This air fryer cream cheese stuffed peppers recipe is ideal if you’re searching for a quick air fryer snack you can make in about 15 minutes. They are the ideal little snack you would enjoy eating because they have all of your favorite ingredients, including cream cheese, cheddar cheese, seasonings, and pepperoni. This simple to make keto-friendly appetizer is ideal for a party or game day.
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What you will like about air fryer cream cheese stuffed peppers
This air fryer recipe for stuffed peppers is great because of these reasons:
- Making this dish is simple and quick; it just takes 15 minutes from start to finish and only requires a few common items. To prepare the cream cheese filling, wash, cut, and deseed the pepper, and cook it in the air fryer, all you need is a small bowl. You will complete the process in only 7 minutes.
- The ingredients to prepare this appetizer are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. It is also keto-friendly.
- A delicious appetizer that can serve a large group of people and also doubles as a nutritious snack. You may either eat it alone or serve it with your preferred dipping sauce.
- It is able to be prepared in advance and will be prepared for air frying whenever you choose.
What you need to make air fryer cream cheese stuffed peppers
- Sweet Peppers: Sweet peppers can be purchased in a bag in the vegetable area of the supermarket. There are usually 12 to 14 within, all different colors (red, orange, and yellow). Sweet peppers shouldn’t be confused with chilies. Although filled jalapenos and poblanos are equally fantastic, they lack the sweetness of tiny peppers and are much hotter.
- Avocado Oil: After cutting the peppers, you can sprinkle a small bit of avocado oil over them to make sure they stay well-lubricated throughout the air frying procedure. Although it is optional, the oil enhances the flavor of the entire dish. If you’d rather, omit it.
- Cream Cheese: Depending on how you feel about cream cheese, this may be the supporting character in the show or perhaps its star. A delicious, gooey, creamy, tangy mouthful of cream cheese is produced when it is cooked with little sweet peppers. Everyone adores this appetizer because the tastes are absolutely perfect.
- Mozzarella Cheese: The stuffing mixture gains a more sophisticated cheesy flavor and more slop when mozzarella cheese is added. If you’d prefer, you might use another type of cheese in its place. If you want to switch up the flavor profile, jack, cheddar, and gouda cheese would be fantastic. Actually, you are not required to use this element; rather, it is recommended.
- Green Onion: The cream cheese is given a vibrant zing by freshly cut green onions. Similar to a sour cream and onion dip in idea It’s just that incredible, almost inexplicable flavor, which seems to go so well together.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder ups the flavor of the dish as another flavor enhancer.
- Sea Salt: Feel free to adjust the salt level to your liking because sea salt brings out all of the flavors in this dish.
- Sriracha: Just enough heat to balance out the creaminess of the cream cheese and mozzarella.
Feel free to increase the amount of sriracha you use if you enjoy spicy meals. You can also use your preferred hot sauce; excellent choices include Frank’s Red Hot, Tapatio, Tabasco, and Cholula.
Why Use an Air Fryer
It’s really simple to cook almost anything in an air fryer. These cream cheese stuffed peppers are placed in a basket resembling a fryer, and hot air quickly circulates around it, crisping it up like deep-frying but without the oil.
How to Make air fryer cream cheese stuffed peppers
- Step 1: The cream cheese filling components should be added to a mixing bowl and thoroughly mixed. Either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer will be useful in this recipe.
The cream cheese filling components - Step 2: The peppers should have their tops sliced off before being split in half lengthwise. Take out any seeds that are already there.
- Step 3: The peppers should be covered in a thin layer of oil after you drizzle some avocado oil over them and toss the peppers with your hands.
- Step 4: Insert the cream cheese filling into the peppers. Put them into the air fryer. Select “Bake” (not “Air Fry”), set the temperature to 360 degrees, then set the timer for 8 minutes.
Insert the cream cheese filling into the peppers - Step 5: The peppers should be baked before being carefully removed from the air fryer and placed on a plate. Continue with the remaining peppers.
The peppers should be baked
4 Tips For You
- These could be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook them. Just keep in mind to remove them from the refrigerator approximately 5 minutes prior to cooking so they won’t be too cold when you place them in the air fryer.
- The cooking time will vary significantly based on the wattage, brand, and model you have because not all air fryers are created the same. In order to prevent overcooking, be sure to watch the peppers carefully.
- Use vegan cream cheese and leave out the pepperoni to make this recipe vegan.
- For a little texture contrast, you may top the stuffed peppers with seasoned breadcrumbs, but it’s not required.
How to store stuffed peppers
Prior to freezing the filled peppers, make sure they have completely cooled. You may either keep them in a baking dish or individually wrapped once they have cooled. If you place them in a baking dish, they will reheat in the oven more quickly afterward. However, you may also warm one or two at a time by individually wrapping them.
Place your stuffed peppers straight upright with sufficient room between each one to store them all in one dish. Next, cover the entire baking dish with plastic wrap. It is better to use two layers and to wrap the entire dish, not just the top.
Once you’ve finished, cover the baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and tuck it in the sides. Your peppers will remain fresher for a longer period of time because no moisture can enter.
To keep the cooked stuffed peppers separate, tightly wrap each one in plastic wrap. Two layers are advised!
Then, put each pepper that has been wrapped into an airtight plastic bag that can be frozen.
In the freezer, stuffed peppers can last for several months or even a year with careful storage! When it comes time to heat or prepare them, it’s crucial to take certain procedures to make sure they stay fresh and continue to taste great.
Recipe variations
Numerous items can be put inside peppers. Here are some of our other preferred pairings.
- Italian: Use mozzarella cheese and cooked, crumbled Italian sausage in place of the bacon. Italian seasoning can be used in place of 1/2 teaspoon ranch. Serve with your preferred marinara sauce.
- Mexican: Use taco seasoning, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and ground chicken or ground beef.
- Greek: Use goat cheese, cream cheese, ground turkey, and a Greek seasoning mix.
F.A.Q.s
Should the peppers be prepared in advance and then stuffed?
No, when they bake with the mixture in the oven, the peppers will cook and soften just enough. You don’t have to cook your bell peppers all the way through before stuffing them.
Can I substitute bell peppers for miniature peppers?
Yes, you can slice up a bell pepper and use those as “boats” for your cream cheese filling if you can’t find small peppers. Larger slices are advised because the contents won’t adhere to the pepper as well otherwise.
How long does it take to fry a pepper in the air?
They need to be cooked for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring once, or until peppers and onion are soft and starting to brown.
Conclusion
The taste of air fryer cream cheese stuffed peppers will win you over! These are a little bit sweet and flavorful but not spicy. It takes only 10 minutes for preparation and service! They are obviously wonderful and quite simple! No one will judge you whether you make them for any occasion to enjoy with friends, family, or just by yourself. These are the ideal appetizer or side dishes for any gathering, whether it be for lunch or dinner.
