Now that’s a mouthful. A heavenly cheese stuffed mouthful of bacon and jalapeño.
From pumpkin cheesecake to spicy stuffed jalapeños. My mind is everywhere this week. Just roll with the recipe randomness. These jalapeños you see today? They’re just another football appetizer to add to your rotation this year.
About to sit down to watch the Raven’s game two weeks ago, my husband and I stood in front of the open fridge deciding what to make. Besides butter, leftovers, eggs, condiments, more condiments, so many condiments, and beer (desperately needed to go shopping) Kevin spotted three jalapeños. I spotted cream cheese. He spotted bacon. Wham bam, three stuffed jalapeños, thank you ma’am.
Necessity hunger is the mother of invention.
Today’s recipe is an adaption of a crowd-pleasing appetizer I’ve made quite a few times before. I typically follow this Philadelphia cream cheese recipe to a T and yes, it is so good. But this time, I added shredded cheese, garlic, and flavorful smoked paprika. Lots of bold, spicy flavors here.
Since I could only make three, I went to the store the next day at 7am and bought 15 jalapeños. Went home, made these, shot these, and ate these with dinner. I was wiping tears from my eyes after eating 2 of them. They’re so good, I cried.
KIDDING. They’re real spicy. Tear-jerking heat.
These are easy, just as all football party food should be. It’s a simple mix of cream cheese, garlic, shredded cheese, and smoked paprika stuffed into sliced jalapeños. I like to remove all the seeds when I’m making stuffed jalapeños since they carry a lot of heat. Don’t fret– these are still plenty spicy without the seeds.
Do not touch your eyes during this process. Please don’t.
Wrap the stuffed jalapeños up with bacon, bake until the bacon is crisp, and serve. These jalapeños are a great make-ahead option, too. If you’re tailgating in the morning or hosting guests and don’t have time to prep that day – you can assemble the stuffed jalapeños the day before and bake right before serving. The smoked paprika gives the creamy, cheesy stuffing so much flavor. I didn’t use it the first night I made these, and we both liked the 2nd batch much better. They are AWESOME. The heat is on!
Dairy cools your tongue down after eating something spicy, so serving this cookie dough ice cream pie to guests afterward is just plain genius.
PS: If you love jalapeño– which I’m assuming you do– try my jalapeño pepper jack turkey burgers sometime. Favorite non-beef burgers!
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If you like spicy, you will love these! Halved jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, shredded cheese, paprika, and garlic and wrapped up with crispy bacon. Absolutely incredible!
Ingredients
- 12 fresh jalapeño peppers*
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese*
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 12 slices bacon, cut in half
- 24 toothpicks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (best for clean-up) or a silicone baking mat. Place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet. Set aside.
- Cut the jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and center membrane. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic, and paprika together until combined. You could also do this by hand using a rubber spatula. Salt to taste – I add just a pinch. Spoon filling equally among all 24 jalapeño halves.
- Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a half slice of bacon and stick a toothpick through the center to assure the bacon stays in place. Place each on the baking rack and bake for 25-28 minutes or until the bacon is crisp to your liking. I like to turn the oven to broil for the last minute or two to get things extra crispy. Serve immediately. Cover leftovers and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Jalapeño peppers can be stuffed and wrapped 1 day in advance. Refrigerate until ready to bake. You can also assemble and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
- Peppers: Instead of jalapeño peppers, try using those mini sweet peppers often sold in the produce section. Those a great option if you don’t like super spicy.
- Cheese: Mexican style or pepper jack shredded cheese is also tasty.
- Adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Keywords: bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños, cheesy bacon jalapeños
Also for game day: these Loaded Sweet Potato Skins!
Can these be made in advance and refrigerated for a couple of hours if needed?
Definitely!
What I have always used are the canned pickled jalapenos which are not as hot and have a good flavor. Have to be a little more careful just because the are not as firm.
In Mexico we enjoyed similar stuffed jalapeños but could never recreate their mild spice because when we made them at home they were so hot we could barely finish them. Eventually after persistent begging the chef revealed that he simmered the seeded and deveined jalapeños in water for 5-10 minutes before stuffing and roasting them. All the great flavours without the tears!,
Great tip, thank you!
