This armadillo eggs recipe takes cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers, wraps them in hot Italian sausage and bacon, then grills them up. Watch them disappear!
Armadillo Eggs are a fun and inventive appetizer with a creative name. I imagine they were invented years ago when someone like me, a crazy jalapeno popper lover, decided that jalapeno poppers stuffed with cream cheese just weren't enough. They probably stood there, contemplating the wonderfully oozing popper and thought, "You know? I'll bet this would taste even BETTER if I wrapped it in meat!"
BOOM! The birth of the Armadillo Egg.
There may be a different origin story out there, but this one works for me.
It isn't hard to imagine how these appetizers got their name. They sort of look like Armadillo Eggs, don't they? Regardless of what they're called, they're quite tasty and, fair warning, a little bit addictive, particularly for meat lovers.
They're not difficult to make. All you need are your typical jalapeno popper ingredients, some Italian sausage and bacon.
Some of my very favorite ingredients. #LifeisGood.
Let's talk about how we make armadillo eggs, shall we?
Armadillo Eggs Ingredients
- Jalapeno Peppers.
- Cream Cheese.
- Seasonings. I'm using chili powder, garlic, and salt and pepper. Use your favorites.
- Ground Italian Sausage. I'm using a hot blend.
- Bacon.
How to Make Armadillo Eggs - the Recipe Method
Core the Jalapeno Peppers. First, cut the tops from the jalapenos peppers, then core them out. Use a spoon or a knife to remove the seeds and membranes, or use a jalapeno corer.
Make the Cheese Filling and Stuff the Jalapenos. Next, mix together the cream cheese, garlic, chili powder, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stuff each jalapeno with the cream cheese mixture.
Wrap in Sausage. Form 1/4 of the Italian sausage around the entire outside of each of the stuffed jalapeños to completely cover them. They will be egg shaped. I use hot Italian sausage, but mild works as well.
Wrap in Bacon. Next, wrap each of the sausage wrapped armadillo eggs with 3 slices of bacon. Be sure to get the bacon wrapped all the way around. You can use toothpicks to affix them, if needed.
Get Cooking! Heat your grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees F.) and lightly oil the grates. Grill the armadillo eggs for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sausage is cooked through. The internal temperature of the sausage should measure 165 degrees F.
Boom! Done! Time to enjoy your armadillo eggs, my friends. They look great, don't they? Time to dig in.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Popper Filling. You can use other jalapeno popper fillings of your choice, including other cheeses, like pepper jack or cheddar cheese.
- Yield. I made 5 armadillo eggs with about 1 pound of Italian sausage, though these were fairly large and could even be served as a small meal. If you'd like to stretch these into smaller bites, use smaller jalapeno peppers and you can make 8 smaller armadillo eggs.
- Heat Factor. If you're a spicy food lover like me, the hot sausage is a nice touch. For even more heat, save the cored out jalapeno innards and mix it into your cream cheese mixture before stuffing the peppers. You can also incorporate spicy chili flakes or chili powder to get a bit more of that heat we crave.
- Other Ground Meats. This recipe works with other ground meats. Try it with ground beef, ground pork, turkey or chicken. Or, use a mixture of different meats. I've made this with a blend of ground beef and chorizo. It's one of my favorite combinations.
- Baked Armadillo Eggs. You don't need a grill to make armadillo eggs. You can use your oven. Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, then baked the armadillo eggs on a baking sheet or aluminum foil until they are cooked through and the bacon is nice and crispy. Or, use your smoker in the same way to add a nice smoky flavor. Smoked armadillo eggs rock! Finally, bake them up! Get ready for eating!
I hope you enjoy the armadillo eggs recipe. Let me know how yours turn out! Check out our Jalapeno Popper Recipes.
Try Some of My Other Popular Appetizer Recipes
- Blue Cheese and Bacon Jalapeno Poppers
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
- Candied Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
- Baked Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
- Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
- Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
- Bacon Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Ghost Pepper Candied Bacon
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Eggs Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large jalapeno peppers (or more as needed)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (I used hot Italian sausage)
- 12 slices bacon
Instructions
- Remove the stem from the jalapeno peppers, then core them out.
