These baked vegan jalapeño poppers are a lighter, but just as delicious alternative to their deep-fried counterpart. The secret ingredient is cauliflower mac and cheese filling from Ark Foods. I’ve tried a few of their products and all of them are incredible, but my favorite is definitely the Jalapeño Cauli Mac+Cheese. It’s what inspired this recipe! To make your own, you can find Ark Foods products at most New Jersey Shoprite stores.
To make this recipe gluten-free, simply omit the bread crumbs or use a gluten-free option. For an easy, cost-efficient gluten-free breadcrumb substitute, I put puffed rice cereal in a food processor and pulse into crumbs.
Baked Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
with Tahini Ranch Dip
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Tahini Ranch
1/2 cup tahini
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp agave
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
Jalapeño Poppers
1 package Ark Foods Jalapeño Cauli Mac+Cheese, cooked according to instructions
8 jalapeño peppers
Shredded vegan cheese and bread crumbs, for topping
Directions
To make the Tahini Ranch: Whisk all ingredients together. Leave in the refrigerator until ready for use.
To make the Jalapeño Poppers: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut each jalapeño lengthwise, slightly off-center to create boats for the filling. Generously pack each jalapeño boat with Ark Foods Cauli Mac. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the desired amount of vegan cheese on each jalapeño. Bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast bread crumbs in a pan until they develop a rich color. Season with salt and pepper.
Broil jalapeño poppers for an additional 3-5 minutes, until vegan cheese starts to bubble.
Sprinkle each jalapeño popper with toasted bread crumbs. Serve with Tahini Ranch Dip.
