Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
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For a tasty dinner, garden fresh bell peppers packed to the brim with lean ground beef, rice and aromatic spices cook up quick as can be, in your air fryer. Air fryer stuffed peppers have it all when it comes to satisfying, savory flavors, and lean, filling nutrition.
Thanks to the invention of the air fryer, you can make delicious stuffed bell peppers in less than half the time it used to take.
My air fryer stuffed peppers combine the flavor power of peppers with lean beef, tomatoes, onions, garlic and Italian spices to create a delicious fast-to-the-table entree that tastes like you spent hours preparing.
Here’s a recipe you can feel good about serving to the people you love. This stuffed peppers in air fryer recipe ticks all the boxes when it comes to healthful eating and great taste!
Key ingredients and substitutions
You’ll easily find everything you need for these stuffed peppers at your favorite grocery store.
- Sweet bell peppers — Any color is fine. For fun and variety use a mix of colors.
- White or Brown Rice — Rice helps bind the other ingredients together and adds a pleasing texture to the filling. Brown rice has more fiber and nutrition, so if you have time I recommend it. White rice cooks faster and minute rice is super quick. Any of these are fine to use.
- Sweet onion — Honestly any onion will elevate the flavor profile of your stuffed peppers. Sweet onions are just a little sweeter and smoother in taste. For a timesaver, buy packages of frozen already chopped onion. They’re helpful to have on hand.
- Italian style canned tomatoes — This ingredient adds seasoning, moisture and another dimension of tastiness to the recipe. If you don’t have them, use regular diced tomatoes and add an extra ½ teaspoon of italian seasoning.
How do I make air fryer stuffed peppers?
STEP 1 | Preheat the air fryer and prep the peppers
Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes. Slice off pepper tops and dice up for later. Clean out the seeds and insides and discard.
STEP 2 | Pre-cook the peppers
Coat the air fryer basket with non-stick spray and put the peppers in, cut side up. Cook for 6 minutes.
STEP 3 | Make the filling
Cook the rice according to package directions. Saute onion, chopped pepper and garlic in a skillet. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet and cook until it’s no longer pink. Add salt, Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and rice. Cook 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid is reduced.
STEP 4 | Stuff the peppers
Spoon the meat mixture into the bell peppers. Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
tip
- Do you cook for anyone who doesn’t eat peppers? No problem! You can spoon the filling into scooped out eggplant or zucchini. It won’t be a stuffed pepper, but it will still be very good.
STEP 5 l Final touches
Sprinkle cheese on top and continue cooking for 3 more minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions and serve.
Special supplies needed
It goes without saying that you’ll need an air fryer for this recipe. If you don’t have one yet, take a few minutes to check out some credible reviews online. Personally, I love my NuWave air fryer!
Serving suggestions
This recipe goes great with a fresh green salad, vegetable medley, roasted corn, or fresh yellow summer squash. Try cooking your side dish veggies in the air fryer too. You’ll be amazed at how good they are!
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can keep them in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Reheat for about 5 minutes in the air fryer.
You certainly can. They freeze great and will be fine in an airtight, freezer safe container for around 2-3 months. Thaw completely before reheating. What a great entree to have on hand for a busy day!
They are perfect to veganize! Just swap out the beef with your favorite vegan ground meat substitute. Exchange the dairy cheese with vegan cheese shreds. They’ll turn out great!
Recipe inspiration
Most of you probably remember walking through the door of your home as a kid and being hit with the amazing aroma of something delicious cooking in the kitchen. Once in a while, it may even have been homemade stuffed bell peppers.
All over the world stuffed peppers take on varying forms to satisfy pallets and fill hungry tummies. They’ve been around a long time. My mom learned how to make stuffed peppers from my grandmother who learned how to make them from her mother. Tradition!
These healthy stuffed peppers give you loads of nutrition too. You have vitamins A, C and potassium from peppers, protein from beef and complex carbohydrates from the rice. And tomatoes have too many goodies to even list. With this recipe you can make yummy stuffed peppers in the air fryer that are just as good as traditional ones!
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Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet bell peppers any color
- ½ cup white or brown rice uncooked
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 – 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 (14.5-oz.) can petite diced Italian-style tomatoes (with basil, garlic, and oregano)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped fresh parsley or green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Slice off the tops from the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Chop the tops and reserve.
- Lightly coat the basket of the air fryer with nonstick cooking spray. Place the whole peppers in cut side up and cook for 6 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook the rice per the package directions.
- While the rice is cooking, in a large skillet over medium high heat warm the olive oil. Add the onions and diced bell pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and cook another minute, until fragrant.
- Crumble the ground beef into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
- Add the salt, Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and the cooked rice. Cook another 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid is reduced.
- Spoon the meat mixture into the bell peppers. Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle cheese on top and continue cooking the stuffed peppers for 3 more minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions and serve.
Notes
- Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Cook the stuffed peppers in batches if needed.
- Do you cook for anyone who doesn’t eat peppers? No problem! You can spoon the filling into scooped out eggplant or zucchini. It won’t be a stuffed pepper, but it will still be very good.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
