Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers get's done under 30 mins! Fresh sliced jalapenos are filled with an addictive cream cheese filling & topped with a crispy toasted panko crust. Your guests will love these air fryer stuffed jalapenos!
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Air Fryer Stuffed Jalapenos
Cream Cheese jalapeno popper recipe is so easy to make in the air fryer. You probably already have all the ingredients on hand.
Scoop out the jalapeno seeds to cut back on the heat, fill the cavity with a delicious seasoned cream cheese mixture, top with panko for added crunch & air fry! A perfect party appetizer is ready in no time at all! Your guests can't stop at one!
Our jalapeno popper stuffing is the best - you'll have an addictive savory cheesy stuffing, well balanced & well seasoned, perfect to nullify the heat from the spicy jalapenos. You'll have a little bit of kick in every bite with lots of creamy goodness & a layer of crunch from the panko. You'll agree that these cream cheese jalapeno popper recipe is the best game day or party appetizer ever!
Ingredients
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Fresh Jalapeno peppers: Look for fresh jalapeno peppers and pick the ones that are nice and tight to the tough. Avoid the ones that are soft to the touch and has black spots.
- Dairy: Cream cheese & grated or pre-shredded cheddar cheese. You can use mild or sharp cheddar. For extra creamy and rich flavor use full fat cream cheese.
- Herbs: Chopped fresh parsley and green onion. You can sub the parsley or green onion with chives. I personally love the green onion flavor in this recipe - it's subtle and do not over power the appetizer like yellow onion.
- Seasonings: Crushed black pepper & salt according to your own personal taste preference. Everyone's salt preference is different and unique. You can also add red pepper flakes for a spicy jalapeno poppers recipe!
- Aromatics: Garlic. I used minced garlic. You can also use about ¼ tsp garlic powder instead of minced garlic.
- Crispy top coat: Use lightly toasted panko bread crumbs. They offer lots of crunch to these jalapeno poppers with cream cheese.
- Cooking oil spray: We always prefer using avocado cooking oil spray as it's has a high smoke point and hence, one of the best oils for high heat cooking.
Best Tips
- Prepping Jalapenos: Wear gloves before prepping the fresh jalapenos (slicing & removing the membranes & seeds). The jalapeno juice can burn or sting your skin! It's awful, been there, done that...Lol! Just incase you forgot to wear gloves and your skin starts to burn, quickly wash your hands with hand soap 2-3 times and than apply olive oil or coconut oil or aloe Vera gel. You can wash your hands again after 15-20 mins.
- Panko Bread crumbs: Lightly toast the panko breadcrumbs until golden on the stove top in a skillet. This will guarantee a gorgeous golden colored crispy panko topping! Your guests will love it. You can make ahead a big batch of skillet toasted panko and than store it in an air tight container for future use. It's shelf stable.
- Spicy jalapeno poppers: If you prefer really spicy jalapeno poppers than do not remove/scoop out all the membranes and seeds. You can remove them partly. The seeds and the white membranes carry all the heat.
- Jalapeno popper stuffing: For a rich extra creamy stuffing do use full fat room temperature cream cheese and add shar
- Jalapeno size: If your jalapenos are larger in you will need 6 ounce cream cheese instead of 4 ounce. The rest of the ingredients would remain the same.
How to make jalapeno poppers in air fryer?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step #1 Prep jalapenos & make cheese filling
- Prep fresh jalapenos: Rinse the jalapenos, wear gloves and slice the jalapenos lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the white membrane with the help of a spoon and discard them. This will reduce the heat of the peppers.
- Make cream cheese stuffing: Add the room temperature cream cheese, sharp cheddar, the fresh herbs & the seasonings and mix them well with the help of a fork or spoon to form a creamy cheesy stuffing. You can do a taste test and check for the seasoning, add more if you feel like.
Step #2 Stuff jalapenos
- Stuff jalapenos: Stuff the jalapenos with 1-2 spoon full of cream cheese mixture and place them on a plate.
Step #3 Coat Jalapeno poppers
- Panko topping: Place the toasted panko crumbs on a plate. Gently tap the stuffing side down on the panko crumbs to lightly coat the fresh jalapeno poppers with the crispy panko breadcrumbs.
Step #4 Air Fry
- Air Fry: Pre-heat the air fryer at 375 F. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray. Layer the cream cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers in a single layer in the basket. DO NOT stack, over crowd them. Spray oil on top of the poppers and air fry at 375 F for 8-10 mins depending on your air fryer. The cheese stuffing should be melty gooey, the jalapeno peppers tender and the panko topping nice and crispy. If you prefer brown spots on your poppers do add 2 more mins. I tested this recipe in my Bella air fryer and also using the air fryer instant pot lid.
Jalapeno Poppers in oven
- Follow this exact recipe.
- Place the stuffed jalapeno poppers on a baking pan and bake 18-22 minutes or until golden.
- Cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Can jalapeno poppers be made ahead of time?
Yes you can make jalapeno stuffed poppers ahead of time. Here's what I do - I stuff the sliced jalapenos and layer them in an air tight container and than store them in the fridge. They'll last for 5 days.
When ready to air fry, bake or grill just top them with the crispy panko breadcrumbs and cook them.
Can jalapeno poppers be frozen?
Yes, air fryer jalapeno poppers no bacon recipe can be frozen for up to 4 months. Layer the cooked poppers on a baking sheet and freeze them first. Them transfer them either into a heavy duty freezer safe bag or container and store in the freezer.
