The House of Spices

What are Jalapeño Poppers?

Jalapeño Poppers are nothing else but spicy hot jalapeños filled with creamy cheese, herbs and spices, topped with crispy doritos and bread crumbs, baked to perfection! These quick and easy jalapeño poppers make the perfect bite; crispy, creamy, cheesy and spicy! Every bite will start with a cool, creamy stuffing and end with a soft crunch, as well as a little spice to wake you up! They are a perfect snack for a football match, family dinner or celebratory meal. Enjoy these simple, easy, quick and flavourful poppers with some cold sour cream, mayonnaise or mint yogurt.

 

How to cut the Jalapeños?

PLEASE USE GLOVES when cutting the jalapeños. Make sure not to touch your face while cutting the jalapeños and ensure to wash your hands with dishwashing liquid once you are done cutting the jalapeños. 

 

Jalapeños contain capsaicin which is found in the seeds and inner membranes. If you cut the jalapeños without gloves and start removing the inner seeds without gloves, your hands will burn really badly. Based on experience, it will feel like someone has placed your hand in a frying pan! Hence, it’s very important to use gloves when handling jalapeños.

 

How to reduce the heat from the Jalapeños?

The heat from jalapeños comes from the seeds and inner membranes. To reduce the heat, ensure you clean out all the light coloured inner membranes as well as the seeds of the Jalapeños. If you like lots of heat, leave a little bit of the membrane. However, I would recommend removing all the membrane and adding chilli flakes to the filling instead if you want the punch.

 

Can I make the poppers without Jalapeños?

Yes, you certainly can. For those of you out there who can’t take the heat or simply don’t like the taste of jalapeños, you can make this recipe using baby bell peppers. Peppers don’t have heat and are a great substitute for the jalapeños.

 

Can I use paneer instead of cream cheese?

Absolutely! You can easily swap cream cheese with paneer if you like. However, I recommend using homemade paneer that’s more soft and crumbly. If your paneer is firm, you won’t be able to crumble it that easily and you will find it difficult to stuff the jalapeños with the paneer. Another thing to keep in mind is that paneer has a different taste and texture in comparison to cream cheese. Hence, the final jalapeño poppers will taste slightly different from my original recipe.

 

How can we make this recipe vegan?

You can easily make this vegan by swapping regular cream cheese and cheddar cheese with vegan cream cheese and vegan cheddar cheese. You can serve the jalapeños with vegan mayonnaise instead of sour cream. If you like to experiment in the kitchen, you can try my recipe with some tofu too. I’m sure it’ll taste great! 

 

How long should I bake these poppers for?

You don’t need to bake them for more than 20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius (if using a fan oven). You want the poppers to be soft and the top to be crispy and golden yellow. You don’t want the poppers to be too soft either, else it will be difficult to lift and eat them.

 

Can I pan or air fry the jalapeños?

Yes, you can! Although I prefer popping them in the oven since it's much easier and hassle free, you can use an air fryer if you like. You can air fry the poppers at 190 degrees celsius for about 8 minutes or until done. However, if you intend to pan fry or deep fry them, you need to coat the jalapeños in a cornstarch batter and completely coat them in doritos and breadcrumbs from all sides. It’s more time consuming, hence I usually prefer to bake them instead!

 

How should I serve the poppers?

You can either serve the poppers warm when they’re ready or wait until they reach room temperature. Enjoy the poppers with some sour cream, mayonnaise or mint yogurt!

 

Can I cook the jalapeño poppers in advance and store it?

You can prepare the cream cheese filling a couple of days in advance and store it in the fridge until you are ready to fill your jalapeños. You could also prepare the entire dish in advance and freeze them (for up to a month) until you’re ready to bake them, just bring them back to room temperature and pop them into the oven to be baked! 

 

Once they’re baked, I would recommend you to finish them within the same day. However, if there are any leftovers which are usually unlikely, you can store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat them in the microwave or oven before serving them.

 

Any substitute for the ingredients mentioned?

1. You can substitute cream cheese with ricotta and goat’s cheese or even feta. Alternatively, you can use paneer or tofu if you like.

2. You can substitute cheddar cheese with mozzarella, edam, gouda or red leicester.

3. You can substitute doritos with any other crisps of your choice. However, make sure to use crisps that are crunchy. 

4. You can substitute jalapeños with baby bell peppers. However, this will taste different from my original recipe. 

 

Any cooking tips for this recipe?

1. Ensure you use gloves when handling jalapeños as you don’t want your hands to burn.

2. Keep an eye on the poppers while they are in the oven as you can easily overcook the jalapeños and they will turn out to be too soft for your liking! 

3. You can play around with the filling and include any herbs, spices and toppings as you like, to make them more hearty and flavourful.