Jalapeno peppers stuffed with a zingy cilantro-lime cream cheese filling and wrapped up in crispy bacon. These baked bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers are always a favorite appetizer.

overhead photo of a plate of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers

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Ah, jalapeno poppers. Denizen of the appetizer table and frequent snack choice for all sorts of get-togethers, particularly sports-focused gatherings.

These savory snacks – in this case, peppers stuffed with a cilantro-lime cream cheese filling and baked up with bacon – have come into my life in a big way in the last year as they are the go-to snacky-treat of someone I’ve been spending a lot of time with since last fall. Both he and his teen-aged kids love them and we’ve made batches of jalapeno poppers for birthday parties, Super Bowl parties, and office potlucks.

Until now, I haven’t always been a fan because have you ever bitten into a jalapeno and experienced a five-alarm fire in your mouth? I have, which is why I’ve mostly avoided eating whole jalapenos until now.

It wasn’t until I helped make batches of poppers earlier this year that I discovered that not all jalapenos are super spicy. The poppers we made were quite mild and so I got curious and did a little studying up on the matter.

How to Choose Jalapenos for Poppers

Here’s the deal on the spicy factor: the older a jalapeno is the hotter it is. Younger jalapeno peppers with smooth and unblemished skins are usually milder than ones that are older. You can tell one that has been sitting in the bin at the store for a while because its skin will be sort of blemished and flecked with white.

I learned this from a helpful article on Simply Recipes all about jalapeno peppers and since reading it I’ve had good luck picking ones that are smooth-skinned and blemish free that don’t burn my face off when I eat them.

As far as size, I like to choose peppers that are about 3 to 4 inches long for my bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. This is a good size for an appetizer. Any bigger and they get a bit cumbersome. For this recipe, I used 10 jalapeno peppers.

How to Prep Jalapeno Peppers for Poppers

If there’s anything I already knew about jalapeno peppers – or any potentially spicy pepper, for that matter – is that I have to wear gloves when I prep them. I’ve burned my eyes one too many times when I’ve gone without gloves (even hours after handling them). So word to the wise: wear gloves when you make these jalapeno poppers. Even the mild peppers ones have spicy little insides.

overhead photo of jalapenos being prepped

Slice the stem off each jalapeno.
Slice each pepper in half lengthwise.
I like to remove all of the ribs and seeds, but if you want a little kick of heat you can leave some in.
At this point I like to rinse the prepped peppers in water to remove any stubborn seeds and to clean them up.
Pat them dry and they are ready to be stuffed with the filling.

Cilantro-Lime Cream Cheese Filling

Most of the jalapeno poppers I’ve had in the past were stuffed with just a simple cream cheese sans any bells and whistles. They are delicious, but for my version I wanted to step-up the filling a bit and make it a little more zingy. Here’s what you need:

Fresh lime juice and zest
Honey
Kosher salt
Cream cheese
Fresh cilantro

Photo of a bowl of cilantro-lime cream cheese filling

The lime adds a nice pop of citrus flavor to the cheese and the honey gives it just a touch of sweetness both of which pair very nicely with the peppers and bacon.

How to Assemble the Poppers

Once you have your prepped peppers and cream cheese filling you are ready to stuff and wrap the peppers.

I recommend 10 ( 3 to 4 inch) peppers because you will have just enough filling to stuff them. If your peppers are bigger you may need extra filling.
A little under one tablespoon of filling is enough to stuff each pepper. So start by filling each with that amount. You can always adjust as you go as some peppers may need a little more or less filling.
You will need 10 slices of bacon, sliced in half so you have 20 shorter strips. Wrap each stuffed pepper in a strip of bacon. I tried to wrap mine so that the ends of the bacon met underneath the pepper. That way, the bacon will stay in place while the poppers bake.

overhead photo of bacon wrapped jalapenos ready to go in the oven

I like to use a baking rack to bake the poppers. That way, as the bacon releases its fat it drips down into the pan. The poppers aren’t sitting in it so the bacon crisps up all over instead of just frying in the fat accumulated in the pan.
I also like to line the pan with foil for easy clean-up.
Bake the poppers at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and cooked through.

I love how the cheese filling gets a little toasty in the oven. There’s just enough honey to add a touch of sweet caramelization that’s delicious with the zingy lime and smoky bacon. Add some friends, some drinks and pass around the jalapeno poppers!

Happy popper-making,

P.S. If you love jalapeno poppers, you might like my jalapeno popper dip, too!

close-up photo of a plate of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers

More Appetizer Recipes

Looking for more party food? Here are three more of my favorite appetizer recipes…

Apple & Sage Pork Sausage Rolls | These savory rolls are made with store-bought puff pastry and pork sausage doctored-up with fresh apples and sage. They’re addictive little snacks that are great served warm or at room temperature.
19 Game-Day Recipes | Every game-day get-together needs some snacks so I rounded-up 19 appetizer recipes that are great for get-togethers, whether they include sports or not!
Sweet & Spicy Meatball Bites | Tender beef meatballs simmered in a simple (2-ingredient!) sweet and spicy sauce. These bite-sized meatballs are perfect for parties.
Homemade Mozzarella Sticks | Crispy mozzarella sticks with oozing melted cheese inside. Make a big batch to have on hand whenever you get a craving!

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