Vegan Jalapeño Popper Skillet is a delicious and quick vegan dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes making it perfect for any night of the week. Dairy-free and can be made gluten-free.
In the mood for spicing things up for dinner tonight? Amazing! I have something for you! Jalapeno Popper Skillet – Say what? Yes, we take a popular restaurant appetizer and turn it into dinner! All made in one skillet like we did with this enchilada skillet
A delicious and quick vegan dinner perfect for any night of the week. Especially perfect now, with Cinco de Mayo around the corner!
Now that the days are getting warmer, I love me a quick, easy, and tasty one-pan dinner that allows me to stay outside longer. And this one is seriously easy. Traditionally, Japaneño Poppers are a bit fiddly to make, First hollowed out, then stuffed with a mixture of cheese and sometimes ground meat before they are breaded and deep-fried. This skillet dinner is more like a deconstructed cheater’s version. We take those cheesy briney flavors we love and incorporate them into a delicious Mexican-inspired tortilla skillet.
A simple hearty mix of sauteed onion, tomato and bell peppers with added veggie crumbles and some pickled jalapeno is the base of this Tex Mex Skillet dinner. No breadcrumbs needed here! I went with some sliced tortillas that get tossed with the jalapeno popper filling directly in the pan. Cheese and jalapeno popper sauce on top, and DONE! No fussing, no stuffing no breading or frying involved. WIN!
You can serve this Vegan Jalapeño Popper Skillet Dinner with some tortilla chips, over rice or cauliflower rice, with a salad or just straight out of the pan. The most important thing is drizzling it again all over with a generous amount of vegan Jalapeno Popper Cream for a bit of tang.
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Recipe Card
Jalapeno Popper Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil
- 1/2 cup (80 g) thinly sliced onion
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) thinly sliced bell pepper red, green or both
- 1 cup (82.09 g) veggie crumbles or cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup (74.5 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder blend
- 2-3 tortillas sliced into triangles or use tortilla chips
- 2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno
For the Jalapeno popper cream-
- 1/4 cup cashews soaked for 15 minutes in hot water, see notes for Nutfree
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 or 5 slices pickled jalapeno
- 3-4 tbsp water
For toppings
- Sliced Avocado
- Cilantro
- Pickled Jalapeno
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron, or regular skillet over medium high heat, add oil.
- Add the onion and peppers, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the veggie crumbles, salt, and chili powder blend, and mix in. Cook until the onion is golden.
- Add in the tomatoes, and two tbsp of water and mix in. Cook until the tomatoes are somewhat tender. Mash some of them.
- Add in the tortillas and the pickled jalapenos and mix in
- Reduce heat to medium.Top with the jalapeno popper cream sauce, pickled jalapenos, and 1/4 cup of vegan cheese shreds, if using. The cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook until the cheese melts, 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, top with avocado and cilantro and serve.
To make the jalapeno popper cream sauce-
- Blend all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy,
- Taste and ajust flavor by adjusting salt, adding more tang with the brine from the pickled jalapeno as needed.
Notes
- Nutfree: use 1/3 cup Silken or firm tofu or 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds for jalapeño cream sauce
- Glutenfree: use Glutenfree tortillas or corn tortilla chips
- Top these with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, and some more pickled jalapeno.
- Pico de Gallo would be amazing with this but I would serve it on the side, not spooned on top as it would make the dish watery and the tortillas soggy.
You can add in some black beans or sweet corn to bulk this up a bit.
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- sauteed onions, tomatoes, and bell pepper form the base
- I add some veggie crumbles as a stand-in for minced meat but you can use cooked lentils
- 3 standard-sized cut-up wheat tortillas are added to take this Tex Mex dish into an even more Mexican direction. Choose gluten-free tortillas if you want.
- pickled jalapenos add that briny taste and that perfect amount of heat
- chili for some extra spice, if you want.
- I like to sprinkle vegan cheese on top. Not a must but recommended.
