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Air fryer bacon jalapeño cheese pigs in a blanket are perfect if you want an easy appy or finger food. This air fryer appetizer uses Pillsbury pizza dough along with brats, cheese, jalapeños, and more. Pigs in a blanket with bratwurst is the perfect treat on game day or whenever you have friends coming over.
You can’t go wrong with a loaded pigs in a blanket appy or finger food. These delicious, meaty snacks are completely irresistible, especially when paired with a homemade horseradish mustard dipping sauce.
Air Fryer Bacon Jalapeño Cheese in a Blanket Ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients in this air fryer appetizer. In addition to Pillsbury pizza dough, you will need brats, mozzarella, jalapeños, bacon, egg, and everything bagel seasoning.
The horseradish mustard dip calls mustard, honey, horseradish, and sour cream. Use grainy or smooth Dijon mustard, as you prefer. You can also serve another kind of dipping sauce instead. Or offer more than one. If you like, you can use plain sesame seeds in place of the everything bagel seasoning.
You can use any type of brats here and sub another type of string cheese for the mozzarella if you prefer. Adjust the amount of jalapeños and/or remove the seeds to change how spicy the loaded pigs in a blanket come out. As for the dip, you can use different kinds of mustard if you want and use your favourite kind of honey.
How to Make Pigs in a Blanket with Bratwurst
You’ll love how easy air fryer bacon jalapeño cheese pigs in a blanket are to prepare. Cut the brats down the middle without cutting all the way through. Cut the string cheese in half to get thinner pieces and add those inside the brat. Add sliced jalapeños in the openings too.
Use bacon to wrap them up. You will probably need 2 bacon slices for each brat. While you air fry these pigs in a blanket with bratwurst you can prepare the dipping sauce. The dip is easy because you just need to whisk the ingredients together.
Let the brats cool a little on paper towels. Roll out the Pillsbury pizza dough and cut strips, then wrap each brat in strips. Mix the egg with some water to make an egg wash and brush this over the brats.
Sprinkle everything bagel seasoning over them and air fry until golden. Serve the finished air fryer bacon jalapeño cheese pigs in a blanket with the horseradish mustard dipping sauce.
What Exactly is Bratwurst?
Bratwurst, known as brats for short, is a kind of German sausage. Pork is typically used to make brats although veal or beef can also be used. The first evidence of bratwurst found on a document dates back to 1313 in Nuremberg, Germany, which is still a famous sausage-producing region. If you like discovering new sausage recipes, try this Kielbasa stew.
Loaded Pigs in a Blanket FAQs
You aren’t likely to have air fryer bacon jalapeño cheese pigs in a blanket leftovers but, if you do, you can store them. Transfer them into a sealed container and refrigerate. Use them within 3 days. Warm them up for 5 minutes at 350 degrees in either the air fryer or the oven. You can also freeze them in Ziploc bags and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
It’s pretty easy to make this appy or finger food keto-friendly. To do that, simply omit the Pillsbury pizza dough step for the brats and swap the honey in the dipping sauce for artificial sweetener.
The purpose of the egg wash (egg whisked with water) is to give the dough a glossy, golden shine. Without it, this appy or finger food wouldn’t look as good. It also provides a sticky surface for the everything bagel seasoning to stick to.
Air Fryer Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Pigs in a Blanket Recipe
Air Fryer Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredients
- 5 bratwurst, or sausage brats
- 5 Pieces mozzarella, string cheese
- 3 jalapeños, sliced, seeded for less heat
- 12 Ounces bacon
- 1 Can pizza dough, refrigerated, classic crust
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon water, for egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon Everything Bagel seasoning
Horseradish Mustard Dip:
- 2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ Cup mustard, yellow
- 1 Tablespoon horseradish
- ¼ Cup sour cream
Instructions
- Cut string cheese in half for thinner pieces. Slice brats in half down the center, careful not to slice all the way through. *Leaving the bottom of the brat intact will help the cheese inside not to escape once it melts as the brats cook.* Place both halves of string cheese into the opening of the brat, then line sliced jalapenos between the cheese. Repeat with all brats.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Wrap brats in bacon. Overlap the bacon as you wrap to completely cover the brat. We ended up using 2 slices of bacon per brat.
- Add brats to the air fryer and cook for 7 minutes.
- Prepare the dip. Combine dijon mustard, yellow mustard, horseradish, and sour cream in a small bowl and whisk well.
- Remove brats from the air fryer and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Blot lightly with a paper towel to remove excess grease.
- While the brats are cooling, unroll the canned pizza dough onto a lightly floured wooden cutting board. Use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into ¼” strips.
- Preheat the air fryer to 385 degrees F.
- Wrap the dough around the brats. For this step, we used 2 strips of pizza dough per brat.
- Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Place into the air fryer basket and cook for 7 minutes, or until browned.
- Serve brats with dip.
Nutrition
If you’re looking for a delicious air fryer appetizer with Pillsbury pizza dough, loaded pigs in a blanket are ideal. These air fryer bacon jalapeño cheese pigs in a blanket boast the flavours of brats, cheese, chillies, bacon, and more. And the homemade horseradish mustard dipping sauce is the perfect pairing.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Overall taste was good but, I had issues with baking times. Followed recipe as written except cooking times.
It took so long to cook the bacon, all the cheese oozed out. I was careful to keep cut side up while baking. Maybe try par-cooking the bacon before wrapping?
After cooking pizza dough, the brat was dry. Pizza dough took 25 min to cook. Try puff pastry? Or pie crust?
I air fried in my oven, which usually takes longer than regular air fryers so maybe that was my issue.
Sorry. 😟
Hi Sharon, I’m sorry yours didn’t come out well. I think using the oven instead of the air fryer was probably what caused it, as the air fryer cooks much faster and crisps up to help hold the cheese inside. Mine came out well in the air fryer but I haven’t made them in the oven.
Hi Bella. Thanks for the response. To clarify, my oven has an air fry function. Trouble is, I’ve learned I usually have timing issues when using regular air fryer times. I’m sure that was my issue. I thought i would share my experience for others so they would know the pitfalls of NOT using a standard air fryer. 😁
I do NOT believe anything is wrong with your recipe! My oven was the culprit.
I will try again. When I do, I’ll be sure to share how it went.
Sharon
Ah that could be the reason why. Thanks for sharing! And let me know how they come out if you try again!
This is one of my go-to recipes of yours. Thank you!! 🙂
Absolutely delicious. Will make these again for Thanksgiving this year
These are incredible – I just love how the air fryer requires so little fat while crisping everything up soooo well!
Does it get any better than these cheese and jalapeno stuffed pigs in a blanket? The answer is no, it doesn’t.
YUM this looks like a great summer time or tailgating recipe to pin for later!
The name itself is sooooo tempting! I love all the combination in this pigs in a blanket! So good!
I am drooling. These look delicious. You had me at bacon!
That combo of bacon jalepeno sounds so good. And that mustard sauce is a bonus! What a great combo!
how unique with the pizza dough. going to give these a try this weekend