How to Cook Frozen Jalapeno Poppers in Air Fryer

Poppers are a fun snack or appetizer and they cook up fast and perfectly in an air fryer!  See how simple it is to cook frozen jalapeno poppers in your air fryer. Perfect poppers in just six minutes! A little crunch  on the outside, melted on the inside.  YUM! 

We bought our air fryer and quickly learned that yes, actually we DO need this amazing cooking machine and now about 1 year later, I can report back that the air fryer has taken over our cooking routine.  In fact, there are many days when we use our air fryer multiple times in the same day!! Just today I made  Landon’s lunch before he headed off to Kindergarten (air fryer chicken nuggets) and then after I  dropped him at school, I made some air fryer kale chips to go with my lunch!

Have you jumped on board the air fryer train? We definitely resisted buying an air fryer for a couple of years. We already owned SO many appliances and just did not feel like giving one more cooking apparatus some priority real estate space on our counters. Slow cooker, Instant Pot, food processor, toaster, coffee maker.. did we seriously need one more machine? Haha. Yes.  Yes, we did.

Air Fryers cook frozen food consistently and perfectly!

I have a new air fryer recipe for you today and guess what? It’s another frozen food favorite.  Back when I first posted a frozen food air fryer recipe (er, cook time I guess), I really thought it was a silly thing to post…

After all, it’s a pre-made food that just requires re-heating, right? Yes, and no. I have found that it can be tricky to cook up some of our fave frozen apps in the air fryer.  It takes a little experimenting to get the time and temperature just right.  So, since I figured it out on my end, I figured it would be helpful info to share!

One thing about the air fryer and frozen food is that it truly mimics a consistency that is the perfect blend of baked (and deep fried if you’re making a breaded food).

Make sure you check out the other air fryer recipes we have written:

• 15+ Incredible Game Day Air Fryer Recipes
• 25+ Easy Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
• How to Cook Kale Chips in an Air Fryer
• How to Cook Frozen Pigs in a Blanket in Air Fryer
• Lemon Dill Salmon Air Fryer Recipe
• How to Cook Frozen Potstickers in Air Fryer
• Cooking Frozen Tator Tots in Air Fryer
• How to Cook Frozen Pierogies in Air Fryer
• Easy Air Fryer Roasted Eggplant
• How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer
• Cooking Frozen Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
• How to Cook Frozen Bagel Bite Pizzas in the Air Fryer
• Easy Frozen Mozzarella Sticks in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer S’mores
• Easy Air Fryer Hot Dogs

And make sure you check out these EASY Air Fryer Donuts!!

Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers Make a Great App or Snack

Poppers are a great snack to make in the air fryer.  In just a few minutes, you can have a tasty snack that is crispy on the outside (mimicking a deep fryer) and melted on the inside. Sometimes we will  enjoy a dinner made up of different frozen appetizers.  So yummy!

For parties, often we will cook up a bunch of apps and keep them warm throughout the evening in one of these buffet servers.

We picked up these poppers from ALDI.  You can use any brand of frozen poppers in your air fryer.

Cooking Frozen Jalapeno Poppers in an Air Fryer

Similar to other frozen apps, this food requires zero prep.  Simply arrange the frozen poppers in your air fryer in a single layer.

I cooked these at 390 degrees for 6 minutes. 

When I cook poppers in a traditional oven, I like to cook them until the top is just starting to brown and the cheese is bubbling.

Perfection!

Print Recipe

Frozen Jalapeno Poppers in Air Fryer

Cook up frozen poppers perfectly and consistently, with a slight crisp to the outer edges, in the air fryer!

Prep Time1 minute min

Cook Time6 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer, appetizer, poppers

Servings: 2

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

• 6-8 frozen jalapeno poppers

Instructions

• Arrange poppers in a single layer in the air fryer.
  
• Cook for 6 minutes at 390 F, until the tops are browned. The cheese should be melted when you bite or cut into the poppers. (If not, cook until cheese has melted. Some air fryers cook at slightly different intensities.)
• Enjoy when they are cool enough to eat.
• We serve our poppers with marinara on the side.

The Air Fryer is a Great Tool for Healthier Cooking Options

Many years ago my mom gave my dad a deep fryer for Christmas.  Counter top deep fryer models were all the rage back then.  You could plunk that contraption on your counter and deep fry your little heart out.  All these years later, I still remember him cooking all sorts of foods, from wings and chicken nuggets to french fries and tator tots.

I also remember the stinky smell of the oil that lingered in the kitchen (actually the whole house) for days after the last fried meal. Pair the smell with the fact that food cooked in oil typically isn’t the healthiest, and you have even more reasons to love an air fryer.

Air fryers are not necessarily faster than a traditional oven

One thing to note – when talking to friends and family about their new air fryer, they are always surprised that they air fryer doesn’t really speed up the cooking process. I think they are assuming that since people rave about the air fryer’s convenience, it must also be a time saver like say, the pressure cooker/Instant Pot. The air fryer won’t necessarily cook food faster.  In my opinion, it simply cooks many foods… better. It locks in moisture and creates a crispy outside. The air fryer cooks food consistently, every time.

We started with a smaller air fryer and after about a year, we upgraded to a bigger model.  In a typical week, we use our air fryer a minimum of 4 days out of 7, sometimes more than once a day. The air fryer has given many of our meals a healthy makeover without sacrificing the taste. (Actually, I’d be willing to bet that our meals are actually tastier now than they ever have been thanks to the consistent crispy cooking that we get with the air fryer.) If that’s not a plug to go buy an air fryer, I don’t know what is!

Do you have an air fryer?  If so, how often do you use it?

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