These Jalapeno Popper Wontons are an easy appetizer recipe with a creamy, cheesy filling with the classic flavors of a jalapeno popper baked in crispy wonton cups. Ready in under 30 minutes, these will be a favorite at your next party!
If you love twists on classic recipes as much as I do, these jalapeno popper pinwheels need to be on your list too!
Table of contents
Jalapeno Popper Wontons
Jalapeno wonton poppers are light, crispy, and creamy with just the right amount of flavorful spice in every bite. Loaded with 2 kinds of cheese, crispy bacon, jalapenos, and green onions, you’ll be hard-pressed not to sample a few before serving them for any gathering or game day parties during football season!
To be honest, all kinds of wonton cup appetizers are a hit because every time I make my buffalo chicken wonton cups and shrimp taco bites, they’re devoured in minutes. It’s great to even make all 3 for a big game day!
These wonton cups are one of my favorite appetizers because they are easy to make without any stuffing jalapeno peppers or deep frying and you’ll love how customizable they can be. I love dipping them in ranch dressing!
Ingredients/shopping list
- Wonton wrappers: These are thin wrappers traditionally used for rolling or wrapping things like chicken potstickers or other dumplings that are baked, fried, or cooked in soup. They are thin but crisp up very nicely. You can find them in the produce section of grocery stores.
- Olive oil: Needed to help the baked wrappers turn golden brown.
- Cream cheese: Bring it out to room temperature in advance so that way it has a chance to soften up. It’ll cream much easier which means it’ll blend completely. You won’t want chunks of unblended cream cheese in your filling.
- Cheddar cheese: I always recommend freshly grated cheese from a block. It tastes better and melts easier.
- Bacon bits: Cook these ahead of time. You can even do this the day before.
- Fresh Jalapenos: Minced for inside the filling, that way they’re not too chunky. You can keep some slices on the side for garnish. If you like it spicy, feel free to keep some of the seeds in there. For a milder filling, remove all the seeds from the peppers.
- Green onion: Thinly sliced green onions add a great additional flavor element. A pungent taste to cut through the creaminess.
- Garlic powder: There is so much flavor in these little gems as is, so a bit of garlic powder is just about the only thing that is needed! It is optional if you prefer your jalapeno popper wonton cups without it.
Variations/ Substitutions
1. Swap half the cream cheese with light sour cream or Greek yogurt. It’ll result in a slightly different consistency, as cream cheese is thicker than either. The flavor will still be there but the calories won’t be.
2. You can use a blend of cheeses or use an alternative. Colby Jack or pepper jack are great options. Blue cheese is a different way to go, but super tasty as well.
3. To make vegetarian jalapeno popper wonton cups, omit the bacon. You can replace it with finely diced bell peppers.
4. If you prefer to use a different kind of meat, you could always add shredded chicken or use cooked ham or sausage crumbles instead.
How to Make These Crispy Baked Wonton Cups
Here’s how you make an entire batch with just 10 minutes of prep time and a total of 25 minutes. I just know you’ll be making them well beyond game day!
Step 1: Lay your wonton wrappers out on a flat surface. Brush only the top of each wonton wrapper with olive oil. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and place 2 wrappers in each of the greased muffin cup holes, oil side up.
Step 2: It’s ok if the sheets are not perfectly in line with one another. Preheat oven to 375° F and bake for 5 minutes until the wontons begin to lightly brown.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, jalapenos, green onion, and garlic powder.
Step 4: Mix the filling ingredients until blended and well combined.
Step 5: Spoon 2 Tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into each cup and return the muffin tin to the oven to bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown and the filling has melted.
Garnish jalapeno popper wonton cups with a slice of jalapeno or sliced green onions. Best enjoyed the same day!
Tips
- Use 1 wonton wrapper instead of doubling up. Using 2 gives it that extra crunch and a bit more structure, but you can use 1 if you prefer.
- Find wonton wrappers near the tofu in most grocery stores.
- If packaged pre-shredded cheese is what you have, it will still work!
- Wear gloves when cutting jalapenos to avoid touching your eyes by mistake afterward.
- Don’t skip the first bake. Making them slightly crispy before adding the filling prevents soggy bottoms.
What else can I fill wonton cups with?
Thick, cream cheese and sour cream dips are always great. All you need to do is add a little texture like shrimp, taco meat, crab meat, veggies, and even more cheese, you name it!
FAQ’s
Absolutely. There are a few things that can be done to save time the day of. Cook the bacon, dice the jalapeno and grate the cheddar cheese.
You can even combine the filling and do the first bake of the wontons. Keep them stored separately in airtight containers.
When you’re ready to serve, fill the wonton cups and bake as directed.
As mentioned above, these jalapeno popper wonton cups are best enjoyed the day of, but you can store any leftovers for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Reheat them in the oven or the air fryer to try and get some of that crispness back (it won’t be the same), or the microwave if it’s just the taste you’re after!
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Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups
Ingredients
- 24 wonton wrappers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated
- ½ cup bacon bits
- ¼ cup jalapenos minced
- 2 tablespoons green onions thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Brush one side of each wonton wrapper with olive oil. Place two wrappers oil side up into each muffin tin hole.24 wonton wrappers, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Bake for 5 minutes until the wontons begin to lightly brown.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, jalapenos, green onion, and garlic powder together until well combined.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, ½ cup bacon bits, ¼ cup jalapenos, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of cheese filling into each wonton cup.
- Return the wonton cups to the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Garish with a slice of jalapeno or sliced green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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Donna Broadbent
So good