- For the Jalapeno Popper cream, we blend cashews with lemon juice, pickled jalapenos, ACV and nutritional yeast. SO GOOD!
Tips:
- Skip the chili powder if you suspect the jalapenos are already spicy enough for you.
- You can add a pinch of smoked paprika if you want a hint of smokiness or a pinch of cayenne pepper for even more heat, if you want extra spicy.
- Top these with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, and some more pickled jalapeno.
- Pico de Gallo would be amazing with this but I would serve it on the side, not spooned on top as it would make the dish watery and the tortillas soggy.
- You can add in some black beans or sweet corn to bulk this up a bit.
How to make Jalapeno Popper Skillet:
Heat a cast iron, or regular skillet over medium high heat, add oil. Add the onion and peppers, cook for two minutes, then add in the veggie crumbles, salt, and chili powder blend, and mix in. Cook until the onion is golden.
Add in the tomatoes, and two tbsp of water and mix in. Cook until the tomatoes are somewhat tender. Mash some of them.
Add in the tortillas and the pickled jalapenos and mix in.
Reduce heat to medium. Top with the jalapeno popper cream sauce, pickled jalapenos, and 1/4 cup of vegan cheese shreds, if using. Then cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook until the cheese melts, 4-5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, top with avocado or salsa and cilantro and serve.
To make the jalapeno popper cream sauce!
Blend all of the ingredients until smooth and creamy,
Taste and adjust flavor by adjusting salt, adding more tang with the brine from the pickled jalapeno as needed.
Deb
Omg yummy. Quite delicious and simple!
Vegan Richa Support
Yay!
Diane
Made this tonight – absolutely loved it. My two teenagers love it. The cashew cream is to die for. I did not think anything could compare to your turmeric carrot loaf, but this is a close contender.
Sayani
This was so flavorful, especially the sauce! I made this into burritos for work lunches and added everything but the tortillas to the skillet to make the filling. Your recipes are always the best!
Melanie
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING. It was a huge hit with my family.
I went with lentils instead of the veggie crumbles and I did not use any shredded cheese. It was so flavorful and rich without it. I can’t wait to make it again.
Richa
Yay
Sal
This was so simple and delicious! Next time I will double the cream recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Richa
Awesome
Margaret Pearce
I made this with TVP instead of veggie crumbles since that’s all I had. It turned out so good! The cream sauce pulls it all together. Next time I will double up on the sauce and leave some on the side. Thanks for another delicious recipe Richa! Your blog is the best 🙂
Maneesha
AMAZING RECIPE, RICHA! The jalapeno popper sauce is awesome! I’m definitely going to incoporate this sauce in more of my Mexican dishes! Thanks for a slam dunk recipe! I used Beyond Meat and Follow Your Heart Cheddar – totally hit the spot!
Tara
Are raw cashews necessary for the sauce, or can/did you use standard ones? Thanks!
Vegan Richa Support
those would also work
Sue
This recipe sounds easy and delicious! I was wondering if canned diced tomatoes could be substituted for the fresh tomatoes and water?
Thank you!
Richa
Yes
Carol
By tortillas, do you mean soft tortillas (either corn or flour)? Do they get soggy/mushy? Or would it be better to use chips? Thanks!
Richa
Yes soft tortillas. You can use tortilla chips and if you prefer they stay crisp, add them just before adding the jalapeño popper sauce. And serve immediately once the mixture has thickened
PamelaB
I love how you come up with different spins on food!
Have saved this & will definitely be enjoying it soon.
JoAnn
What are veggie crumbles? I’ve never heard of them and where do you but them? This recipe sounds amazing
Vegan Richa Support
you can see what they look like in one of the photos and basicly a crumbly vegan protein. trader joes or other health food stores stock themand you can read more info in this link: https://www.google.com/search?q=veggie+crumbles&oq=veggie+crumbles&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l9.2652j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8