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These Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers are awesomely creamy and cheesy. They’re filled with cream cheese along with cheddar, green onions, ranch seasoning and topped with crispy breadcrumbs!
Jalapeno Peppers
The jalapeño is a medium-sized chili, with a pretty broad range of aroma and heat. Some are very mild and sweet, while others are ear-steaming spicy! Generally, people pick and consume their jalapenos while they are still green, but some people do enjoy them at the yellow or green stage of growth.
Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
This recipe comes together really quickly. You only need a few key ingredients to cook up some crispy poppers. The secret weapon here is the buttery panko breadcrumbs on top that really help bring some crispy crunch to the poppers.
Ingredients for Air Fried Jalapeno Poppers
The list of ingredients for some truly memorable Jalapeño Poppers is below.
- Whole Jalapeños
- Cream Cheese
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic
- Ranch seasoning
- Lime zest
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Panko Breadcrumbs (you can find these in the specialty or Asian section of your grocery store)
- Butter
As a pro tip, when you’re buying peppers, you can usually see how hot the jalapenos are based on their appearance. Small brown scar-like lines on the pepper, referred to as “corking”, correlate with heat levels in the chili. That’s because the growing conditions that cause the “corking” to appear also encourage the development of heat in the pepper. Less corking – as with most jalapenos sold for the US consumer market – generally means a sweeter, less spicy pepper.
How To Make Jalapeño Poppers in Air Fryer
This recipe really comes together so quickly. Here’s our guide to the quick instructions for making Jalapeno poppers in your air fryer.
- First, cut your Jalapeños in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes from the center of the peppers.
- Using a nice sturdy spoon, mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, garlic, lime zest, cilantro and spices together in a small bowl. Then scoop this cream cheese filling into the center of each hollowed out Jalapeño.
- Now you’re going to combine the panko breadcrumbs and melted butter. Then top your cheese-filled peppers with this breadcrumb mixture to coat them.
- Cook the filled, coated Jalapeño poppers in the air fryer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
❗ We strongly encourage you to wear some gloves while cutting your jalapenos and the seeds. Discard immediately to avoid cross-contamination. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling the peppers and avoid touching your eyes!
How To Make Jalapeño Poppers Ahead of Time
You don’t need to spend the whole party in your kitchen preparing snacks for everybody else. We love this recipe because you can make these delicious appetizers ahead of time, and it’s super easy to do!
All you have to do is follow the three simple steps below.
- First, prepare your filling.
- Next, stuff the peppers, then coat with crumbs.
- Wrap the filled, coated peppers with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. They will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. You can also place them in the freezer for up to 3 months, or until you’re ready to cook!
If you’re cooking the poppers from frozen, they will need a little longer in the air fryer. Just cook them until the tops are golden brown and the filling is nice and bubbly.
Can I Add Bacon?
The answer is a resounding yes!
Bacon Jalapeño Poppers are an irresistible, tasty snack that are so easy to enjoy.
We love adding crispy, cooked bacon to the cream cheese filling before stuffing into the peppers. That way, you get a bit of crispy bacon goodness with every bite!
Jalapeño Poppers in Oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry. An air fryer is pretty much just a tiny oven, so you can make these awesome Jalapeño Poppers in your ordinary kitchen oven.
First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While your oven is warming up, line a cooking sheet with foil and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Your poppers are ready when they are crisp on top!
More Air Fryer Recipes To Try!!!
Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Bites in Air Fryer
Serving Suggestions
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!
Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 medium jalapeños, 3-inches long each
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Halve jalapeños lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds, using a small spoon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onions, garlic, lime zest, ranch seasoning, salt and pepper.
- In a separate bowl, combine Panko crumbs and melted butter.
- Season the inside of each halved jalapeño with salt and pepper. Fill each half with about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture. Top with the crumbs.
- Place the peppers in your air fryer basket in an even layer and cook for 6-8 minutes at 375 F.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Crispy, cheesy, and just the right amount of heat! The air fryer made them so quick and easy. These disappeared fast at our game night!
Sounds like a winner, Jake! Glad they were a hit—perfect snack for game night!