Last updated March 27th, 2025
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This super spicy firecracker burger packs a punch with a trio of peppers – jalapeno, habanero, and ghost – that’ll be worth the journey if you’re brave enough!

I love spicy food. Nicole likes it too, but I love it. Anytime I see something with hot peppers, be it habanero, ghost, or Carolina Reaper I just have to try it. And that especially rings true when it comes to burgers; anytime a restaurant has a spicy burger I know what I’m ordering.
What This Recipe Entails
We love making burgers because they’re easy, quick, and fun.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Our spicy burger, dubbed the firecracker, brings the heat using 3 different peppers: jalapeno bottle caps, habanero jack cheese, and ghost pepper hot sauce. While you can upgrade the heat level if desired, we love the combination of heat and flavor that these three peppers provide.
Ingredients
The goal here is to make a burger that features some real spice, but also has plenty of flavor.
- English muffin – We chose to go with an english muffin for the bun to limit the amount of spice break you get in each bite.
- Burger patties – If you want to make your own patties from scratch, check out our classic burger patties recipe. We like to add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to add spiciness to the burger patty itself.
- Pepper jack cheese – Pepper jack cheese can be found in many different types, we often choose a habanero jack for this recipe, but you can also step it up to a ghost pepper jack!
- Hot sauce – We recommend a thick hot sauce here that can be slathered on. Check out the Yellowbird ghost pepper hot sauce if you want our choice for this burger.
- Bottle caps – We make some homemade jalapeno bottle caps for this burger, you can also simply go with sliced jalapenos. Just remember to leave the seeds in there, we want that spice!
- Garnish – What’s a spicy burger without a cheddar stuffed jalapeno garnish? Is it necessary? No. Is it awesome? YES.
How To Make A Super Spicy Burger
Burgers are so easy to make. It’s just about prepping each part of the recipe, and then putting them together. Here are the steps you need to take in the order we think is easiest.
- Prep the burger patties – Follow our classic burger recipe, make your own, or use your favorite store-bought option.
- Make the bottle caps – Slice the jalapenos, coat them in egg and then flour, and fry in a little bit of oil for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make the cheddar stuffed jalapenos – Slice the top off the jalapeno and core out the insides. Stuff the peppers with strips of cheddar cheese. And bake until melted, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Grill the burgers – Cook the burger patties according to your preferred method and doneness. Top with cheese near the end of cooking to make sure it fully melts.
- Toast the english muffin – While the burger patties are cooking, toast the english muffins. This can also be done on the grill if desired.
- Assemble – Place the cooked burger patty on the english muffin, top with bottle caps and a drizzle of hot sauce. Put the english muffin top on your burger, and skewer the cheddar stuffed jalapeno popper into your spicy burger to complete the dish.

Serving Suggestions
- Not enough spice? Keep the spicy theme going with sides like whipped brie with calabrian chiles or buffalo chicken nachos. And don’t forget your spicy mezcal margarita!
- Need a break from the spice? Fat and acid help to cool your mouth down after eating something spicy, so make a side of mango pico de gallo or cottage cheese spinach and artichoke dip to go with your spicy burger.
If you’re looking for a spicy burger, then look no further. This burger has plenty of heat, with room for you to add your own flair to it if you wanna step it up even more. Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think by commenting, sharing, and rating below!
Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these great cookout recipes:
- Grilled Chicken Sliders
- Spicy Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese
- Black Bean Corn Salsa
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
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Spicy Burger
Equipment
- Burger press optional
- Cast iron grill pan optional
- Metal skewers
Ingredients
- 2 Classic Burger Patties with added red pepper flakes
- 2 English muffins
- 2 slices habanero jack cheese
- Ghost pepper hot sauce
- Jalapeno Bottle Caps (see ingredients below)
- Cheddar-Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers (see ingredients below)
Cheddar-Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
- 2 small jalapeno peppers
- 2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese
Jalapeno Bottle Caps
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prep the burger patties – Follow our classic burger recipe, make your own, or use your favorite store-bought option.
- Make the cheddar stuffed jalapenos
- Make the bottle caps – This can be done while the stuffed jalapenos are baking.
- Grill the burgers – Cook the burger patties according to your preferred method and doneness. Topping with cheese near the end of cooking to melt.
- Toast the english muffin – While the burger patties are cooking, toast the english muffins. This can also be done on the grill if desired.
- Assemble – Place the cooked burger patty on the english muffin, top with bottle caps and a drizzle of hot sauce. Put the english muffin top on your burger, and skewer the cheddar stuffed jalapeno popper into your spicy burger to complete the dish.
Cheddar-Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Slice the tops off the jalapeno peppers, then carefully core to remove seeds.
- Slice sharp white cheddar into strips to fit inside the peppers.
- Stuff peppers with cheddar cheese and transfer to a baking dish.
- Bake peppers for 7 to 8 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Jalapeno Bottle Caps
- Slice jalapeno into 1/8 inch thick disks.
- Set up the dredging station. Put egg in one bowl and beat well. Put flour in another bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat.
- Dip jalapeno disks in egg wash and coat evenly. Let excess egg wash drip off disks before transferring to flour and tossing to coat evenly.
- Carefully place coated jalapeno disks in the skillet and fry until golden brown, flipping as necessary, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer Jalapeno Bottle Caps to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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