Updated on October 4th, 2023
One of the best-grilled appetizers is bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers. This recipe is so easy to make and it only consists of 3 ingredients; fresh jalapenos peppers, cream cheese, and bacon. The jalapeno peppers are first sliced in half then seeded, stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped with bacon and grilled. You should consider wearing gloves when slicing and seeding the jalapenos because they can burn your hands. With the playoffs coming up and the super bowl near this is a perfect recipe for game day. Enjoy.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 fresh jalapeno peppers (halved lengthwise and seeded)
- 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese
- 12 slices bacon
Instructions
- Pre-heat an outdoor grill to high heat. Spread the cream cheese into the jalapeno halves. Wrap bacon around the stuffed jalapenos and secure with a toothpick.
- Place onto the grill and cook until the bacon is crispy.
(Makes 6 Servings)
this looks really yummy. but are the jalapenos really spicy? the hubs cant do spicy. does the cream cheese calm it down enough? like jalapeno poppers?
aimee- this recipe is a lot like jalapeno poppers. The jalapenos are not extremely spicy.
Hi Bobby,
We’re transplants to Arizona from the east coast. Many friends have stuffed jalapeno recipes. Your recipe sounds good, but I wonder if the cream cheese needs a little seasoning. I realize that it will be flavored by the bacon as it cooks, but would a little parmesan mixed with the cream cheese be too salty? How about a little garlic powder? I do plan to print this recipe and try it! Perhaps my grilled jalapenos will be the best!! Thanks so much for all that you give to us!!
Maggie
Maggie St. – I don’t think either parmesan cheese or a little garlic powder would be too salty. I think if you want to add seasonings, go for it. Let me know how they turn out.
It’s very hard to predict how hot a jalapeno will be, so if you cannot tolerate heat, be careful. I add pineapple tidbits to my cream cheese when I make these. Love them.
Maple flavored bacon adds a great sweet kick to the savory/spicy flavor. Smells great, too! I’m from Texas, and we make sure all seeds are out of the jalepeno (check the tip and end–sometimes they hide in there–and rinse the slices thoroughly if you want to cut down on the heat. Sometimes even that isn’t enough when they are in season or it’s been a particularly hot growing season. You never know until the first batch is done and your mouth is on fire. Lol!
You can boil jalapeños with water and sugar before stuffing them with the cheese. Takes away much of the heat and you can still grill them afterwards.
These are so good aren’t they? Love to make them when entertaining.
Love these too! Although, I do add seasonings…if I have a seasoning packet great, if not, I use, season salt, garlic salt, etc for flavor…made this new years and was a hit!
I have made these before (using canned jalapenos, and those aren’t very spicy either), and I always chop some pepperoni and cilantro to mix into the cream cheese. It is one of my favorites!
I had something similar when I went home for the holidays and they were absolutely awesome. I’ll be making these for sure! Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
I know this tip is not healthy by any means. However, you can follow the same recipe, but instead of grilling deep fry it is amazingly yummy. This is definitely a healthier version. Has anyone tried this using turkey bacon? Next grilling session I will utilize this recipe. 🙂
We add 1-2 TB Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning to the cream cheese- yummy! These can also be baked in the oven @325 for 45-50 minutes, when it’s too cold to grill.
These look awesome! I’ve been on a low carb kick lately and this fits the bill perfectly! I just wish I’d had this recipe a couple of months ago when I had more jalapenos in the garden then I could use. Ended up pickling a ton of them which is also good but now I’ll have to go buy some for this recipe! Super excited! Thanks for sharing!
I add diced roasted red bell peppers or pineapple to the cream cheese. Just a bit more added flavor.
I do these but add cooked chopped chicken to the cream cheese.
Ive never made these sliced in half. I’ve always cut the top off the jalapeño then scooped out the seed and stems then stuffed them. I’m wondering does the cream cheese not melt and run out when you are grilling the top side?
HEY! I make these all the time but I put a little piece of chicken on them and wrap the bacon around that. Its delicious.. and to answer the question of spiciness someone asked earlier.. the answer is: it depends on how much of the vein you leave on the jalapeno more vein more spice..
You can also fry breakfast sausage and mix it with cream cheese
I make these for tailgating. Chive and onion cream cheese makes all the difference. Just enough kick of flavor in the cheese to keep it interesting. And like someone else said, maple bacon all the way!
Wow, thanks for all of the suggestions everyone!! There are some great ideas in here.
Dana- you should have not have too much of a problem (if any at all) with the cream cheese coming out. It holds up well.
