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Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers

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These air fryer jalapeno poppers are made with less than 10 ingredients – including salt and pepper! – and come together in about 20 minutes for a super easy appetizer or a quick snack your friends will love! Filled with classic jalapeno popper flavors like cream cheese, bacon, and cheddar cheese they’re crowd-pleasingly delicious!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 10 medium/large jalapenos
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion + more for garnish
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the ribs and seeds and discard them.
  3. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, bacon (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish), ½ of the shredded cheese, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, a 1/4 cup green onion, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Divide the filling evenly between the cavities of the jalapenos.
  5. Divide the remaining cheddar cheese evenly between the poppers. Rather than sprinkling the cheese on top, try to gently push it into the filling. This will hold it in place and keep it from all falling onto the tray/basket.
  6. Place filled jalapenos about an inch apart on the air fryer tray/basket.
  7. Cook for about 6-8 minutes or so.
  8. Garnish with reserved crumbled bacon and sliced green onion and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • After you slice the jalapenos in half, use a regular spoon to gently scrape out the ribs and seeds. This is the easiest way to remove them.
  • If you want your poppers spicy, feel free to leave some of the ribs and seeds in. This is where the heat of the jalapeno comes from. So, the more ribs and seeds, the spicier your poppers will be!
  • To keep the cheddar cheese from falling off the jalapeno poppers, press it slightly into the cream cheese mixture when you put it on top.
  • Place the jalapeno poppers in a single layer in the air fryer. This will ensure that they cook evenly. Be sure that you’re using jalapenos that are about the same size so that they cook evenly as well.
  • If you have an Instant Vortex air fryer with different trays, it should be easy to fit them all, but if you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook them in batches.
  • You can also bake these jalapeno poppers in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.