Jalapeno Popper Taco Cups
Turning a party appetizer favorite into lovely little bite-sized jalapeno popper taco cups is a fab, fun twist on regular jalapeno popper dip. Easy to assemble (and you can prep them ahead of time) and even easier to eat, they’re a serious crowd-pleaser, perfect for entertaining.
While I LOVE a sharing dip, it’s also fun to serve cute little bite-sized party appetizers that are mess-free for people to grab and eat with one hand.
These lovely little jalapeno popper taco cups are exactly that. I like to serve jalapeno popper dip with tortilla chips, so I figured combining the two in this way would work well, and it absolutely did. You’ve got the crunch from the crispy tortilla cup, with the creamy, spicy filling to make the most moreish snack around.
The jalapeno popper dip mix itself is INSANE. I’ve been enjoying leftovers from recipe testing with carrot sticks as an afternoon pick-me-up, and it’s VERY hard to stop eating!
All you have to do is:
- Mix your jalapeno popper filling.
- Cut little tortilla circles.
- Pop them into a mini muffin pan and spoon in your gorgeous filling.
- Throw into the oven to get crispy, hot, oozy, and gooey.
It’s easy, you can prep the whole thing ahead of time, and these guys are guaranteed to go down a storm at any party (and are particularly fun for game-day parties).
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pickled jalapenos. I love the acidic hit pickled jalapenos gives these cups, but you could use fresh ones if you like (they’ll just be quite crunchy in the dip).
- Cream cheese. This forms the base of the dip mixture, and to make it easier to mix into a smooth texture, you ideally want it to be at room temperature. You can use light or reduced-fat cream cheese too.
- Greek yogurt. Typically jalapeno popper dip uses sour cream or mayonnaise along with the cream cheese, but I prefer using yogurt. It makes it feel a little lighter and cuts through the rich cream cheese. Any plain yogurt is fine, I like to use thick Greek yogurt (and fat-free is fine).
- Cheese. I like to use a mix of mozzarella (for the oozy, stretchy factor) and strong cheddar (for the flavor). You can mix this up based on what you like and what you have to hand – gruyere, Monterey Jack or even blue cheese is great too.
- Bacon. This is optional, but I LOVE the little crispy, salty hits of flavor streaky bacon brings to the cups. Cook it until super crispy first, then add into the dip mixture. Skip it if you want to keep them vegetarian.
How to make them
Use a cookie cutter (or the rim of a glass) to cut out little circles from your tortillas. I like to make a test one first to make sure the size is right for the muffin tin. Grease your mini muffin tin with oil, then gently press the tortilla circles into each hole.
PRO TIP: If your tortillas are tearing as you do this, cover them with a kitchen towel and microwave for 20 seconds. This will make them easier to handle and press into your pan.
Cook your bacon until super crispy, then mix with the cream cheese, yogurt, pickled jalapenos, mozzarella, cheddar, paprika and a little salt. Spoon the jalapeno popper dip into the tortilla cups, then scatter a few extra jalapenos on top, along with the chopped unused pieces of your tortillas.
Transfer to the oven and cook until crispy and golden. Serve while hot and gooey.
Jalapeno Popper Taco Cups FAQs
Can I make the taco cups ahead of time?You can get ahead two ways – mix the jalapeno popper dip, then pop into the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also cut out your mini tortilla circles ahead of time (will be fine for a few days in a container at room temperature). Then, just assemble and bake when you’re ready to serve. OR, you can assemble the cups in the mini tin, cover them, and pop them into the fridge overnight. The next day, just throw it into the oven when you’re ready to serve.
How spicy are they?These definitely have quite a bit of heat! If you’re worried, reduce the amount of jalapenos to 1/2 a cup, then taste the dip and see what you think. It’s much easier to add more jalapenos if you’d like them spicier than to take them away.
Do I have to use bacon?No, you don’t. To make these cups vegetarian, just skip the bacon altogether.
Watch how to make them
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Turning a party appetizer favorite into lovely little bite-sized jalapeno popper taco cups is a fab, fun twist on regular jalapeno popper dip. Easy to assemble (and you can prep them ahead of time) and even easier to eat, they're a serious crowd-pleaser, perfect for entertaining. Prep Time 10 minsCook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings: 30 cups
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas
- 3 slices streaky bacon
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (225g)
- ½ cup thick Greek yogurt
- 1 cup jarred pickled jalapenos, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Oil, for greasing
Equipment
- 1 Mini muffin pan
Method
- Prepare your mini muffin pan.Heat oven to 400℉ (180℃ fan bake), then grease a mini muffin tin with olive oil.
- Make your mini tortillas.Use a cookie cutter (or the rim of a small glass) to cut out little circles from your tortillas. Chop the leftovers from one of the tortillas into little pieces – you'll use these as a little crunchy crumb topping on your cups. Don't throw out the remaining bits of tortillas – they make wonderful homemade tortilla chips. Just toss them with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, and bake at 400℉ (200℃) for 10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Prepare the jalapeno popper filling.Cook the bacon until super crispy (about 5 minutes), then transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, chopped jalapenos (set aside 1 tablespoon to scatter on top of the cups), crushed garlic, paprika, mozzarella, cheddar, and salt. Give everything a really good mix to combine well. Taste, then season with a little more salt if you like.
- Prepare the tortilla cups.Press the little tortilla circles into your greased mini muffin pan to create little cups.If your tortilla circles tear when you do this, cover them with a kitchen towel and pop them into the microwave for 20 seconds – this will help them to soften up and make it easier to get them into the moulds.
- Fill the tortilla cups.Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the jalapeno popper dip mixture into each tortilla cup – you don't want to pile them up too high as the dip may overflow while in the oven.Scatter the set-aside chopped jalapenos on top of each cup, then scatter over the chopped tortilla crumbs. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Bake the cups.Transfer the muffin tin to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tortillas are crispy, and the filling is nice and golden. Remove from the oven, then carefully remove the taco cups from the tin. Arrange on a serving platter, then serve while hot, crispy, and gooey.Serving the cups with garlic aioli, spicy gochujang aioli, Kewpie mayo, or sweet chili jam on the side for dipping is also an excellent idea.
