How to make Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
Vegan Jalapeño Poppers (a.k.a Snake Bites!) are tangy, spicy, salty, and absolutely addictive! These sizzling bites make the perfect appetizer or low-carb party snack. Made with eggplant “bacon” and cashew cream cheese, this poppable, paleo, low carb easy vegan appetizer is rich, decadent, and perfect to make for your gluten and dairy-free friends. Full video tutorial included below!
You guys. I finally made VEGAN BACON and VEGAN CREAM CHEESE!
On. The. Same. Day.
What a day!
It wasn’t as tricky as I’d thought, once I figured out the oven temperatures for the bacon, and the seasoning for both. By cutting out the bacon in this recipe and replacing it with eggplant, it essentially cuts the calories in half, and as a short person, that’s important!
You will love these Vegan Jalapeño Poppers because they are:
✓ easy to make
✓ you learn how to make vegan cream cheese & vegan bacon
✓ gluten free
✓ dairy free
✓ vegan
✓ paleo
✓ portable – I have layered them cooked or uncooked in Tupperware to transport them with no issues!
✓ ADDICTIVE!
What Ingredients are in these jalapeño poppers?
- Jalapeños: The fire, sizzle and kick – one of my favorite veggies!
- Eggplant Bacon: Thinly sliced eggplant, marinaded overnight in a sweet maple, smoky sauce.
- Homemade Cashew Cream Cheese: It’s rich, tangy and creamy, without the dairy!
- Cajun seasoning: because we like our flavors to hit the roof!
How to make these easy jalapeño poppers
There are 3 steps!
Eggplant Bacon:
The night before:
- Using a mandoline slicer if you have one, or a sharp knife, slice the eggplant into thin strips lengthways.
- Cut the slices in half lengthways so that you have 2 long strips.
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Marinade the eggplant overnight in the fridge.
Next day:
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 110°C/230°F
- It should be cooked but not crispy.
- Allow the eggplant to cool.
Vegan Cream Cheese:
- Soak the cashews for at least 30 minutes in boiled water (preferably overnight).
- Add the cashews and the rest of the cream cheese ingredients to a blender or bowl and blend until it forms a paste. I used a hand blender but a food processor would work great too.
Assemble the Vegan Jalapeño Poppers:
- Cut the jalapeños in half. I usually leave the stem on because I like how it looks, but feel free to cut the stems.
- Remove the seeds and veins.
- Spoon vegan cream cheese into jalapeño halves
OR
Fill a piping bag with vegan cream cheese and pipe the cashew cream cheese into jalapeño halves. - Wrap the eggplant bacon around the jalapeños and vegan cream cheese.
- Place in a baking tray (lined with parchment paper if your tray is prone to sticking).
- Sprinkle with cajun seasoning.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 160°C/320°F.
How do I store these snake bites?
Fridge: they’ll keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, and they also taste great cold! If you want to reheat them, just pop them back in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 160°C/320°F, or until they’re warm.
More vegan bite-sized recipes you will love:
- THE BEST PALEO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- LAYERED PALEO VEGAN MINI CUPCAKES
- PUMPKIN SPICE CHEESECAKE BITES
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Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
Vegan Jalapeño Poppers (a.k.a Snake Bites!) are tangy, spicy, salty and absolutely addictive! Made with eggplant “bacon” and cashew cream cheese, these popable bites are Whole30 compliant + paleo + gluten free + dairy-free.
Ingredients
Eggplant Bacon:
- 1/2 medium eggplant, sliced (see instructions)
- 1/2 tsp smoky paprika
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
Cashew Cream Cheese:
- 250 g cashews, soaked*
- 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Other ingredients:
- 12 jalapeños
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
Instructions
Eggplant Bacon:
- The night before:
- Using a mandoline slicer if you have one, or a knife, slice the eggplant into thin strips lengthways.
- Cut the slices in half lengthways. You'll have two long, thin pieces of eggplant per slice.
- Mix the smoky paprika, maple syrup, liquid smoke and coconut aminos together.
- Marinade eggplant overnight.
- Next day:
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes at 110°C/230°F
- It should be cooked but not crispy.
- Allow the eggplant to cool.
Vegan Cream Cheese:
- Soak cashews for at least 30 minutes in boiled water (preferably overnight).
- Add the nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk, mustard powder and salt.
- Blend until it forms a paste with either a hand blender or a food processor.
Assemble the Vegan Jalapeño Poppers:
- Cut the jalapeños in half. I usually leave the stem on because I like how it looks, but feel free to cut the stems
- Remove the seeds and veins
- Spoon vegan cream cheese into jalapeño halves OR Fill a piping bag with vegan cream cheese and pipe cream cheese into jalapeño halves.
- Wrap eggplant bacon around jalapeños and vegan cream cheese.
- Place in greaseproof/parchment lined baking tray.
- Sprinkle with cajun seasoning.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 160°C/320°F.
Notes
- I prefer to soak the cashews overnight but if you're pressed for time, soak for 30 minutes in boiled water.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
