What to Serve with Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos? Best Recommendations
Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos are such a crowd pleasing snack and make a great addition to any party menu. They aim to satisfy your craving for something: spicy, creamy, smoky, and cheesy. There are different variations of this beloved snack, but the base remains the same: cheese stuffed jalapenos, wrapped in bacon.
Because bacon-wrapped jalapenos provide a smoky and spicy flavor, there are so many great things to serve alongside them. Try dipping them in a ranch to cool off the heat or chasing it with some refreshing beer. You could also make them a part of your meal along with a hamburger or soup; or serve them on a buffet along with: crackers, watermelon salad, roasted corn, and other side dishes.
Bacon-wrapped jalapenos, or jalapeno poppers, are a fan favorite to any buffet or party menu. Traditionally, they are: fresh jalapenos that have been stuffed with a cream cheese mixture and wrapped with bacon before cooking.
You can bread the jalapeno poppers and fry them, cook them in the oven, in the smoker, or on the grill and there’s even special pans made just for jalapeno poppers! There are also several ingredient variations for these spicy snacks, using different cheeses and other fillings – all of them are worth trying!
What to Serve with Jalapeno Poppers?
Whether you are smoking them, baking them, frying them, or grilling them, serving them as a side dish, snack, or appetizer… jalapeno poppers make a tasty addition to your next menu. Most people serve them as a part of a snack buffet, but there are so many ways to enjoy the spicy poppers.
As a Side to Main Dishes
Making jalapeno poppers compliment the main dish of your meal is a great idea. They offer a great flavor profile, and can really make your next meal pop. If you are looking to jazz up your next lunch or dinner, consider serving jalapeno poppers with some of these great main dishes.
Tacos
Jalapeno poppers can be a little messy to eat, so why not wrap a tortilla around them and turn it into a taco? Whether you choose to use flour or corn tortillas, using the tortilla as a vessel to eat the spicy poppers would make for a delicious meal. Alternately, you could serve them alongside your favorite taco for a full, well-rounded meal.
Burgers
Burgers will always be on trend and experimenting with new toppings can be so fun. Who doesn’t love a bacon cheeseburger?
Why not top your next burger with a jalapeno popper for some added spice! Envision the creamy cheese oozing onto your burger and taking a bite of smoky bacon, spicy jalapeno, gooey cheese all with your hamburger – yum!
If topping your burger with a jalapeno seems too messy, serving the two together would make a delicious meal. Instead of the usual french fries, having a side of jalapeno poppers with your burger would be sure to please.
Baked Potato
Jalapeno poppers can be a little spicy, especially if the jalapenos you are using happen to be packing a punch. To help offset the heat, try serving them inside of a baked potato. The creamy cheese will help add moisture into the baked potato and the potato itself will absorb some of that heat – making for the ultimate bite.
Grilled Chicken
Grilled chicken, although tasty, can be somewhat bland. If you are looking for a way to kick things up a notch, serving a grilled chicken breast or thigh with some jalapeno poppers will do just that.
No worries if you aren’t too handy with the grill, you could bake both the chicken and jalapeno poppers in the oven with the same tasty results. Add some rice or toasty bread for a delicious meal.
Soup
Soup and salad is a classic combination for many lunchtime fares. How about trying soup with jalapeno poppers for a twist on the classic? Whether you are serving a creamy tomato soup, a sweet corn bisque, tortilla soup, or even potato chowder – all of these would be great options to pair with jalapeno poppers.
For a summer soup option that won’t raise the temperature – try a cool gazpacho or chilled avocado soup along with spicy jalapeno poppers for a delicious hot and cold meal.
Shrimp Skewers
Shrimp skewers are great prepared on the grill or the oven. Pairing them with bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers would be delicious – add a side salad and you’ve got a well rounded meal.
Along With Other Great Side Dishes
Typically, bacon-wrapped jalapenos, or jalapeno poppers, are served along with other sides or snacks. With the cheesy, smoky, and spicy flavor profile they pair well with so many other side dishes.
Chips and Queso
A great party table has chips and queso – an even better one has chips and queso along with jalapeno poppers! Making your queso on the milder side may be a good idea so you don’t have two spicy dishes together.
Watermelon Salad
Having a backyard BBQ or cooling off in the AC? Watermelon salads are cool and refreshing and pair nicely with the smoky heat of a jalapeno popper. For a quick and simple watermelon salad:
Remove the rind from a watermelon and dice the fruit into cubes.
Add watermelon, feta cheese, shaved red onion, and mint to a bowl.
Toss with a little olive oil and sea salt.
This fast and easy watermelon has a burst of flavor and will help cool down the spicy jalapeno popper.
Roasted Corn
Another great side dish to serve with jalapeno poppers is roasted corn. The sweet roasted corn pairs well with the smoky cheese and spicy jalapeno pepper. You can add whatever seasonings you’d like to your corn – lime and cilantro would be fantastic!
Nachos
Nachos are another classic offering on the snack table. Whether you’re providing a DIY nacho bar, or pre-making a big sheet tray of nachos, it will work well paired with jalapeno poppers.
