good creamy, crispy jalapeño poppers loaded with hearty flavor, right from the air fryer! Can be made keto and low carb.

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Crispy Air Fried Jalapeño Poppers

Jalapeño poppers are one of our favorite easy appetizers – they play off great flavor and texture contrasts for a bite that is bursting with an addictive creamy and spicy taste. Not only are these peppers cooked to perfection in the air fryer, making the pepper soft, with a subtle snap – but creamy filling is topped with a crispy breadcrumb for a crunch you won't be able to get enough of!

In addition to being healthier and more convenient, air fried jalapeño poppers also tend to be more evenly cooked. Deep frying can result in uneven cooking, with some parts of the popper being overcooked and others undercooked. Air frying, on the other hand, produces a more evenly cooked popper with a crispy exterior and a tender, flavorful interior.

How to Make Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

To make this recipe, you'll need:

Jalapeños – jalapeños are fresh, vegetal, small peppers that vary from medium to spicy and are great paired with cream cheese and bacon!
Cream cheese – Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting cheese that is often used as a spread or a dip. Its creamy, smooth texture pairs well with the spicy kick of jalapeno peppers. The combination of the two flavors creates a good balance of creamy and spicy. Cream cheese is great with jalapeños is that it helps to temper the heat of the peppers. The creaminess of the cheese helps to cool down the spice, making it more enjoyable for those who may not be able to handle extremely spicy foods.
Monterey Jack cheese –
Garlic salt – garlic salt brings a balanced, salty, earthy kick to up the addictive value of these poppers and add dimension and a vegetal kick to the jalapeno and rich, creamy cream cheese.
Onion powder – onion powder is earthy and slightly sweet, lending dimension and balance to poppers to add a natural savory kick without having to chop a ton of onions, and with more onion flavor – and less of a strong heat kick.
Panko breadcrumbs – panko breadcrumbs come from crustless white bread and are extra light, crispy, and good – they are crunchy, and seem crisp without feeling dry like other breadcrumbs can.
Crumbled bacon – cooked crumbled bacon is the solid topping to add a salty, smoky, meaty kick to jalapeño poppers that take this air fried recipe over the top – we prefer The Best Air Fryer Bacon since it is crispy and crumbles perfectly – plus you can use it to preheat your air fryer for the poppers!

Once you've gathered your ingredients, you will use the following process:

Prep. Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the insides of each half so they are hollow. Set the prepped jalapenos aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Colby Jack cheese, and half of the bacon until the cheese and bacon is evenly distributed throughout the cream cheese. Using a spoon or spatula, fill each jalapeno half with the cream cheese filling. In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and remaining bacon. Dip the top cream cheese side of each popper into the breadcrumbs to fully coat the cream cheese.
Air fry. Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the air fryer has preheated, cook the jalapeno poppers 5-6 at a time for 5 minutes.
Enjoy. Serve and enjoy!

Kitchen notes

You want to be careful not to overcook these jalapeño poppers. If you leave them in the air fryer for too long, then the jalapeños will lose all of their moisture and the poppers will fall apart when you try to take them out. If you preheat your air fryer, 5 minutes should be the solid amount of time to cook.
We like to let our cream cheese sit out for a little bit before making the filling. It is not necessary, but it softens the cream cheese a little bit and makes mixing in the other ingredients easier.
You can store your leftover poppers in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be served cold from the fridge or reheated in the microwave.
These poppers are great served with chipotle aioli, ranch, etc.
The panko crumbs do not add a lot of flavor, but they give the poppers a nice crunch that pairs well with the soft filling.
If you want some more heat in your poppers, try adding a few drops of tobacco sauce to your filling. You can also add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.

A few answers

What temperature should we air fry jalapeño poppers at?

Air fry at 350 degrees to 400 degrees.

When are jalapeño poppers done?

Jalapeno poppers are done when breadcrumbs are golden toasty brown and peppers have slightly wrinkled and blistered, at 155 degrees +.

Can we make these keto?

Jalapeño poppers can be made keto by swapping crushed pork rinds for panko breadcrumbs.

Serve it with

Jalapeño poppers are great with gameday favorites like Easy Chili Shredded Chicken Tacos The Best Easy Air Fryer French Fries Air Fryer Potato Chips The Best Air Fryer Baked Potato – and more!

We also love serving with our hearty and warming soups and stews – suited to watching the big game!

Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers

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Ingredients

15 jalapenos
8 oz cream cheese
¾ cup Colby Jack cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp onion powder
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup bacon bits

Method

Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the insides of each half so they are hollow. Set the prepped jalapenos aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Colby Jack cheese, and half of the bacon until the cheese and bacon is evenly distributed throughout the cream cheese.
Using a spoon or spatula, fill each jalapeno half with the cream cheese filling.
In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and remaining bacon. Dip the top cream cheese side of each popper into the breadcrumbs to fully coat the cream cheese.
Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the air fryer has preheated, cook the jalapeno poppers 5-6 at a time for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!