Air Fryer Cheesy Taco Stuffed Peppers

If you have been looking for a fun way to switch up taco night, you need to try these air fryer cheesy taco stuffed peppers. All those classic taco flavors packed right into a bell pepper.

The filling is made with ground beef, taco seasoning, rice, black beans, and salsa. So you get a nice mix of protein, grains, and beans in every bite – super filling.

The air fryer does an awesome job cooking the peppers. They come out tender but still have a little bite to them, and the shredded cheese on top gets perfectly bubbly and crispy around the edges.

You only need about 10 common ingredients to make this, and most of them you probably already have in your kitchen. Nothing fancy or hard to find.

Finish them with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh cilantro, and dinner is ready. Simple as that.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Taco Night With a Fun Twist – If your family loves tacos, these stuffed peppers are a creative way to switch things up while keeping all those familiar taco flavors everyone already enjoys.

The Air Fryer Does the Heavy Lifting – Once you stuff those peppers, the air fryer crisps up the cheese on top and cooks everything evenly without heating up your whole kitchen like an oven would.

It’s a Full Meal in a Pepper – With ground beef, rice, black beans, cheese, and salsa all packed into one bell pepper, you really don’t need to worry about making side dishes to go with it.

Super Customizable Toppings – The sour cream and fresh cilantro on top are just the beginning. You can easily add jalapeños, guacamole, or hot sauce to make each pepper exactly how you like it.

Ingredients

• 4 large Bell Peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 cup Cooked Rice
• 1 cup Black Beans, drained
• 1 cup Salsa
• 1.5 cups Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• Fresh Cilantro, chopped

How to Make

Step 1

Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Add taco seasoning and water, simmer for 3 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in cooked rice, black beans, and half the salsa. Mix well and remove from heat.

Step 3

Fill each pepper half with the beef mixture and top with shredded cheese.

Step 4

Place stuffed peppers in air fryer basket (work in batches if needed). Air fry at 360°F for 12-15 minutes until peppers are tender and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Step 5

Top with remaining salsa, sour cream, and fresh cilantro before serving.

Tips

Pick the Right Peppers

Go for bell peppers that are wide and blocky rather than tall and narrow. The wider ones sit flat in the air fryer basket without tipping over, which means your filling and melted cheese stay right where they should be.

When you cut them in half, cut from top to bottom through the stem. Leave a little bit of the stem on each half because it actually helps the pepper hold its shape while it cooks.

If any of your pepper halves are wobbly and won’t sit flat, slice a tiny sliver off the bottom to create a flat surface. Just be careful not to cut all the way through or the juices will leak out.

Drain the Beef Well

After you brown the ground beef, tilt the skillet and spoon out as much grease as you can before adding the taco seasoning and water. If you skip this step, the filling ends up greasy and watery, and that extra liquid pools at the bottom of the peppers in the air fryer.

A greasy filling also makes the cheese on top slide right off instead of melting down into the meat. Taking 30 seconds to drain the fat makes a big difference in how the final peppers look and taste.

Don’t Overfill the Peppers

It’s tempting to pack as much filling as possible into each pepper half, but if you overstuff them the filling spills over the sides during cooking. That means a messy air fryer basket and burnt bits of cheese and meat stuck everywhere.

Fill each half so the mixture is slightly mounded above the rim of the pepper, but not overflowing. You want just enough room on top to add a generous layer of cheese that can melt down and seal everything in.

If you have leftover filling, that’s totally fine. It makes a great taco bowl on its own with some extra cheese and sour cream.

Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
• Air Fryer Crispy Avocado Fries
• Air Fryer Italian Sausage & Peppers
• Air Fryer Loaded Potato Skins
• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to pre-cook the bell peppers before stuffing them?

You do not need to pre-cook them, but giving the pepper halves a quick 3-4 minute head start in the air fryer at 375°F before filling them helps soften them up. This way, the peppers finish cooking at the same time as the filling heats through and the cheese melts.

If you skip this step, the peppers might still be a bit too crunchy when the cheese is already done. That little head start makes a big difference.