Storing Instruction
Fridge: You can store any leftover air fryer jalapeno poppers in the fridge for up to 7 days. Store them in air tight containers and follow the reheating directions shared below.
Reheating directions
Fridge: You can reheat the poppers directly from the fridge in a 375 F pre-heated air fryer. I generally reheat them for 3 mins in my Bella air fryer or use my instant pot air fryer lid. If you love them really crispy and gooey melty cheese with brown spots add 2-3 more mins and check them half way.
Freezer: Frozen jalapeno poppers can be reheated directly in the 375 F pre-heated air fryer. You may need an extra 8-10 mins depending on your air fryer to reheat the frozen poppers thoroughly.
Jalapeno Poppers filling ideas
- Bacon: You can add 2 tbsp bacon bits either to the cream cheese mixture or top the poppers with bacon bits. This will add more crunch and bacony flavor to your easy jalapeno poppers recipe.
- Spicy: Leave a few seeds and a little bit of the white membrane and scoop out the rest. The heat lies in the pepper seeds and the membrane.
- More cheese: You can add ¼ cup feta cheese or ¼ cup Colby jack to the cream cheese filling.
- Sausage: Add about ¼ cups cooked ground sausage to the cream cheese mixture. We love skillet sautéed spicy Italian ground sausage.
FAQs
You can air fry frozen jalapeno poppers at 375 F pre-heated air fryer for 10 mins. Flip sides or shake the basket half way through.
Layer the frozen jalapeno poppers in the air fryer basket (coat the basket with oil) in a single layer. No need to spray oil. Air Fry at 375 F for 10 mins. Shake the basket or flip the poppers half way through (5 mins). Serve immediately and enjoy!
Jalapeno poppers are slightly spicy but the heat is mellowed down by the cream cheese stuffing. You'll love it! Make sure to scoop out & discard the pepper seeds and the white membrane to cut back on the heat.
Skip the panko breadcrumbs topping to make the jalapeno poppers keto friendly.
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Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
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Ingredients
- 6 Jalapenos (**fresh whole jalapenos.)
- cooking oil spray (**we love avocado cooking oil spray.)
For Jalapeno Popper Stuffing
- 6 ounce cream cheese (**room temperature. Use 4 ounce cream cheese if your peppers are small in size.)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (**extra sharp cheddar is best here. Use pre-shredded or grate from a block.)
- 2 tbsp Parsley (**finely chopped.)
- 2 tbsp green onion (**finely chopped. I prefer using the green part a small amount of the tender white part. Green onion is also known as scallions.)
- ½ tsp garlic (**minced garlic. You can also sub it with ¼ tsp garlic powder.)
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper (**or crushed black pepper.)
- Salt (to taste) (**use according to your own personal taste preference. Everyone prefers different amount of saltiness in recipes.)
For Crispy top crust
- ¼ cups Panko Bread crumbs. (**toasted on the stove in a skillet until golden. )
Equipment Used
Instructions
Prep Jalapenos
- Put on gloves to protect your skin from burning or stinging caused by the jalapeno juice. Rinse the fresh whole jalapenos, do not remove the stalks. Than, slice them into halves lengthwise. With the help of a spoon scoop out and discard the seeds and the white membrane from the sliced jalapenos. Set the prepped jalapenos aside.
Make Jalapeno popper stuffing
- In a small bowl add the room temperature cream cheese, smash it with a fork. Add the cheddar cheese, the fresh herbs, garlic, salt & pepper and mix everything with a spoon or fork to form a cream cheese mixture. The mixture consistency will be creamy yet chunky.
Stuff the jalapenos
- Now, Scoop out about 1-2 tbsp cream cheese mixture and stuff it inside the jalapeno cavity uniformly. There should be any gaps left. Fill the hollow part bicely with the cream cheese stuffing. Set the stuffed jalapenos aside on a plate. Repeat this process until you are done stuffing all the jalapeno slices.
Panko topping
- Take the golden skillet toasted panko on a clean plate. Gently tap the jalapeno slice (cheese stuffing side down) on the panko bed to lightly coat the top. Once done set it on a plate. Repeat this process until you are done coating all the jalapeno tops.
Air Fry
- Pre-Heat the air fryer at 375 F. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray. Arrange all the stuffed jalapeno poppers in a single layer inside the air fryer basket (panko tops facing up). DO NOT overcrowd or stack the jalapeno poppers. Spray the poppers generously with cooking oil spray. Air fry at 375 F for 8-10 mins or until the cheese is melty, gooey, bubbly, the jalapenos tender and the panko tops nice and crispy. No need to shake the basket or flip sides. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. I tested this recipe using a Bella Air Fryer and also the instant pot air fryer lid. Don't miss the incredible tips, detailed step photos & filling ideas, just SCROLL UP!
Notes
- Wear gloves: Don't forget to wear gloves before handling the jalapenos especially if you have sensitive or dry skin. The jalapeno juice when comes in contact with skin makes it sting or burn!
- Forgot gloves: If your skin starts to burn or sting wash it multiple times with regular hand soap and than apply aloe Vera gel or olive oil or coconut oil.
- For large jalapenos: Use 6 ounce cream cheese and if the jalapenos are smaller use 4 ounce cream cheese.
- Toasted Panko: Toast the panko breadcrumbs on the stove top until golden and use them to top the jalapeno poppers. Toasting panko just gives a uniform golden crumb color to any recipe instead of few brown and golden spots here and there.
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