
This recipe is addictive! If you haven’t made homemade jalapeño poppers, now is the time — you’ll never go back to pre-made, frozen poppers EVER again.
These whole-food, gluten-free, vegan jalapeño poppers are quick and easy to whip up for any occasion; the big game, Friendsgiving, date-night, a light lunch or on top of a warm bowl of chilli. One of the benefits of making your own jalapeño poppers from scratch is that you have full control over the ingredients you use, no fillers, preservatives or mystery cheeses.

In this recipe, I’ve used plant-based cashew cream cheese. I like Zengarry’s Aged Cumin or Spread’em Kitchen’s Chives and Garlic, both have great flavour and texture, and they’re cultured so you get the added benefit of probiotics. I use approximately 1 tbsp per jalapeño half, this will vary slightly depending on the size of your peppers.
When hollowing out the peppers and removing the seeds, be sure to use a spoon and wear gloves, or hold the pepper in a paper towel to protect your hands. This might seem too cautious considering jalapeños aren’t an overly spicy pepper, but trust me I’ve learnt the hard way — these tasty little peps can burn your hands, even after you’ve washed them several times.

Easy Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
Dairy-Free | Vegan | Plant-Based | Gluten-Free
Makes 6 Jalapeños Poppers
INGREDIENTS
Jalapeños:
- 3 Jalapeños
- 6 tbsp vegan cream cheese
Topping:
- 3 ½ tbsp gluten-free panko bread crumbs
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- Pinch of sea salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste (I used a couple turns of the grinder)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a small spoon.
- Fill the inside of each jalapeño with vegan cream cheese. Use approximately 1 tbsp per jalapeño (the exact amount will depend on the size of your jalapeño).
- Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Using your hands, sprinkle the topping on top of each jalapeño and pat down into the cream cheese to make sure it sticks.
- Line the poppers up on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
- Cool slightly and serve warm.