These Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers are awesome for an easy weeknight dinner. They’re done in about 30 minutes, and are absolutely delicious.
My family is in love with stuffed peppers. I am always try to find new ways to make them. Two favorites are my sheet pan sausage and peppers and my Stuffed Peppers with Chorizo.
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Why this Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers Recipe is a Keeper
I love stuffed peppers in air fryer because not only is it fast and easy to customize, it’s also incredibly delicious. It’s truly a great recipe to add to a go-to dinner recipe stash.
- Quick Cook Time: The air fryer recipe cuts down cooking time significantly.
- Family Favorite: Classic flavors everyone recognizes and loves.
- No-Fuss Prep: Simple ingredients and straightforward steps.
- Perfect Texture: Tender peppers with a hearty filling every time.
- Serve With: Serve this recipe with the Best Caesar Salad, Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts or Homemade Garlic Bread.
Do you Need to Pre-Cook Peppers Before Air Frying?
No need to par-cook the peppers, as they will cook perfectly in the air fryer. Making this recipe super quick and easy to make on a busy weekday.
What Reader’s Are Saying…
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“Stuffed peppers is one of our family favorites, but I’ve never tried making them in the air fryer before. Amazing!!!”
~ Jordan
Ingredient Notes for Peppers in the Air Fryer
You only need a few stuffed pepper ingredients for easy air fryer recipes, many of which you may have around your kitchen.
This is an overview of key ingredients. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Ground Meat: I prefer to use lean cuts to cut down on too much excess grease.
- Fresh Bell Peppers: You will need 3 bell peppers. Try them with red, yellow and green bell peppers.
- Rice: Pre-cook the rice so that it’s ready to be added into the seasoned beef and rice mixture.
Variations for Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers Recipe
There are a couple different swaps you can make to make these stuffed peppers with ground beef extra delicious. Cut the large peppers in half if they are too big.
➡️ Swap Protein: Try using ground chicken, ground turkey or pork in place of the lean ground beef air fryer dinner recipes.
➡️ Use Different Shredded Cheese: Try mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack cheese or a blend. After topping the peppers, place them back in the air fryer until the cheese is melted.
➡️ Add Veggies: Mix in chopped onions, zucchini, or mushrooms to stuff the yellow peppers for this air fryer version.
➡️ Make It Spicy: Stir in red pepper flakes or diced jalapeños.
Special Equipment for Stuffed Peppers in the Air Fryer
Sometimes a specific item is needed to make a meal just right. In this case, all that’s needed is an air fryer.
- Air Fryer: Using an air fryer cooks peppers fast and perfectly.
How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers Recipe
This stuffed peppers recipe comes together in 3 quick and easy steps. These air fryer stuffed peppers with ground beef are so good, they quickly became one of my favorite meals.
These are just highlights. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Make Meat Mix: Brown the meat in a large saucepan. Then add in the olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, dry parsley, salt and pepper to the beef and cook for a couple minutes. Then, add in the cooked rice, onions and diced tomatoes.
- Assemble Peppers: While the beef mixture is cooking, slice and scrape the seeds out of the peppers. Scoop the meat filling into each pepper half, then place in the air fryer basket.
- Cook the Peppers and Top: Cook for about 7 minutes in the air fryer, or until the peppers start to brown. Top off the peppers with freshly grated Romano cheese.
Prep Ahead and Short Cut Recipe Tips for My Air Fryer Recipe
Get air fryer stuffed bell peppers on the table even faster with a few make-ahead steps.
➡️ Prep Filling Ahead: Make the filling up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate.
➡️ Pre-Cook Rice: Cuts down prep time significantly.
➡️ Prepare the Peppers: Slice and clean the peppers ahead of time. Store in fridge until ready to stuff.
➡️ Batch Cook: Cook stuffed peppers in batches and reheat as needed.
Alternate Cooking Methods to Make Stuffed Peppers
If you don’t have an air fryer, or if it’s dirty, there’s a couple other ways to make this classic recipe.
- Oven Method: Bake at 375°F until peppers are tender and filling is heated through.
- Slow Cooker: Cook on low for several hours until peppers soften.
Can you Use Raw Ground Beef in Stuffed Peppers?
Do not stuff the peppers with raw meat. For this recipe, you should cook the meat before adding in the other ingredients to make the filling.
Store, Reheat and Use Leftover Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Storing: Keep leftover stuffed peppers in airtight container in fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the air fryer basket to maintain texture of the peppers, beef and rice.
- Using Leftovers: Chop the air fried peppers and serve over rice or in wraps.
Expert Tips for Making Easy Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
➡️ Uniform Size: Choose peppers that are similar in size for even cooking.
➡️ Don’t Overfill: Place the stuffed peppers in the air fryer with a little space in between. This will allow the air to circulate, heating evenly.
➡️ Check Early: Air fryer models vary, so check a few minutes before done.
➡️ Cover if Needed: Use foil if the tops brown too quickly.
➡️ Rest Before Serving: Let sit a few minutes so filling sets.
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Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef, or and ground meat of your choosing such as beef or chicken
- 1 Tablespoons Olive oil
- ½ cup Diced tomatoes, seasoned with garlic and basil
- ¼ cup Chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Salt, a dash
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper, a dash
- 1 cup Cooked rice
- 3 Bell peppers
- Grated Romano cheese, garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400℉.
- In a saucepan, brown the ground meat. Add the oil and spices. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the rice, onions, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Scoop meat filling into each pepper half and place in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes or until peppers start to brown slight.
- Garnish with Romano cheese.
Christina’s Notes
- Cauliflower Rice: To sneak in some extra veggies, use cauliflower rice.
- Italian Sausage: Add crumbled Italian sausage in place ground meat in these air fryer stuffed peppers.
- Mozzarella Cheese: For an extra cheesy touch, top stuffed peppers with mozzarella cheese before cooking in the air fryer.
- Tex-Mex: For a Tex-Mex flavor inspired stuffed peppers, add in seasoning such as cumin, chili powder, and Mexican seasoning blend. Top with Mexican cheese blend or cojita cheese.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Stuffed peppers is one of our family favorites, but I’ve never tried making them in the air fryer before. Amazing!!!
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!