✔ Published · new Halloween recipe with bacon, air fryer + make-ahead options
Mummy jalapeño poppers are cream cheese stuffed jalapeños wrapped in thin strips of crescent dough like bandages, baked until golden and finished with candy eyes. They are a cheesy, mildly spicy Halloween party appetizer that takes about 45 minutes.
What Are Mummy Jalapeño Poppers? (Quick Answer)
Mummy jalapeño poppers are halved, seeded jalapeños filled with cream cheese and cheddar, wrapped in thin strips of crescent dough to look like mummy bandages. Bake 24 of them at 375°F (190°C) for 15 to 18 minutes until golden and the filling reaches 165°F (74°C), then press on candy eyes. Wear gloves when cutting the peppers.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Scrape out every seed and white rib and wear gloves while you do it. That is where most of the heat lives, so a careful scrape makes these crowd-friendly and keeps the chile oil off your hands.
Why You'll Love These Mummy Jalapeño Poppers
- Two snacks in one: a creamy jalapeño popper and a flaky pigs-in-a-blanket-style wrap.
- Heat you control, from mild (seeds and ribs out) to fiery (a few ribs left in).
- Make-ahead friendly: fill the peppers a day early, or freeze them unbaked.
- Party-sized: one can of dough wraps 24 poppers, enough for a tray.
- The cutest faces, since the warm cheese glues the candy eyes in place.
How Spicy Are They? Controlling the Heat
Jalapeños run about 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units, and most of that heat sits in the white ribs and seeds. Cream cheese also tames the burn, so these poppers usually land at mild to medium.
| Heat level | What to do |
|---|---|
| No heat (kids) | Use mini sweet peppers instead of jalapeños |
| Mild | Scrape out every seed and rib; choose large, smooth jalapeños |
| Medium | Leave a few ribs in, or add a pinch of chili flakes to the filling |
| Hot | Keep some seeds and ribs, or use serrano halves (smaller and hotter) |
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Wear gloves. Capsaicin oil clings to skin for hours and burns if you touch your eyes or face. Disposable gloves make seeding 12 jalapeños painless; wash the knife and board right after.
- Soften the cream cheese. Cold cream cheese won't blend with the cheddar and tears the peppers. Leave it out for 30 minutes or microwave for 10 seconds.
- Cook the bacon first. Raw bacon won't crisp inside the filling. Fry it crisp, crumble it finely and stir it in; the filling should still reach 165°F (74°C) in the oven.
- Don't overfill. Mound the filling only level with the pepper edges, or it bubbles out and the dough slides off.
- Keep the strips thin. About 1/4 inch wide gives the bandage look and bakes through on top of the soft filling.
- Add eyes after baking. Candy eyes melt in the oven. Press them into the warm cheese 5 minutes after baking and they stay put.
Mummy Jalapeño Poppers
24
poppers25
minutes18
minutes85
kcal45
minutesMummy jalapeño poppers: halved jalapeños filled with cream cheese, cheddar and crisp bacon, wrapped in thin strips of crescent dough like mummy bandages and baked at 375°F (190°C) for 15 to 18 minutes until golden and the filling reaches 165°F (74°C). Candy eyes go on after baking. Makes 24.
Ingredients
- For the Filling
12 medium jalapeños, about 3 inches long
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
4 bacon slices, cooked crisp and finely crumbled (optional)
1 green onion, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- For the Mummies
8 oz refrigerated crescent roll dough or seamless dough sheet (one 8-oz can)
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash (optional)
48 candy eyes
Directions
- Prep and Fill the Peppers
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put on disposable gloves before handling the jalapeños; the oils (capsaicin) burn skin and eyes.
- Cut each jalapeño in half lengthwise, keeping the stems on. Scrape out the seeds and white ribs with a small spoon. Leave a few ribs in if you want more heat.
- Stir together the cream cheese, cheddar, crumbled bacon, green onion and garlic powder until smooth. Spoon or pipe the filling into the pepper halves, mounding it slightly level with the edges.
- Wrap, Bake and Decorate
- Unroll the crescent dough, pinch the perforations closed and cut it lengthwise into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide. Wrap 2 to 3 strips around each filled pepper at slight angles like bandages, leaving a small gap near the stem end for the eyes. Tuck the ends underneath.
