Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

A creamy mixture of roasted jalapeno, cream cheese, bacon, and sharp cheddar stuffed between two slices of bread and grilled to perfection, upgrades the popular grilled cheese sandwiches into insanely delicious, flavor-filled, Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

A mixture of softened cream cheese, roasted jalapeno peppers, sharp cheddar, and crispy bacon bits is slathered between thick chunky slices of bread and grilled till a toasty sandwich-y aroma fills your kitchen. Simple? Yes! Mouth-wateringly delicious? Absolutely!

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese With Bacon

As I was typing out the blurb, I was amazed at the number of adjectives that could be used to describe this sandwich. Spicy, crispy, gooey, cheesy, easy-peasy… I could go on. But what I like most about the Jalapeno Popper Sandwich is the wallop of heat that the Jalapenos pack. A truly spicy addition to balance the cheese.

If you do not like it too spicy, I recommend picking Jalapeno that are smooth and have no external blemishes. They are the milder variety. Most of the heat also comes from the veins and the seeds inside, which can be removed. Roasting Jalapenos not only adds a nice smoky flavor but also reduces the heat quite a bit.

On the other hand, if you like ’em spicy, then pick the ones that have white lines or ‘stretch marks’ on them. These Jalapenos are aged and really ramp up the spice quotient. You can also add sliced Jalapenos between your sandwiches for an additional kick of heat.

Spicy or mild, pick up the Jalapeno of your choice, and let’s get cracking on making this sandwich.

Jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwiches placed on a cooling rack.

Ingredients

Jalapeno – Spicy or mild, pick up the Jalapeno of your choice. Smooth external skin Jalapeno = milder flavor. Stretchy skin = aged Jalapeno, hotter flavor.
Cheddar – I have used sharp cheddar. Sharp here, refers to aged cheese, which gives it a distinctive flavor and texture. Can be substituted with stretchy mozzarella or white cheddar or a mix of both.
Cream cheese – Bring it to room temperature, to ensure spreadable consistency. The tangy cream cheese balances the heat of Jalapeno.
Bacon – Cut into small bits for a yummy, salty, tasty kick in every mouthful.
Bread – Use any bread of your choice, make sure it’s sturdy enough to hold the stuffing. I love Sourdough, thick Pullman or other white bread.

Make the Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Prepare the cream cheese – cheese-roasted jalapeno mixture

Roasting Jalapenos enhances their flavor, reduces the heat, and gives a smokiness to the stuffing. You can roast them in a pan like I have done ( preferably a cast iron skillet) or roast them in the oven, grill or even in an air fryer. Once roasted and cooled, chop them up roughly.(Tip – Make sure you use a glove while deseeding. Use a small spoon to remove the seed and pulp)

Using long strips of bacon makes it difficult to bite into the sandwich, and you run the risk of having a long bacon strip in your mouth, with the very first bite!
A little trick here – Use some kitchen scissors to chop up the cooked crispy bacon into bite size pieces, to have enough to go around in the stuffing.

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature, and add the chopped Jalapenos, crispy bacon bits, and seasonings. Mix well.

A bowl of softened cream cheese - roasted jalapeno mixture.

Layer the Sandwich

Apply butter on a slice of bread, and keep the buttered side down.
Place a generous amount of the cream cheese – roasted jalapeno mixture on the slice.
Top it with shredded sharp cheddar or the cheese of your choice.
Place another slice of bread on top, and butter the top.

Cream cheese and roasted jalapeno filling spread on a buttered slice of bread.

Toast it to golden goodness

Secret to the perfect golden, crispy crust, the cast-iron skillet first needs to be hot and then the flame has to be reduced to medium-low.
If the skillet is too hot, the bread will burn. But an inadequately heated skillet will not crisp up the bread. So ensure that the pan is first heated up and then the temperature maintained on medium-low to achieve golden crispiness.
Cook the sandwiches for 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat on each side. Press gently with the back of the spatula, so the slices stick to the melty cheese and hold together.

Spicy, gooey, crispy, and cheesy, Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are ready for you to take a large scrumptious bite!

A stack of Grilled Jalapeno popper sandwiches with cheese oozing out.

Make ahead and Store instructions

Making it ahead

Planning to make a big batch for a crowd? the best thing is you can make the cheese jalapeno mix a day or two ahead and keep refrigerated. Assemble the grilled cheese and toast just before serving.

To store and reheat leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers for 2-3 days, more than that the cream cheese might go bad. But upon storing, the cheese hardens and the bread gets soggy. But the grilled cheese is pretty much salvageable.

To reheat, heat a grilled pan, once hot, cook the sandwiches one low-medium heat until the cheesy is gooey and the bread is crispy again. You could also reheat it in an air fryer.