Quick, weeknight dinners don’t get much better than these Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers. They’re everything you love about the classic comfort food, but they’re on the table in about half the time. No boiling the peppers first, no waiting for the oven to heat.
With seasoned lean ground turkey, tender bell peppers, cooked rice, tomatoes and green chiles, there is flavor packed in every bite. The best part about making these in the air fryer, is the peppers get perfectly tender without getting mushy. With the melty cheese on top, these are hard to resist.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes. These are twice as fast as the traditional, oven-baked method.
- No pre-boiling required. Let the air fryer do all the work.
- Lean protein. The ground turkey helps lighten this recipe up (and keep the cost down).
- Southwest Flavor. The rotel and taco seasoning add just a little bit of a kick.
- Easy Cleanup. One skillet and one air fryer basket is all you need.
- Featured in our 30-Minute Meals Cookbook. A family-friendly cookbook must-have.
Key Ingredients for Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
- Red Bell Peppers: 4 red bell peppers, but you can easily double this recipe to feed more. Look for large peppers with flat bottoms so they stand up straight in the basket without tipping over.
- Lean ground turkey: one pound. This is a lighter alternative to ground beef that cooks up quickly but still with a lot of flavor from the taco seasoning and rotel. It can also be more budget friendly than other ground meats.
- Cooked rice: Leftover rice is our preference for this meal. You only need a half cup, so it’s great for using up anything that’s still hanging out in your fridge. You can also swap this for brown rice or cauliflower rice.
- Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles: 1 10-ounce can that’s been drained. This helps keep the meat from drying out, adds just a little bit of a kick, and adds flavor.
- Taco seasoning. You need 1 1-ounce packet, or around 2 tablespoons. We like to use the taco seasoning to keep things quick and easy, but you can also make your own. Use the taco seasoning from this recipe. You can adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese. A sprinkle on each of the peppers is all you need, and we like to add it the last 2-3 minutes. You can swap this out for pepper jack, Monterey Jack or leave it off if you need something dairy-free.
How to Make Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
- Prep the peppers. Cut the tops off each red pepper and set aside. Sometimes it’s easiest to use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the white membranes inside. If the pepper wobbles and won’t stand up, you can trim a very thin slice off the bottom to create a flat surface. Make sure you do that without cutting through the pepper, though!
- Brown the turkey. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground turkey, cooking and breaking it up with a wooden spoon until cooked through. No pink should remain, and it will likely take 7-8 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from the pan.
- Make the filling. Add rice, taco seasoning and drained rotel to the skillet and stir until combined.
- Stuff the peppers. Spoon the filling into each pepper, packing it slightly if necessary. Place the stuffed peppers upright in the air fryer basket with a little space between each one for air circulation.
- Air fry. Air fry at 375°F for 10 minutes, until the peppers are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Add the cheese. Open the basket and top each pepper with shredded cheese and air fry for an additional 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and just starting to bubble.
- Serve. Let the peppers rest for a minute or two before serving (it will be really hot!).
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Make Ahead
The filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, stuff the peppers and air fry as directed. You may need to add 2-3 extra minutes since the filling starts cold.
Storage
Store leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep them whole if possible (they’re easier to reheat that way).
Reheating
Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 5-6 minutes until warmed through. You can also microwave them for 2-3 minutes. However, air frying keeps the texture a little more crisp-tender, while the reheated microwave peppers may be a little more mushy.
Freezing
Let the peppers cool completely, then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions Stuffed Peppers
Cook stuffed peppers in an air fryer at 375°F for about 10 minutes, then add cheese and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Larger peppers or cold filling may need an extra 2-3 minutes.
Nope! That’s the beauty of making these in the air fryer – you do not need to boil or pre-cook the peppers before stuffing them. The air fryer cooks the peppers to a tender-crisp texture at the same time as the filling heats through. If you prefer very soft peppers, you can air fry them empty for 5 minutes before stuffing.
Yes. For this recipe, you cook the ground turkey on the stovetop before stuffing the peppers. Since the peppers don’t spend a long time in the air fryer, the meat needs to be fully cooked before it goes in.
Yes! You can prepare the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to eat, stuff the peppers and air fry. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the cook time to account for the cold filling.
Absolutely. Let the cooked stuffed peppers cool completely, wrap individually, and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
This recipe calls for 375°F, which gives the peppers time to become tender and slightly start to char the outside as the filling heats through. If you don’t want your peppers to start to char, you can reduce the temperature by 10-15 degrees.
Of course. Most original stuffed pepper recipes use ground beef, so if you have some on hand or prefer the taste, you can absolutely use it in this recipe. Just make sure to cook it through fully before stuffing the peppers.
What to serve with with stuffed peppers:
We love to serve these with a big, fresh green salad or our Mexican Street Corn Salad. If you’re looking for a side with some carbs for more fuel, consider a tasty cornbread side or even some sort of garlic bread (we like this mini garlic monkey bread).
Tips for the Best Stuffed Peppers
- Choose flat-bottomed peppers. A pepper with 4 bumps on the bottom is more stable than one with 3. This keeps them from tipping and spilling in the basket. If your pepper isn’t stable, you can always make a cut on the bottom to help even them out and stand up without assistance.
- Don’t skip draining. The ground turkey AND the rotel. Excess liquid can make the filling watery.
- Add the cheese at the very end. Putting it on too early can cause it to overcook or get rubbery before the peppers are done.
- Leave space in the basket. Air fryers work by circulating hot air, so overcrowding the basket will lead to uneven cooking. Cook in batches if needed.
- Know your air fryer! Just like an oven, or Instant Pot, all models run a little differently. Start checking for doneness at 10 minutes and add time as needed.
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer French Bread Pizzas
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Parmesan Broccoli
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- ½ cup cooked rice
- 10 ounces Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
- 1 1 ounce packet low sodium taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375℉.
- Wash peppers and slice off the tops. Remove all seeds and membranes from the inside.
- In a large saucepan, brown ground turkey until cooked through.
- Add rice, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning to the meat. Mix until combined. Scoop the mixture into peppers, filling them to the top.
- Place the peppers in the air fryer basket and air fry for 10 minutes. Add cheese and fry for 2-3 minutes more until the cheese is melted. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to repeat this step until all peppers are cooked.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make-ahead: Prepare filling up to 2 days ahead; refrigerate until ready to stuff and cook.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap cooled peppers individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Air fryer at 350°F for 5–6 minutes, or microwave 2–3 minutes.
- Substitutions: Ground beef or chicken work in place of turkey. Cauliflower rice for a low-carb swap.
- To achieve the look in the photos, instead of cutting off the top, cut your peppers in half, leaving one half with the stem attached. Clean out the membranes and seeds, and spoon the ground turkey filling into each half. The cook time should be roughly the same, but you may need to make them in more batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Nutrition
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