To make these air fryer jalapeno poppers, halved peppers are filled with cream cheese and Cheddar and coated in crunchy panko filling before being air fried to golden perfection. They’re an easy snack that’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for your Super Bowl spread or a casual gathering with friends.
Adapted from Lisa Lillien | Hungry Girl Simply Comfort | St. Martin’s Griffin, 2022
Whether you’re hosting trivia night or a Super Bowl party, having a selection of hors oeuvres and nibbles ready and hot at the same time always presents a challenge. You’ve got chili in the slow cooker, wings in the fryer, and cheesy canapés in the oven. Now what?
Enter these air-fried jalapeño poppers. They’re quick to assemble, ready in less than 30 minutes, and can be cooked up quickly without using any oven or stovetop space. Hosting game day just became a lot more fun.–Angie Zoobkoff
☞ Contents
Why our testers loved this
Our testers were delighted that these crispy snacks were “simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients” and loved the convenience of making them in the air fryer.
Jennifer W. joined in with her comment, “Air fryer jalapeno poppers are a true crowd-pleaser any time of year. They are spicy and creamy with a touch of crunch thanks to the panko crust.”
Notes on ingredients
- Whipped cream cheese–You can substitute regular cream cheese here if you prefer a thicker filling.
- Cheddar cheese–Regular or reduced-fat cheese will work in this recipe.
- Jalapeño peppers–Choose large, firm, blemish-free peppers. If you use smaller-than-average jalapeños, reduce the cooking time by 2 to 3 minutes, and increase the number of peppers to use up all the filling.
- Egg white–This will help the bread crumb topping stick to the poppers. Save your egg yolks for Hollandaise sauce or custard-based desserts, like this lemon meringue tart or dark chocolate ice cream.
How to make this recipe
- Combine the cheese and half of the garlic and onion powders in a small bowl. Mix the panko, salt, pepper, and remaining garlic and onion powders in another bowl. Put the egg whites in a third bowl.
- Cut the peppers in half and fill with the cream cheese filling mixture. Dip the pepper halves in the egg to coat, then cover in panko.
- Set the air fryer to 390°F. Add the peppers and cook until golden.
Recipe FAQs
How spicy are jalapeños?
With an intensity of 2000 to 8000 Scoville units, jalapeño peppers are considered mildly spicy. Compared to other fresh chile peppers, they fall in the middle of the scale, with poblanos and shishitos being milder and Thai and habanero chiles being much spicier.
How can I make these less spicy?
If you are very sensitive to heat, make sure that you remove all of the seeds and white membrane from inside your peppers after halving them. You can also reduce the heat level in your peppers by soaking them in a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water for an hour before cooking.
Can I double the recipe?
If you’re feeding a big group, you can double or even triple the recipe. However, you will need to air fry the poppers in batches. Only fry as many as will comfortably fit in a single layer in your air fryer basket at a time.
Helpful tips
- Always wear gloves when handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes.
- After halving the peppers, run them under water to easily remove the seeds and membrane.
- To make your jalapeño poppers hotter, leave some of the seeds and membrane in them after halving.
- If your jalapeño peppers are smaller than average, reduce the cooking time to 6 minutes.
- This recipe is suitable for a vegetarian diet.
More great air fryer recipes
☞ If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder divided
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large jalapeño peppers
- 1/4 cup egg whites (from 2 large eggs) or fat-free liquid egg substitute
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Cheddar, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/8 teaspoon onion powder. Mix thoroughly.
- In a wide bowl, combine bread crumbs, salt, black pepper, remaining 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon onion powder. Mix well.
- Place egg whites or egg substitute in a second wide bowl.
- Halve jalapeño peppers lengthwise, and remove seeds and stems. Spread the cheese mixture into the pepper halves.
- Coat the pepper halves with the egg, followed by the seasoned bread crumbs.
- Spray an air fryer with nonstick spray. Place pepper halves in the air fryer, and spray with nonstick spray.
- Set air fryer to 390ºF (200°C). Cook until golden brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from the air fryer. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Protect your hands–Always wear gloves when handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes.
- Removing the seeds easily–After halving the peppers, run them under water to easily remove the seeds and membrane.
- Make it spicier–To make your jalapeño poppers hotter, leave some of the seeds and membrane in them after halving.
- For small jalapeños–If your jalapeño peppers are smaller than average, reduce the cooking time to 6 minutes.
- Dietary–This recipe is suitable for a vegetarian diet.
Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Air fryer jalapeno poppers are a true crowd-pleaser any time of year. They are spicy and creamy with a touch of crunch, thanks to the panko crust. As a vegetarian, I’m pleased with the ingredient list, but I’m sure you wouldn’t hear complaints if you added some crumbled bacon to the cheese mixture.
A lot about this recipe depends on the peppers, how spicy they are, and how big or small they are. I used peppers from my garden, and since they were on the small side, I used 5 small jalapenos to yield 10 halves that were enjoyed by two of us.
I started by preheating the air fryer to be ready once the peppers were stuffed and rolled in egg white and panko. My only complaint about this recipe…it didn’t make enough!
After putting it off for years, I finally gave in and joined the ranks of air-frying home cooks. And honestly? I haven’t stopped using it since.
These jalapeño poppers were really easy to whip up and cooked quickly. I used regular cheese (because low-fat cheese isn’t something I believe in) and regular cream cheese, and they worked out just fine. I assume the addition of these two ingredients were in order to make them a little more diet-friendly but we don’t roll that way around here, darling. In fact, I saved the egg yolks and made eggs Benedict with them so here we are.
I ended up with enough filling to make an extra popper with a red mini pepper. This might have been due to the size of the jalapeños that I bought. Eight half peppers made two servings, again they weren’t all that big.
The level of spice was just perfect for those of us who don’t need fiery levels of heat in everything. Zippy but not unbearable. The coating was nice and crisp while the interior was filled with gorgeous, creamy and melty cheese after about 6 minutes. The red pepper was slightly more tender so the jalapeños might need a minute more next time.
I love using the air fryer and had jalapenos in the garden. This recipe was easy to whip up and serve as an hors d’oeuvre for my husband and I. They were very good but you need to be careful not to get peppers that are too hot.
I waffled on giving this recipe a TC Rating, but as it can be customized to personal taste, I did give it one. It is very simple to make with easy-to-find ingredients and cooks quickly in the air fryer.
What didn’t wow me was how loose the filling in the peppers was when cooked. It was almost runny. I think it would have been better had regular cream cheese been used and more cheese added to the filling. That being said it was still pretty tasty.
I made a second batch with more of the shredded cheddar in the mixture and it was a little firmer when cooked, so easier to cut and eat. I also missed the bacon wrap that is usually on or in that type of popper. I would add that next time.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
C. Davis
It’s football season, plus the farmer’s markets are brimming with fresh-grown peppers! This dish is the perfect food to have in one’s arsenal this time of year. Plus, a bonus is making them in an air fryer.
The final product was tasty and easy to make. The amount of filling was adequate and was a nice taste combination with the peppers. If you want them hotter, then I would suggest leaving some of the seeds in the peppers.