This jalapeno popper breakfast casserole is a mash-up of everyone's favorite appetizer, jalapeno poppers, with the traditional breakfast casserole. It's unique flavors are creamy, spicy, and smoky that come together in a hearty dish that will entice your tastebuds while filling you up!
This easy jalapeno breakfast casserole is perfect for a weekend brunch or an indulgent weekday treat. You may love it so much, it might become your go-to recipe for family gatherings or simply when you crave something special in the morning.
If you love breakfast casseroles, you've got to try my tater tot breakfast bake or one of our other affordable casserole recipes. These are all perfect options to keep your breakfast menu from becoming boring and go great with all your favorite sides for french toast or breakfast side dishes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Super Easy to Make: Simply prepare ingredients, combine, and bake.
- Adjustable Heat Level: Whether you enjoy a mild or intense heat, you can easily make adjustments to suit your personal taste.
- Crowd-Pleaser: This meal prep friendly dish is ideal for family breakfasts, brunch, or potlucks, that's sure to impress.
Ingredients
Here's a look at the ingredients you need to make this spicy cream cheese breakfast casserole.
- Large Eggs: This makes the base of the casserole.
- Mexican Blend Cheese: This our favorite for this dish but you can use cheddar cheese, Colby, pepper jack, mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese individually or in a combination.
- Heavy Cream: Adds a rich, custard-like texture to your casserole.
- Cream Cheese: Add a wonderfully rich, velvety consistency to your dish.
- Jalapenos: Add diced or sliced for a spicy kick.
- Bacon: We will be using cooked and crumbled bacon in the casserole. You can cook it yourself or use a pre-cooked bacon option.
- Garnish: Top with any combination of jalapeno slices, more bacon, chopped cilantro, salsa, or sour cream.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions and Variations
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this (Alternate Keyword here)
- Swap the Bacon: You can use other breakfast meats such as diced ham or cooked and sliced breakfast sausage instead. This casserole would also work with ground beef or ground turkey crumbles.
- Add Seasoning: Add a teaspoon of dry mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika] or paprika for more flavors.
- Add Vegetables: Onions, green onions, baby spinach and bell peppers would all work well added to your casserole.
- Egg Whites: If desired use two egg whites for every whole egg though this may significantly alter the texture of the casserole.
How to Make Jalapeno Popper Breakfast Casserole
Here's a look at the steps for making this spicy breakfast casserole.
- Combine the eggs, a ½ cup of shredded cheese, heavy cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Pour the egg mixture into the prepared pan.
- Spread the cream cheese cubes, jalapenos, and most of the bacon evenly over the top of the casserole. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Serve up your breakfast casserole while it's hot with your favorite toppings and side dishes.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy our breakfast kabob, Breakfast Bombs or this Mexican Breakfast Casserole recipe . Also check out our Spicy Jalapeno Hot Sauce if your wanting more more of a kick!
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store any fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Flash freeze individual slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and then transfer to an airtight container once frozen. This makes it easy to remove one or two servings at a time. The other option is to wrap the entire casserole with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Once frozen it should last for up to 2 months.
- Make Ahead: This dish can be made the night before, covered and refrigerated until the next morning. I suggest removing it from the fridge before reheating it and letting it warm up slightly before baking, usually about thirty minutes is fine. The egg mixture will be slightly cooler so you may need to extend the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
- Reheat: For a quick reheat, place a slice of the casserole onto a microwave-safe dish. Heat it on high for 1-2 minutes or heated through. The other option is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), place the casserole in an oven-safe dish and cover it with foil. Heat up for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). If it's frozen, be sure to thaw it out overnight in the fridge before reheating.
What to Serve with Breakfast Casserole
- Fresh fruit, fruit salad or our easy grape salad always makes a sweet and refreshing side dish. You might also consider a green salad with fruit or this strawberry spinach salad.
- Check out our collection of fall bread recipes for some of our favorite sweet breads that are perfect to serve with this jalapeno egg casserole.
- Potatoes make another favorite side dish to serve with eggs. Have a look at our air fryer breakfast potatoes, how to cook breakfast potatoes, slow cooker breakfast potatoes with bacon, or our cheesy Mexican hashbrown casserole.
Tips
- Time Saving Tip: Prep casserole the night before so all you need to do is pop it in the oven.
- Control the Spiciness: Remove the seeds and membrane or pith from your jalapeños for milder flavor. For more heat, leave some or all of the seeds and membrane intact.
- Creamier Eggs: Whisk your eggs thoroughly to achieve a more light and fluffy texture.
- Don't Over Bake: Keep an eye on your casserole as it bakes as oven temperatures vary.
FAQ
To include jalapenos in your breakfast casserole without adding too much heat, you can remove the seeds and pith or ribs from the peppers. This is where most of the spiciness resides. If you're still concerned about the spice level, you can opt for fewer jalapenos or choose milder green chilies as a substitute.
Absolutely. Skip the meat and add extra vegetables or a meat substitute in place of the bacon.
Yes, you can use pickled jalapeños or pickled habaneros for a slightly different flavor.
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More Breakfast Recipes
Do you like breakfast? Here some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Jalapeno Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs well beaten
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese divided
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese cubed
- 4-5 jalapenos seeds and stems removed, diced
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Garnish: jalapeno cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350° and spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ½ cup cheese, heavy cream, salt and pepper.
- Pour the eggs into the prepared pan, then add cubes of the cream cheese around the pan.
- Add the jalapenos and most of the bacon to the pan.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove and garnish with the remaining bacon and any other garnishes desired.
- Cilantro: Freshly chopped for a zesty garnish.Salsa and sour cream: Serve on the side for guests to add a fresh or creamy dimension to each bite.
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Notes
- Time Saving Tip: Prep casserole the night before so all you need to do is pop it in the oven.
- Control the Spiciness: Remove the seeds and membrane or pith from your jalapeños for milder flavor. For more heat, leave some or all of the seeds and membrane intact.
- Creamier Eggs: Whisk your eggs thoroughly to achieve a more light and fluffy texture.
- Don't Over Bake: Keep an eye on your casserole as it bakes as oven temperatures vary.
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