When you want a yummy snack for game time or anytime, I have the perfect thing. I know you guys are going to love these pimento cheese jalapeno poppers!
During the summer and through the fall, I always have an over abundance of jalapenos from my garden. They grow so easy. But even if you’re not heading outside to harvest the jalapenos yourself, they are always very low priced at the grocery store.
Ingredients for making jalapeno poppers
The ingredients to making a yummy jalapeno popper are all easy to find. I’m betting that over half of these, you already have in your fridge.
Here’s what you will need to create these delicious pimento cheese jalapeno poppers:
- sharp cheddar cheese
- cream cheese
- pimentos
- mayonnaise
- coarse kosher salt
- panko crumbs
- butter
- fresh jalapenos
There are a few items that you can substitute on the list. We can talk about that in a minute. I will also let you know what brands of the ingredients that I think are best. This is based on tried and true practices and usage.
How to cut the jalapenos
I know that you will love eating these, even some of my young grandchildren love them. They do have a bit of a kick, but it is still pretty mild. The only ‘not fun’ part can be cutting and preparing the fresh jalapenos, especially if you have sensitive skin.
I do not generally have problems at all, as the method I use reduces the exposure of the oils to me. The heat from a jalapeno is in the seeds and the fleshy part of the pepper.
When making these, I remove ALL the seeds and cut away the fleshy membrane of the pepper. You can also use a spoon to scrape them out. So if you want to do that method for speed, I would definitely wear gloves or use a paper towel as shown.
Food grade gloves are easy to find and great to have on hand. Especially if you know that your skin is sensitive. I wear mine for more gross tasks that involve raw meat. Getting stuff under your fingernails always grosses me out.
Warning: if you choose to forego gloves like I do, be careful of two things. One, NEVER touch your face, especially your eyes, while you are doing this task. And two, when the task is completed, immediately wash your hands. Use Dawn dish soap and scrub really well and rinse.
Also, I like to cut the jalapenos lengthwise and keep the stem on them. That is mostly because I think it looks cute for presentation. But cutting the jalapenos the long way does allow you to have a nice shallow area to stuff.
Making the pimento cheese
Before I am getting ready to make the poppers, I always get all the ingredients out before I begin. This serves two purposes.
One, the cheeses can start to reach room temperature, which makes the cream cheese much easier to handle. And two, if everything is out, then I am not touching the handle of the fridge or anything with my jalapeno juiced fingers. Just watching out for everyone later!
Begin by combining the 8 ounces of cream cheese, with an 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese that has been shredded. I always hand shred, and prefer the brand from Cracker Barrel. The flavor and level of sharpness in their cheese is really yummy.
Once the cheese is combined, I add 2 ounces of pimentos, 2 tablespoons of Hellman’s mayonnaise (Best Foods brand in other areas of the country), along with a teaspoon of the coarse kosher salt.
When your mixture is complete, simply stuff all of your cleaned out peppers until the mixture is gone. I used about 12 regular sized jalapenos. It used up all the mixture while only needing to go back and fill up a few a bit more.
Tweaks to the cheese mixture
If for some reason, you are not a fan of pimentos, they can of course be omitted. But I do believe they add nice flavor that is not very noticeable, meaning, it is not overpowering in any way.
You can always substitute pimentos for some freshly cooked chopped bacon. Don’t even bother with fake bacon bits, that’s just wrong. They add a very funky chemical flavor that I think ruins items.
Pimentos can also be substituted for finely chopped green onions. Cream cheese and green onions just go together, so pick whichever addition suits you best.
Baking options for jalapeno poppers
To finish off the jalapeno poppers, combine a half of a cup of panko crumbs with two tablespoons of butter that has been melted in the microwave.
Then simply dip your filled popper, cheese side down, into the mixture to get crumbs on the top of each one.
When I was making these for this recipe, I happened to be up north at our cottage with family. Up north, we spend most of our time outdoors and cook outside on either our Weber grill or Blackstone grill.
So this recipe was made and shown cooked on the grill. However, these poppers are amazing no matter how you cook them, and they are really great when they can be put in the oven, under the broiler, to get the tops darker and crunchier. I did not do not that step here, but it certainly did not make them any less delicious.
Whatever method you choose, bake them on foil. I guarantee you, the cheese will bubble over and begin to ooze out, especially if you have overstuffed them. Baking on foil allows you to sort of lift and tuck the cheese back up onto the surface of the pepper.
Dipping or topping option for poppers
After they are cooked, you will want to get eating them pretty quickly! Be cautious, as the cheese filling will be very hot.
I always let them cool a bit so we don’t burn our mouths off, but it also allows the cheese to stabilize a bit and not ooze out as quickly!
You can serve them with a bit of ranch dressing to cool them down. We had some amazing rhubarb jam that we had picked up at at fruit stand and ended up adding that. They were so good!
I’m not sure, but I think they call them poppers because you can just pop them in your mouth and they disappear so quick! Hahahaha. Actually, I just made that up, but it worked for us!
I hope you will try these yummy jalapeno poppers! I’m sure they will be a hit at your next party. Try a few of my other favorites on game day. They are my go-to winners!
The Best Pimento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
Equipment
- cheese grater
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese Cracker Barrel brand, if available
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 ounces chopped pimentos
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 12-13 fresh jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and cut all the jalapenos lengthwise.
- Scrape out all the seeds.
- Combine the cheeses, pimentos, mayonnaise and salt. Mix well.
- Stuff all the jalapeno halves with the cheese mixture.
- Combine panko crumbs and melted butter.
- Dip the stuffed jalapenos onto the crumbs to top each one.
- Place on a foiled baking sheet and place in oven.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- If desired, place under broiler for a minute to get topping super crispy. But watch carefully!
- Enjoy your poppers!
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You are right, these sound delicious! I’m going to have to try these.
Let me know when you do, you will love them!