Enjoy the classic jalapeno poppers appetizers without getting flamed by the heat. In this easy jalapeno poppers recipe, rice and dairy tame the flames, while bacon keeps it flavorful.
I love, love, LOVE jalapeno poppers.
They are the ultimate game day food or addition to your New Year’s feasting. They’re easy to make, take just a few ingredients, and include bacon.
Anything with bacon has got to be delicious. And on the menu – STAT.
But, sometimes jalapeño poppers can be so flaming hot that it can give me a tummy ache if I eat too many. And seriously, who wants to stop eating jalapeño poppers.
Once upon a time, I decided to experiment and see if I could create an easy jalapeno popper recipe that was packed with flavor but didn’t punch me too hard in the gut.
I knew dairy would soften the blow as would brown rice. So I played around and came up with these delicious bites filled with rice, two cheeses, bacon, and cilantro. Yum! You’re going to love these for your next game day or other family get-together!
While they may be more than your traditional three-ingredient poppers, these easy jalapeño poppers are amazingly good. One tester said, “I was a bit skeptical about the jalapeño cuz I am not a spicy fan OMG soooooo good!!!”
So there you have it. Even if you’re not a spicy fan, you will love these easy jalapeño poppers.
What are jalapeño poppers?
Traditional jalapeño poppers are seeded jalapeño pepper halves filled with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon strips then baked until the bacon is crispy and the peppers are tender. Some recipe embellish the cream cheese with shredded cheese and seasonings.
Is it expensive to make jalapeño poppers?
Fresh jalapeño peppers are usually pretty economical, however bacon can get pretty pricy.
How can you make inexpensive jalapeño peppers?
These easy jalapeño peppers included chopped bacon, rather than whole strips, allowing you to stretch your bacon purchase while still retaining that smoky bacon flavor.
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the prices of cheese, rice, sour cream, and bacon can help keep the price down.
- Use up leftovers – this is a great recipe to use up leftover cooked rice.
How do you make easy jalapeño peppers?
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- sheet pans – I LOVE my set of steel sheet pans. They make such a difference in baking.
- plastic gloves – It can be helpful to wear gloves when working with spicy peppers. You definitely don’t want to get the oils on your skin or face.
Easy Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeno split and seeded
- 6 slices bacon chopped, cooked until crisp, and drained
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1 cup)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice cooled
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Lay the peppers on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, rice, cilantro and cumin. Stir well to combine.
- Fill peppers with the cheese and rice mixture, dividing it evenly.
- Bake peppers for 10 to 15 minutes until peppers are soft and filling is hot and bubbly.
Notes
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the prices of cheese, rice, sour cream, and bacon can help keep the price down.
- Use up leftovers - this is a great recipe to use up leftover cooked rice.
Nutrition
Images by Boston Girl Bakes.
Kelly Cook
I got a bag fresh Anaheim chilies the other day. I could substitute, right?
Jessica Fisher
Honestly, I’ve never used Anaheim chiles, but I don’t see why you couldn’t swap them.
Heather Perine
Made these for a Friendsgiving…and OMG first of all SOOOOO good. And second of all, everyone was loving them and wanted the recipe! They aren’t too spicy because of the rice. Someone said its like jalapeno poppers and arancini balls got together and made these. Haha I couldn’t agree more! p.s. super easy to make too 🙂 thanks for the recipe Jessica!
Jessica Fisher
So glad you liked them, Heather!
Martha Artyomenko
I am a doula and recently someone said they had a friend who ate like 14 poppers and went into labor. She tried it, but she did not go into labor!! But she enjoyed them!!! I will never look at them quite the same!
I love them and actually recently was planning on making some! I will have to try these!
RLR
Oooh – poppers are my favorite! Definitely going to give these a try!
Aleisha
I’ll be baking sugar cookies to decorate, gingerbread, pretzel treats, and who know what else!
Thrifty Mom in Boise
I love poppers too. I’ll have to give these a try. They look great!