Keto Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers

I’m going to set the scene for you. It is a crisp fall Sunday night, the football game is on (Lions are losing, of course), friends and family are over shouting at the TV (interception again?!), Grandpa is snoring on the lazy boy, and we are all wondering… what are we going to eat?? One of the top ten things to eat at our house for a football get-together is always Jalapeño Poppers, and not just any poppers… Ours are wrapped in bacon. *cue drooling*

As we all know, everything gets better with bacon. I do believe that if it wasn’t for avocados taking up the Keto spotlight, bacon would be the official mascot of the Keto nation. There is something so beautifully delicious about crispy marbled bacon that I feel like it should be called “Bacon: the ultimate meal enhancer”. In this recipe, bacon is definitely the perfect “cherry” on top. What is even better than the bacon (there is a better part??) is that you can eat these and still lose weight! Intrigued? Step into my office.

Normally when you go to a restaurant and get an order of Jalapeño poppers, not only are they breaded and deep fried, they are insanely expensive for only 5-6 poppers. I’m not going to lie, I have a hard time choking down paying 15 dollars on an appetizer that I could have quadrupled in my kitchen for about the same price. Also its very frustrating when you are trying so hard to follow a lifestyle and everything is always breaded. Well I have the solution! These poppers are absolute perfection for your cravings. With the right amount of heat, paired with the creamy filling and smoky, crispy bacon, these are the perfect appetizer for any group, Keto or not. If you can’t stand the idea of sharing them though, they are great for dinner as well. Perk, they reheat beautifully for lunch the next day (I’m just saying!).

The hardest part of making these is in the prep and even that isn’t too difficult. I like to prepare these in advance so that they are ready to go when my company is over. I always start by cutting the peppers in half and then I use a small paring knife to cut around the inside edge until you start to see the seeds and ribbing lift. Then I use my grapefruit spoon (bonus use for this utensil) to scoop out the insides until they look like the picture above. *You do not have to use a grapefruit spoon, any will do*. The more ribbing and seeds you leave, the spicier it will be, so please make sure that you pay attention to that while prepping them. After your peppers are ready you are going to wash your hands (Yes, please wash them, they are full of jalapeño juice. You have been warned.) and then you are going to get started on your mixture.

I recommend that if you are cooking your sausage that you start with that part first since it will need to cool down. Once your sausage is browned, crumbled, and cooled to room temperature, you are going to combine your cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic, and seasonings in a large bowl until mixture is well combined. Then you are going to spoon in 1-2 tablespoons into each pepper until they are slightly mounded but not over filled. Now its time for the “pièce de résistance” a.k.a. bacon.

By this time, my bacon has warmed up a bit on the counter while I was preparing my mixture which helps it stretch more. I cut my bacon in half and then wrap it around the filled popper, tucking in the end at the bottom. This helps it stay more secure while it cooks. The bacon will sometimes pull off the pepper a bit while cooking but most should stay intact if you wrap it well enough.

This is the point I normally set my poppers to the side and wait until I’m ready to cook them. Sometimes if I’m going to someone else’s house, I will pre-bake them so that most of my cooking is done and I will just give them a quick broil to crisp them back up. If you are ready to cook right away then at this time you would preheat your air-fryer or oven to 400 degrees. Cook the poppers in uncrowded batches in the airfryer or a baking sheet covered in foil for the oven. When I use my air-fryer, I normally cook them for about 8-9 minutes or until the bacon is to the desired crispiness. For the oven, I cook them for about 20-30 minutes and normally I broil the tops a bit as well because I like my bacon even crispier. After cooking, you can serve immediately but I do warn you to try to beat the men off for at least 5 minutes so that they don’t burn the roof of their mouth with the filling. If you are a fan of having a dipping sauce with your Jalapeño Poppers, then I recommend serving it with my Dairy-Free Garlic Ranch for an extra pop of flavor.

This is one of my favorite recipe to make and its always a fan-favorite for Keto or non-Keto eaters. If you want to make these but cut out the spice level, I recommend using mini sweet peppers and a mild sausage for less of a kick but still a fabulous flavor.

If you loved this recipe and want to share your handy work, please tag me @exhaustedketomomma on Instagram and use the hashtag #exhaustedketomomma so I can see your amazing creations!

Keto Air-fryer Jalapeno Poppers

• Servings: 8
• Prep Time: 20-mins
• Cook Time: 10-mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

An easy appetizer or dinner that gives a nice kick and a smoky delicious flavor, definitely a fan-favorite and can be served with a home-made Keto ranch

Ingredients

• 16 whole jalapenos
• 16 oz of full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or other shredded cheese)
• 1/2 lb of country sausage, crumbled, cooked and cooled
• 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced
• 1 lb of bacon*
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Take the jalapenos and cut them in half. Then scoop out the insides but leaving the stems intact. This will help keep the filling inside of your popper. **
2. Mix together in large bowl the cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic, and cooked sausage. It is easier to mix if the cream cheese is room temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Put 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into the jalapeno half until slightly mounded but not over filled.
4. Cut your bacon slice in half down the middle of the piece and then wrap it around the jalapeno popper, tucking the bacon in at the end. This will keep the bacon wrapped more firmly.
5. If using an Air-fryer, preheat for 2-3 mins at 400 degrees, then cook poppers in batches for 7-10 minutes until bacon is crispy and cooked through. Depending on you Air-fryer, you might need to adjust temperature or time.
6. If using an oven, preheat to 400 degrees and cook for 20-30 mins until bacon is crispy and cooked through. Sometimes I broil the tops to give it an extra crispy top. Depending on your oven you might need to adjust your times.
7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

*don’t use a thick cut bacon because it will make it harder to stretch the bacon and wrap around the popper. Also check your labels to make sure there is no sugar added. **If you want your jalapeno to stay spicy, leave some of the seeds and ribbing. I normally remove most of the insides so that they aren’t overwhelming. If you wanted a non-spicy option for this recipe, you can easily use mini sweet peppers and a mild sausage.

Nutrition

For 3 Jalapeno poppers: 381 calories; 33 g of fat; 15.9 g of protein; 5.6 g of total carbs; 1 g of fiber; 4.6 g of net carbs.