These air fryer cheesy taco stuffed peppers are one of my favorite weeknight dinners. They’re filling, flavorful, and ready in about 30 minutes.
The idea is simple – take everything you love about tacos and stuff it inside bell peppers. Then let the air fryer do its thing until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Each pepper is loaded with seasoned ground beef, rice, black beans, and salsa. It’s a complete meal in one neat little package.
The air fryer makes the peppers perfectly tender without heating up your whole kitchen. And the cheese on top gets that nice golden look that you just can’t resist.
If you’ve been looking for a fun way to switch up taco night, give these a try. I think you’ll really enjoy them.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Packed With Flavor – The taco seasoning and salsa give these peppers a bold savory taste that hits every bite perfectly.
The Cheese Gets Perfectly Bubbly – The air fryer melts that Mexican cheese blend into a golden bubbly layer you just cannot resist.
A Complete Meal in Every Pepper – With beef and rice and black beans stuffed inside each half you get a filling dinner with no sides needed.
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
Par-Cook the Peppers First
Raw bell peppers take a while to soften in the air fryer, and by the time they’re tender the cheese on top can get too dark. To avoid this, air fry the empty pepper halves at 360°F for about 5 minutes before you stuff them.
This gives them a head start so they cook evenly with the filling. You’ll end up with peppers that are perfectly tender but still have a little bite to them, not mushy or crunchy.
Don’t Overfill the Peppers
It’s tempting to pack as much filling as possible into each pepper half, but if you mound it too high, the cheese on top won’t melt evenly and the filling can spill over into the air fryer basket.
Fill each pepper so the mixture is roughly level with the top edge. This keeps everything neat and lets the cheese get that nice bubbly, golden layer across the whole surface.
Leave Space Between the Peppers
Air fryers work by circulating hot air all around the food. If the peppers are crammed together and touching, the air can’t flow properly and you’ll get uneven cooking – some peppers will be tender while others are still firm.
Leave at least half an inch of space between each pepper. It’s better to cook in two batches than to crowd them all in at once.
Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Birria Tacos
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Air Fryer Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Air Fryer Loaded Nachos
- Air Fryer Zucchini Boats
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep the stuffed peppers from tipping over in the air fryer basket?
The trick is to slice a very thin piece off the bottom of each pepper half so it sits flat and stable. Just be careful not to slice too much or you’ll create a hole and the filling will leak out.
If they still wobble a bit, you can nestle them close together so they support each other, or use small balls of aluminum foil tucked around the sides to prop them up.
Air Fryer Cheesy Taco Stuffed Peppers
- air fryer
- 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
- Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Add taco seasoning and water, simmer for 3 minutes.
- Stir in cooked rice, black beans, and half the salsa. Mix well and remove from heat.
- Fill each pepper half with the beef mixture and top with shredded cheese.
- 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.
- Top with remaining salsa, sour cream, and fresh cilantro before serving.