Spicy Armadillo Eggs

Four bacon wrapped and glazed Armadillo Egg appetizers on butcher paper beside a jar of BBQ sauce and brush full of the same BBQ sauce.

Get ready to spice up your next backyard barbecue or game day tailgate party with these mouth-watering Armadillo Eggs. Meat and spice lovers will adore the delicious combination of cream cheese filled jalapeño peppers wrapped in spicy chorizo sausage and bacon. Glaze them with your favourite BBQ sauce for the perfect final touch.

Summer means backyard barbecues, spicy Mango Margaritas , and lots of laughs with friends and family. These bacon wrapped appetizers are a huge hit with those who love the heat, especially when I serve them with a cooling Watermelon Feta Mint Salad.

Four bacon wrapped and glazed Armadillo Egg appetizers on butcher paper beside a jar of BBQ sauce and brush full of the same BBQ sauce.

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Spicy Armadillo Eggs

Believe it or not, this blog recipe made it onto the blog way back in 2015 as ‘Dinosaur Eggs’. I guess that name was a nod to my educational background (I have a degree in Paleontology) and to the province of Alberta.

It turns out that Armadillo Eggs is the most common name for these little bacon wrapped beauties and that literally no one ever searches for Dinosaur Eggs unless they are a paleontologist.

While this is still the original recipe that I wrote back in 2015 (why change a good thing?), the written information and photos are all brand new. Photos don’t lie… these Armadillo Eggs are as tasty as they look!

Four bacon wrapped and glazed Armadillo Eggs on a butcher paper lined barbecue tray.

From the creamy inner cream cheese core to the sticky sweet barbecue sauce glaze, each layer brings a whole new flavour to this barbecue appetizer.

If you love bacon and spice, this one is for you. If spice isn’t your thing, reduce the heat by using mild chorizo or Italian sausage… but be warned, jalapeño peppers can vary in heat level, and you never know what you’re going to get!

Do you love bacon wrapped jalapenos as much as we do, you will also love bacon wrapped jalapeno stuffed pineapple kabobs. Whew… what a (delicious) mouthful!

What Are Armadillo Eggs?

Despite the name, Armadillo Eggs do not contain eggs, though they are egg shaped and contain a yolk-like inner core. This Texas BBQ snack is a cheese stuffed jalapeño popper enclosed in a layer of sausage meat (like a Scotch egg) before being wrapped in bacon.

Ingredients required to make Armadillo Eggs.

Recipe Ingredients

Can you believe there are only 5 ingredients in this Armadillo Eggs recipe? This is not counting the mixture of herbs and spices in the chorizo (as predetermined by the sausage maker).

  • Jalapeños
  • Cream Cheese
  • Chorizo Sausage
  • Bacon
  • Barbecue Sauce

Try to choose vibrant green jalapeños without any soft spots or blemishes. They should be large enough that a spoon handle fits inside (more on that later) but small enough to be wrapped in the suggested amount of chorizo sausage and bacon.

Two process images showing cream cheese stuffed jalapenos and the same stuffed jalapenos wrapped in chorizo sausage meat.

Use a block of Philadelphia brand regular cream cheese, not light or whipped cream cheese. I highly recommend filling them with my delicious Pimento cheese if you want to get extra fancy.

Note: You’ll need a piping bag to pipe the cream cheese mixture into the jalapeños if you use pimento cheese instead of plain cream cheese.

I use spicy pork chorizo sausage meat in this Armadillo Egg recipe. However, you can substitute either mild chorizo, or use spicy or mild Italian pork sausage instead. They would also be delicious with a homemade English breakfast sausage mixture. Be sure to buy fresh sausage meat that is packaged or in casings and not dried chorizo sausage.

The Ultimate Summer BBQ Appy - Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in spicy chorizo sausage meat and covered in bacon. #appy #appetizer #grilling #chorizo #jalapeno #bacon

Long streaky thin cut bacon rashers are the best for wrapping. I recommend always buying extra, depending on if you want complete coverage or not. I promise these Armadillo Eggs will still be delicious if they are not 100% covered in bacon.

Finally, feel free to use your favorite BBQ sauce for the final glaze. Any style of barbecue sauce will do, except for mayonnaise based Alabama style BBQ sauce.

How to Make Armadillo Eggs

Start by preparing the jalapeños. I highly recommend you wear gloves for this part!

An aluminum tray of armadillo egg appetizers cooking on a barbecue.

