There’s something undeniably addictive about the combination of creamy cheese and the fiery kick of jalapeños, and when you add the smoky, crispy bacon into the mix, it becomes a flavor explosion that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance.
For those who don’t typically enjoy spicy food, the spiciness of this appetizer is really subtle, providing just a hint of heat that won’t overwhelm your palate.
If you remove the core properly, the spiciness will be really mild, ensuring a more gentle flavor experience.
But for all you spicy food lovers out there, fear not! You can amp up the heat by adding cayenne pepper into the cream cheese mixture or even brushing the bacon with sriracha for an extra kick.
And the best part? These air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are a breeze to make. So, get ready to impress your friends, family, and even yourself with this simple yet irresistibly delicious (mildly) spicy treat.
Table of Contents
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers Ingredients
✦ You can find the exact measurements of the recipe ingredients and customize the serving size in the recipe card after the detailed step-by-step instructions section.
Just a handful of ingredients are needed to create these flavor bombs.
- Bacon
- Jalapeño peppers
- Cream cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Green onion
Recipe Video
How to Cook Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers in the Air Fryer?
Jalapeño poppers are super easy to make in the air fryer and take less than 20 minutes!! Easy peasy, jalapeño-popper squeezy!
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables.
Chop the green onions and add to a medium bowl.
Cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise and scrape out the white membranes and seeds (these are the spiciest parts of a pepper). Set aside.
🚨 Important: Don’t touch your face or your eyes after having worked with jalapenos or any other peppers! The oils from the peppers can be skin and eye irritants, so wash your hands well after handling the peppers.
Step 2: Mix the cream cheese filling.
To the medium bowl with the green onions, add the cream cheese (the softer it is the easier mixing it will be), shredded mozzarella, salt and pepper. Fold everything together until well-combined.
Step 3: Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C).
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and then let it cook for 3-4 minutes without food.
For a more accurate cooking time, preheating your air fryer is highly recommended.
Step 4: Put together the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers.
While the air fryer is preheating, fill your jalapeño poppers.
Fill each half of a pepper with the cream cheese filling (about 1 heaping tbsp) and then wrap each filled half with a slice of bacon.
Step 5: Air fry bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers for 12-15 minutes.
When the air fryer is preheated, add the jalapeno poppers in a single layer and air fry until the bacon is golden and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.
There’s going to be a little bit of oozing, but there’s no way around it. Cooking for a shorter time will result in pale, undercooked bacon.
✦ I used a 6-quart air fryer to test this recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy your air fried bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers!
When the bacon is crispy and browned, remove the jalapeño poppers and transfer to a plate. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes and then serve!
Air fried jalapeño poppers are delicious as is, the perfect combination of crispy and spicy, but you can also try out different cheeses!
You can swap the mozzarella cheese for another melty cheese like cheddar, monterey jack or my favorite, Mexican blend!
Freezing & Storage
Freezing: Allow the poppers to cool completely before adding to an airtight container and freezing. Store for up to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the reheat instructions below.
Fridge: Allow the bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers to cool completely before adding to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: To reheat, add to an air fryer preheated to 360°F and air fry for 3-4 minutes or until the poppers are hot and the bacon is crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can air fry bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. It will take less than 15 minutes to cook.
In a preheated air fryer at medium-to-high heat, it will take 12-15 minutes to cook bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. Cook until the cheese is puffed and the bacon turns slightly golden.
The best temperature for air frying bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapeno is between 360°F to 380°F. And the ideal cooking time will be around 12-15 minutes.
To make bacon-wrapped Jalapeño poppers, first prepare the cream cheese filling and slice the jalapeño peppers in half, removing the seeds and pith. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). Then, fill each halved jalapeño with the cream cheese mixture and wrap them with thinly sliced bacon. Carefully place the stuffed jalapeños in the air fryer and cook for 12-15 minutes until the bacon is slightly golden and the cheese is puffed.
This ingredients checklist is interactive; you can use it as your grocery list.
Ingredients
- 12 bacon strips thin-cut
- 6 jalapeno peppers medium-sized
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ mozzarella cheese block 100 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon green onion
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Roughly chop the green onions and cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white membranes.
- Make the filling: Mix the softened cream cheese with mozzarella cheese, spring onion, salt, and ground black pepper. Set aside for assembly.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C).
- Put together the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers by adding a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture to each jalapeño half. Then, wrap each stuffed Jalapeño with a slice of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Repeat the process until all the Jalapeños have been filled and wrapped with bacon slices.
- Air fry bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers for 12-15 minutes: Carefully add the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers into the preheated air fryer and cook them until the bacon is thoroughly cooked and the cheese puffed and slightly golden brown. For even cooking, space them out evenly. No need to flip.
- Serve and enjoy your air fryer bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers!
Recipe Video
Notes
- For this recipe, it’s recommended to use thinly-sliced bacon since it will cook faster than thick-sliced bacon.
- Since the bacon takes more than 10 minutes to cook when wrapped around anything, there’s no way to prevent the mozzarella cheese from oozing out.
- If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and then let it cook for 3-4 minutes without food.
- I used a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus to test the bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers air fryer recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
- To soften cream cheese, you can take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Alternatively, you can remove the cream cheese from its packaging, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave it on a low power setting for 15-20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it reaches the desired softness.
- Another method is to submerge the sealed cream cheese block in warm water and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping it every 5 minutes or so.
- Don’t touch your face or your eyes after having worked with jalapenos or any other peppers! The oils from the peppers can be skin and eye irritants, so wash your hands well after handling the peppers.
Nutrition
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