Jalapeño poppers are jalapeño peppers that have been hollowed out, stuffed with a mixture of cheese, spices, and sometimes ground meat, breaded and deep fried. Sometimes they are also called an armadillo egg, especially if wrapped in sausage meat, a term in use since at least 1972 in Texas. The name Armadillo Eggs likely comes from the perceived similarity to Scotch Eggs. Primarily when smoked or grilled and stuffed with sausage they are also sometimes known as A.B.T or Atomic Buffalo Turds.

On April 30, 1992, Anchor Food Products first applied for and received a trademark on ‘Jalapeño Poppers’, as the word ‘Poppers’ had been trademarked in 1983 by the Poppers Supply Company of Portland, Oregon, for use with popcorn. Leon's Texas Cuisine launched a line of cheese-stuffed, breaded, fried jalapeño product in 1985 called Jalitos; the company claims it is the original such product that was nationally distributed. A 100g serving of jalapeno poppers provides approximately 30 calories; 2.8g of fibre, 1g of protein, 215mg of potassium, 5.9g of carbohydrates and 1mg of sodium.