Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Stacked jalapeño poppers on a cutting board, and these are wrapped in cripsy bacon!

5 from 2 votes

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers are spicy, creamy, cheesy appetizers wrapped in crispy bacon and cooked right in the air fryer. Raspberry preserves add a sweet contrast to the jalapeños and smoky bacon, making these easy poppers perfect for game day, parties, cookouts, or holiday snacking.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Course: Air Fryer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers, bacon-wrapped, bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, jalapeno poppers

Servings: servings

Author: Joshua Boquist

Equipment

Ingredients

12 jalapeños
12 slices bacon thin-cut

For The Filling

8 oz cream cheese room temperature
½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup raspberry preserves

Instructions

Slice the jalapeños in half. Remove the seeds and ribs from each half of the jalapeño and set them to the side.
If you have small jalapeños, you may need to cut the bacon in half. If so, cut the slices of bacon in half so you have 24 equal slices of bacon. Set the bacon to the side while you make the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients except for the optional raspberry preserves. Mix the cream cheese filling by hand until everything is well incorporated.
Place a small dollop, about 1 teaspoon, of raspberry preserves in each jalapeño popper. Then, place about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on top and spread it from end to end.
Lay out your strips of bacon and place a stuffed jalapeño on top of a slice of bacon towards one end of the strip. Wrap the bacon around the jalaepeño pepper working in a spiral pattern so that it entirely encompasses the jalapeño. Use two toothpicks to secure the bacon through the jalapeño popper.
Preheat your air fryer to 360°F. Place the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers in the air fryer basket and cook for 12-14 minutes until the bacon is crispy. You will likely only be able to fit 6-8 poppers, so cook them in batches so that you don't overcrowd them.
Remove the poppers from the air fryer and let them cool. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy warm!

Video

Notes

Important Tips

After testing this recipe several times, I found it best to put the raspberry jam under the cheese filling. Otherwise, the jam could burn, and it is more likely for the jam to flow out of the popper into the air fryer basket.
I also found that using a full slice of bacon for each popper was much better! Using an entire slice of bacon helps to contain the cheese filling and raspberry jam. It is also more delicious because, well, bacon!
It is best to use some toothpicks to keep the bacon in place while it cooks. When I first made these poppers, the bacon curled when it cooked, and it didn't stay wrapped around the popper. Use a toothpick at either end of the poppers to stake the bacon. Remove the toothpicks after they finish cooking.
If you are cooking the jalapeño poppers in batches, be sure to discard the bacon grease from the bottom of the air fryer basket after each batch. If you leave the bacon drippings, the air fryer produces quite a bit of smoke.

Variations

Add some smoked paprika or another spice like chili or cayenne pepper if you like spice. I used Spiceology honey habanero to give it a boost of sweet heat that helps to get your sweat flowing!
For a vegetarian option, skip the bacon and use Panko bread crumbs for a delicious crumb topping. Mix ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter. After filling the jalapeños with the raspberry preserves and cheese filling, top it with some breadcrumbs. Lightly pack the breadcrumbs into the cheese to prevent it from spilling out.
Once the poppers are done cooking, plate them and drizzle them with a delicious chipotle lime crema or a stream of Nashville hot honey. YUM!
Add chorizo. In a large skillet, brown 4 to 8 ounces of chorizo and let it cool. Add it to the cheese mixture before stuffing your jalapeño poppers.

Nutrition