Sometimes less is more and simplicity is all you need. Serving jalapeno poppers with your favorite crackers makes for a great snack and side dish combo.
You can use the cracker to scrape up any melted cheese that got left behind on your plate or eat the jalapeno poppers with the cracker! An added benefit to the crackers is it will help tame the heat from the jalapenos.
Dipped in Sauce
Carrots and ranch, chicken wings and blue cheese, chips and dip – so many great sauce pairings with classic snack foods. Jalapeno poppers make for a great food to dip into your favorite sauce or dip. Whether you are looking to cool things down or spice it up, you’re sure to find a dip that works for you.
Sour Cream
Just like sour cream goes well on cheesy nachos or tacos, drizzling some over jalapeno poppers is equally delicious. The slight tang from the sour cream will help offset the spicy jalapeno and helps to blend all the flavors together. For extra goodness, try squeezing a little lime juice in the sour cream for a burst of flavor.
Garlic Mayo
Mayonnaise is the base of so many great sauces. It adds a fatty richness that can’t be beat and also lends itself well to a variety of seasonings. For a great dip for jalapeno poppers, try grating some fresh garlic into your mayo and enjoy a super simple and tasty dip!
Ranch
Another great dip loved by many, is ranch dressing. You can set out as a dip, or even drizzle over your jalapeno poppers for an instant boost in flavor. Buttermilk ranch or regular ranch both add an herby creaminess to jalapeno poppers all while helping to tame the spiciness of the peppers.
Ranch seasoning is sold in packets so you can make your own, adding as much or as little seasoning as you want – or, you can just buy your favorite bottled brand. This classic dip will be delicious paired with jalapeno poppers.
Guacamole
For another great dip that will help offset the spicy jalapeno popper, mix up some guacamole. For a basic guacamole, simply mix together: avocado, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. From there you can get creative, adding: garlic, onions, tomato, cilantro… the list can go on with whatever you like in your guacamole.
BBQ Sauce
The smoky bacon lends itself to be paired with BBQ sauce. BBQ sauce comes in a variety of flavors ranging in sweet, spicy, and vinegary flavors. Whatever your favorite BBQ sauce is, it will be delicious if used as a dip for jalapeno poppers.
Beverages
Sometimes you just want to enjoy jalapeno poppers and don’t need any other food with them but could use a nice, refreshing drink. Or, maybe you are enjoying them with a plate of other foods and having something to drink is needed to cool off the heat and wash everything down!
Finding a drink that pairs well with the flavors of the smoky, cheesy, and spicy jalapeno poppers is a good idea.
A nice cold beer goes well with most spicy foods. It refreshes the palate and helps to cool off that spicy heat! The smoky bacon also lends itself well to beer. Finding the right beer though, to pair with jalapeno poppers is a good idea. Consider trying a pale ale or even an IPA to enjoy with your bacon-wrapped jalapenos.
Wine
Wine can be light and refreshing, heavy and full bodied, or somewhere in between. A fruity, full-bodied red wine would be a good choice with jalapeno poppers. If you prefer white wine, a crisp and refreshing variety would be good.
Another good idea would be to try a flight of wine, where you would get smaller portioned glasses of different wines to try. This would help determine which you like better with jalapeno poppers.
Lemonade
For a refreshing and nonalcoholic drink option, try lemonade paired with jalapeno poppers. The tart sweetness of fresh lemonade would be delicious with this cheesy, smoky, and spicy snack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you have been enjoying jalapeno poppers as a snack for a while, or you are wanting to try them for the first time, you may have some more questions. Let’s find out more about this delicious party food.
How many calories are in a bacon wrapped jalapeno popper?
Determining how many calories are in a bacon wrapped jalapeno popper will really depend on a few things: how much bacon is used, the size of the popper, the type of cheese, and how you cook it.
Assuming you are eating a regular sized jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped with a slice of bacon, and baked – that should be about 280 calories per 2 halves.
How hot is a jalapeno popper?
Jalapenos are a pepper with a medium to spicy amount of heat. They are rated as having a 2,500 – 8,000 on the Scoville scale. The lower end being much milder.
However, keep in mind that when the poppers are cooked, the capsaicin juice and oils from the jalapenos are released causing them to be spicier than a raw jalapeno.
How do you soften jalapenos for stuffing?
While softening jalapenos to stuff them is not necessary, some people may prefer to do this step. If you choose to do this, simply:
Halve the jalapeno peppers and remove the seeds
Blanch the peppers in boiling water for 1-3 minutes
Stick the peppers in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process
Following these simple steps will help you soften the jalapenos before stuffing them.
Summing It Up
Bacon-wrapped jalapenos, also known as jalapeno poppers, are a delicious addition to any snack or party table. The spicy, cheesy, and smoky peppers can go beyond the appetizer table and serve as a great side dish accompaniment to: roasted corn, watermelon salads, or simply crackers.
Jalapeno poppers can also add to the main course of your next meal. Serving the poppers with: a hamburger, in a baked potato, or alongside soup would make for a flavorful meal. Finding a drink to wash everything down with is also a great idea.
