Sensational Keto Friendly Jalapeno Poppers

These Keto Jalapeno Poppers really are sensational!!  No deep frying necessary and you can reliably adjust the heat based on your preferences.  Great for gatherings, appetizers, and weekend afternoon snacks!

Jalapeno Poppers are a great snack and making them Keto friendly can help you with your particular dietary requirements.  As an added bonus, there are no specialty ingredients or extra steps to make this dish keto.  Non-Keto eaters will still enjoy the flavor and never miss the breading associated with poppers found in a restaurant or the freezer aisle!

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Why should you make this recipe:

• No breading or frying necessary; these poppers are baked in the oven for no mess and easy cleanup
• This jalapeno popper recipe is keto friendly AND gluten-free
• There’s bacon in the mix; what else do you need to know, lol!
• You can adjust the heat to your liking without worrying about the varying heat levels in jalapenos

What should you serve with your Poppers:

• These are great as a snack or an appetizer to bring to a gathering
• Pizza and beer; awesome tailgate or game-watching food

Ideas for customizing this recipe:

• Make them as hot or not as you want; no more worrying about whether the peppers you buy are mild or wild 🥵
• Change up the shredded cheese that you use or use whatever shredded cheese you have on hand; pepper-jack or straight cheddar will work nicely in this dish
• Add more or less garlic depending on your preference.  Garlic works really well here so I would hesitate leaving it out altogether

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How to make Keto Jalapeno Poppers

Making these Jalapeno Poppers is relatively straightforward since we do not have to worry about a breading or batter, and then frying.  Our cleanup will be MUCH easier this way and we have less to prep.

One thing to keep in mind about Jalapeno’s is the variability of the heat levels within each pepper or crop.  Sometimes the jalapenos have zero heat and sometimes they will melt your face off.  For this recipe, using the seeds from the peppers is completely up to you.  To bypass the wide variations in heat, I use red pepper flakes to adjust the heat level depending on my preference.  The teaspoon of red pepper flakes used here will create poppers that are on the high side of medium heat, ymmv.

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Making the Filling:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add in the following;
   1. one brick (8oz.) cream cheese (if possible, left at room temperature for 30 minutes)
   2. 2 crushed garlic cloves – more or less as you like
   3. 1 cup of shredded “Mexican” cheese (or whatever you have available)
   4. 4 slices of crumbled crispy cooked bacon 
   5. 1/4 Teaspoon of table salt
   6. 1/4 Teaspoon of ground black pepper
   7. 1 Teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – this is where you can adjust your heat level.  1 teaspoon is on the high side of medium, plan accordingly
2. Using a hand mixer, beat on low until all ingredients are well incorporated
3. Lastly, cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes

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**One of the things that you ABSOLUTELY need when working with jalapenos or any spicy pepper are rubber or latex gloves.**

And don’t touch your face!!

Prepping the Jalapenos:

1. Let’s get into it (we will wash our jalapenos AFTER slicing and deseeding)!!
2. While wearing rubber gloves and using a sharp chef’s knife, cut 12 jalapenos lengthwise so you have two identical halves
3. With a paring knife or spoon, carefully remove the seeds and white ribs from inside the pepper
4. Once you have deseeded and sliced all of your peppers, toss your jalapenos in a large colander and rinse them well under cold water
5. After rinsing, place each pepper cut side down, on some paper towels to dry.  At this point, you can take your rubber gloves off 

Time for Stuffing:

1. Preheat your oven to 425° or 400° if using the convection setting
2. Take your filling out of the refrigerator
3. Lay your jalapenos out cut side up on whatever sheet tray you plan on baking them on.  You could also use a baking rack if you want.
4. Using a dull knife or a pastry knife, spread about a tablespoon of filling into each jalapeno.
5. The amount of filling you need for each pepper can vary greatly depending on their size and shape.
6. To ensure even cooking, try to make sure all of your peppers have about the same amount of filling.

Time to Bake:

1. Place your sheet tray with peppers in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious.
2. Let your peppers cool approximately 5 minutes before eating.
3. After baking, the best way to keep them from getting soggy is to eat them quickly or place on a cooling rack.  The bottom skin of the pepper has a tendency to go mushy in a few minutes!
4. Finally it is time to eat!

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