Perfect Jalapeño Poppers {Gluten-Free}
Delicious and utterly irresistible, these baked jalapeño poppers are the perfect party food! Packed with a cheesy, creamy filling, the smoky bread crumb topping adds the perfect crunch.
Occasionally I’ll make and post a recipe, and later in the day, I’ll get a text from Brian at work saying, “Uh, when did you make those? Did you save me some?”
To which I usually respond with “Who is this? You have the wrong number.”
Even though I usually have a reasonable excuse (a daytime event that I made something for), often the reason poor Brian missed out is because even though I didn’t leave my house or share with anyone outside of the kids, the deliciousness simply was all gone by the time he got home.
Which is a longwinded way to say: I had no self-control and ate my body weight in {fill in the blank}.
Such is the case with these easy, dreamy, delicious jalapeño poppers.
We gobbled them up before I even had time to think about Brian. Insanely delicious.
Sorry, Bri. Love your guts despite not saving you even a leftover jalapeño stem.
My very favorite appetizer is a big tray of jalapeño poppers, and I’ve wanted a killer go-to recipe for a long time. I should have known I would find a great recipe from my friend, Nicole, food master and gluten-free guru that she is.
Nicole’s new cookbook is all about gluten-free small bites. Or in other words, sweet and savory bite-size and handheld treats.
What a fun treasure trove of gluten-free recipes! Many of the recipes can be made without buying a lot of special ingredients (I can easily swap in my everyday ingredients for the gluten-free ingredients). Perfect for conventional or gluten-free eaters.
There’s a lot to love in this little book.
And there’s also a lot to love with these stuffed jalapeño poppers.
I seriously cannot stop eating them when they are around. Their arrival in my life is provident timing considering there is a huge football game tonight (ahem, go Cougs!). As my family knows and can attest, the food is the best part of football season for me.
One Year Ago: My Favorite Kale Salad {Lemon Vinaigrette + Pecan Parmesan}
Two Years Ago: Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies {Simple Halloween Mummy Variation}
Three Years Ago: Soft Pretzel Rolls
Perfect Jalapeño Poppers {Gluten-Free}
Ingredients
- 15 jalapeño peppers
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, not light, room temperature
- 6 ounces (170 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, (about 1 1/2 cup)
- ¾ cup gluten-free panko-style bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Put on disposable plastic gloves (the best option when working with this many jalapeños) and cut each jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and ribs.
- For the filling, mash together the cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese until combined. Fill each jalapeño evenly with the filling mixture, mounding it inside the empty shell of the jalapeño rather than pressing the filling flat (so it doesn’t leak out while baking).
- For the bread crumb topping, in a shallow dish toss together the panko bread crumbs with the garlic powder, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika and black pepper.
- Grab each jalapeño pepper by the bottom and roll the top (the part with the filling) in the bread crumbs so the mixture sticks to the cream cheese filling. Take care not to smash down the filling; try to keep it nice and mounded while still getting a healthy dose of bread crumbs stuck to it.
- Return the jalapeño to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining jalapeños. Sprinkle any remaining bread crumbs over the peppers for additional crunchiness. It’s ok if there’s a bit of bread crumb mixture left over – you don’t need to use it all.
- Bake the jalapeño poppers for 18-20 minutes until the peppers are tender and the bread crumbs are golden.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted a bit from my friend Nicole’s new cookbook: Gluten-Free Small Bites
I have made these for years and they are always a hit. Our new favorite way to have them is on steak night. A bit of steak topped with a bite of jalapeño popper. Amazing! Thanks Mel!
These were a hit. I also added the spices to the cream cheese as well as panko.
I made a small batch of these last night for my husband and I and we both loved them! I added the spices to the cream cheese as well as the topping, like one commenter suggested (minus the smoked paprika because we don’t care for it), and they were delicious! We might be in trouble now, since I now know how to make two of our favorite appetizers-these and spinach artichoke dip. Both were very easy to make. We love your recipes!
Do you think regular GF bread crumbs will be all right? I don’t have any of the Panko type.
I think they would work ok…texture will be a bit different.
