Grow bigger jalapeños next season! You can do this by growing larger Jalapeño varieties such as Jalapeño Traveler and Jalmundo NuMex – they will reward you with pods that can get up to 4 inches to make the perfect poppers!
Note that the size of jalapenos varies depending on the growing conditions. Weather, especially, can affect the size of peppers in general, some seasons result in much larger pods than other seasons. Sometimes pods will start out smaller and get larger as the season progresses, and sometimes they will start out large and then get smaller at the end of the season. Whatever their size, they all make great poppers, but growing larger varieties will ensure you have a much better chance of large poppers for the grill.
Jalmundo NuMex Seeds
Described as a jumbo jalapeño, it produces heavy yields of large, meaty peppers up to 4 inches long on 30-inch-tall plants. This variety was developed specifically for large jalapeño poppers and is noted for its larger size and more intense heat than standard jalapeños.
Jalapeño Traveler Seeds
This open-pollinated heirloom jalapeño plants get to 3 feet tall, and produce a continuous crop 3-1/2" to 4" long pods. Enjoy the peppers green for a crisp bite or let them ripen to red for a sweeter, more complex taste. Whether you're gardening at high or low elevations, this Jalapeño Traveler is a reliable variety that thrives, delivering consistent medium heat with 2,500-8,000 Scovilles and produces robust yields all season long.
Jalapeño M Seeds
Experience the bold, addictive flavor of Jalapeño M Pepper Seeds, the most popular pepper in the USA! Perfect for nachos, salsas, or pickling, these jalapeños are perfect for poppers and pack a fiery punch with a 12,000 Scovilles! These aren't your average heat grocery store Jalapeños. These pods get to 3.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide with thick meaty flesh, and are slow to turn red, so they stay vibrant green and fresh longer, growing on sturdy 24"–36" plants.
Mucho Nacho F1 Jalapeño
Although sold out right now, our Mucho Nacho F1 is also a large jalapeño variety, with dark green, conical fruits that are 4 inches long. We're working to find an untreated source of these, to stay true to our seed integrity pledge. Stay tuned as we hope to carry this again in the future, but for now the Jalapeño M and Jalmundo NuMex varieties are also extra big with pods over 4".
Which Sandia jalapeño has the thickest walls for poppers?
- Jalmundo NuMex Jalapeño has nice thick, meaty walls that make great peppers.
- Jalapeño Traveler has thick crunchy walls, too, making for great poppers!
- Jalapeño M one of the most popular Jalapenos to grow for poppers!
Want Bigger Peppers for Poppers?
If you want even bigger peppers, and you like the heat of jalapenos, here are a few other pepper varieties to try – these will make great extra large poppers!
- Hot Portugal Pepper – these plants produce 6” long peppers packed with intense heat with 30,000 Scovilles!
- Hot Hungarian Wax peppers – Hot 5" long, banana-shaped peppers that transition from pale yellow to golden orange. Their Scoville heat rating runs from 5,000-10,000.
- Hatch Big Jim Green Chile - our medium-heat chile is extra large at 7" and they make awesome Hatch chile poppers!
- Big Jim Legacy Chile - Huge 8-10" pods can make the most meaty and delicious poppers. Stuff them with cream cheese, hummus, rice and beans, you name it!
- Grow the Largest Peppers – we have a great selection of extra-large peppers that are great for stuffing, roasting, and grilling. We also have sweet and mild extra-large peppers so that you can make poppers for those who are heat-adverse.
Best Jalapeños for Pickling
Jalapeños also are delicious pickled! Any variety of jalapeño is sure to please when pickled. Check out all of our pickled pepper recipes »
Happy pepper growing!
