3-Ingredient Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
The simple combination of jalapeños and cream cheese has proven to be a universally-adored flavor. You can find everything from creamy cheesy jalapeño popper chili to jalapeño popper tater tot casserole, with countless creative recipes and variations in between. But with this recipe, we are taking things back to basics. Just a handful of ingredients come together to not only make some of the simplest jalapeño poppers you've ever had, but also some of the most delicious ones.
All you need for this three-ingredient jalapeño popper recipe, which is brought to us by developer A.J. Forget, are jalapeño peppers, cream cheese, and chorizo. It might not seem like much, but once you taste one of these poppers you will understand that there is some kind of alchemy in the combination. Bacon might be the oft-preferred pork product for jalapeño poppers, but once you get a taste of the classic app with chorizo, you may never go back. Mixed into the cream cheese, the spices add a complexity that really takes this simple appetizer to the next level.
Gather the 3-ingredient jalapeño popper ingredients
For this recipe you need just three simple ingredients: large jalapeño peppers, Mexican chorizo, and cream cheese. Once you have these together, you are just a few steps away from a delicious snack or appetizer.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 2: Cook the chorizo
Bring a skillet to medium-high heat and cook the chorizo for around 8 minutes, or until fully cooked.
Step 3: Mix some chorizo into the cream cheese
Mix half of the chorizo into the cream cheese.
Step 4: Halve the chiles
Halve the jalapeños and scrape out the seeds and pith.
Step 5: Fill the jalapeños with cream cheese
Fill the halved jalapeños with the chorizo/cream cheese mixture and lay them out on a baking pan.
Step 6: Top with chorizo
Top the stuffed jalapeños with the remaining chorizo.
Step 7: Bake the poppers
Bake the jalapeño poppers for around 15 minutes, or until the peppers are cooked and the cheese slightly browned.
Steo 8: Cool and serve the 3-ingredient jalapeño poppers
Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
What to serve with 3-ingredient jalapeño poppers
3-Ingredient Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
Whip up a quick, savory, meaty, creamy, and spicy party appetizer with this 3-ingredient jalapeño popper recipe.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces Mexican chorizo
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 7 large jalapeños
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Bring a skillet to medium-high heat and cook the chorizo for around 8 minutes, or until fully cooked.
- Mix half of the chorizo into the cream cheese.
- Halve the jalapeños and scrape out the seeds and pith.
- Fill the halved jalapeños with the chorizo/cream cheese mixture and lay them out on a baking pan.
- Top the stuffed jalapeños with the remaining chorizo.
- Bake the jalapeño poppers for around 15 minutes, or until the peppers are cooked and the cheese slightly browned.
- Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
What other ingredients could I add to these jalapeño poppers?
Given the combination of simplicity and universal appeal inherent to jalapeño poppers, it is no wonder that home cooks have come up with so many variations. Really, despite only containing three ingredients, this recipe is already just about perfect. But home cooking, at its best, is about experimentation. And you can't really call them your world famous jalapeño poppers unless you alter the recipe a touch, so we'll start you with some suggestions for ingredients to elevate these jalapeño poppers and make them your own.
The cream cheese and chorizo filling is delicious all by itself, but adding a pinch or two of your favorite Southwestern spices certainly couldn't hurt. A little bit of onion powder and garlic powder rarely go awry in a recipe, and cumin is always good with Southwest flavors. Ground chili or chipotle powder could also add some depth and a little kick. Or you could even add a little lime juice to brighten the filling.
Another simple place to add a personal touch is the topping. Sprinkling over the extra chorizo gives it a nice meaty bite, but you could complement it with cheese and/or breadcrumbs for a more traditional look. Certainly no one is going to turn their nose up at some nice melty cheddar on top, or a crisp, golden brown breadcrumb and chorizo topping.
What type of chorizo should I use for these jalapeño poppers?
Chorizo can refer to a few different types of meat, and more specifically, there is a difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo. For this recipe, you want to look for a Mexican-style chorizo, which fortunately is widely available in the U.S. and should be easy to find at most grocery stores. Mexican chorizo is a raw sausage made with coarse meat (often pork), fat, and spices like ground chiles, cumin, oregano, and garlic, among many others. So long as you are working with something that roughly fits that description, you'll be just fine. But, if you're worried about choosing the best option, you can review our ranking of chorizo brands to ensure you select the very best.
While pork is the go-to meat for Mexican chorizo, you may also see products made with beef or soy. Either of these will work just fine as well. There is a slight difference in texture with the soy-based chorizos, but you might not even notice the difference in a jalapeño popper, and then this delicious appetizer is ready to go for your vegetarian friends as well.