Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
The perfect mash-up of jalapeño poppers and mac and cheese, today’s Baked Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese is a lusciously cheesy white mac and cheese with hints of spicy jalapeños, smoky bacon and tangy cream cheese, finished off with a buttery, crispy Panko breadcrumb topping.
Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese Recipe
The only thing more satisfying than enjoying some comfort food is digging into a recipe that combines two comfort foods into one.
Jalapeño poppers are a family favorite around here, and who doesn’t love an amazing homemade mac and cheese? Combining the two is such a satisfying and delicious treat, perfect as a side dish with so many different meal options or add a bit of protein into the dish to elevate it to a main course.
This Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese incorporates a duo of cheeses for a luxurious, silky cheese sauce that features the sharpness of white cheddar and the tanginess of cream cheese. Garlic, jalapeños and bacon round out the flavor profile, adding acidity, spice and smoky saltiness.
Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese Variations:
- use broth instead of water to boil the pasta
- swap out the seasonings to what your family loves – whether that’s cayenne, paprika, ranch, garlic and herb, etc. We switch it up often, but this recipe tends to be my go-to.
- use fresh jalapeños instead of pickled. I tend to remove the jalapeño membranes and seeds to make this dish more family-friendly, but feel free to leave in the jalapeño seeds to amp up the heat
- add protein to take this side dish into main course territory – chicken or steak would be my suggestions
- for a profound bacon flavor, swap out half of the butter called for in the recipe with bacon fat
- add hot sauce – or just serve on the side
- omit the bacon for a vegetarian version
Since this recipe makes a ton of pasta, you may end up with leftovers. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. If the cheese sauce seems somewhat dry, add a few tablespoons of milk to add some moisture back in to the recipe.
Tips for Making Ahead:
If you need to prepare this baked mac and cheese ahead of time, I highly recommend waiting to bake it until ready to serve. In my experience, even if I cut the baking time short and just reheat in the oven, the sauce loses some of it’s creaminess. Just assemble, cover with tinfoil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
I also do not recommend pre-boiling your pasta. We want the starch on the pasta noodles to be fresh when we go to coat it with the cheese sauce – which is also why we don’t rinse the pasta. Rinsing the starch off will result in a slippery noodle that the sauce can’t coat as effectively.
Can you freeze baked mac and cheese? If you are freezing before baking, freeze the cheese sauce on it’s own. Freezing with the pasta will result in a soggy, grainy mac and cheese. Freeze in an airtight freezer container and allow to thaw at room temperature before reheating and mixing with the pasta. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
A few tips to keep in mind while preparing this three cheese mac and cheese:
- do not rinse your pasta after boiling – this removes the starch needed for the sauce to stick to the pasta
- as always, I highly recommend tasting your recipe throughout the preparation process so you can correct over- or under-seasoning.
- shred your cheese yourself as pre-shredded cheese often uses ingredients to prevent clumping that also end up thickening your sauce and preventing the cheese from melting as uniformly
- to make this recipe gluten-free, swap the flour for cornstarch and use gluten-free pasta noodles
- err on the side of under boiling and under baking the pasta. You want some crunchy golden spots on the cheese topping, but over-baking the pasta will start to make the cheese sauce clumpy and less creamy. Over boiling the pasta beyond el dente will result in a mushy mac and cheese after the final baking.
Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese Ingredients
- Uncooked Macaroni Noodles
- Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Milk
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Cream Cheese, cut into pieces
- Sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (we used a Monterey Jack with Jalapenos)
- Garlic Powder
- Pickled Jalapeños, drained
- Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Panko Breadcrumbs
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: add protein to take this side dish into main course territory – chicken or steak would be my suggestions.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Stockpot
- Large Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty
- 9″ x 13″ Casserole Dish <– I love these Pyrex dishes with fitted lids for easy transportation to parties or leftover storage
- Whisk
- Cheese Shredder
How to Make Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
Prepare the macaroni noodles according to package directions as you prepare the cheese sauce. Drain when done, but do not rinse.
Place 6 Tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Once butter is melted, stir in the flour to form a paste.
Whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves completely.
Add in the heavy whipping cream, cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Stir occasionally until cheeses are completely melted.
Chop all but a few of the jalapeño poppers, reserving a few for garnish.
Stir in the garlic powder, the chopped jalapeños and most of the bacon, reserving some for garnish.
Fold the macaroni and cheese into a 8″ x 8″ casserole dish.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter.
Once melted and hot, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over the macaroni and cheese, followed by the toasted breadcrumbs and reserved bacon and jalapeños.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is fully melted and as browned as you’d like.
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Baked Jalapeño Popper Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups Uncooked Macaroni Noodles
- 8 Tablespoons Butter
- 6 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 4oz Cream Cheese, cut into pieces
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (we used a Monterey Jack with Jalapenos)
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 4oz jar Pickled Jalapeños, drained
- 6 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Prepare the macaroni noodles according to package directions as you prepare the cheese sauce. Drain when done, but do not rinse.
- Place 6 Tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
- Once butter is melted, stir in the flour to form a paste.
- Whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves completely.
- Add in the heavy whipping cream, cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Stir occasionally until cheeses are completely melted.
- Chop all but a few of the jalapeño poppers, reserving a few for garnish.
- Stir in the garlic powder, the chopped jalapeños and most of the bacon, reserving some for garnish.
- Fold the macaroni and cheese into a 8" x 8" casserole dish.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter.
- Once melted and hot, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese over the macaroni and cheese, followed by the toasted breadcrumbs and reserved bacon and jalapeños.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is fully melted and as browned as you'd like.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 634Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 955mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 25g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this easy jalapeño popper mac and cheese as much as mine does!
For more perfect pastas, check out our full pasta recipe collection here:
For more scrumptious side dishes, check out our full side dish recipe collection here:
This recipe is a culinary delight! I have never had such a delicious and flavorful mac and cheese in my life. Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe and sharing it with us!