Looking for a hearty dinner idea that doesn’t take that much effort? Air fryer stuffed peppers are a flavorful option!
Prepared in little time, these stuffed peppers in the air fryer are packed with a meat-rice blend and topped with loads of melted cheese!
Recipe Tips
Before you run to the kitchen to make these air fryer stuffed bell peppers, have a read through these recipe tips so that you know what to expect!
- We would recommend using either 4 large bell peppers or 6 smaller bell peppers. That usually works well for the amount of beef-rice filling you’ll make.
- We use long grain rice when we make stuffed peppers – but you can use any rice that you prefer. Just remember to use already cooked rice.
- For this recipe, we use unseasoned tomato sauce. If your tomato sauce contains spices already, you might want to reduce the amount of spices/seasonings you add in.
- Stuff the bell peppers until they are full but don’t overstuff them as the filling might fall out if they are laying on their side.
- Ideally the peppers are standing up when cooking in the air fryer. If that doesn’t work, you can also gently lay them on their side – just try to prop them up on the side of the air fryer when adding the cheese.
We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.
Step by Step Instructions
If you want to know how to make stuffed bell peppers in the air fryer, you can follow the recipe process with photos in this section.
This way, you’ll be able to follow along step-by-step how we made our stuffed peppers!
If you just want the recipe cooking times and temperature, you can skip to the bottom of this post to find the detailed recipe card!
Reminder: If you don’t have rice that is already cooked, cook your rice first according to packaging directions.
Then, wash the bell peppers and dry them. Then cut the tops off and remove the inner (known as the placenta) and the seeds.
Finely chop the onion.
Now, heat one teaspoon of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sauté them on medium-high heat for around 5 minutes until translucent.
Add the ground beef into the pan, break it up to avoid large chunks, and cook it until it’s no longer pink.
Turn down the heat to low and add the cooked rice, tomato sauce, fine herbs/Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Stir everything until it is well mixed. Now turn off the stove.
At this time, preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stuff the bell peppers with the meat-rice filling using a spoon.
Depending on the size of the bell peppers, you might not be able to use all of the filling (it tastes delicious on its own).
Don’t overstuff the bell peppers.
When the air fryer is hot, add the stuffed peppers to the air fryer.
Try standing them up, but if it doesn’t work, they should be fine on their side if you stuffed them well enough.
Cook the peppers for 9 (if you want them a touch firm) to 12 minutes (if you want them softer).
Then sprinkle cheese on top.
Cook them for another 3-5 minutes or until they are done to your preference and the cheese has melted.
It’s best to stand them up for this part so that the cheese doesn’t make a mess.
Reminder: Every air fryer cooks differently. Also, the size of peppers can affect your cooking time – so your exact cook time can vary.
When done, remove the cooked peppers from the air fryer (careful hot) and serve.
You can sprinkle some chopped parsley on top if desired. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you have leftover air-fried stuffed peppers, you can let them cool and then keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. They will last for around 3 days.
These stuffed peppers reheat relatively well. You can use the microwave or the air fryer.
It can be helpful to cut the pepper in half so that it heats faster/more evenly.
Related Recipes
For more awesome air fryer dinner ideas, you can check out these tasty creations below:
- Air Fried Spaghetti Squash Fritters
- Homemade Hamburgers in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Kielbasa and Peppers
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4-6 bell peppers, see notes
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
- 1 cup tomato sauce, see notes
- 1 teaspoon fine herbs or Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, more to taste
Instructions
- If you don't have rice that is already cooked, cook your rice first according to packaging directions.
- Wash the bell peppers and dry them. Then cut the tops off and remove the inner (known as the placenta) and the seeds.
- Finely chop the onion.
- Now, heat one teaspoon of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sauté them on medium-high heat for around 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the ground beef into the pan, break it up to avoid large chunks, and cook it until it's no longer pink.
- Turn down the heat to low and add the cooked rice, tomato sauce, fine herbs/Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir everything until it is well mixed. Now turn off the stove.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stuff the bell peppers with the meat-rice filling using a spoon. Depending on the size of the bell peppers, you might not be able to use all of the filling (it tastes delicious on its own). Don't overstuff the bell peppers.
- When the air fryer is hot, add the stuffed peppers to the air fryer. Try standing them up, but if it doesn't work, they should be fine on their side if you stuffed them well enough.
- Cook the peppers for 9 (if you want them a touch firm) to 12 minutes (if you want them softer). Then sprinkle cheese on top and cook them for another 3-5 minutes or until they are done to your preference. It's best to stand them up for this part so that the cheese doesn't make a mess. Reminder: Every air fryer cooks differently. Also, the size of peppers can affect your cooking time – so your exact cook time can vary.
- When done, remove the cooked peppers from the air fryer (careful hot) and serve. You can sprinkle some chopped parsley on top if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use either 4 large bell peppers or 6 smaller bell peppers for this recipe – this usually works well with the amount of filling.
- We usually use long grain rice when making stuffed peppers – but you can use any rice that you like. Just make sure that it is already cooked before adding it to the beef in the pan.
- We use unseasoned tomato sauce. If you use tomato sauce that is already seasoned, you might want to reduce the amount of spices you add.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
