Vegetarian Jalapeño Poppers (Air fryer and Oven Recipe)
These crispy vegetarian jalapeño poppers are easy to make, mouth-watering, cheesy and bursting with flavor! Learn how to make these tasty jalapeño poppers in the air fryer or oven!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 417kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10-12 jalapeños red or green (or a mixture)
- 8 oz cream cheese (soft cheese) or 226g
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (grated/shredded) or 85g
- 140 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 140 g golden or white breadcrumbs
- 1 cup milk (whole, skimmed or semi-skimmed/2%)
Instructions
Prepare the jalapeños
- Wear gloves whilst handling the jalapeños. Using a knife, cut the stalk end on each of the jalapeño chilli peppers and slice each chilli pepper in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the seeds, ribs and membranes from each chilli pepper.
Make the cheese mixture and fill the jalapeños
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and grated/shredded cheddar cheese. Using a spoon (or two) thoroughly mix both ingredients until combined into one mixture
- Using a spoon, stuff the cheese mixture evenly into all of the hollowed chilli peppers, gently pressing the mixture into each chilli pepper to fill any gaps.
Coat the jalapeños
- Coat the chilli peppers in milk and flour - dip each jalapeño pepper into the milk (allow excess milk to drip off), then coat with flour. Set aside and repeat for the remaining jalapeño peppers.
- Coat the chilli peppers in milk and breadcrumbs - take each coated jalapeño pepper and dip back into milk, then coat with breadcrumbs.
Air fry or bake the jalapeño poppers
- Arrange poppers evenly on a lined baking tray. Air fry jalapeño poppers in a preheated air fryer at 190°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Alternatively bake in oven at 200°C for 20 minutes or until golden. Turn halfway to evenly cook the poppers. Serve fresh and enjoy!
Notes
- Wear gloves when handling the jalapeño chilli peppers: I recommend wearing clean, disposable gloves when cutting, slicing and deseeding the jalapeño chilli peppers as these chillies can be strong and cause irritation to the surface of the skin.
- Air-fry the jalapeño poppers – for the best, crispiest jalapeño poppers, I recommend air-frying the jalapeño poppers using the “air-fry” setting. Ensure the air-fryer is preheated before air-frying the jalapeño poppers, line the tray and placing the poppers on the tray, spray each of them with a small amount of oil for best results.
- Follow the steps of preparation for ease – to prepare and make these jalapeño poppers with ease, follow the steps which are outlined in detail above (including stuffing the jalapeño poppers, coating the poppers in milk and flour and coating the poppers in milk and breadcrumbs). For ease, simplicity (and also to avoid mess) follow these stages and group each one together.
- Place breadcrumbs in a bowl and coat the popper on a plate in stages – I recommend keeping all of your breadcrumbs in one bowl and only adding ¼ breadcrumbs onto the plate at a time whilst coating the poppers, to help make sure each popper is coated in breadcrumbs and turns out crispy, this also prevents wastage.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 272mg | Folate: 79µg | Iron: 3mg | Zinc: 2mg