Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

This grilled cheese sandwich is loaded with bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers and FOUR different cheeses!

I know, you can always rely on this blog to take things too far 😂 A lot of jalapeño popper grilled cheese recipes use a jalapeño popper style filling, but here I throw in actual jalapeño poppers. Because, well, why the heck not?! Okay don’t answer that, just follow me…

Cream Cheese Filling

All good jalapeño poppers start with a tasty cream cheese filling. Sure, you could just use plain cream cheese, but I like to throw in a few tasty extras. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cream Cheese
• Green Onion
• Mexican Cheese Blend
• Smoked Paprika

In terms of subs, you can trade out the onion for chives, you can sub the Mexican cheese for cheddar.

Can I make this part ahead of time?

Absolutely! Just combine and tightly seal in the fridge until needed.

Process shots: add ingredients to medium sized mixing bowl (photo 1), stir to combine (photo 2).

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers 

There’s a few different ways to make jalapeño poppers, but here we’re simply going to wrap them in bacon and bake them.

How spicy are these?

Jalapeños do vary in spice, but one thing we’re going to do straight off the bat to take away the intense spice is remove the seeds. If you want to take it one step further you can also soak the jalapeños in cold water to reduce the heat further, but this is completely optional.

Thin Cut Bacon

Really important to use thin cut bacon. This will be much easier to wrap around the jalapeños. Thick cut bacon will simply unravel in the oven, whether they’re secured with a toothpick or not.

Can I make these ahead of time? 

Yep! You can either prep them ahead of time or completely bake them ahead of time. More on this in the recipe card notes.

Process shots: place jalapeño on chopping board (photo 1), slice in half lengthways and remove seeds with teaspoon (photo 2), stuff with cream cheese mixture (photo 3), wrap in bacon (photo 4), bake in the oven (photo 5).

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Alrighty, jalapeño poppers done and dusted, let’s talk grilled cheese.

What Cheese to use?

I like to use a 50/50 mix of Cheddar and Monterey Jack/Pepper Jack. Square slices work perfect here.

What Bread to use?

You want something nice and sturdy like a Sourdough, just to keep all that cheese under control.

Process shots: add bread butter side down to pan with heat off (photo 1), add cheddar (photo 2), add jalapeño poppers (photo 3), and Monterey Jack (photo 4), add buttered bread (photo 5) fry both sides (photo 6).

And there we have it! All my top tips for the most OTT yet extremely delicious jalapeño popper grilled cheese.

If you’re looking for a little something on the side be sure to check out my Individual Foil Packet Nachos!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!

How to make a Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

This grilled cheese sandwich is loaded with bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers and FOUR different cheeses!

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5 from 5 votes

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Course: lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 sandwiches

925kcal

Author: Chris

Cost: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

• Medium Sized Mixing Bowl & Spatula
• Large Baking Tray
• Large Frying Pan & Turner/Spatula
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Tooth Picks/Cocktail Sticks
• Gloves (optional)

Ingredients

Jalapeño Poppers

• 8 Fresh Jalapeños, length of jalapeño preferably similar size to width of bread
• 8 slices of Thin Cut Streaky Bacon (if you want to wrap the whole jalapeño you can use 16 slices)
• 7oz / 200g Cream Cheese,
• 1 cup / 100g Mexican Cheese Blend (can sub Cheddar)
• 1 Spring/Green Onion, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Grilled Cheese

• 8 medium slices of Sourdough Bread
• 4 square slices of Cheddar
• 4 square slices of Monterey Jack/Pepper Jack Cheese
• Butter, as needed

Instructions

• In a medium sized mixing bowl combine cream cheese, cheddar or Mexican cheese, green onion, smoked paprika and seasoning to taste. Place to one side.
• Slice jalapeños in half length ways and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Slices off stalk. Scoop in cream cheese mixture, then wrap in bacon (secure with toothpick or tuck the end if you have enough). Bake in the oven for 20mins at 200C/390F or until the bacon is crispy with the filling nice and bubbly.
• In a pan with the heat OFF add two slices of bread (4 if you have room). Butter the top then flip the bread over so it's butter-side-down. Add a slice of cheddar, top with 4 jalapeño poppers, followed by Monterey Jack, finished with another slice of bread. Butter the tops then turn on heat to medium.
• Fry both sides until golden brown and the filling just starting to leak out. Serve up and enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Reducing Spice - Jalapeños will vary in spice level, but if you're at all weary I recommend soaking them in cold water after you've sliced and gutted them. From there just thoroughly dry with paper towels and continue with recipe.

b) Gloves - Sometimes a good idea to wear gloves as you prep the jalapeños to reduce the chance of spreading the spice to eyes etc. 

c) Make Ahead - You can definitely prep/make the jalapeño poppers ahead of time. Either wrap the bacon and tightly cover them in the fridge overnight, or completely cook them and keep them sealed in the fridge for 2-3days. If you completely make them ahead of time just pop them back in the oven at 180C/356F until heated through again before you make the sandwich.

d) Calories - per sandwich based on using 4 tbsp salted butter and 8 slices of bacon:

Nutrition Facts

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 925 Calories from Fat 603

% Daily Value*

Fat 66.99g103%

Saturated Fat 27.899g174%

Trans Fat 0.227g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.238g

Monounsaturated Fat 12.739g

Cholesterol 130mg43%

Sodium 1302mg57%

Potassium 795mg23%

Carbohydrates 45.59g15%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 10.43g12%

Protein 37.39g75%

Vitamin A 2610IU52%

Vitamin C 219.4mg266%

Calcium 627mg63%

Iron 5.07mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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