These bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are stuffed with savory sausage, optional cheese, and wrapped in crispy bacon for an easy appetizer that's always a crowd favorite.
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Whether you're making them for game day, a backyard BBQ, a holiday gathering, or just because you have a bunch of jalapeños to use up, these poppers are packed with flavor and surprisingly easy to make. The spicy jalapeños, savory sausage filling, and crispy bacon make a combination that's hard to resist.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can make them with cheese, skip the cheese, make them extra spicy, or adjust the filling to your taste. They're also easy to prepare ahead of time and bake right before serving.
Why You'll Love These Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Easy to make
- Great for parties and game day
- Naturally low carb
- Can be made with or without cheese
- Easy to scale up for a crowd
Ingredients You'll Need
Jalapeños
Fresh jalapeños are the star of this recipe. Slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white ribs before stuffing. Removing the ribs helps reduce the heat, while leaving some behind will give your poppers a spicier kick.
Bacon
Bacon wraps around each jalapeño half and crisps up in the oven while helping hold the filling in place. Regular-cut bacon works best since thick-cut bacon can take longer to cook and may not crisp as easily.
Ground Sausage
Ground sausage adds a savory, flavorful filling that pairs perfectly with the smoky bacon and spicy peppers. You can use breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, or your favorite seasoned ground pork sausage.
Onion
A small amount of chopped onion adds extra flavor and a little sweetness to the filling. It helps balance the richness of the sausage and bacon.
Cheese
Cheese adds a creamy, melty texture that makes these jalapeño poppers extra delicious. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or even cream cheese all work well. I like using a semi-hard cheese because it melts nicely while still holding its shape inside the poppers.
- 5 jalapeño peppers
- 5 bacon slices
- 6 tablespoon ground sausage
- 1 tablespoon of chopped onion
- 2 tablespoon hard or semi hard cheese (optional, skip if you're on a dairy free diet)
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut the cheese into small pieces, about 1 inch long, so they fit easily inside the jalapeño halves.
Remove the stems from the jalapeños, then slice each pepper in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and white ribs. For milder jalapeño poppers, discard the seeds and ribs. For extra spicy poppers, save some of the seeds and mix them into the sausage filling.
In a bowl, mix the ground sausage with the chopped onion. If you saved any jalapeño seeds for extra heat, stir them in here.
Stuff each jalapeño half with the sausage mixture and cheese, placing them side by side inside the pepper.
Cut each bacon slice into 4 smaller pieces by slicing it once lengthwise and once crosswise.
Wrap each stuffed jalapeño half with bacon, then place the poppers on a cast iron skillet or baking pan
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is fully cooked through.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Tina's Tips
- Remove all seeds for less heat
- Leave some seeds for extra spice
- Thin bacon wraps more easily
- Use a wire rack for crispier bacon
Variations
- Cream cheese version
- Cheddar version
- Sausage and cream cheese
- Extra spicy version
What to Serve With Jalapeño Poppers
Internal links:
- Chili
- Chicken wings
- Meatballs
- Dips
- Super Bowl roundup
FAQ
Can I make jalapeño poppers ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble them up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake.
Can I freeze them?
Yes. Freeze before baking and cook directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
How spicy are jalapeño poppers?
Removing the seeds and white ribs significantly reduces the heat.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the oven or air fryer.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
These bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers are stuffed with savory sausage and melty cheese, then wrapped in bacon and baked until crispy. They're an easy appetizer for game day, parties, BBQs, and holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
- 5 jalapeños
- 5 slices bacon
- 6 tablespoons ground sausage
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or Pepper Jack cheese, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the cheese into small pieces, about 1 inch long.
- Remove the stems from the jalapeños and slice them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the seeds and white ribs. For a spicier popper, reserve some of the seeds.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground sausage and chopped onion. If using reserved jalapeño seeds, mix them into the filling.
- Stuff each jalapeño half with the sausage mixture and a piece of cheese.
- Cut each bacon slice into 4 smaller pieces by slicing it once lengthwise and once crosswise.
- Wrap each stuffed jalapeño half with a piece of bacon and place on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the sausage is cooked through.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Remove all seeds and ribs for a milder jalapeño popper.
- Leave some seeds in the filling for extra heat.
- Thin-cut bacon crisps more easily than thick-cut bacon.
- These can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the oven or air fryer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 jalapeno popperAmount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 288mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g
The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information.
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Judi Cayer says
Can these be frozen before baking? Thinking make-ahead appetizer ?
TinaTsai says
I havent tried this myself, but I heard form others that you can! Freshly made stuffed jalapeno poppers can be frozen for consumption at a later date - You just pop them right into the oven from frozen and they're ready in a few minutes. If you try it please let me know how it works out!
jennifer says
Ooh , the adding of sausage is so next level . . this is one of my hubby's favorite snacks and he's going to love your improvements
Don Baiocchi says
OMG DROOLING over here. Cheese AND sausage? Love it. And those jalapenos are sexy!
Joni Gomes says
Omg these are soooo good! Making these again for SuperBowl, my friends will love them too!
ChihYu says
So savory and delicious! Everything is better with bacon!
Jean Choi says
Jalapeno poppers are seriously my favorite and I'm drooling these photos! Cannot wait to try it for the Super Bowl.