We are in love with our air fryer oven! And here's an easy weekend (week night?) appetizer. Air Fryer Cheesy Bacon Poppers are a cinch to cook up for the fam and you can make them in a flash since there's no bacon-wrapping involved - the bacon is right in the filling.
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 8 minutesminutes
Total Time: 23 minutesminutes
Servings: 16poppers
Calories: 137kcal
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
1/2cupmayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbs.dry Ranch dressing mix
1-2 tsp. minced chipotle peppers or chipotle sauce, or to taste
Poppers
8fatjalapenos
6slices bacon
8oz.cream cheese
dashWorcestershire sauce
1-2tsp. fresh, grated horseradishoptional
1cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
Make the Dipping Sauce
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until smooth; chill.
Make the Poppers
Cook bacon slices in your air fryer, laid out in a single layer on the rack, at 350 degrees F, until golden brown and crispy, approx. 8-10 minutes.
Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined place to cool. When the bacon has cooled, crumble into small pieces.**Remove the bacon drippings from the air fryer tray so you can cook the poppers next.
In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.
Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise. Using a sharp-tipped spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great!), carefully scrape the seeds and membranes from each jalapeño half.
Stuff the jalapeños with the prepared cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle the filling with a few sliced almonds, placing the poppers in a single layer across the air fryer rack.
Air fry the poppers at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, depending on how done you prefer them, and until the poppers are golden brown on top.
Let the poppers cool slightly before serving with dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
**Be sure to check the blog post for tips and tricks, specific instructions, recommended tools, and FAQ’s for making this recipe.