These easy cheesy Jalapeño Popper Bites combine my favorite jalapeño popper dip with flaky phyllo shells for a match made in snacking heaven!
These baller little bite-sized jalapeño popper cups are a must-make for parties, game day, and gatherings galore.
They’re as easy as making a bowl of tasty filling, spooning it into the phyllo cups, sprinkling a little crispy bacon or veggie bacon bits on top and baking for a speedy 10-15 minutes until the phyllo is crispy and the filling is hot and melty.
YES PLEASE!
This is a recipe I make time and time again for parties and when I’m feeling ultra lazy, I’ll just heat up the filling in a bowl and serve it with tortilla chips.
My friends have started requesting them on the regular and they always vanish fast!
Jalapeno Popper Ingredients
- frozen phyllo shells (see note below)
- jalapeños
- bacon or veggie bacon bits
- cream cheese
- mayonaise
- sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and garlic powder, to taste
For the jalapeños in these jalapeño popper bites I like to use combination of diced jarred jalapeños (they have a pickled nacho-topping vibe to them that’s oh so flavorful) and fresh minced jalapeños. You can absolutely use all of one or the other but I find that I adore poppers with a combination of both the most.
For the bacon you can use regular bacon, turkey bacon, vegetarian bacon bits. You can also skip it entirely as these cheesy jalapeño popper cups are still fantastic without it!
Where to Find Phyllo Shells
If you’re familiar with phyllo shells or phyllo cups then you probably have a small stockpile tucked away in your freezer like I do. If you’re just now discovering them (so magical!) you will find phyllo shells in your grocer’s frozen section next to the frozen pie crusts and plain phyllo sheets.
My favorite brand is Athens phyllo shells and I usually have a stack of 4 in my freezer at all times. They’re great for little breakfast bites and work as the base for so many tasty appetizers too.
My love for this easy cheesy appetizer runs deep and I’m so excited for you to try it!
Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Bites
This rockin’ recipe makes 30 stuffed phyllo cups.
Looking to make a little less? You can 100% an halve the recipe to use just one package of phyllo shells.
Serving a big crowd? Feel free to double or triple this recipe as needed! It’s insanely easy and you can stuff the phyllo shells with the filling a few hours before the party and bake them all up at once when you’re ready to get your snack on!
Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Bites
Ingredients
- 30 frozen phyllo shells (two 15-count packages)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 TBSP mayo
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 3 TBSP jarred diced jalapeño
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2-3 TBSP crumbled cooked bacon or veggie bacon bits
Instructions
- NOTE: For the jalapeños I like to use both diced jarred jalapeños (they have a pickled nacho-topping vibe to them that's oh so flavorful) and fresh minced jalapeños. You can absolutely use all of one or the other but I find that I adore poppers with both the most.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Arrange phyllo shells on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Soften cream cheese to room temperature or lightly warm for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Combine with grated cheddar cheese and mayo. Mix well.
- Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno (or keep the seeds if you want them spicy) and finely mince.
- Add fresh minced jalapeño along with pickled jarred jalapeño to your cheese mixture. Season with garlic powder and a pinch of salt and mix well. For extra heat you can add optional crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Spoon mixture into phyllo shells and top with crumbled bacon (or veggie bacon bits if vegetarian) – the bacon can also be skipped and they'll still be super tasty!
- Bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes until the phyllo is nice and crispy and the cheesy filling is hot and melty. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try these easy cheesy jalapeño popper bites, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Looking for More Jalapeño Spiked Recipes?
- NEW! Jalapeño Pimento Cheese
- Jalapeño Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms – READER FAVORITE
- Spicy Hummus with Jalapeño Salsa
- Quick Fridge Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
- Italian Stuffed Jalapeños via A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
- Cheesy Jalapeño Flautas
Crazy about phyllo cups? Check out my round-up of Phyllo Shells Recipes for more recipes and ideas!
I have some sheets of phyllo in my freezer. Don’t you think it would work to just cut it into little squares and press it into mini muffin tins? I have a whole herd of teenagers coming for a movie and game night tonight. There are going on the menu!
Hi Hanna! You could for sure make your own phyllo cups! I would brush a little unsalted melted butter in-between each layer and maybe do a few layers per phyllo shell? Let me know how it goes! xoxo
I love that these bites are full of big flavor!
They’re so tasty!!
This recipe is the way to go, cheesy and crunchy! I followed most of the recipe with some slight variations, based on what I had. This came out great!