Air Fryer Jalapeno poppers are the delicious melted cheese balls stuffed with diced Jalapenos and bacon, coated in crispy golden breadcrumbs. Each bite-size cheese ball is full of delicious flavors and textures - crunchy, creamy, spicy, cheesy, and satisfying!
Easy to make, quick to cook in the air fryer, and always the biggest hit at any party!
Ingredients:
- 1 pack Cream cheese (8oz.), softened
- 4 Jalapeños: seeded and finely chopped (⅔ cup). I use my Ninja Express to chop the Jalapeños. Pulse for 1-2 seconds or to the desired consistency.
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Pepperjack cheese, shredded
- 6 strips bacon: cooked and finely chopped. I also used premade bacon crumbles.
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or Panko.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Seasoning salt to taste. I add ½ teaspoon seasoning since bacon is usually pretty salty.
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce, optional
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, jalapeños, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, diced jalapenos, bacon bits, garlic, salt, and sriracha sauce. Until all ingredients are well combined.
- Scoop the mixture and form it into 1 inch or larger size balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Place beaten egg in a medium bowl.
- In the second bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Remove cheese balls from the freezer. Dip one ball at a time into the beaten eggs, and then coat with the bread crumbs mixture (see picture)
- Arrange the jalapeño balls in the air fryer basket/sheet/tray and give them some space so they do not touch each other.
- Pre-heat air fryer at 400F/200C for 2 minutes and place the basket/tray into the air fryer
- Air fry mode 400F/200C for 7-8 minutes or until the breading is crispy, golden brown and the cheese starts to pop.
- It is important to flip each ball halfway thru the cooking. Cook 3-4 minutes per side.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
- To reheat, place in the air fryer at 350F/180C for 1-2 minutes per side.
Other Festive appetizers you're going to love
Potato Jalapeno Balls - are one of our favorite appetizers with creamy mashed potatoes. Click on the picture below to jump to it's recipe.
Can this air fryer jalapeno popper cheese balls recipe be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the jalapeno poppers balls ahead of time. Prepare the cheeseballs but do not air fry them. Place them in the container in the fridge for 2-3 days and air fry when ready.
Or keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, thaw in the fridge for 2-3 hours and continue with directions above.
Can this air fryer jalapeno popper cheese balls recipe be made low-carb and keto-friendly?
Absolutely! Replace Panko breadcrumbs for Pork panko (0 carb pork rind bread crumbs) or almond flour and proceed with directions to air fry. Delicious!
Can I use another kind of cheese?
Absolutely! You can substitute an equal amount for another kind of shredded cheese of choice. Can also substitute for vegan cheeses.
Notes:
I used this handy Jalapeno corer tool for fast and easy coring and deseeding jalapeno peppers
You may want to consider wearing plastic gloves when handling jalapenos
Yield: 20
Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers Cheese Balls Recipe
Air Fryer Jalapeno poppers are the delicious melted cheese balls stuffed with diced Jalapenos and bacon, coated in crispy golden breadcrumbs.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
7 minutes
Additional Time
30 minutes
Total Time
42 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pack Cream cheese (8oz.), softened
- 4 Jalapeños: seeded and finely chopped (⅔ cup). I use my Braun Multiquick food processor to chop the Jalapeños in 30 seconds to the desired consistency.
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Pepperjack cheese, shredded
- 6 strips bacon: cooked and finely chopped. I also used premade bacon crumbles.
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or Panko.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Seasoning salt to taste. I add ½ teaspoon seasoning since bacon is usually pretty salty.
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce, optional
Instructions
Notes
I used this handy Jalapeno corer tool for fast and easy coring and deseeding jalapeno peppers
You may want to consider wearing plastic gloves when handling jalapenos
Karen
These look amazing! What dipping sauce is pictured? Recipe? Thx!
Irina
HI Karen, Thank you
Homemade honey chipotle mayo
Karen
HUUGE family hit! Super easy and fun to make! Definitely need to spray the tray first so the balls don't stick, but they turned out great!
Irina
Yummy! Glad you enjoyed it! I have the non-stick tray so no food really sticks to it. But thanks for letting me know. It's important to know that other trays may stick
Davey Simpson
Hard to flip melted cheese after 4 minutes. Cook them a bit longer and dumped them from the basket, looks more like soup than jalapeno cheese balls!
Judy Maresh
I have a feeling if I try to make these I will end up with a leaky mess and empty shells of whatever is left
Irina
I made them multiple times and did not experience any leaky mess. Hope you will have success too. Delish!
Jennifer
Any advice on how to get them not to leak? The flavor is great but the few time I've cooked them most of the cheese mixture melts out.
Irina
Hi Jennifer. Coat generously in breadcrumbs. Air fry until the cheese starts to pop
Samantha
We love the recipe however I had to cook them in the stove..
After 2 batches stuck to my basket on my instapot duo one batch I even used spray...any suggestions
Irina
Spraying is definitely a key, if they are getting stuck. Try to oil the basket more. If they still get stuck, place them on a small piece of parchment paper.
Robin
Why are jalapeños listed twice in the directions?
Veronica
What kind of dipping sauce did you use
Irina
I served them with homemade Chipotle dipping sauce. You can also try them with Copycat Chick Fil A sauce. Yum
Heidi
I followed this recipe to the letter. Needs more jalepenos vs cheese. Not enjoyable and a waste of my time honestly. I'll go back to making poppers the normal way.
Steve Anderson
I air fryer some and they were very good. A bit messy. What was left I froze before I breaded them. I later took the frozen ones and threw them all in a bowl. I microwaved them till melted, stirring occasionally. It makes an excellent dip. Like it much better as a dip.