hot water

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  4. Carefully spoon the cream cheese mixture into the blanched jalapeño pepper halves. Reserve.

    Cream cheese mixture spooned into the blanched jalapeño pepper halves on a platter

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  5. In a small bowl, combine the milk and egg.

    Milk and egg whisked together in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  6. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl and set them side by side to prepare your dredging station.

    One bowl with flour and salt and another with breadcrumbs

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  7. Dip the stuffed jalapeños into the milk, and then into the seasoned flour mixture, making sure they are thoroughly coated. Repeat the process with all halves and place the coated jalapeños on wire racks to dry for about 10 minutes.

    Stuffed jalapeño dipped into the milk and then into the seasoned flour mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  8. Dip the jalapeños in the milk mixture again and then roll them in breadcrumbs to coat. The first milk and flour coat helps the breadcrumb to stick better to the pepper. Place all jalapeños on a clean baking sheet or baking dish that can fit inside your fridge.

    Jalapeño poppers dipped again in milk and resting on a rack

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  9. Allow the coated peppers to dry for 30 to 40 minutes in the fridge. Reserve all dredging station ingredients, placing the milk and egg mixture in the fridge as well. If after 40 minutes you notice any jalapeños to be in need of extra dredging, repeat the breading process—milk mixture and breadcrumbs.

    Jalapeño poppers covered in breadcrumbs on a wire rack

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  10. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 365 F in a large skillet. Deep-fry the jalapeño poppers from 2 to 4 minutes each, until golden brown and crispy-looking on all sides. Add more oil in between batches, as needed, and wait for it to heat up again before adding more jalapeños. Don't overcrowd the skillet.

    Jalapeño poppers frying in oil

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

  11. Remove the jalapeños poppers and let them drain on paper towels before plating.

    Jalapeño poppers draining on paper towels

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

Make-Ahead Instructions

Here are a few options for you to choose from when making these poppers ahead of time:

  • Fry the jalapeño poppers up to 2 days ahead, cool completely, then store them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat them in a 350 F oven until re-crisped and warmed through, about 20 minutes.
  • You can also prepare them through the stuffing and coating phase and then freeze them on a rimmed baking sheet. Once they're frozen solid, transfer to a zip-close bag and freeze for up to three months. Fry the frozen peppers in oil at 365 F until hot all the way through, golden brown, and crisp, about 3 to 6 minutes. Alternatively, bake at 350 F for 20 to 30 minutes until hot all the way through, golden brown, and crisp.

How to Store and Reheat Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño poppers are best right after you fry them, but you can reheat them. Transfer to a sealable container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350 F oven until warmed through, about 5 to 10 minutes for refrigerated poppers and 20 to 30 for frozen ones. You can also reheat them in the microwave, but the texture will not be as crispy as those heated in the oven.

Baked Jalapeño Poppers

You can bypass the deep-frying stage and bake the jalapeño poppers in a greased baking sheet in a 350 F oven, covered for 10 minutes, and then uncovered until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Whole Jalapeño Poppers

To serve whole jalapeño poppers:

  • Look for peppers that are evenly sized so you can halve them evenly, then cut in half.
  • Stuff with less filling so it won't ooze out when frying.
  • Sandwich the halves together.
  • Go through the milk, flour, breading, and chilling process as instructed.
  • When frying, flip the poppers halfway through to ensure even cooking.
  • Dry on top of paper towels before serving.

Other Stuffed Peppers

In addition to jalapeños, this filling is great in banana peppers, baby red, green, or yellow bell peppers, or any other small mild pepper.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
392 Calories
29g Fat
23g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 392
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 418mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 250mg 19%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 194mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)