These cream cheese pepper jelly wonton cup appetizers are a delicious, quick and easy to make with just three ingredients. The creamy bite-sized appetizers can be prepped ahead of time and filled just before serving.
It always makes me feel fancy when I’m at an event and servers come around with bite-sized appetizers on a tray. I could totally see these cream cheese pepper jelly wonton cup appetizers being served at a fancy shindig.
These cream cheese wontons are essentially the fancied-up version of another go-to-party staple — this Easy Cream Cheese & Pepper Jelly Appetizer Spread — a block of cream cheese, topped with a homemade hot pepper jelly and served with crackers.
Serving the cream cheese and pepper jelly in wonton cups is a more elegant presentation, suitable for cocktail parties, weddings, bridal showers.
I love using wonton wrappers to make appetizers. I have a whole post full of tips on how to make wonton cups and a roundup of 100+ different recipes you can make using wonton wrappers. If you love this flavor combination, be sure to try my recipe for Chinese-style cream cheese wontons with homemade sweet and sour sauce.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The recipe takes virtually no time to make at all.
The cream cheese and pepper jelly filling can be prepped ahead of time. You can also make the wonton cups in advance and fill them just before serving.
And for something so simple, these taste so good. There’s just something delightful about the combination of cream cheese and pepper jelly.
These appetizers are sweet and creamy with just a hint of spiciness, in a crispy, crunchy baked shell.
You can buy pepper jelly at the grocery store, but I highly recommend making some. It has a long shelf life, and can be used on so many different ways. I try to make some jars every summer using hot and mild peppers from our garden.
Watch my web story on how to make hot pepper jelly and try my easy canning recipe for sweet & spicy pepper jelly.
Ingredients
To make this recipe you will need:
- Wonton wrappers – Find them in the produce section of you grocery store, near the tofu and egg roll wrappers.
- Cream cheese – Full-fat cream cheese is the creamiest and richest tasting, but you can also use reduced fat.
- Pepper jelly – Homemade is the best, but you may also be able to find pepper jelly at the grocery store or a gourmet shop.
- Vegetables – These are optional. But I like to use either shredded carrots, jalapeno slices, green onions or diced bell pepper to garnish the filled wonton cups.
How to Make the Appetizers
You start with wonton wrappers, which are similar to egg roll wrappers, and a mini muffin pan. You can find the wonton wrappers in the produce section of your local grocery store.
Use your fingers, or a nifty wooden tart tamper, to press the wonton wrapper into the ungreased mini muffin pan.
Then pop them in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Allow the wonton cups to cool and remove them from the muffin pan.
Hungry for more wonton appetizer recipes? Get my all my tips for how to make wonton cups and my favorite wonton cup filing and appetizer ideas.
To make the filling, combine softened cream cheese with pepper jelly using an electric mixer or a fork.
The ratio of pepper jelly to cream cheese is a personal preference, depending on how spicy you want your wontons to be. I recommend 2 or 3 Tablespoons per four ounces of cream cheese.
Just before serving, spoon cream cheese mixture into wonton cups and garnish with shredded carrots, jalapeno slices or chopped bell pepper. I like to use a small scoop to fill the cups.
Variations & Substitutions
This recipe is very adaptable. Try one of these variations or switch up the ingredients to customize.
- Add some chopped cocktail shrimp to the cream cheese mixture.
- Chop up some jalapeños or other hot peppers to add to the mixture. The creamy, sweet and spicy combo is delicious.
- For a creamier appetizer, substitute marscapone cheese for the cream cheese.
- Use these Spicy Pear Preserves in place of the pepper jelly in this recipe.
- To transform this recipe into a dessert, substitute a sweet fruit jam, like strawberry jam or blueberry jam, for the pepper jelly. You may also want to add some powdered sugar to the cream cheese to sweeten it.
- Try making the wonton cup appetizers with a bacon jam. Use peach bacon jam for a sweeter appetizer, or tomato bacon jam if you want something more savory.
Can I Make These Ahead of Time?
You can make the wonton cups ahead of time, but I wouldn’t add the cream cheese mixture until just before serving. It’s also personal preference how much cream cheese filling you add to each wonton cup.
You can add a garnish of shredded carrots, green or red bell peppers or a jalapeno if you’re feeling especially spicy.
If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, you can spoon extra pepper jelly on the top of each appetizer.
More Wonton Cup Recipes
Be sure to try these other wonton cup appetizer recipes.
Pin This! Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese Wonton Cups
Printable Recipe Card
Bite-Sized Cream Cheese Pepper Jelly Wonton Cups
Ingredients
- 12 wonton wrappers
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2-3 Tablespoons of pepper jelly or more to taste
- 1 shredded carrot, jalapeno slices or chopped bell pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a tart tamper to press wonton wrappers into mini muffin tins. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool, then gently remove the wonton cups from the muffin tin.
- Using a mixer or a whisk, whip together 4 ounces of cream cheese and 2 or 3 tablespoons of pepper jelly until smooth.
- Just before serving, spoon cream cheese mixture into wonton cups and garnish with shredded carrots, jalapeno slices or chopped bell pepper.
Notes
Variations & Substitutions
- Add some chopped cocktail shrimp to the cream cheese mixture.
- Chop up some jalapeños or other hot peppers to add to the mixture. The creamy, sweet and spicy combo is delicious.
- For a creamier appetizer, substitute marscapone cheese for the cream cheese.
- To transform this recipe into a dessert, substitute a sweet fruit jam, like strawberry jam or blueberry jam, for the pepper jelly. You may also want to add some powdered sugar to the cream cheese to sweeten it.
- Try making the wonton cup appetizers with a bacon jam. Use peach bacon jam for a sweeter appetizer, or tomato bacon jam if you want something more savory.
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