Make a batch of Roasted Jalapeños and use them throughout the week to spice up your meals! They're a great addition to tacos, in creamy dips, in jalapeño burgers, or as a spicy side dish or sandwich addition. This recipe uses only jalapeños and olive oil and is super easy!
I'll give you cooking directions for making air fryer roasted jalapeños and oven-roasted jalapeños, and of course—give you tons of ideas for how to use these roasted jalapeños. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Jump to:
Blistered jalapeños
Roasting jalapeños mellows our their spicy flavor a little, brings out their natural smokiness, and highlights their subtle sweetness. Jalapeños get a little blackened, charred, and blistered on the bottom and around the edges as they roast, which is delicious and fancy-looking.
Jalapeños are typically inexpensive—the 6 jalapeños I used for this recipe cost me only $0.79 cents! So they're a great way to add a little spice, add a little veggies, and add loads of flavor to your meals for very little money.
I'm not suggesting serving just jalapeños as a side dish on their own (unless of course you like a lot of spice!). But adding 1-2 pieces of roasted jalapeños next to your protein for dinner along with a few other veggies, stirring some into homemade salsa or creamy dips, or chopping up a few to add to tacos or salads is a great idea!
More jalapeños recipes: Fried Jalapeños
How to use roasted jalapeños
My absolute favorite way to use roasted jalapeños is by chopping them up and using them in this cheesy chicken corn dip. It's a no-bake dip that can be prepared in a few minutes, so if you have already roasted jalapeños you can just stir them right in for a nice subtle heat!
I sometimes cook extra shredded chicken to make the "dip" into a main dish for dinner. It's so so so good!!
Other uses for roasted jalapeños:
- Serve them on the side with grilled chicken or fish (try this chili lime swai!)
- Chop them up and use them in charred corn salsa or black bean pineapple salsa
- Add them to this roasted peach tomatillo salsa
- Chop them up and add them to fish tacos, such as this trout tacos recipe
- Add them to chicken quesadillas
- Put a few pieces in your burgers, such as these flavorful salsa burgers
- Add chopped roasted jalapeños to chili, stew, or soup (they would be great in this sweet potato sausage soup or this white chicken chili!)
- Stir some into this roasted red pepper dip to make it spicy!
More recipes using fresh jalapeños: Hot Pepper Jelly
How to prepare jalapeños for roasting
Wear disposable kitchen gloves to prevent painful jalapeño spice burns to your skin, eyes, or under your nails.
Start by slicing the jalapeños in half lengthwise to make a boat shape. Use your knife to carefully separate the pith and seeds from the inside of the jalapeño, then scoop out all the pith and seeds. Rinse the seeds out if any stubborn seeds are stuck inside.
It's your choice whether to remove the stems. I leave them on if I plan on serving roasted jalapeños on their own as a side dish, but I chop the stems off if I plan blending them into a dip or adding them to a sandwich or tacos.
This is the same way I prepare jalapeños for tuna jalapeño poppers.
More recipes using jalapeños: Jalapeño Leek Cornbread
How to roast jalapeños in the oven
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil, arrange the halved cleaned-out jalapeños on the baking sheet and spray lightly with olive oil (I love this refillable olive oil sprayer! It has paid for itself over and over compared to buying disposable cooking spray cans!).
Roast at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking, flipping halfway through.
Related recipe: Roasted Shishito Peppers
How to make roasted jalapeños in the air fryer
If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 350F. Place the halved cleaned-out jalapeños on your air fryer basket or pan. Air fry for 8-12 minutes at 350F, or until they are cooked to your liking, flipping halfway through.
All air fryers cook differently so make sure to check on the jalapeños before the cook time is up to make sure they're not burning or turning too black.
More amazing jalapeño appetizers: Texas Twinkies (Brisket Stuffed Jalapeños)
Recipe tips and notes
→ PLEASE PLEASE wear disposable kitchen gloves to cut and clean out the jalapeños! Their oils stay on your hands for 1-2 days even if you washed your hands, and it will burn a lot if the oils get under your nails, if you have invisible micro-cuts, or if you rub your eyes (or other sensitive areas).
→ Adjust the cook time to your preference! The jalapeños in my pictures are roasted for a full 30 minutes (or a full 12 minutes in the air fryer), and they are very soft. If you prefer them to retain their crispness, roast them for less time.
→ Why not roast some other veggies while you have the oven on?? Add a few garlic cloves (or slice the top of a head of garlic and drizzle with oil. Add some sliced bell peppers to roast. Slices zucchini, yellow squash, cubed butternut squash, small cubed sweet potatoes would all have roughly the same cook time as jalapeños so you can get more done in the same time!
More easy jalapeño recipes to try: Jalapeño Peanut Brittle
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Roasted Jalapeños (Oven and Air Fryer Instructions)
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh jalapeños peppers - (or use less if that's what you have)
- olive oil spray - (or about ½ tablespoon olive oil)
Special equipment
- Air fryer (optional)
Instructions
- Wear disposable kitchen gloves. Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise. Use a knife to carefully separate the pith from the inside of the jalapeños. Scoop out the pith and seeds. Rinse the jalapeños to remove the seeds, if needed.Remove the stem if you plan on using the jalapeños in other recipes instead of eating them on their own.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil, arrange the halved cleaned-out jalapeños on the baking sheet and spray lightly with olive oil. Roast at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking, flipping halfway through.
- If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 350F. Place the halved cleaned-out jalapeños on your air fryer basket or pan. Air fry for 8-12 minutes at 350F, or until they are cooked to your liking, flipping halfway through.All air fryers cook differently so make sure to check on the jalapeños before the cook time is up to make sure they're not burning or turning too black.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Noreen
Sunday 22nd of October 2023
So well written and love the recommend uses and link to recipes! Thanks :)