Air Fryer Jalapeno Peppers

 

I whipped up these easy jalapeno poppers over the weekend and they were a hit with our friends.  A few simple ingredients and the air fryer had these ready in a jiffy.

Remember to wear gloves when prepping the peppers.  The oil from the peppers, membranes, and the seeds can wreck havoc with your fingertips!  Trust me, that's a lesson you never forget.

You can make a few of these little poppers or a lot....the filling is very forgiving.  Need a little extra for a few more peppers?  It's a simple fix to mix up a tad more.

I had about 12 peppers which made, of course, 24 halves.  So here's what you'll need to make a nice batch of jalapeno poppers.

My Emeril Lagasse French Door Air Fryer has a heavy grill pan. I used that to bake the poppers.

12 jalapenos

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 T. fajita seasoning

2 - 3 T. panko bread crumbs

Put on food safe gloves!  Wash jalapenos and halve lengthwise through the stems, if possible. 

Carefully remove membranes and seeds.  Discard those.  Set peppers aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese and fajita seasoning.

Using a small spoon, divide the filling evenly between the pepper halves and place on the grill pan of the air fryer.  Continue until all the pepper halves are filled.

Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs evenly over the filling.

Preheat the air fryer on the "bake" setting at 400 degrees F.  

Place the poppers in the air fryer for 15-18 minutes until the peppers have softened and the filling/bread crumbs have browned.

Let the peppers rest for a few minutes before serving.  Top with sour cream or salsa if you'd like.  For the cilantro lovers, a little chopped on top would be delish.