Vegan Jalapeño Poppers

These vegan jalapeño poppers should carry a warning. They are seriously addictive. They’re cheesy, smoky, a little spicy, and completely delicious.

Don’t be scared to try them even if you don’t like a lot of heat. Roasting them in the oven really mellows out the spice of the jalapeño. Though if you are prone to heartburn, maybe don’t inhale three in a row like I did.

These vegan jalapeño poppers are a fantastic way to celebrate a big game, eat as a snack, enjoy as a side dish, or bring to a potluck. Ready to make them yet? Of course you are! Let’s get started.

First, prep the jalapeños.

I used 12 peppers. I washed them well and cut them in half lengthwise, preserving some of the stem. You may want to wear gloves as the capsaicin in the peppers may irritate your skin.

Scrape out the seeds and membranes and toss them into the compost. Arrange the halved peppers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Next, make your filling.

In a large bowl, mix up the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, granulated garlic, granulated onion, minced cilantro, and the tablespoon of sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo until well combined. You don’t have to use the vegan ingredients, you can use dairy cream cheese and cheddar just as easily in this recipe. You may need to soften your cream cheese first if you aren’t using the vegan version.

The addition of just one tablespoon of the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo adds a subtle smoky note and complements the cilantro and rich cheesy filling. You can omit it if you prefer, but I do think it is noticeable and tasty!

The idea of opening a can to use just 1 tablespoon may make you shake your head, but fear not I have a solution for the rest of the can! Instead of shoving it in the back of the fridge where it will inevitably be forgotten and mold over, dump the contents of the can (all the peppers and sauce) into a food processor and blitz it up for about 10-15 seconds.

Then, freeze the mixture in 1 tablespoon portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to a container and store in the freezer. Whenever you’re making something that could use a bit of smoky heat, plunk in one of the pre-proportioned pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce! Chili, tacos, enchiladas, even a big old pot of beans… all of it would welcome a bit of smoky heat. This post has some other creative ideas for using up those smoky, spicy peppers.

Now it’s time to stuff and bake those pepper poppers!

I didn’t measure the filling in each pepper because they’re all different sizes. That said, I estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling per pepper should suffice. Next, top with breadcrumbs if you’re using them. You can use panko if you’d prefer.

Bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes.

Try to let them cool for about 5 minutes so you don’t burn your taste buds, and then get ready for a smoky, cheesy, heavenly jalapeño popper bite!

Vegan Jalapeño Poppers

Trish

Cheesy, creamy, smoky, and a little spicy, these vegan jalapeño poppers are a delicious game day snack.

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Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 12 jalapeño peppers
• 8 ounces vegan cream cheese I used Kite Hill brand
• 2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, shredded I used a 7.1 oz Daiya brand mild cheddar cheese block that I shredded in a food processor
• 1 tsp granulated onion
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 tbsps cilantro, minced
• 1 tbsp sauce from a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo optional, but adds some smoky depth of flavor and mild heat
• 1/8 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise, leaving some stem to have something to hold onto once they're roasted. Scrape out membranes and seeds. Arrange peppers on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, granulated onion, granulated garlic, minced cilantro, and the tablespoon of sauce from the chipotle peppers in adobo until well combined.
• Fill the peppers with the cheesy filling, about a tablespoon and a half per pepper depending on pepper size.
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of each stuffed pepper. In total I used less than 1/8 cup of whole wheat breadcrumbs.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, checking around 22 minutes to make sure they're not becoming too brown.
• Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Notes

If you’d like to make these vegan jalapeño poppers in advance, prepare recipe through step 5 and freeze. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F and bake from frozen for about 25 minutes or more if needed. 

In order to use up the open can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, add all contents of can to a food processor. Blitz for 10-15 seconds. On a parchment lined baking sheet, use a tablespoon to scoop blitzed chipotle peppers into 1 tablespoon serving sizes. Freeze. Now add the pre-portioned frozen chipotle peppers in adobo to chilis, beans, tacos, anything where that flavor profile would be a great addition!

Keyword jalapeño, snacks, vegan