Easy Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers Recipe [+Video]

Spice up your snack game with this delicious jalapeño poppers recipe made easy in the air fryer! This tasty treat features a creamy cheese filling and a crispy Panko topping that is the perfect appetizer for game day or New Year’s Eve!

When I was just graduating college, jalapeño poppers were really starting to take off as the most popular snack to bring to a game day football party. But I hated spicy. Who wants to bite into a straight up jalapeño?! It made no sense to me, but I could tell Cade actually thought they were pretty good.

I’ve set aside testing a recipe for many years now until it dawned on me that I could air fryer them! The crunchy topping, creamy/cheesy filling would be the perfect way to ease into spicier foods!

Ingredients for Homemade Jalapeño Poppers

The ingredients for homemade jalapeño poppers are simple and easy to find at the grocery store. Here is a list of everything you’ll need:

• Jalapeños
• Cream Cheese
• Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Green Onions
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Franks Red Hot Sauce
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• Butter

I always like a quick overview of everything I’ll need for a recipe. For all the measurements and details, scroll down to the recipe card below.

How to Make Jalapeno Poppers in the Air Fryer

Making jalapeno poppers in the air fryer is so simple and so much healthier than deep frying them. They are crisp on top and creamy in the middle, and perfect for a Super Bowl party or a game night with friends! Here are basic steps:

1. Prep: Halve the jalapeno peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F.
2. Mix: Add all the filling ingredients into a small bowl and mix them all together.
3. Fill: Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the pepper halves.
4. Combine: In a separate small bowl, combine the panko and butter and then sprinkle the mixture over the top of the filled peppers.
5. Bake: Place the peppers in a single file and bake for 10 minutes.
   • NOTE: You’ll need to cook the peppers in two batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the peppers.

Please refer to the photos below to see the steps. Then keep scrolling to see a video of the whole process too. All the instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Watch These Jalapeño Poppers Be Made…

Tips for Making Jalapeño Poppers

My first tip for making jalapeño poppers is to wear gloves when you are handling the jalapeños. The natural oils that come from the jalapeños are very hot. It hurts if it gets under your fingernails, and if you accidentally touch your eyes or nose, you might want to die. Serious pain!

If you are serving these to people who don’t love heat, use mini bell peppers instead of the jalapeños and follow the same instructions. You could also omit the Frank’s hot sauce from the filling.

Use full fat or low fat cream cheese to make this recipe. I would avoid the fat free cream cheese. The texture just doesn’t turn out right once it is baked.

This is a great make-ahead recipe! You can make the poppers up to 4-5 days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to air fry them. I would wait and add the panko topping right before baking them. You could also make them completely and freeze them until you’re ready to cook them. Just add a couple extra minutes if you’re cooking them from frozen.

How to Cut a Jalapeños

With gloves on, slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and then use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds and membranes. I like to leave the stems on just to give them a little handle to grab onto while handling them and eating them.

If you want to leave some heat in the jalapeños, leave the membranes in them. The majority of the spiciness in jalapeños is found in the membranes and seeds.

How to Clean Jalapeno Oil from Your Hands

If you get some of the jalapeño oil on your fingers, there are a few things that will help remove it.

• Cooking Oil: like canola or vegetable oil
• Dish Soap: Dawn is the best for removing all oils from anything!
• Acid: lemon juice or vinegar

What to Serve with Jalapeno Poppers

If you’re making a delicious appetizer spread for a game day party or New Year’s Eve, here are some other ideas what to serve with these poppers:

We have tons of appetizer recipes if you want to keep looking for more!

We also love to have a dip alongside the poppers. Ranch dressing works great, but our favorite is a garlic sauce, (Laziz Toum is our favorite which is from a local restaurant here in Salt Lake City).

Can I Make This Recipe in the Oven?

Yes, if you don’t have an air fryer, these can be cooked in the oven. Place the poppers on a baking sheet and bake in the oven preheated to 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden and the peppers are tender.

Variations

Bacon makes everything better, and if you love the flavor of bacon with jalapeño poppers, you can add crispy cookies bacon bits to the filling or the sprinkled on the top. You could also wrap each popper in a slice of bacon before air frying them. Heaven!

If you want to make this recipe gluten free, then skip the panko topping.

Check out our bacon and strawberry stuffed jalapeno poppers if you are fan of sweet and spicy appetizers! So delicious!

Storing and Reheating

Leftover jalapeño poppers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4-5 days.

To reheat cold poppers, I like to use the air fryer to restore that crispiness. Place in an air fryer preheated to 370 degrees F for 4-5 minutes.

Looking for the perfect appetizer to spice up your next party? This delicious and easy jalapeno poppers recipe with a creamy cream cheese filling. I can’t believe how quickly this recipe comes together when we use the trusty air fryer! It is crispy, creamy, spicy and cheesy…all the things you love in a rockstar appetizer!

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