Make a delicious dinner in your trusty air fryer! These Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers are easy to make and the ultimate one-dish meal everyone will love.
Stuffed peppers are always a good idea, especially for busy weeknights. This recipe uses the air fryer instead of the traditional oven method, which takes almost half the time!
I decided to stuff these peppers with a Cuban picadillo-style stuffing instead of the typical Southwest-style or Italian seasoning. You are going to love these. If you need another air fryer stuffed peppers recipe, check out my couscous stuffed peppers and stuffed pepper casserole.
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Ingredients
- Ground pork. Traditionally picadillo is made with ground pork and/or ground beef. If you don't eat pork or prefer not to use it, you can use lean ground beef or ground turkey instead. Make sure it is at least 80% lean.
- Tomato sauce. I recommend using a no-salt tomato sauce so you can control the amount of salt in this dish.
- Green olives. Use a can or jar of pitted green olives. You'll need olives and some of the olive juice.
- Rice. Any long-grain white rice will work in this recipe. Unfortunately, brown rice won't work in this recipe because it usually takes around 40 minutes to cook.
- Bell peppers. Use fresh bell peppers. Red bell peppers, green bell peppers, yellow or all three!
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Italian style. Add a can of diced tomatoes, instead of olives and replace the spices with 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley. Top the peppers with mozzarella cheese.
- Mexican style. Remove the olives and olive juice. Add fresh cilantro and black beans. Top with cheddar cheese.
Instructions
Step 1
Set the air fryer to 400°F. Pre-cook the pepper halves for 6 minutes. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add the ground pork and brown for about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Mix in the tomato sauce, olive juice, spices, rice, and water. Stir and allow to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
Step 3
Turn the heat off, mix in the olives and stuff each pepper half with equal amounts of filling.
Step 4
Top with a Mexican cheese blend or cheese of your choosing.
Step 5
Add the stuffed peppers to the air fryer and cook for 6-8 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Sarah's Top Tips
- Select peppers that are uniform in size to ensure even cooking.
- There's a wide variety of different air fryers out there but when you give it time to preheat, you're ensuring an even cook to all the peppers.
- Use a fork to test how tender the peppers are before taking them out of the air fryer.
- Let them rest. Allow the pepper to rest for a few minutes after cooking and before serving.
Try these Recipes Next
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole1 Hours
- Couscous Stuffed Peppers50 Minutes
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup (Easy One-Pot Dinner)30 Minutes
- Air Fryer Sausage and Peppers30 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
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See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ cup juice from a can or jar of green olives
- ¼ cup pitted green olives, diced
- 1 cup white rice
- ½ cup water
- Cheddar or mozzarella cheese for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Once preheated, add the cut peppers to the air fryer, spray lightly with cooking oil and cook for 6 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the ground pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in the tomato sauce, spices, olive juice, rice and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Turn off heat and stir in the olives. Spoon the mixture into the peppers and top them with cheese if using.
- Place in the air fryer and cook for 6-8 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- These stuffed peppers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days covered in an airtight container. Reheat in the air fryer or oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can also reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes.
- If you would like to freeze the peppers, I recommend putting them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Store them for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven or microwave as stated above.
Nancy says
Made these with ground turkey!!! Easy and delicious...
Sarah Holt says
Yum, I'll have to try them with ground turkey next time!
David Holt says
Easy to make and delicious. Used ground turkey as we had already purchased some.
Sarah Holt says
Happy you loved it!