Name: Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 jalapenos, each about 3-4" long; 12 slices bacon (I use center cut); Pimiento Cheese (homemade or store-bought); 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

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Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers will take your party spread to new levels! Simple ingredients, easy to prep ahead, and bake or grill to perfection. Whether you use homemade or store-bought pimiento cheese, these will be a hit

This post and recipe card updated July 4, 2020

overhead shot of finished jalapeno poppers on a white platter

I love to entertain, but I don’t do it nearly as often as I’d like. The good thing is, I have friends who pick up the slack and host at their home, so all I have to do is bring an appetizer!

One of my most popular appetizers is Bacon and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms, and you can make the filling ahead and then stuff and bake as needed. Pigs in an Everything Blanket is my fun twist on the classic, and my Cheddar Fig Honey Bites are insanely easy.

I’m obsessed with my Homemade Pimiento Cheese, and I always make way more than I should. It’s great on its own, served simply with crackers. But it’s even more fabulous as Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

They’re perfect for a crowd and great to make ahead
All you need is 3 ingredients and about 30 minutes
They’re delicious baked or grilled!

close up shot of finished jalapeno poppers on a white platter — close

ALL ABOUT THE JALAPENOS

Use gloves, or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water immediately after cutting and cleaning the jalapenos!

I cannot stress enough the importance of the above statement. I have made the mistake of forgetting and touching my eyes and that is NOT fun.

Look for jalapenos that are vibrant green, with smooth outer skin and no bruises. You also want them all about the same size

Slice the jalapenos lengthwise in half. The major heat of jalapenos comes from the ribs and seeds, so use a spoon to remove as much of both as possible.

PIMIENTO CHEESE TIPS

I use my Homemade Pimiento Cheese, but you could also use store-bought. If you use homemade, make it at least 4 hours prior to using, so the flavors have time to develop.

Let the pimiento cheese sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before using. That way it’s softer and easier to fill the jalapenos.

BACON, BACON AND MORE BACON

I’m a huge fan of thick-cut bacon, but it’s a little too thick for wrapping around the jalapenos. So I prefer center-cut bacon.

I use 1/2 slice of bacon per popper and stretch the bacon so you get more coverage.

You have 2 choices when prepping the bacon:

OPTION 1: Lay the bacon strips on a Baking Rack on a foil-lined Baking Sheet, and bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Once the bacon is cool, wrap the jalapenos
OPTION 2: Wrap raw bacon strips around the jalapenos. The only difference is the bacon is a little softer when it’s done

process shot: overhead shot of both bacon prepping options

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Take the pimiento cheese out of the fridge to soften slightly

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and top with a baking rack.

Slice jalapenos lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, and remove the ribs. You can use either a spoon or a small knife

Wash your hands with soap and hot water as soon as you are done

process shot: overhead shot of jalapenos with one jalapeno sliced and cored

Fill jalapeno halves with pimiento cheese.

process shot: close up shot of jalapeno halves filled with pimiento cheese

Stretch the bacon

Lay bacon slices on a cutting board, and cut each piece in half
Place a large knife, with the blade upside down, on the bacon
Hold the left edge of the bacon down, and drag the knife across the bacon strip until it increases in length by about 50%

Wrap each jalapeno with a piece of bacon. Make sure the ends of the bacon are at the bottom of the jalapenos.

OPTIONAL: secure the bacon with 2 toothpicks per jalapeno

process shot: close up shot of jalapeno poppers prepped and ready to bake

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until bacon is cooked and pimiento cheese is bubbling.

NOTE: if you use very large jalapenos, you may need to bake an additional 3-5 minutes.

IMPORTANT FINAL TOUCH!

As soon as the Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers are done, sprinkle with a touch of Sea Salt. I use 1/2 teaspoon total for 24 poppers, and it is plenty.

SERVINGS & LEFTOVERS

I know you want to dive right in, but these babies are SCALDING hot right out of the oven. So wait 2-3 minutes, so you don’t burn your mouth!

Make Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers on the grill! The preparation and cooking time and temperature are exactly the same.

To make ahead: prepare the poppers and store in a covered container in the fridge up to one day ahead. Take out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before cooking

Leftovers: I don’t recommend reheating the poppers…they just don’t taste as good. Instead, prep extra via the above make-ahead instructions.

MORE DELICIOUS APPETIZERS

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Bacon Pimiento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Yield: 24 poppers

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Resting time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

12 jalapenos, each about 3-4" long
12 slices bacon (I use center cut)
Pimiento Cheese (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place a baking rack on top. Set aside
Take pimiento cheese out of the fridge to soften slightly
Cut jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and ribs. This is where all the heat is, so make sure you remove as much as possible.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water as soon as you are done
Lay jalapeno halves cut-side up on the baking sheet. Fill jalapeno halves with pimiento cheese. Depending on the size, I use 1 teaspoon-1 Tablespoon per jalapeno. Don't overfill, or the cheese will bubble over
Set the jalapenos in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest, while you prepare the bacon
STRETCH THE BACON: Lay bacon slices individually on a cutting board. Hold the left edge of the bacon down with your fingers. Using large knife flipped upside down, drag flat edge across the bacon, until it extends by about 50%. Cut each piece in half, so you end up with 24 pieces of bacon
BACON OPTION 1: Lay pieces of bacon on a baking rack, and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, and transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool enough to handle, wrap a piece of bacon around each jalapeno half
BACON OPTION 2: Wrap a piece of raw bacon around each jalapeno half
Make sure that the bacon wraps all the way around the jalapeno halves, and that the ends are at the bottom so that the bacon doesn't come loose while baking
NOTE: You may also want to use 2 toothpicks per jalapeno to secure the bacon. If you do that, make sure to push the toothpicks through both the bacon and jalapenos
As soon as jalapeno poppers come out of the oven, lightly sprinkle each jalapeno popper with salt. You will only need about 1/2 teaspoon total for all 24 poppers
Allow poppers to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Notes

PIMIENTO CHEESE

If you use Homemade Pimiento Cheese, make it at least 4 hours prior to using so the flavors have time to develop

I have used homemade and store-bought, and both work great. So it's all personal preference.

IMPORTANT JALAPENO REMINDERS:

Use gloves, or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water immediately after cutting and cleaning the jalapenos!

Look for jalapenos that are vibrant green, with smooth outer skin and no bruises. You also want them all about the same size

If you use very large jalapenos, you may need to bake an additional 3-5 minutes

BACON NOTES

I prefer to use center-cut bacon over thick-cut. To me, thick-cut is a little too thick for wrapping.

I like to stretch the bacon so I can use 1/2 piece per jalapeno. You could certainly use 1 piece per popper.

I normally wrap the raw bacon around the jalapenos, but the prep option is your choice.

SERVINGS & LEFTOVERS