Crunchy, Cheesy Goodness
Indulge in these crispy, flavorful homemade cornmeal gluten-free jalapeno poppers. It perfectly blends creamy, cheesy goodness with a hint of zesty jalapeno. These poppers are coated to perfection and then fried to a golden crisp, resulting in an irresistible appetizer or snack. Paired with a hot honey dipping sauce, these cornmeal poppers will surely be a favorite at any gathering or for a cozy night.
When it came to American food when I was growing up, a lot of my meals were a combination of home cooked or store-bought, freezer aisle goodies. You know, the kind you get from Costco or BJs that you just throw in the toaster oven and snack on. I was never much of a fan of spicy dishes but something about jalapeno peppers enveloped in creamy cheese made me excited. I want my family to experience that same joy from simple appetizers like that but with gluten and most grains aside from corn being an issue, we had to come up with an alternative.
Let’s get Poppin
Gluten-free jalapeno poppers couldn’t be more simpler.
- Begin by setting up your cooking area. Place cornstarch in one bowl and beaten eggs in another. In a third bowl, add cornmeal, ranch seasoning mix and salt. Place cream cheese in a large bowl and let it sit at room temperature to soften.
- Cut the jalapeno pepper in half, remove the seeds, finely dice it, and add it to the bowl with the cream cheese. Also, add shredded white cheddar to the same bowl. Gently mix the ingredients with a spatula until well combined.
- Form the jalapeno poppers. Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture with wet hands and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.
- Coat the Poppers. Roll the balls in the cornstarch, the egg wash, and the cornmeal mixture. Dip them in the egg wash again and coat in the cornmeal for a second time, ensuring complete coverage to prevent the cream cheese from seeping out during frying.
- Prepare for Frying. Preheat your deep fryer to 295°F or fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil up to ¾ of its capacity and use a digital thermometer or test by dropping in some cornmeal and seeing if it crisps up.
- Fry the Poppers. Place the coated poppers into the fryer or saucepan, making sure not to overcrowd. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, rotating as needed.
- Drain and Serve. Once cooked, place the poppers on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil or place on a wire rack. The wire rack helps air circulate all around the poppers if you have that handy.
- Enjoy. Serve these gluten-free jalapeno poppers and consider pairing them with hot honey as a dipping sauce.
We want to answer your questions
Do I have to use cornmeal?
Not at all. Flour or cornflakes can also be used, but you may not get the same texture as the cornmeal. You may get breaded goodness.
What other cheeses can you use instead of white cheddar?
Colby Jack, monterey, goat cheese, and provolone would probably be great substitutes.
Can I add anything else to make it spicier?
You could potentially add the seeds of the jalapeno pepper to the mixture but I would caution adding too much. You could also add cayenne pepper. The best method to incorporate other ingredients is to taste as you go provided there are no raw ingredients in the mixture you’re going to test. If you aren’t sure about flavor combinations, make one ball and fry that up to see what works well before moving on to make the other ones.
What other sauces work well?
Ranch, blue cheese, Buffalo sauce, mustard. Whatever appeals to your taste buds!
Can you air-fry jalapeno poppers instead?
You can but you’ll need to rotate these like you would in a deep fryer. Reduce deep fryer times by 25 degrees and extend the cook time as suggested by Epicurious. We suggest 275F for 10-15 minutes. Keep and eye out for cream cheese oozing out.
Gluten-free Jalapeno Poppers with Cornmeal
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 2 Medium bowls
- 1 Fork
- 1 Knife
- Rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Paper towel-lined plate or wire rack
Ingredients
- One large jalapeno pepper or two medium sized ones
- 8 oz Cream cheese
- 1 ½ Cup of shredded white cheddar
- ¼ Cup corn starch
- 2 Eggs beaten
- ¾ Ranch seasoning packet
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 ½ Cup Cornmeal
- Hot honey to dip into
Instructions
- Set up your station. Start by placing the cornstarch in one bowl. Two beaten eggs will go in another bowl. In the third bowl, combine the corn meal, ranch mix, and one tsp of salt.
- Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and place on the counter to warm up slightly.
- Slice the jalapeno pepper in half and remove the seeds. Finely dice and then place in the bowl with the cream cheese. Add the shredded white cheddar to this bowl as well.
- Fold the ingredients together with a spatula until well incorporated
- With wet hands, scoop out about a tablespoon and roll into a ball. Repeat until the mixture is all formed into balls.
- Roll the balls into the cornstarch and gently tap off any excess.
- Roll the balls into the egg wash and again gently tap off the excess.
- Roll the balls into the cornmeal mixture and again tap off the excess. Dip it in the egg wash again and coat in the cornmeal for a second time. Make sure to coat every part with no exposed areas. If you don’t fully cover it with the cornmeal, the creamcheese will seep out when you go to fry.
- Preheat your deep fryer to 295℉/146℃ or fill your large saucepan up to ¾ of the capacity with vegetable oil.
- Place the cornmeal poppers into the basket without crowding. Submerge the basket or poppers into the oil. Cook until golden brown or 3-5 minutes, rotating in between.
- Place the poppers onto the plate lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.
- Serve and enjoy! We recommend pairing it with hot honey as a dipping sauce.
Did you Try making These Gluten-free Jalapeno Poppers!
Drop us a comment down below if you made these! Interested in trying other recipes? Check out these ones below:
Shredded BBQ Chicken Casserole
Leek and Bacon Dip
Apricot Cheese
Apricot Glazed Ribs
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque