Get ready to spice up your life with these vegetarian air fryer stuffed peppers! Loaded with rice, beans, and cheese, not only are they packed with flavor, but they’re also healthy and easy to make. You won’t even need a personal trainer after you’ve tasted these bad boys.

Two cooked air fryer stuffed peppers in a bowl.

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We love stuffed peppers, but so many of the recipes are made with lean ground beef or ground chicken; naturally, being a vegetarian website, we don’t want to use either, so we’ve created a vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe that’s so full of flavor that you won’t miss the meat!

Enjoy them with a side of air fryer smashed potatoes or a baked sweet potato.

Why you’ll love making stuffed peppers in the air fryer

There’s no need to turn your kitchen oven on, a cool advantage in the summer.
Air frying in just 15 minutes, the air fryer cooks your peppers perfectly evenly.
They are perfect for using leftover rice, giving you a tasty, cost-efficient meal.
You can mix up the fillings for stuffed bell peppers depending on your taste preferences.
All the ingredients are 100% vegetarian.

Ingredients you’ll need

You’ll need all the ingredients in the photograph below to make air fryer peppers.

Ingredients needed; fresh cilantro, white rice, pinto beans, olive oil, bell peppers, taco seasoning. shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped tomatoes, diced onion, and black beans.

Whoever said that vegetarian food is bland has clearly never tried these air fryer vegetarian stuffed peppers.

How to make air fryer stuffed peppers with step-by-step instructions

A complete printable recipe and the US customary and metric measurements are available in the recipe card below.

Rinse the rice until the water becomes clear, then bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat.

Tomato and taco seasoning added to the onion. — Add onions to a pan and fry until softened; add salt, tomatoes, and taco seasoning.

Tomato mixture in frying pan. — *Stir thoroughly to combine.*

Cilantro added to the tomato mixture. — Add cilantro and stir to combine.

You can use either white or brown rice; choose the one you prefer; you could even use cauliflower rice if you like.

Add the rice and cook according to the packet instructions. When cooked, the rice should be fluffy and light, not soggy. Set the rice aside.

Black beans, pinto beans, and cheese added to the tomato stuffing mixture — Add pinto beans, black beans, lime juice, and cheese.

Rice incorporated into the tomato mixture. — Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat two tablespoons of olive oil, then add onion and cook until the onion is tender approximately 5 minutes.

Add salt and tomatoes (you can use fresh diced tomatoes if you prefer), and stir to combine. Next, add taco seasoning and cilantro, stir to combine, and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked rice, pinto beans, black beans, and lime juice; stir to combine and season with salt and black pepper.

Preheat your air fryer to 360°F/180°C.

Bell peppers with the tops taken off in an air fryer basket. — Remove the tops from the bell peppers, discard the seeds, and place them in the air fryer basket.

Rice mixture in uncooked bell peppers. — Place the rice filling in the peppers and top with cheese.

Cooked stuffed peppers in the air fryer. — Air fry the stuffed peppers for approx. 15 minutes.

Cut off the tops of the fresh bell peppers (don’t use green peppers as they are bitter) and stuff each bell pepper with an equal amount of the rice mixture, top the mix with a generous amount of cheese, and place the bell peppers in the air fryer basket, ensuring that you do not overcrowd them.

Air fry for 10 minutes, add a generous topping of shredded mozzarella cheese, and cook until the cheese has melted, approximately 2 – 3 minutes; you may have to cook in batches.

Carefully remove the stuffed peppers from the air fryer.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, serve, and enjoy your air fryer stuffed peppers.

Some people have asked if they could substitute taco seasoning for Italian seasoning; this is fine; it’ll change the flavors but still be very tasty.

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Take a Look

Delicious vegetarian air fryer stuffed peppers with melty cheese, ready to eat.

Recipe notes and expert tips

Bell Peppers
We prefer to use yellow or red bell peppers; they are sweet peppers, unlike green bell peppers, which are a bit bitter.
Cheese
We’ve used mozzarella cheese; resist the temptation to use Colby jack cheese, as it’s unsuitable for vegetarians.
Preheat
We pre-heat our air fryer, but you probably won’t need to if you have an oven-style basket-type air fryer.
Watch closely
Every air fryer cooks differently; different brands and capacities can mean that your food will need a longer or shorter cooking time, so keep a close eye on them.

How to store leftover air-fried stuffed peppers

Leftover stuffed peppers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

You can freeze them for up to 3 months, assemble them to the point of adding the pre-shredded cheese and then freeze them.

What to serve stuffed peppers with

If you want a light meal, serving air fryer stuffed peppers with a simple green salad is a great option.

Try serving them with sweet potato wedges, fingerling potatoes, sweetcorn fritters, or Mexican corn.

Stuffed peppers in a bowl, ready to eat.

More easy air fryer recipes for you to try at home

If you like this stuffed pepper’s air fryer recipe, then you should check out our other recipes.

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Easy Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe

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Air fryer stuffed peppers, ready to eat.

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 74 votes

Easy Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers Recipe

If you're a fan of stuffed peppers and have never tried them in the air fryer, you're in for a real treat! Our recipe is the perfect combination of crispy, savory, and downright delicious. The air fryer gives the peppers a satisfying crunch that you just can't get with traditional baking methods. With a generous filling of rice, beans, and spices, this recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. And the best part? It's incredibly easy to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Servings

Calories354

Course: Lunch, Main course, snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Mandy Applegate | Splash of Taste

Utensils

Air fryer

Ingredients

4 large red bell peppers halved lengthwise and deseeded
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup rice white or brown
1 large onion diced
½ teaspoon salt
13 ½ ounces tomatoes we used canned crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
½ cup fresh cilantro plus extra for garnish
¾ cup pinto beans drained
¾ cup black beans drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mozzarella shredded

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the taco seasoning:

Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl and combine. Transfer to an airtight container or jar.

For the stuffed peppers:

Rinse the rice until the water becomes clear, then bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook according to the packet instructions. When cooked, the rice should be fluffy and light, not soggy. Set the rice aside.
½ cup rice
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add onion and cook until the onion is tender approximately 5 minutes. Add salt, and tomatoes, and stir to combine. Next, add taco seasoning and cilantro, stir to combine, and cook for 30 seconds.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large onion, ½ teaspoon salt, 13 ½ ounces tomatoes, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, ½ cup fresh cilantro
Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked rice, pinto beans, black beans, and lime juice; stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper.
¾ cup pinto beans, ¾ cup black beans, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, Salt and pepper
Preheat your air fryer to 360°F/180°C. Cut off the tops of the peppers and stuff each pepper with an equal amount of the rice mixture, top the mix with a generous amount of cheese, and place the peppers in the air fryer basket, ensuring that you do not overcrowd them. Cook for 10 minutes, add a generous topping of cheese, and cook until the cheese has melted, approximately 2 – 3 minutes, you may have to cook in batches. Remove from the air fryer, garnish with cilantro, serve, and enjoy.
4 large red bell peppers, Salt and pepper, 1 cup mozzarella

Notes

Bell Peppers:
We prefer to use yellow or red bell peppers; they are sweet peppers, unlike green bell peppers, which are a bit bitter.
Cheese:
We’ve used mozzarella cheese; resist the temptation to use Colby jack cheese, as it’s unsuitable for vegetarians.
Preheat:
We pre-heat our air fryer, but you probably won’t need to if you have an oven-style basket-type air fryer.
Watch closely:
Every air fryer cooks differently; different brands and capacities can mean that your food will need a longer or shorter cooking time, so keep a close eye on them.

Nutrition

Disclaimer

Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.

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