Keto Jalapeno Poppers

This bacon wrapped keto jalapeno poppers recipe is really easy to make with peppers from your garden. They make a delicious keto appetizer or snack and are great for football parties. You can also make them ahead of time and freeze to cook later. Each on has only 0.5g net carbs!

You might also like this popular pickled jalapeno peppers recipe!

I might have mentioned that we had crazy amounts of peppers this summer. I mean tons and tons of peppers. One day my hubby brought in a bowl of jalapeños and we decided to stuff them with cheeses and wrap them in bacon.

I’ve never had a jalapeño popper before but I see that I’ve been missing out! These bacon wrapped keto jalapeno poppers were absolutely delicious and the perfect way to use fresh jalapeno peppers from the garden.

These bacon wrapped keto jalapeno poppers only take a few minutes to prepare. Then you bake them so all that cheesy filling melts, the peppers soften and the bacon gets crispy. The flavor combination makes the perfect appetizer for a party. And it’s low carb too with only 0.5g net carbs per serving.

Recipe ingredients I used.

I only used 4 simple ingredients and they were fresh jalapeno peppers, cheddar shredded cheese, cream cheese and bacon slices.

Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
You can find these everywhere these days. I buy mine at Aldi in the winter and use the fresh ones from the garden in the summer. While you should use this type of pepper you could also use mini bell peppers or every banana peppers if you wanted.

Cream Cheese and Cheddar Cheese
The cream cheese filling is just two kinds of cheese – cream cheese and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I think it’s important to use sharp cheddar cheese to give it a bit more flavor. If you want to use a Mexican blend you could but sharp cheddar is the best.

Bacon
The bacon is optional. I would suggest using thin sliced bacon. I have had a hard time wrapping them well but the thin bacon works the best. You can cut it in half and stretch it to wrap each pepper.

Alternatively you can also make the bacon ahead of time, crumble and just sprinkle on top.

If you want even more flavor you can add a little onion powder or garlic powder to the filling. Or you can try some finely chopped green onions or chives.

How to make bacon wrapped keto jalapeno poppers.

Step 1: So the first thing you want to do is slice the jalapeño peppers in half. You have to clean out the jalapeno seeds and the ribs because that is where the heat is and you don’t want them too hot.

You still will get one or two that will be hot but for the most part this is not a hot dish. I like to slice mine in half and stuff them that way. It’s just a lot easier than stuffing from the top.

TIP: I used a melon ball scooper like this to get the seeds and ribs out. That’s where all the heat comes from. It seemed to be the perfect size for my peppers and made the cleaning really fast.

Also you might want to use some gloves because you don’t want to get the oils from the seeds and ribs on your hands. If you don’t have gloves, just wash your hands well when your done.

Step 2: Next get out a medium bowl and mix the softened cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese in a mixing bowl. If you cream cheese is hard, just microwave it for 30 seconds to soften it.

Step 3: Stuff each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture.

Step 4: Now it’s time to wrap with bacon. You can cut the slice of bacon in half and use a half piece. Or cut into fourths by first cutting vertically into two long strips and then cut those in half to make 4 pieces. It all depends on your bacon. You may have to practice a bit.

Step 5: Spray a rimmed baking tray with nonstick cooking spray. Wrap the stuffed jalapeno halves with the bacon and keep the seam size down on the prepared baking sheet. The bacon will stretch a bit so try to make it as tight as possible and over lap a bit. Place on the baking sheet.

Step 6: Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes. You want both the peppers to be fork tender and the bacon to be golden brown and crispy. If the peppers are cooked you can always place them under the broiler to get the bacon crispier.

Note cooking time will vary depending on the size of your peppers and the thickness of the bacon. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

If you want to make these stuffed jalapenos ahead of time.

I made these also for a big family party I had for Max’s birthday. Since his party was in November, I made them a month earlier and froze them for the party.

All I did was prepare them on a cookie sheet as you can see above. Then I placed them in the freezer for 2 hours.

Once they are individually frozen, I put them in a freezer bag and popped them in the freezer.

On the day of the party, I just thawed them and cooked them normally and they were delicious.

Recipe Tips & Notes

• While we made these with jalapeños we have also made them with other peppers from our garden. You could use poblano or even banana peppers and prepare them this way.
• Sometimes we stuff them with mozzarella sticks. Check out my hubby’s easy jalapeno poppers post to make them this way. It’s a bit easier and super tasty too.
• I’ve also stuffed hot peppers with buffalo chicken dip and it’s awesome. You can use rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken to make the dip and stuff it with the buffalo chicken mixture.
• Baking times my vary depending on how big and thick the peppers are. Also how thick or thin the bacon is. You just want the peppers to be soft enough and the bacon as crispy as you like it. Again you can place it under the broiler if you want it crispier.

Above is the finished product. My personal preference is crispy bacon but no one else in my family does so we make some less crispy for my husband.

This is a really tasty and easy appetizer for anyone but especially if you are on a low carb diet. I confess to have eaten these for lunch once. They were really good and I hope you like them too!

The nutritional information for 1 is: 52 cals / 4.4g fat / 0.7g carbs / 0.2g fiber / 2.5g protein = 0.5g net carbs