The perfect combination of spicy peppers, cool cream cheese, and a crispy, golden-brown breading. All your favorite flavors in one yummy bite.
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Amazingly delicious. They’re stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar then battered and fried. What’s not to like?
- Very affordable. Even if you’re buying the jalapenos out of season, these will be super cheap to make.
- Great for a party. Make a big batch and watch them disappear!
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
You’ll need the following for this delicious appetizer:
- jalapeño peppers (fat, short peppers are the easiest to hollow out)
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar cheese
- milk
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- panko breadcrumbs
- salt
- black pepper
- peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
🥣 Equipment
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- deep fryer, dutch oven, or deep skillet for straining
- tongs
- mixing bowls
- paper towels
🍴Instructions
Step One: Stuff
Hollow peppers using a sharp knife or a special pepper tool.
Make the filling. Mix cream cheese and cheddar cheeses together with a fork until they are well mixed. Stuff the cheese filling inside. Just do this by hand, gently pressing it in as far as you can.
Step Two: bread
Make the batter and breading. In one bowl, mix together the eggs and milk with a fork. In another bowl, mix together the flour and panko.
Dip the peppers in the batter, then coat them in breading. Repeat this process until the peppers are fully covered.
Step three: fry
Put some oil in a deep fryer, Dutch oven, or skillet and heat it up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, turning it over once, until it is golden brown. Remove it from the pan and put it on some paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
Step Four: serve
Serve this dish immediately with ranch or sour cream.
🥫 Storage instructions
Any leftovers will keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for 3-4 days
To freeze this recipe, just pop ’em on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Deep fry from frozen and add a minute or two to the cooking time
🔍 FAQs
Um…. I guess. They won’t be as good. If you don’t want to deep fry, I’d actually recommend a totally different style of popper: cut the peppers in half lengthwise, fill with the filling, wrap in a skinny piece of bacon and bake or air fry at 375 until tthe peppers are soft.
These are not. Too much breading. (The type I described above is, though.)
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
Watch this video if you need help removing the inside of the peppers with a knife:
- Make sure to use short, fat peppers for this recipe. They are much easier to hollow out and fill than long, skinny peppers.
- The batter and breading should be thick and sturdy. This will ensure that youget a thick, crispy coating when you fry that won’t fall off.
📘 Related Recipes
- Deep Fried French Fries
- Honey Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
- Deep Fried Pickles
- Deep Fried Oreos
- Candied Jalapenos
- Pickled Crisp Jalapenos for Canning
🍽 Serve it with
- Homemade pizza bread with dough from scratch
- Fried onion rings
- Your favorite chili
- Soft old fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies
🍅 make it along with me
Follow along step by step. The slides will turn every 7 seconds, or you can click ahead.
📖 Here’s the recipe
Deep Fried Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 2 dozen jalapeño peppers look for wide peppers
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Hollow peppers using a sharp paring knife or special pepper tool.
- Make the filling. Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheeses with a fork until well mixed.
- Make the batter and breading. Combine the eggs and milk with a fork. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and panko.
- Dip in the batter, then breading. Repeat. Peppers should have a thick, sturdy coating of breading.
- Heat oil in deep fryer, Dutch oven, or skillet until 375°. Fry for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Remove to paper towels.
- Serve immediately, with ranch or sour cream.
