Raspberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers
On March 03, 2020
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These Raspberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers are the ultimate jalapeño popper treat. Fresh jalapeños are halved and seeded before being stuffed with cream cheese and raspberry jam then wrapped in bacon. These sweet and spicy bites are grilled until the jalapeños are tender and the bacon is crisp.
Jalapeño Poppers
My name is Susie, I’m obsessed with fire, and I’m always trying to cook new things on the grill and adapt recipes to add some fun and flair. So it goes with these raspberry cream cheese jalapeño poppers.
We love to bring our original jalapeño poppers AKA “The Bomb Bombs” to parties and pot-lucks because they are a mega hit, but sometimes I get the urge to switch up old classics, and so I started thinking of how to re-invent the stuffed jalapeño. I got the idea to head to the sweet side for these raspberry cream cheese jalapeño poppers because sometimes you want a little sweet and spicy treat.
“My wife keeps telling me to try new things. I wasn’t to thrilled about it till she told me there was bacon wrapped around it. Let me tell you they were very good. I finished the last couple minutes over direct heat I wanted to go for good crispness….. BAM!!!”
– Josh A. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Homemade Jalapeño Poppers
Out here in Utah, we have this snack that makes an appearance at almost every party. It’s a full brick of softened cream cheese and it is dowsed with a jar of sweet/spicy goodness. This is usually some kind of pepper jelly or sweet salsa, and it’s served with chips and crackers as a dip. The flavor combos are endless, but my favorite is a jar of jalapeño raspberry jelly that I get at a specialty grocery store. Since I have 3 kids, a blog, and other adult ‘sponsibilities, I don’t venture out to that cute local food boutique as often as I want to, so I was driven to recreate the same flavors at home. Plus, bacon. For obvious reasons.
These raspberry cream cheese jalapeño poppers are sweet from the jelly, spicy from the jalapeño (but not too spicy), creamy from the cheese, and, rich and salty from the bacon. They cover all of the major flavor bases and have a serious “wow” factor. I hope you guys enjoy these tasty beauties as much as we do!
Ingredients for Raspberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers
Not only are these jalapeño poppers easy to make, but they only contain a few ingredients. Anytime a recipe calls for 5 ingredients or less, it’s a winner in my book. Here’s what you’ll need to pick up from the store prior to making these yummy treats:
- 9 medium jalapeños
- 4 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam/jelly
- 18 slices bacon
That’s seriously it! These poppers sound much more difficult than they really are. And bonus for you: they taste and look incredible, and your guests will assume you spent oodles of time and energy making them (when they took less than 45 minutes from start to finish!).
How to Make Jalapeño Poppers
Once you have your ingredients assembled, you’re ready to make the jalapeño poppers. I’ve included instructions on how to make these poppers on any grill you have in your backyard. The key to cooking these poppers is to grill them over indirect heat.
- Preheat your grill for indirect heat cooking. For your gas grill: preheat half the burners to Medium-Low heat. For charcoal grills: pile the coal in the middle and arrange the poppers around the outside of the grill. Finally, for pellet smokers: preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Make the poppers. Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and ribs. Fill each sliced jalapeño with a spoonful of cream cheese and a spoonful of raspberry jam. Wrap each jalapeño in a slice of bacon, and secure with a toothpick if needed.
- Grill! Place the wrapped jalapeño poppers on the grill, close the lid, and cook for 25-30 minutes, turning periodically to crisp the bacon.
Once the bacon on your poppers is crisp, remove them to a serving dish or platter (I like using a nice wooden cutting board as a serving tray). Serve immediately.
Susie’s Jalapeño Popper Pro Tips
Jalapeño poppers are relatively easy to make, but I’ve included some helpful tips to help you get the most out of your poppers.
- Wear gloves. Make sure to always wear gloves when making jalapeño poppers. Also, don’t rub your face or touch your eyes when the gloves are on. If this happens, you can help the burning by making a paste of equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide plus a drop or two of blue Dawn dish soap. I promise this works!
- Scrape well. Take the time to thoroughly scrape out the ribs and seeds from the inside of the jalapeños. This step will cut down the heat dramatically and even non-spice lovers will enjoy these peppers. (If everyone you’re serving likes some heat in their jalapeño popper, go ahead and leave some seeds in. You choose your popper adventure).
- Try a different jam! You don’t have to stick with raspberry jam for these poppers. Mix it up, and try making these with apricot, strawberry, peach, or a combination of fruit flavors. You can even make a batch of these jalapeño poppers with a few different jam flavors and let your guests do a taste test to determine which one is their favorite!
These poppers are pretty foolproof, and you can play around with them until you get your favorite flavors.
More Jalapeño Popper Recipes
If raspberry isn’t your “jam,” I have a handful of other jalapeño popper recipes on my site to help you fill hungry tummies and satisfy sweet and spicy cravings at your next game day watch party.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
Follow the recipe, and I’ll teach you the simple steps to making your own jalapeñ
o poppers at home. Hey Grill Hey is dedicated to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes and videos on YouTube, Instagram, or our Facebook Page.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Jalapeño Poppers
Video
Ingredients
- 9 medium jalapeños
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup raspberry jelly
- 18 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat your grill. Before you begin assembling your jalapeño poppers, preheat your grill for indirect cooking. For gas grilling: turn the burner temperature to Medium-Low heat. If cooking on charcoal: pile the coals in the middle and arrange the poppers around the outside of the grill. If you are cooking with a pellet grill: set the temperature and allow the grill to preheat for 10-15 minutes before putting the poppers on. You are looking for a grill temperature of about 350 degrees F.
- Cut the jalapeños. Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and clean out the ribs and seeds with a spoon. (Make sure to scrape well if you don't want a spicy popper. If you know you and your guests can take a little heat, you don't have to be so diligent at this step).9 medium jalapeños
- Make the poppers. Fill each jalapeño with a small spoonful of both the cream cheese and the raspberry jam. Wrap in a slice of bacon, securing the ends with a toothpick if necessary.4 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup raspberry jelly, 18 slices bacon
- Grill the jalapeño poppers. Place the poppers directly on the grill grates, close the lid, and cook the poppers for 25-30 minutes, turning as necessary to crisp the bacon.
- Serve hot. Once your bacon is crisp and your cream cheese is bubbly, remove the poppers from the grill to a serving dish. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published August 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Can these be assembled the night before and kept in the fridge until cook time?
Absolutely. I wouldn’t let them sit more than a day though.
I make poppers all the time and decided to try this one (with various different kinds of jelly) and it is a hit! Everyone loves it and I can never make enough of them.
You’re speaking my language here. 🙂 I like to melt a little jelly and brush it over the bacon with just a couple minutes left when cooking (whether grill, oven or air fryer). Garlic Festival foods makes an apple garlic glaze that is also fabulous in place of the raspberry jelly.
We have made these in the smoker and they are delicious! Tonight we are trying them with apricot pepper jelly from Harmons! I think they are going to be yummy!
Oven? I want to make these for our Cafeteria have to use a convection oven!
Follow the recipe as written! You’ll just miss out on the smoky flavor. Really, all a smoker is is an outdoor, wood-fired oven!
Can you prepare these the night before?
My wife keeps telling me to try new things. I wasn’t to thrilled about it till she told me there was bacon wrapped around it. Let me tell you they were very good. I finished the last couple minutes over direct heat I wanted to go for good crispness….. BAM!!!