Make your own crispy, crunchy, restaurant style battered and fried Jalapeño Bottle Caps (fried jalapeno pepper slices) at home! Spicy and delicious, they are the perfect appetizer or snack. They're also amazing when tossed onto sandwiches and burgers!

Jalapeno Bottle Caps Recipe (Fried Jalapeno Slices)

Jalapeño Bottle Caps Recipe

I've seen these wonderful fried jalapeño slices in restaurants for years, but oddly enough I've never made them. Silly me. They're great little bites of spicy crunchiness and they're rather addictive, so beware if you make them.

I probably ate half of them as we were taking the photo for this post.

In restaurants, they are often served as appetizers with a cooling sauce, like ranch or a blue cheese dip, but I enjoy them most when they are included as the crunchy topping of a sandwich.

Jalapeño heaven, my friends. Yes, we're now entering Mike's jalapeno obsession territory. Again. #JalapenoObsession

What are jalapeno bottle caps?

Jalapeno bottle caps are battered and fried jalapeno pepper slices. They resemble bottle caps when they are cooked, hence the name.

They are a great crunchy addition to sandwiches or salads, but they're also ideal for a fun appetizer or crunchy-spicy snack. Serve them with ranch or blue cheese to send them over the top!

Ingredients in Fried Jalapenos

Jalapeno peppers
All-purpose flour
Garlic powder
Paprika
Salt and pepper
Eggs
Light beer
Peanut or vegetable oil

How to Make this Jalapeno Bottle Caps Recipe

Slice the peppers. You start out by slicing up a jalapeño or 10 into rings.

Get your batter going. A bit of flour, seasonings - I used garlic powder and paprika, salt and pepper, but feel free to mix that up - couple of eggs, 4 ounces of beer.

Dipping jalapeno rings into batter to make jalapeno bottle caps (fried jalapeno slices)

Make the batter. Whisk it all together to form your batter. Adjust the amount to the number of jalapeno bottle caps you'll be making -- and chowing down.

Preheat the oil. heat your oil in a large pot or get your fryer going.

Frying and draining jalapeno bottle caps (fried jalapeno slices)

Fry the jalapeños. Dip your jalapeno slices into the batter then fry them in batches, a few minutes each, until they are golden.

Drain the oil. Strain them out and drain them a couple minutes on paper towels.

Jalapeno Bottle Caps (Fried Jalapeno Slices) on a platter

Recipe Tips and Notes

Buttermilk or beer. You can also include buttermilk instead of beer in the batter for a slightly different texture. I went without and they turned out great. Want to skip the beer? Use fizzy seltzer or clear soda.
Don't overheat the oil. Don't overheat the oil to the point of smoking. It's perfect when you can drop a tiny drop of water into the oil and it sizzles up right away.
Don't overcrowd the oil. Work in batches! If you have way too many jalapeños in the oil, the temperature of the oil will decrease and the jalapeños won't quite fry right.

Storage

Once cooled to room temp, you can store any leftover fried jalapeños you have in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For the very best results, don't use the microwave to reheat them - use the air fryer instead! The air fryer will return that crispy consistency that makes the jalapeño bottle caps so good.

Try Some of My Other Popular Appetizers and Snacks

Mike dipping a fried jalapeno slice into a creamy dressing

If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.

Jalapeno Bottle Caps Recipe (Fried Jalapeno Slices)

These restaurant-style jalapeno bottle caps (fried jalapeno slices) are battered then fried until golden, the perfect crispy appetizer or snack.

Save Recipe

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jalapeno, snack

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Calories: 94kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

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4.88 from 24 votes

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Ingredients

3 fresh jalapeno peppers sliced into rings
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 large eggs
4 ounces light beer (or use fizzy seltzer or clear soda)
2 to 3 cups peanut or vegetable oil enough to cover the battered jalapeno peppers

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Do not let it boil.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add the eggs and beat into a batter.
Stir in the beer (or fizzy soda).
In batches, coat the sliced jalapeno peppers in the batter.
Fry the battered jalapeno peppers in batches about 5-6 minutes each, turning as needed, until golden and crispy.
Drain on paper towels and lightly salt while they're hot. Serve.

Video

Notes

Heat Factor: Medium. Try this with habanero pepper slices for a nice level of heat.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 94kcal Carbohydrates: 5g Protein: 1g Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 32mg Sodium: 12mg Potassium: 29mg Vitamin A: 140IU Vitamin C: 5mg Calcium: 5mg Iron: 0.5mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/23/24 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 6/1/2016.

Jalapeño Bottle Caps