Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers

Name: Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
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; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric; 1/4 cup juice from a can or jar of green olives; 1/4 cup pitted green olives (diced); 1 cup white rice; 1/2 cup water; Cheddar or mozzarella cheese for topping (optional)

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.

Bell peppers stuffed with pork and rice.

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.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredients
Variations
Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Sarah's Top Tips
Storage and Reheating
Try these Recipes Next
Recipe
Comments

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Great for meal prep. Stuffed pepper recipes are perfect for meal prep, for the next day or to freeze!
Quicker than traditional stuffed peppers. Air fryer cooking time is 50% less than traditional methods, this is the easy way.
Easy air fryer recipe. Air fryer recipes are great because cleanup is minimal and they take less time.

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.

Stuffed peppers topped with shredded cheese.

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!

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare and make the air fryer stuffed peppers ahead of time?

These can be made a day in advance. However, I recommend you pre-cook the bell peppers and pepper filling. Follow all of the instructions, aside from Step 5. Store covered in the fridge overnight, let the peppers rest at room temperature while the air fryer preheats, then cook and you have a complete meal in a matter of minutes. You may need to add some additional cooking time, about 5-10 minutes because the peppers will be going in the air fryer cool.

Can these be cooked in the oven?

If you prefer to use your oven, pre-bake the cut peppers at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Cook the stuffing as normal, fill the peppers and bake uncovered for another 10-20 minutes.

What's the best way to prevent the peppers from sticking?

A great way to prevent sticking is to lightly spray your air fryer basket with oil. If you have trays, you can use tin foil, parchment paper or lightly spray the trays with oil.

Sarah's Top Tips

Select peppers that are uniform in size to ensure even cooking.
Prep the peppers. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes.
Preheat the air fryer. 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.
Check for doneness. 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.

A bell pepper stuffed and topped with cheese.

Storage and Reheating

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.