Who else remembers eating jalapeño poppers from Applebee’s or Chili’s in high school? Along with chips and salsa and spinach artichoke dip, jalapeño poppers were a staple snack in my group of friends. I love the contrast between spicy peppers and creamy, savory filling. What I don’t love so much? Dairy and fried food. So, I set out to make this vegan jalapeño poppers recipe that is every bit as spicy, creamy, crunchy, and satisfying as the real deal.
Our Sriracha Cheddar Cheeze Spread was an easy choice for the filling– combined with some chopped cilantro and green onion, I could honestly eat it with a spoon! Luckily I was able to restrain myself and save every last bit for stuffing the hollowed out jalapeños. A lot of jalapeño popper recipes will tell you to slice the pepper in half lengthwise, but I find that this doesn’t give the pepper enough structure. Instead, I just slice off the top third of each pepper. I can’t stand wasting food, so I set those tops aside, chopped them up, and stirred them back into the filling.
This vegan jalapeño poppers recipe is spicy, but they won’t make your head explode. Just be super careful to remove every last seed before spooning the filling into each pepper. The seeds are where the heat is stored! If you love spicy food, feel free to add more finely chopped jalapeños to the filling. I found that a quarter cup was just right for my heat tolerance. Finish off the poppers with a sprinkle of panko bread crumbs (or gluten-free bread crumbs) to achieve the very necessary crunch factor.
This vegan jalapeño poppers recipe goes the baked route, not fried, so I don’t feel completely guilty about eating half the platter. I gave mine a drizzle of vegan ranch dressing, but that’s totally optional. This recipe is easily scaled up to feed a crowd! Try to choose jalapeños that are roughly the same size for even cooking and pretty presentation. Let me know if you make this vegan jalapeño poppers recipe by tagging me on Instagram!
Peace.Love.Plants.
Tiffany
Vegan Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
Makes 12 jalapeño poppers
Ingredients
- 12 jalapeños
- 2 containers Plant Perks Sriracha Cheddar Cheeze Spread
- ¼ cup cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 3 green onions, chopped, plus more for garnish
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs (or gluten-free bread crumbs)
- Coconut oil cooking spray
- Vegan ranch, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F degrees.
- Holding a jalapeño horizontal, slice of the top third of the pepper lengthwise. Repeat with all of the jalapeños and set the tops aside. Arrange the jalapeños on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Use a spoon to carefully scrape away the membranes and seeds from each pepper. You can toss these in the trash.
- Finely chop some of the jalapeño tops you set aside earlier, enough to fill ¼ cup (use more if you love heat!) Transfer the chopped jalapeño to a bowl and stir in the Sriracha Cheddar Cheeze Spread, cilantro, and green onion.
- Spoon the cream cheeze filling into each jalapeño. Top with a sprinkle of bread crumbs and lightly mist with cooking spray. Bake the stuffed jalapeños for about 15 minutes, keeping a close eye during the last few minutes of baking. When done, the jalapeños should be tender and the breadcrumbs should be just barely golden.
- Remove the jalapeño poppers from the oven and sprinkle with a bit more chopped cilantro and green onion. Transfer the jalapeño poppers to a plate and drizzle with vegan ranch, if using. Enjoy immediately!