If you are looking for easy gluten-free snack ideas everyone will devour, these baked jalapeño poppers made with cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon are guaranteed to disappear fast. This simple recipe uses no bread crumbs or breading, so they are naturally gluten-free without having to buy any speciality ingredients. Plus, they are make-ahead and freezer-friendly, ideal for the holidays and party prep.
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Easy Jalapeño Poppers Recipe Without Breading
Making an easy, tasting, and objectively crowd-pleasing gluten-free jalapeño popper recipe doesn’t have to send you on a search for expensive speciality ingredients. It’s as simple as heading to your local grocery store, picking up fresh peppers, cream cheese, cheddar, bacon and green onions.
Just like these crispy gluten-free chicken wings, using everyday ingredients to make GF snacks is always a winning combo in my book. I promise you won’t miss the breadcrumbs when you sink your teeth into these creamy, cheesy, and bubbly baked GF jalapeño poppers!
Serve them for a game day appetizer alongside this award-winning buffalo chicken chili or serve them with another make-ahead, freezer-friendly snack, crispy baked gluten-free mozzarella sticks. I also love to throw them on the grill as a special treat when camping.
Making gluten-free jalapeño poppers with bacon doesn’t require any kitchen expertise, but I do have some pretty important tips for you, like to how to prep the peppers (must read!), make-ahead and freezer tips, plus other mix-in ideas. Let’s get to it.
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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Prep the jalapeños like a boss.
Just a heads up, this is when I get a teeny bit obsessive. Removing all the seeds and membranes make these poppers mild without much, if any, spice. If you like them spicy, go ahead and leave in a few seeds or the membrane (white ribbing on the pepper). That’s where the heat comes from.
No matter how you like them, make sure to wear kitchen gloves, or be prepared to have some burning paws!
Slice them in half lengthwise. Then use a small spoon to scrape out the membrane and seeds for mild jalapeño poppers or lay off the perfectionism and leave some in to up the spiciness.
Mix up the cream cheese filling.
Combine together the softened cream cheese, garlic, green onion, onion powder, salt and pepper. Once that’s nice and smooth, stir in cheddar cheese and cooked, chopped bacon, reserving some of the bacon and cheese to sprinkle on top.
Spread in the goodness.
I like to go through each pepper and plop some of the cream cheese mixture in. Once it’s all divided up evenly, take a small knife or the back of a spoon to spread it in.
Top and bake.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon on top. This is the magic ticket to making jalapeño poppers without breading – bubbly, golden cheese! Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Then turn on the broiler to crisp up the tops. Serve and seriously enjoy!
Leveling Up Topping and Mix-In Ideas
If you’d like a crispy topping, but still want to enjoy a baked jalapeño popper, check out some ideas below. Also, not a bacon fan? Just leave it out.
- Bacon lover? Wrap the peppers in thin-cut bacon and secure with a toothpick. Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 25 minutes.
- Switch up the cheese. Pepper jack will kick up the heat, or swap out for Colby jack, parmesan, smoked cheddar, goat cheese, blue cheese, gouda, or a combination. Spreadable Boursin cheese also can be used instead of cream cheese.
- Instead of cooked bacon, add in cooked chorizo, chopped ham, crumbled sausage, mild or spicy.
- Add some diced fresh pineapple. Yum!
- For a crunchy topping, sprinkle on toasted gluten-free bread crumbs, crushed pork rinds, tortilla chips, or potato chips. Be sure to read ingredient labels for gluten-free.
- Spice change ups – Smoked paprika, chili powder, fresh minced cilantro, GF ranch seasoning, or cayenne pepper
Can I Make These In An Air Fryer?
Yep. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Line the jalapeños in a single layer (you will probably have to cook in batches). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Can I Make These on a Grill?
You betcha. To save yourself from peppers slipping through the grates (nnnooooooo!), use a grill basket and place in a single layer. Heat the grill to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes.
I’ve also made these ahead of time and warmed them up on a fire cooking grate when camping. Use heavy duty foil and wrap about 4 pouches of peppers in foil packets. Cook on the grill grate, moving with tongs and repositioning for even cooking. This will take about 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot the fire is.
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Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Baked Gluten-Free Jalapeño Poppers (No Bread Crumbs)
Ingredients
- 12 fresh jalapeños
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
- 6 slices cooked, chopped bacon, divided
- 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup minced green onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Use kitchen gloves to protect your hands. First, halve each jalapeño lengthwise. Use a small spoon to to scrape out the seeds and membranes. If you like your jalapeño poppers spicy, you can skip this part, or leave a few seeds in. For little or no heat, it's important to get all of this out. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and face cut side up.12 fresh jalapeños
- In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the garlic, green onion, salt, pepper and onion powder; beat again. Stir in 1 ½ cup cheese and 4 slices crumbled bacon, reserving 2 slices of cooked bacon to sprinkle on top.8 ounce cream cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup minced green onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the jalapeños. First spoon it on each one, then once it's divided go back and spread in with a small knife or back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and bacon on top.6 slices cooked, chopped bacon, 2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until bubbly. If desired, finish off with broiling for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Make-Ahead and Freezing
If you are prepping for a party, I highly recommend making these ahead of time. They can be stuffed up to 24 hours in advance. Store in an airtight container between layers of parchment and refrigerate. These are also freezer-friendly, but I recommend using full-fat cream cheese if freezing. Prep the recipe and freeze on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen solid, transfer to an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, bake from frozen, adding a few additional minutes to the baking time.This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
Made these last night, delicious. I didn’t divide the cheese or bacon, just threw it all in with the cream cheese.
They tasted great and this is now my go to recipe. Forgot to take a picture, we were hubgry!!
Thanks for sharing, Susan! These things disappear fast, hungry or not! Thanks for taking the time to share!
Best,
Melissa