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These air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are the perfect gluten-free party snack to make and serve all year round.
When it comes to gluten-free snacks, skip the boring ones because these air fryer bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are going to blow all the others away. They are so good to make and enjoy watching football and all the rest of the holidays and parties all year round. They even get bonus points for being really easy to make and prep ahead of time.
Jump to:
Ingredients.
- Jalapenos - Use fresh jalapenos of similar sizing so that your jalapeno poppers cook at an even rate.
- Cream Cheese - I find that bringing the cream cheese to room temperature helps the cheese mixture come together easier.
- Cheddar Cheese - Use medium or sharp cheddar for an extra bite. You can even use a white cheddar or a combination for more cheesy goodness.
- Bacon - Look for gluten-free bacon that is thinly sliced. If you can't find thinly sliced bacon, then I suggest par-cooking the bacon a little bit before wrapping it, so the bacon does not take a long time to cook and burns your jalapenos.
- Worcestershire Sauce. - Make sure you are using a brand of Worcestershire sauce that is gluten-free. I use Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce that is labeled gluten-free.
- Spices
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Jalapeno spice levels.
When it comes to jalapenos, not all peppers are as spicy as others. Here are a few tricks to guess how spicy your jalapenos are.
- Look for lines on the peppers. These little white lines that look almost like little stretch marks on the peppers indicate a hotter pepper.
- Smooth peppers. - If your jalapeno peppers have a smoother texture on the outside, it indicates that the peppers are milder.
- Small versus big. - Smaller jalapeno peppers are usually spicier than larger ones.
Note: Even after being picked, jalapenos will eventually go from green to red.
Steps.
Step 1. Cutting and prepping the jalapenos.
- Slice the fresh jalapenos in half.
- Scoop out the ribs and seeds.
Step 2. Make the filling.
Pro tip: If you like extra heat, add some of the seeds to the cheese filling to give it a little extra kick!
Step 3. Stuff the jalapenos.
Step 4. Wrap the jalapenos with the bacon and secure the bacon with toothpicks.
Step 5. Cook the bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers in the air fryer for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
Alternate cooking methods.
Jalapeno poppers in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare the jalapeno poppers per the recipe instructions.
- Line the jalapeno poppers onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the peppers are blistered, and the bacon is crispy.
- Let them cool for about 5 minutes before serving warm.
Smoked jalapeno poppers. - If you want even more delicious flavor in your jalapeno poppers, you need to try smoking them.
- Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.
- Prepare the jalapeno poppers per the recipe instructions.
- Place the jalapeno poppers on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Make sure to add a water pan to your smoker below the baking sheet.
- Close the smoker and let the jalapeno poppers smoke for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- If your bacon is not as crispy as you prefer, you can broil the jalapeno poppers for about a minute or until the bacon is crispy.
- Allow the peppers to cool for a few minutes before serving warm.
Note: if you are going to smoke jalapeno poppers, I DO SUGGEST using thicker cut bacon because the longer cooking time required will do better at keeping the bacon crispy all the way through.
Tips and tricks.
- Wear gloves when handling the jalapeno peppers. - The oils in jalapenos can stick to the skin on your fingers even after you've washed your hands. Wearing gloves is the easiest way to protect your skin and your eyes, so you don't end up with jalapeno oils where you don't want them.
- Use room temperature ingredients to help the cream cheese mixture come together easier as well as spread into the jalapenos.
- Can't find thinly sliced gluten-free bacon? I find that the thicker the bacon is, the longer it takes to cook these jalapeno poppers. This can lead to the peppers themselves burning before it's fully cooked. The easiest way to fix this if you can't find thinly sliced bacon is to slightly par-cook the bacon before wrapping it around the stuffed jalapenos. My favorite way to do this is to cook the bacon in the oven until it is about halfway cooked but still soft enough to wrap. This usually takes cooking the bacon at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
- Secure the bacon. - Securing the bacon with a few toothpicks helps to keep the bacon securely to the jalapenos and keeps the bacon from shrinking off of the jalapenos but also helps to keep the cheese filling from leaking out as well.
Serving jalapeno poppers.
These air fryer jalapeno poppers are delicious on their own or dipped into some simple ranch dressing. If you really want to up the dipping game, I suggest making a batch of my gluten-free green onion chip dip.
Storing leftovers.
Leftover homemade jalapeno poppers can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Make ahead.
If you want to make these gluten-free jalapeno poppers ahead of time, simply assemble them and place them in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to cook them.
To freeze:
Place the jalapeno poppers on a baking sheet and freeze them until solid before transferring them to a freezer-safe container for longer storage for up to 3 months.
Pro tip: If you plan to freeze the jalapeno poppers, I suggest par cooking them for at least 5-7 minutes(assembled) before freezing them. This will help prevent excess moisture from building up in the peppers as they freeze.
Cooking frozen jalapeno poppers.
Reheat frozen jalapeno poppers in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. You can also reheat these jalapeno poppers in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 7-8 minutes if you want them extra crispy.
More gluten-free snacks.
When it comes to gluten-free snack foods, my kids will always ask me to make these gluten-free jalapeno poppers and my homemade gluten-free mozzarella sticks. My husband is a chip and dips guy, and he loves my gluten-free buffalo chicken dip. They are all delicious, and so are these other gluten-free snacks.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers (gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 6-8 Jalapenos Fresh.
- 6-8 Slices Gluten-free Bacon Thinly sliced.
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened.
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded.
- 1 Teaspoon Gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce
- ¾ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
Cut and prep the jalapenos.
- Wash and dry the fresh jalapeno peppers.6-8 Jalapenos
- Slice each of the peppers in half lengthwise exposing the ribs and seeds inside.
- Carefully scoop the seeds and ribs out of the peppers with a spoon. Reserve some of the seeds if you want to add them to the cheese filling.
Make the cheese filling.
- In a small bowl combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.8 Ounces Cream Cheese, 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, 1 Teaspoon Gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce, ¾ Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Pepper, ¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder, ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Mix until combined and the cheese mixture is spreadable.
Stuff the jalapenos.
- Carefully spoon the cheese mixture into the cavities of the jalapenos.
Wrap the jalapeno poppers.
- Once you have the cheese mixture stuffed into the jalapenos wrap the pieces of bacon tightly around.6-8 Slices Gluten-free Bacon
- Secure the bacon to the peppers with a few toothpicks to keep it in place while they cook.
Cook the jalapeno poppers.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees.
- Place the bacon-wrapped jalapenos into your air fryer and cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the cheese mixture is melted.
Cool and serve.
- Let the jalapeno poppers cool for about five minutes before serving warm on their own or alongside your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Wear gloves when handling the jalapeno peppers. - The oils in jalapenos can stick to the skin on your fingers even after you've washed your hands. Wearing gloves is the easiest way to protect your skin and your eyes, so you don't end up with jalapeno oils where you don't want them.
- Use room temperature ingredients to help the cream cheese mixture come together easier as well as spread into the jalapenos.
- Can't find thinly sliced gluten-free bacon? I find that the thicker the bacon is, the longer it takes to cook these jalapeno poppers. This can lead to the peppers themselves burning before it's fully cooked. The easiest way to fix this if you can't find thinly sliced bacon is to slightly par-cook the bacon before wrapping it around the stuffed jalapenos. My favorite way to do this is to cook the bacon in the oven until it is about halfway cooked but still soft enough to wrap. This usually takes cooking the bacon at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
- Secure the bacon. - Securing the bacon with a few toothpicks helps to keep the bacon securely to the jalapenos and keeps the bacon from shrinking off of the jalapenos but also helps to keep the cheese filling from leaking out as well.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!
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