- Set the poppers on the baking sheet filling side up and about 1 inch apart. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the dough is golden and cooked through, the peppers are tender and the filling is bubbling and 165°F (74°C) in the center.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then press 2 candy eyes into the warm cheese in each face gap. Serve warm.
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Oven or Air Fryer: Times and Temperatures
| Method | Temperature | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven, crescent dough | 375°F (190°C) | 15 to 18 min | Golden dough, tender peppers |
| Air fryer, crescent dough | 350°F (175°C) | 7 to 9 min | Single layer, in batches |
| Oven, puff pastry | 400°F (200°C) | 15 to 18 min | Flakier, puffier bandages |
| Oven, from frozen (unbaked) | 375°F (190°C) | 20 to 24 min | No need to thaw |
| Reheat, oven | 350°F (175°C) | 8 to 10 min | Until hot, 165°F (74°C) in the center |
Variations
- Sausage mummies: brown 1/4 pound of breakfast sausage to 160°F (71°C), drain, crumble finely and use instead of the bacon.
- Vegetarian: skip the bacon and add 1/4 cup of corn kernels or a pinch of smoked paprika for a smoky note.
- Kid-friendly: use mini sweet peppers for zero heat and the same mummy look.
- Three-cheese: swap half the cheddar for pepper jack and a spoonful of Parmesan.
- Puff pastry: cut 1 thawed sheet into thin strips, wrap and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Classic, no dough: for regular poppers without the mummy wrap, see these jalapeño poppers.
Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
- Fill ahead: stuff the peppers up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate. Wrap them with dough just before baking so it doesn't turn soggy.
- Freeze unbaked: freeze wrapped poppers on a lined tray until solid, then bag them for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen at 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 24 minutes.
- For a party: serve within 2 hours of baking, or keep warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven. Cream cheese fillings shouldn't sit out longer than that.
- Leftovers: refrigerate within 2 hours in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or 3 to 4 minutes in the air fryer, until hot in the center.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Handling peppers bare-handed: chile burn on fingers lasts for hours. Wear gloves.
- Adding raw bacon or sausage: it won't cook through inside the filling. Cook it first.
- Overfilling: the filling bubbles out and pushes the dough off.
- Wide dough strips: they stay doughy on top of the moist filling.
- Baking the eyes: candy eyes melt; add them after baking.
What to Serve With Mummy Jalapeño Poppers
Set out ranch, such as this copycat Texas Roadhouse ranch, for dipping. For a full Halloween spread, add mummy hot dogs, a spider web Halloween dip and a Halloween charcuterie board. More ideas are in these Halloween recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you bake mummy jalapeño poppers?
Bake them at 375°F (190°C) for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crescent dough is golden brown and cooked through and the filling is bubbling. If the filling contains bacon or sausage, check that the center reaches 165°F (74°C).
Can you make mummy jalapeño poppers in the air fryer?
Yes. Air fry them in a single layer at 350°F (175°C) for 7 to 9 minutes, until the dough is golden and the filling is hot. Use a parchment liner, cook in batches, and add the candy eyes afterward.
How do you make jalapeño poppers less spicy?
Scrape out all the seeds and white ribs, where most of the capsaicin is, and choose large, smooth jalapeños, which tend to be milder. For kids, swap in mini sweet peppers, which have no heat at all but give the same look.
Can I make them ahead of time?
Fill the peppers up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate them covered, then wrap with dough just before baking. You can also freeze fully wrapped, unbaked poppers on a tray and bake from frozen at 375°F for 20 to 24 minutes.
Can I use sausage instead of bacon?
Yes. Brown 1/4 pound of ground breakfast sausage until it is no longer pink and reaches 160°F (71°C), drain it well, crumble it finely and mix it into the filling. Bake as usual until the filling is 165°F (74°C) in the center.
Why do my hands burn after cutting jalapeños?
Capsaicin oil from the peppers sticks to skin. Wear gloves while cutting, and if your hands already burn, wash them with dish soap, then rub them with a little oil or whole milk, which dissolves capsaicin better than water. Avoid touching your eyes.