Another great way I’ve discovered to kill the heat is to bake them for longer at a slower temperature. I usually cook mine on 350 F for about an hour or so and the heat is just right. And the longer and more thoroughly you cook the pepper, the less spice it will have.
Really very easy to make & delicous. Ran out of bacon for the last few and they were still great! Thank you for
sharing!
I just made them and it was so delicious, I added barbeque sauce to them and I was pleased. Thanks
These are the best of all the rest.
I made these and we just ate them. YUMMMMM!!!!! We will definitely be making them again and again. I used Jalapeños that we grew in our garden, and they were pretty mild, not light you on fire . I also used an Anaheim that we had. It was a completely different flavor, and not Nearly as good. I had a bite of one and my hubby at the rest of it. I won’t be doin’ that again!! Lesson learned.
I made these and they were awesome. I like mine a bit hotter though. I also took some brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, cyanne pepper and pepper flakes mixed it all up and dipped the bacon in it before wrapping. Turned out great.
How much of each spice did you mix up?
I used a C. of brown sugar, then 1 tsp of the paprika, chili powder, and cayenne pepper and 1 TBLS of the red pepper flakes. If you don’t like it that hot I would cut the measurements in half.
Yum!! Just done a trial run of these in preparation for World Cup nibbles and they are definitely top of the list Thank you Sally
I boil that jalapeños for 5-10 mins to help reduce the spice it can have.
I am 14 and I made them, all I have to say is that they are yummy!
YAY! I’m so glad you made and enjoyed them!!
Oh My Goodness!!
YUM, YUM And YUMMY YUM, YUM!!!
Thank You, Sally!!
Just made these! Delicious! Instead of wrapping them in bacon I just added the crumbled bacon to the cheese mixture. Amazing that way too!
It was our last weekend up north for the season and my husband & I made your Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños. THEY WERE FANTASTIC! MARVELOUS! DELICIOUS! I just cannot find enough adjective to explains how awesome they were! Definitely broil them at the end – made all the difference. Thanks you so much, Sally! Love your site and all you do 🙂
It was our last weekend up north for the season and my husband & I made your Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños. THEY WERE FANTASTIC! MARVELOUS! DELICIOUS! I just cannot find enough adjective to explains how awesome they were! Definitely broil them at the end – made all the difference. Thanks you so much, Sally! Love your site and all you do
Anyone try these on the grill ? If so what temp and how long did you grill them ? These look amazing!!
Made these for NYE came out great. Super easy recipe. I made as is with the addition of salt and pepper and fresh cilantro since I had it and saw the Philly cheese recipe had it
Okay we tried to cut calories and used turkey bacon. DO NOT DO…it is not nearly as good. There was something about that carmelized fat that makes it so delightful.
I made these and loved them. Only one problem that I had was the bottom of the bacon was not done enough. Tops were great and crispy. How do I fix that?
I baked them on a rack in the baking sheet.
I have had the same problem with bottoms not cooking. Even on a rack on baking sheet. Now I precook the bacon for about 10 mins and let cool before wrapping the peppers. Works well for me and cuts out a little of the grease.
Can I use fiesta blend cheese instead of cheddar?
Yes, absolutely!
I am planning on making these as one of the apps for my wedding reception in 2 weeks. Can I make them a week ahead of time and freeze them? Also, there was a comment from Suzanne that you did not respond to, that now I am concerned about. She said the bacon on the bottom of the pepper was not cooked enough. Is there anything that can be done to fix that??? Thank you for this recipe! These look absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to serve them!
Hi Tamara! I definitely missed that comment, but I’m happy to answer! First, make sure you’re baking them on a baking rack on the baking sheet so the undersides can cook. If you notice that the underside portion of the wrapped bacon isn’t cooking, turn down the oven heat and bake them for longer to ensure more even cooking.
These are a family favorite for us!
★★★★★
Absolutely Delicious! This recipe was a big hit for my family!
★★★★★