First, cut the very top of the stem end off the jalapeños then scrape the innards (including seeds) out. The long handle of a coffee or bar spoon works well to remove the innards easily with a few twists and scoops. Discard the stem/seeds.

To stuff the jalapeños, cut a block of cream cheese into strips the same size as the inside of the jalapeño. Insert the cream cheese strips into the jalapeños. You won’t need more than 4 ounces cream cheese unless you make a double batch. Save the remaining cream cheese for another use.

Pro tip: Many recipes use Pimento Cheese, a spicy cheddar cheese mixture, to stuff the jalapeños and it’s delicious! Mix up a batch and place half (reserving half for another use) inside a piping bag fitted with a medium nozzle. Pipe the pimento cheese filling into the jalapeños.

Brushing BBQ sauce onto a cooked armadillo egg with a brush.

Next, remove chorizo sausage meat from casings and divide it into 8 equal portions. Preheat barbecue or oven to 350 F.

Let’s wrap the jalapeños. First, divide one sausage portion into two and place both on wax or parchment paper. Cover with another piece of paper and use a flat surface (like a baking sheet) to flatten each the meat.

Place the stuffed jalapeño on one flattened sausage oval then cover it with the other. Using your hands, press the sausage together well so there are no cracks. The jalapeño must be completely sealed inside the chorizo.

Lastly, wrap a piece of bacon around the jalapeño chorizo ball. If you prefer, you can skip the bacon and cook the armadillo eggs without it.

Three bacon wrapped and glazed Armadillo Egg appetizers on butcher paper beside a jar of BBQ sauce and brush full of the same BBQ sauce.

How to Cook Armadillo Eggs

There are many ways to cook Armadillo Eggs. Essentially, they cook at a low temperature to reach 160 F, then a quick burst of high heat to caramelize the glaze. This recipe is a combination of oven and gas barbecue. However, you can cook Armadillo Eggs in an oven, barbecue, smoker, and yes… even an air fryer.

Place the bacon wrapped eggs on aluminium trays. Barbecue/bake them at 350 F for an hour, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F.

Remove the Armadillo Eggs from heat and increase barbecue/oven temperature to 375 F (400 F for extra crispy). Brush with barbecue sauce and return to the heat for another 10 minutes. Apply a second glaze if you like. The final temperature of the chorizo sausage should be 165 F.

A platter of armadillo eggs with one cut open to show the jalapeno and cream cheese inside.

How to make Smoked Armadillo Eggs

By the way, smoked Armadillo Eggs are extra delicious! The method is very similar to my smoked meatballs which smoke at a much lower temperature (325 F). Once the BBQ/smoker is at temperature, add the wood chips and place the pan directly on the grill.

Close the lid and smoke for 60 minutes or until the eggs reach an internal temperature of 150 F. Next, increase the smoker temperature to 375 F (400 F for extra crispy) and apply the BBQ sauce. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 F and the Armadillo Eggs are glazed with caramelized sauce.

A hand holding half of a cut open armadillo egg showing the jalapeno and cream cheese filling.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, store Armadillo Eggs in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze them for 2-3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before reheating.

To reheat, preheat oven to 350 F (or air fryer to 300 F) and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F. Brush with extra barbecue sauce.

Pinterest image showing bacon wrapped glazed Armadillo Eggs on a platter with one cut open to show the inside.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I’ve been the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen for the past eleven years. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Spicy Armadillo Eggs recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in the ratings. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!

Yield: 8 pieces

Armadillo Eggs

A bacon wrapped Armadillo egg on butcher paper perfectly glazed with barbecue sauce.

Get ready to spice up your next backyard barbecue or game day tailgate party with these mouth-watering Armadillo Eggs. Meat and spice lovers will adore the delicious combination of cream cheese filled jalapeño peppers wrapped in spicy chorizo sausage and bacon. Glazed with your favourite BBQ sauce for the perfect final touch.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 small jalapenos
  • 1 block cream cheese
  • 6 fresh chorizo sausages; de-stuffed
  • 8 pieces of bacon
  • BBQ sauce

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat barbecue or oven to 350 F.
  2. Cut the stem end off the jalapeños and scrape the innards (including seeds) out.
  3. To stuff the jalapeños, cut a strip off a block of Philadelphia cream cheese and inserted it into the jalapeño.
  4. Remove sausage meat from casings, then divide it into 8 equal portions.
  5. To wrap each jalapeño in fresh chorizo sausage*, divide one sausage portion into two and place on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Cover with another piece of paper and use a flat surface (like a baking sheet or cutting board to press and flatten each sausage portion into an oval shape.
  6. Place the stuffed jalapeño on one flattened sausage oval then cover it with the other. Use your hands to press the sausage together. Make sure there are no cracks and the jalapeño is completely sealed by the chorizo.
  7. Wrap a piece of bacon around the jalapeño chorizo ball.
  8. Place the armadillo eggs on aluminium trays and barbecue them at 350 F (on medium heat) for an hour, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 F.
  9. Remove armadillo eggs from heat and increase barbecue or oven temperature to 375 F. Brush them with barbecue sauce and return to the heat for another 10 minutes (you can brush with more sauce during this time if you like). The final temperature of the chorizo sausage should be 165 F.