Neighbor gave us lots of jalapeño peppers and would love to make this receipe for Jalapeño Poppers.. Do you think these will do good in the freezer?
I haven’t tried freezing these, but it’s definitely worth trying.
Made these tonight and they were great! I did make a happy mistake. Without thinking I added the spices to the cheese mixture instead of the GF bread crumbs. I went ahead and measured out more spices and added them to the bread crumbs. My husband and I felt these were the best jalapeño poppers we’ve ever had. When I make these again I’ll go ahead and add the spices to both the cheese and the bread crumbs.
Made these tonight. Really outstanding. Filling did not leak out and taste was spot on. Loved them!
Thanks, John! Glad you loved them.
Made these the Saturday of the NCAA football national championship games. Forgot to buy cream cheese at the store, but had a 10 oz. log of goat cheese in the fridge. Very yummy!
Oh WOW!!!! These came out wonderfully!
Since my husband works out of state, I don’t have to share (YEA!). I did make the entire recipe, but just bake a couple at a time. The cream cheese mixture and panko mixture keep very nicely. I did end up turning the broiler on for the last minute or two. Thanks, AGAIN!
Super good and easy to prepare. Thanks
Made these yesterday for game day and they were super good and much easier than my normal popper recipe. Thanks Mel!
Hi Mel! I made these last night as an appetizer for a dinner party and they were a hit! Everyone (even the kids) loved them! I need to make some more so I can get my fair share!
So excited about this recipe, and about your friend’s gluten-free site! I signed up for her newsletter and can’t wait to get baking! Thanks so much! You’re the best!!
Hi! I’m trying to purchase your ebook and having trouble. I click on the link in the sidebar and it takes me to a screen that says “pay” but when I click on it the page refreshes and nothing changes. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Hey Brooke – sorry about that! I just went to troubleshoot and the same thing is happening to me; let me do some digging and I’ll hopefully have a fix soon!
I got it to work! Thanks
Hi Mel, any thoughts on making these ahead of time and freezing them, or even just the night before and refrigerating them?
Yes, I for sure think you could make them the night before and refrigerate; I’d probably add the bread crumb topping right before baking though so it doesn’t get soggy.
Thank you, Mel! All the kindness right back atcha.
xoxo Nicole
Hi Mel, oh my these sound delish. My darling mum used to pickle jalapeños and I would eat them with country cheese biscuits and loads of butter. I am thinking that these little bites would be similar in taste. Will be trying this recipe very soon. Have a wonderful weekend.
I’ve never made these before and they look delicious! Maybe a dumb question, but do you eat the stem part?
Nope…just eat up until the stem. 🙂
I really would like to take these to a football party. Would the top stay crisp if was 30 minutes before people ate them?
It would probably soften a bit, but I think they’d still be yummy.
Jalapeno poppers are one of my favorite foods, and yet I’ve never made them! Time to change that up!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Well this is just perfect! I had to clean out the garden last night because it was supposed to hard freeze (it didn’t) and now I have a counter full of jalapenos just waiting to be poppers!
These look absolutely delicious! And now I am sad that I have to work the rest of the day instead of trying this recipe right this instant! These are going to be on the table for sure tonight!
I *love* Gluten Free on a Shoestring, but somehow I missed that she has a new book! Thank you for bringing it to my attention – can’t wait to try it. I know Nicole’s stuff is usually excellent, as is yours, so this double endorsement will have me making these in no time!
I actually have never tried a jalapeno popper, but my husband loves them. I just might have to make them for the next Cougars’ game (no time today) — these look yummy!
I had to mention, because I didn’t see you post about it, a CONGRATS on being in the top 30 of the top 100 food blogs (I just saw a list online yesterday) — well deserved! You’re #1 in my book, and my go-to site. 🙂
Thank you, Alicia! I didn’t see that either until someone mentioned it on Facebook. Kind of fun!
These look wonderful. Thank you! I love it when BYU plays BSU (I am cougar but am from Boise). I thought I wouldn’t care who wins because I love both teams. However I’ve realized how blue I bleed. Go Cougs!!!