- Mix together the cream cheese, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stuff each jalapeno with the cream cheese mixture.
- Form 1/4 of the Italian sausage around the entire outside of the stuffed jalapeno pepper. It will resemble an egg.
- Next, wrap each with 3 slices of bacon. Be sure to get the bacon wrapped all the way around. You can use toothpicks to affix them, if needed.
- Heat your grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees F.) and lightly oil the grates.
- Grill the armadillo eggs for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the armadillo eggs are cooked through.
- Serve them up!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This recipe was updated on 8/2/19 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 6/19/17.
Clay says
The recipe looks great but please know that Armadillos don’t actually lay eggs lol - so the name isn’t from looking like them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Oh my, LOL. It is what they WOULD look like if they DID lay eggs. Hilarious. Enjoy, Clay.
James Clark says
Hi! The instructions aren't very clear on step 3. "Form 1/4 of the Italian sausage around the entire outside of the stuffed jalapeno pepper." What do you mean by "form 1/4" ? Do you mean 1/4" thick?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
James, it means 1/4 of the amount of Italian sausage, so each jalapeno has an equal amount of sausage. Let me know if this is clear.
Gordon says
How long should you bake these?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gordon, I would bake them for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F, but check them at 20 minutes. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jess says
Fantastic recipe!!
I'd love to make a huge freezer batch for my chili pepper loving friend, would you recommend cooking them prior to freezing or could these be assembled, frozen raw, and then baked?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jess, you can freeze these before cooking, though because they are thick, you'll want to make sure they cook through from frozen. Make sure they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F before serving.
Aunt B says
I've seen similar recipes around but have never tried till tonight. I can't believe I waited so long, OMG yum. We used 2 lbs spicy sausage and got 9. Could have gotten more if our peppers weren't so large. I also added a bit of shredded cheddar to cream cheese mixture. Towards the end of grilling, we brushed BBQ sauce on it. Smokey, sweet, crunchy, chewy, spicy, creamy.....I think I'm drooling all over again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Aunt B! Super happy to hear! Glad you enjoyed them.
Ed Starkey says
These awesome made them for the Fourth of July so good will be making them again !!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Love it! Thanks, Ed!
Carlos says
Made them today. They rocked! They're becoming a staple on the Sunday football menu.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Carlos! Glad to hear it! And glad you enjoyed them.
Steve says
These look awesome, gonna try them soon.
What is the sauce shown in some of the pics?
Thx.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Steve. That is my Ranchero Sauce recipe. Check it out! https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/ranchero-sauce/
Christian says
I have to try it. Since we have a rather short season in Central Europe, I have one question: can I freeze those in stock? Thanks for your answer!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Christian, I'm not sure these would freeze very well in stock. I'm afraid the bacon would get rather soft, as well as the sausage, though I've never tried it. I would think you could just wrap them in freezer paper, then seal them up in bags, or use a vacuum sealer, then freeze them as they are. When ready to eat them, heat them up in the oven. If you try this, please let us all know how it turns out for you.
Rita says
Mike I have a question for you. A friend gave me some hot pepper plants and labeled them all jalapenos but they clearly are not. They are about the same size and shape but are a very pale greenish yellow and grow upwards. Do you know what they could be? Thanks for any input.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
It's hard to say, Rita, as a lot of peppers grow upward and start off as very pale. Could be the jaloro pepper, or some form of a larger tabasco, or possibly Hungarian Wax, which can grow upward sometimes.
David says
We've done many varied stuffed jalapeño recipes but not this one. Here in Texas we have some jalapeños that look like Poblanos so in the end they are going to look like dinosaur eggs. Everything in Texas is Bigger! I love this site!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, David! This is definitely a good one, and would probably be even BETTER as a dinosaur egg size! Haha, enjoy!!
Norman Johnston says
Chilli style Scotch eggs. Will give this a try
rachiti says
Norman - That's exactly what I thought - Tex Mex take on a Scotch egg. I adore Scotch eggs! These look equally delicious.
Karly says
Heaven in edible form. There's an alternate title for this recipe. I mean seriously, these look SO darn tasty! Gotta give them a try!