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Grilled jalapeño poppers on black serving board.
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5 from 2 votes

How to Grill Jalapeño Poppers

Check out how to grill jalapeño poppers step by step. These cheese stuffed whole jalapeños wrapped in bacon are cooked to delicious, bubbly, crispy perfection.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time23 minutes
Total Time38 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 32 poppers
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Joss Dyckson

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 16 jalapeño peppers rinsed clean
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened (1 brick)
  • 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
  • 16 slices smoked bacon cut in half crosswise
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Lightly oil the grates of an outdoor grill and preheat it to medium heat.
    Charcoal Grill: Once the coals are ready, place them on one side of the barbecue, to have a zone of direct heat and indirect heat so that you can control the cooking of the jalapeños.
    Gas Grill: Preheat the grill to medium heat using all of the burners. Once preheated, turn off half of the burners for an indirect/direct heat source.
    Charcoal grill with indirect and direct heat.
  • Place a jalapeño pepper onto a cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise, exposing the seeds and white membrane.
    Jalapeño peppers sliced in half.
  • With a small knife, carefully scrape out the seeds and membrane, leaving the pepper hollow. Repeat with the rest of the peppers. A spoon would work too.
    Jalapeño peppers sliced open on cutting board and gloved hand holding paring knife.
  • Mix the cheddar cheese with the cream cheese and add it to a piping bag. Stuff each pepper with the cheese mixture. Alternatively, you could spoon the mixture in.
    Jalapeño peppers stuffed with cheese filling.
  • Wrap each stuffed pepper in a bacon slice. Secure with toothpicks.
    Uncooked jalapeño poppers on baking sheet.
  • Place the peppers on the indirect-heat side of the preheated grill and close the lid. Cook until the peppers are hot and juicy and the bacon is browned, approximately 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them.
    Uncooked jalapeño poppers on grill.
  • Then, transfer them over to the direct heat part of the grill and cook until the bacon is crispy (about 3 minutes). It will depend on how thick the jalapeños are and how crispy you’d like the bacon.
    Jalapeño poppers cooking on the grill over charcoal.
  • Cool for a few minutes because the filling will be very hot. Serve and enjoy!
    Grilled jalapeño poppers on serving board with toothpicks.

Notes

  • The membrane is the hottest part of the pepper, so if you would like the poppers to be more spicy, you can leave a bit of the membrane and/or seeds behind. Removing it all leaves a hint of spice behind after being grilled.
  • Use latex gloves to protect your hands from the peppers' spice if needed.
  • If the bacon slices are too short or long, cut them to whatever size works with the peppers you have. You want them to be able to wrap around and overlap slightly so that you can secure it with a toothpick, but overlapping too much will cause the bacon to cook unevenly.
  • The cheese filling doesn't have to be piped perfectly into the pepper. It will end up melting into the shape of the pepper as it cooks.
  • The poppers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat on the grill or in the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 0.1mg