Notes

* As an estimate I used slightly less than one chorizo sausage per jalapeño but it depends on the size of the jalapeños.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 201Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 582mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g

Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.

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31 comments

  1. Cannoli Ice Cream - Dish 'n' the Kitchen

    […] with you. A few other recently updated recipes include Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream and Armadillo Eggs. Both are delicious summer […]

    Reply

  2. Ramona

    I love thé combination of these ingredients this recipe looks super delicious, thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      You are welcome Ramona, I love sharing my food with others! Thank you for reading.

  3. Enriqueta E Lemoine

    What a lovely story. I have never heard about armadillo eggs, but I want to try them. They look so yummy. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I just know you’ll love them! Who doesn’t love bacon and a little bit of spice?!

    2. Lisa Grant

      I made these for my husband and he loved them! They are a little extra work but so worth it!

    3. Bernice Hill

      Oh, for sure they take a little work but the reward is DELICIOUS. I’m glad they were a hit!

  4. Noelle

    New to this recipe! The step by step guide is very helpful and gives a great idea of what they’re supposed to look like inside. The perfect spicy party food!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      These are so much fun to make and so satisfying to cut into! Thanks for stopping by Noelle.

  5. Veronika

    This is the first time I’m hearing of armadillo eggs but omg so good! Sausage, cheese, jalapeños, bacon, bbq sauce – so many good things in one bite!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      They are a pretty unique treat and a Texas BBQ staple. Thanks for stopping by Veronika.

  6. Loreto and Nicoletta

    Hi Bernice, you are always have such interesting things you make. These look stupendous. Love the stuffed jalapeno and that bacon wrapped chorizo, is the bomb. Great choice for something sweet to glaze them with. A good balancer of flavor. Thanks for sharing! ❤️

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Thanks so much Loreto and Nicoletta…these are flavour bombs to be sure! Thanks for stopping by!

  7. Sean

    I made these with my cousins since they could use their hands and they loved bacon. They were an absolute hit!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Great idea. Half the fun is making them. I’m glad you could involve your family Sean.

  8. Tammy

    This is the first I’m hearing about armadillo eggs! What a interesting concept but sooo delicious! They look fabulous with that spicy, cheesy center! Yumm!!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      I know, right?! It’s irresistible.

  9. veenaazmanov

    Love your recipe and love the combination of ingredients to making these delicious and unique bites. Love to plan them for my next party.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      Thank you Veena, I just know your guests will adore them!

  10. Gloria

    What a fun party appetizer. Perfect for people who like their food on the spicy side. I need to give these a try.

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      They’re definitely for spice lovers and a great conversation starter too!

  11. Danielle

    Is there a separate guideline for oven baking? I am the worst on a grill!

    Reply

    1. Bernice Hill

      No I have not tested this recipe in an oven. The best I can say is try cooking it at 375 F until the inside of the pork reaches 71°C (160°F).

  12. Greg Laurin

    TONY, just found your recipe. I usually visit my 2 younger sons in Toronto 2 to 3 times a year, I live in Monteral. Recently I have been taking 2 lb tomahawks so I think this is a great starter, or maybe hold them for breakfast after all the wine and steak, would be nice with scrambled eggs and hash browns. Cudos on this terrific recipe.

    Greg Laurin

    Reply

  13. chef mimi

    Gawd these look good. And if you buy velveeta i’ll have to quit following you!

    Reply

  14. tinywhitecottage

    I’m going to have to make these. These will be a hit for sure!

    Reply

    1. dishnthekitchen

      Fabulous! Do let me know how you like them 🙂

  15. Tony

    Thanks for the shout out Bernice, I appreciate it! Hope you liked them as much as I did. 🙂

    Reply

    1. dishnthekitchen

      Everyone loved them Tony. Where are you located?

    2. Tony

      I am so glad! I am in Spokane, WA.

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