Jalapeno popper soup is everything you like about jalapeno poppers in a bowl: crisp bacon, diced jalapenos, cream cheese and cheddar, in a creamy potato soup. The flour stirred into the bacon drippings thickens it slightly, and the cheeses go in last, off the heat. It serves 6 and takes 55 minutes.
How to make it: Cook the chopped bacon until crisp, keep 2 tablespoons of the grease, and soften the jalapenos and onion in it. Add the garlic and flour, whisk in the broth and half-and-half, and simmer the potatoes until fork-tender. Off the heat, stir in the cream cheese and cheddar until melted, season, and add the toppings.
Why You’ll Love It
- The popper flavors you know: jalapeno, cream cheese, cheddar and bacon.
- One pot: the bacon, vegetables, broth and cheese all go in the same Dutch oven.
- Hearty: chunks of Yukon gold potato make it a full meal.
- Heat you control: seeded jalapenos give the flavor, and you choose how many.
How to Melt the Cream Cheese Smooth
The cheeses are the last step, and they’re where this soup goes right or wrong. A few habits make the difference:
- Move the pot off the burner first, then add the cream cheese and cheddar and stir until they’re melted and combined.
- Soften the cream cheese. Let it come to room temperature and cut it into cubes or pieces. It mixes in much more evenly that way than as a cold block.
- Whisk it in. At first it can look like it won’t melt. Keep whisking to break it up, and press any stubborn pieces against the side of the pot with a flat spatula. It takes a minute or two, and it does blend in evenly.
- Grate the cheddar yourself. Pre-grated cheese has a coating that makes it harder to melt into the soup.
- Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful is melted before you add the next.
How Spicy Is It, and How Do I Keep the Heat Down?
You decide. The recipe uses 4 to 6 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Removing the seeds and ribs makes the jalapenos less spicy, so the soup gets their flavor without all the heat. It does take a good number of them for the jalapeno flavor to come through, so start with 4 if you’re cautious and work up from there next time.
For more heat, go up to 6 jalapenos and pile extra sliced jalapenos on top of each bowl as a garnish. Everyone at the table can add as much as they like.
Ingredient Notes
Bacon: 1 pound, chopped and cooked until crisp. Its grease is the fat that cooks the vegetables; keep 2 tablespoons in the pot.
Jalapenos: 4 to 6, seeded and diced, plus slices for the top.
Onion and garlic: 1/2 cup diced onion and 2 teaspoons minced garlic.
Flour: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, stirred into the drippings to make a paste. It thickens the soup slightly.
Liquids: 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 3 cups half-and-half.
Potatoes: 6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces so they cook evenly.
Cheese: 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces, and 2 cups shredded cheddar.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon, chopped
- 4 to 6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- Sliced jalapenos, bacon, green onion and shredded cheese, for garnish
How to Make Jalapeno Popper Soup
1. Cook the bacon. In a large Dutch oven or pot, cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove most of the bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pot to cook the onion and jalapenos.
2. Cook the jalapenos and onion. Add the diced jalapenos and the onion to the pot and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.
3. Add the garlic. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Make the paste. Add the flour and stir to make a paste.
5. Add the broth and half-and-half. Pour in the chicken broth and the half-and-half and whisk continually until mixed well.
6. Simmer the potatoes. Add the chopped potatoes. Heat the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
7. Melt in the cheeses. Remove the pot from the heat, then add the cream cheese and the cheddar. Stir until the cheeses are melted and combined.
8. Season. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Garnish and serve. Garnish with sliced jalapenos, bacon, green onion and shredded cheese, and serve warm.
Tips for the Best Jalapeno Popper Soup
- Whisk as the liquid goes in. Pour the broth in slowly and keep whisking so the flour paste mixes in smoothly.
- Stir the potatoes now and then while they simmer, so nothing catches on the bottom of the pot.
- Test a potato with a fork. It should slide in easily before the cheese goes in.
- Season at the end. Bacon, broth and cheese all bring salt, so taste before adding any.
- Save some bacon for the top. A few crisp pieces on each bowl add crunch.
Variations
- Chicken: stir in about 10 ounces of cooked, shredded chicken at the end and heat it through for a few minutes. A rotisserie chicken works.
- Heavy cream: use heavy cream in place of the half-and-half.
- Vegetable broth: swap it for the chicken broth.
- More vegetables: cook 2 ribs of celery and 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper with the onion.
- White cheddar: use sharp white cheddar in place of the cheddar.
- Turnips: use 1 1/2 pounds of peeled, cubed turnips in place of the potatoes and simmer them 20 to 25 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Toppings: croutons, a drizzle of ranch dressing, extra green onion.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Divide a big pot into smaller, shallow covered containers so it cools quickly, and eat it within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: This soup doesn’t freeze well because of all the dairy. Cream separates and looks curdled after freezing, so it’s best kept in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove until the soup comes to a rolling boil or reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with warm butter biscuits or 3-ingredient cheddar biscuit bites. For a game-day spread, add mini pepper poppers.
More creamy soups: baked potato soup, crack chicken soup and 5-ingredient slow cooker loaded potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in jalapeno popper soup?
Bacon, jalapenos, onion, garlic, flour, chicken broth, half-and-half, Yukon gold potatoes, cream cheese and cheddar, with the usual popper toppings on each bowl.
How do I melt the cream cheese into the soup?
Remove the pot from the burner, add softened cream cheese cut into pieces, and whisk. Press any stubborn pieces against the side of the pot with a flat spatula; it blends in within a minute or two.
How spicy is it, and how do I keep the heat down?
Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos so they’re less spicy, and use 4 instead of 6. Extra sliced jalapenos on top let anyone add more heat.
Can I add chicken, and can I freeze it?
Yes to chicken: stir in cooked, shredded chicken at the end and heat it through. Freezing isn’t a good idea; the dairy separates and looks curdled after thawing.
Why won’t my cheddar melt smoothly?
Pre-grated cheese has a coating that makes it harder to melt into the soup. Grate it fresh and add it a handful at a time.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat to 165°F or a rolling boil.
Final Notes
Seed the jalapenos, keep the potatoes at a gentle simmer and let the cheese melt off the burner. If you try it with chicken or turnips, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Jalapeno Popper Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 4 to 6 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened and cut into pieces
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- sliced jalapenos, bacon, green onion and shredded cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove most of the bacon grease, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pot to cook the onion and jalapenos.
- Add the diced jalapenos and the onion to the pot and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the flour and stir to make a paste.
- Pour in the chicken broth and the half-and-half and whisk continually until mixed well.
- Add the chopped potatoes. Heat the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then add the cream cheese and the cheddar. Stir until the cheeses are melted and combined.
- Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Garnish with sliced jalapenos, bacon, green onion and shredded cheese, and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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