I make these often, but I bake them in the oven, the bacon cooks just like on the grill.Like mentioned in another comment DO WEAR GLOVES when handling the jalopenos, the first time I made them I didn’t and my hands hurt and burned for 3 days. I have added green onions to the cream cheese. These are really yummy!!!!
Margaret – what oven temp do you use? Also, how long? Can’t wait to try these!
My husband likes to makes these. We found some mini bell peppers at the store that we have used sometimes instead of jalapenos. Also we have used the savoury flavoured cream cheese. They are so yummy!
What about brushing the jalepenos with honey, maple syrup, or adding a thin coat of raspberry preserve? Anyone tried that?
I’ve been making these for a few years now. Got the recipe from a Michigan friend. We call them fried rats. Even my kids love these. Most of them are mild, but you will find the occasional hot one. So delicious!
@ amiee I make these( i do it in the oven as opposed to the grill) the spiciness depends on the jalepeno I can eat three in a row with no spice at all then grab one that’s really spicy u can’t help but go back for more 😉
I slip a wee bit of jalapeno pepper jelly in under the cream cheese. Perfect!
Hi, I do these a lot, except I cut the stem out and de-seed them. Save the seeds and make a stuffing out of cream cheese or what ever, I also add some of the seeds for the kick.
Wrap with bacon as shown and place them on my jalapeno holders. I also use home made BBQ sauce on them.
No matter how you want them they are very good.
Im from the south were jalapeños are common in every dish. If your looking for more heat, look at the skin of the jalapeño. If its smooth, chances are it was picked early and wont be to hot. If its wrinkly, it’s a super hot one. The more wrinkles, the hotter!
A great way to reduce the heat of the jalapeno is to spread the cream cheese on them and then place them on a plastic wrapped plate in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking.
I made these and they were absolutely delicious! Not spicy at all for those who may think so and shy away.
Thank you!
I have made these before and I add cajun seasoning mix to the cream cheese and use maple flavored bacon and they are the BOMB! The sweet bacon with the spicy seasoning makes a good combo!!
I have made these with adding cheddar cheese in with the cream cheese and rolling the bacon in brown sugar!!
I’m excited to try this recipe! Gonna try it using my George Foreman indoor grill. We’ll see how it goes!
This is a great recipe. No the peppers are not hot because the seeds are taken out. For the last couple years I’ve been adding charizo and ground sausage to my cream cheese, then before the bacon gets wrapped sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
I’ve also made a chipolte sour cream to dip them in.
I’ve been making these for years but I stuff them with cream cheese and green onion or cajun sausage (out of the casing) then wrap with bacon….YUMMY and always a party favorite.
Is there any way to do these without having to grill them? I will be making them at my boyfriends apartment and he doesn’t have a grill..
OH MY GOD….I’m starving for these now. EXCELLENT modifiers listed too! Super bowl sweetness…thanks everyone!
Can these be baked in the oven? If so, what temp/how long?
For those of you that want to know about baking these in the oven. You can bake them at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. If after that time the bacon isn’t crispy enough, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish them.
These are RIDICULOUSLY good with bbq sauce brushed on before you cook. Seriously, try it.
mix the cream cheese with equal parts of your favorite loose sausage. or mix ranch dressing powder with the cream cheese. i usually bake them until the stem falls off when you gently pull it.
If your bacon is a little on the thicker side and your baking them in the oven I have put them under the broiler for a few min. to crisp the bacon.
wow! this looks delcious! i might have to try it!!!
I’m not sure if anyone else has suggested it, but if you use Garlic & Herb Cream cheese with these, its fantastic! I also am a huge fan of using Maple Bacon or Applewood Smoked bacon too! I make these all the time in the summer and they are always a huge hit!
The spiciest part of any pepper is the ribs (the white stuff on the inside) and its seeds. If you remove these (as it is shown in the pictures) it gets rid of 80% of the spiciness. Not to mention the richness of the cream cheese will take care of the remaining spiciness.
I am going to try these w/ neufchatal cheese & pancetta to cut down on the fat, since I am supposed to be on a diet… but these look too good to skip altogether 🙂
I just tried these on the BBQ and the cheese came out and the bacon got burnt.. guess the flame was up too high!! LOL I’m going to try the oven next.. I did put in a little Ranch powder, Mrs. Dash and shredded cheddar.. I loved the flavor. Thank you for your recipe!!
These are amazing! If you do it in the oven they wont get burnt at all @Lisa!
They are a little spicy, but honestly so so so so good, and I’m not one for spice either!