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Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers

September 1, 2020 by Melissa 23 Comments

Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers – Flavor packed ground beef, chopped veggies, mexican rice and melty cheese are cooked and served inside colorful bell peppers. Just ten minutes on high pressure for amazing stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers

Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are so easy and delicious. The ground beef cooks right in the bell pepper so prep is so easy! I use my favorite Instant Pot Mexican Rice  or Stovetop Mexican Rice Recipe for the stuffing.

I love this recipe, it’s so versatile and packed with flavor. These stuffed peppers are adapted from my CrockPot Stuffed Peppers recipe that has been a reader favorite for years. I love that the Instant Pot version only takes 10 minutes on high pressure.

Filling for Stuffed Peppers

How to Make Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot

  1. Trim tops off of bell peppers and dice.
  2. Heat chopped onions in tomato sauce mixture to soften onions.
  3. Combine uncooked ground beef with rest of filling ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. Pour 1/3 cup of water into Instant Pot and place bell peppers on rack.
  5. Fill bell peppers with ground beef mixture and top with additional cheese.
  6. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then use a quick pressure release.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

How Long to Cook Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot

This is an Instant Pot recipe that actually cuts down on cooking time. So many Instant Pot recipes, mine included, use the Instant Pot as more of a multi cooker than a pressure cooker. It’s convenient to use the Instant Pot as a one pot multi cooker, but with the time it takes to build pressure, cook and release pressure, it doesn’t always cut down on actual cooking time.

These stuffed peppers cook in just ten minutes on high pressure and use a quick pressure release, so with the time it takes to build to pressure it’s about 25 minutes total cooking time. This same recipe takes about an hour in the oven.

Stuffed Peppers in the Instant Pot

What to Serve with Stuffed Peppers

  • Black Bean and Corn Salad
  • Mexican Rice 
  • Slow Cooker Refried Beans
  • Frozen Margaritas
  • Homemade Salsa 
  • Baked Tortilla Chips 

Stuffed Peppers Instant Pot

More Stuffed Pepper Recipes

CrockPot Stuffed Peppers 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Italian Stuffed Peppers 

One Pan Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole

4.95 from 18 votes
Print
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 

Flavor packed ground beef, chopped veggies, mexican rice and melty cheese are cooked and served inside colorful bell peppers. Just ten minutes on high pressure for amazing stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot!

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers, Stuffed Peppers Instant Pot
Servings: 4
Calories: 489 kcal
Author: Melissa
Ingredients
  • 4 bell peppers
  • 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
  • 1/2 cup onion finely diced
  • 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup mexican rice cooked use leftover mexican rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 1/4 cups colby jack cheese shredded and divided
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Pour tomato sauce into a heat proof bowl and add diced onion. Heat the onion/tomato sauce mixture in the microwave for about 5 minutes to soften onions. Set aside to cool.
  2. Cut the tops off of bell peppers. Remove stems and seeds and dice the tops of the bell peppers. Pour 1/3 of a cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot, add cooking rack and place bell peppers on top.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine one pound of uncooked ground beef, cooled onion/tomato sauce mixture, diced bell peppers, 1 cup of shredded colby jack cheese, 3/4 cup of cooked mexican rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder.

  4. Fill bell peppers with ground beef mixture and top with remaining cheese. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. Then use a Quick Pressure Release. You can test mixture for doneness with a meat thermometer. It should be cooked to 160 degrees.

Recipe Notes

You must used pre-cooked rice. I used leftover mexican rice,  but you can also use cooked white rice. Just bump up your seasoning so that the mixture is not too bland.

These stuffed bell peppers are great frozen and reheated. 

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
Amount Per Serving
Calories 489 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 114mg38%
Sodium 610mg27%
Potassium 862mg25%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 4671IU93%
Vitamin C 157mg190%
Calcium 295mg30%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Instant Pot, Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, Mexican, Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sara Welch

    August 26, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    What an amazing recipe! I am adding this to my dinner line up for the week; looks delicious!

    Reply
  2. Katie

    August 26, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    LOVE stuffed peppers! Definitely trying them in the instant pot now!

    Reply
  3. Beth Pierce

    August 26, 2019 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    What an amazing recipe! So quick and easy; perfect for busy school nights!

    Reply
  4. Paige

    August 26, 2019 at 7:11 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE stuffed peppers and just made them recently…Instant Pot looks like a much quicker way and I’ll give your recipe a try!

    Reply
  5. Ashley F

    August 26, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a great idea! One of our favorite meals to make!

    Reply
  6. Aimee Shugarman

    August 27, 2019 at 5:34 am

    5 stars
    So so good. We loved every bite!

    Reply
  7. Jay M

    October 7, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    5 stars
    Made a similar variation of these tonight. FIrst time using the instant pot. The instructions and cook time was perfect. The peppers came out delicious.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      October 9, 2019 at 11:29 am

      Great to hear! Thank you!

      Reply
  8. Brown suga

    January 3, 2020 at 7:54 pm

    5 stars
    Tried in my ninja foodie and it was great!!! Thanks

    Reply
  9. Suzy

    February 5, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    5 stars
    We have stuffed peppers on the menu for tomorrow, I never knew you could make them in the Instant Pot! Trying this ASAP!

    Reply
  10. wilhelmina

    February 5, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    5 stars
    This was such a great meal! The whole family approved!

    Reply
  11. Katie

    February 5, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for the family and it was a hit!

    Reply
  12. Krissy Allori

    February 5, 2020 at 3:22 pm

    5 stars
    This is so great. I love stuffed peppers but have never tried it in my instant pot. It never even occurred to me. Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Cecile

    February 15, 2020 at 9:09 am

    Why would you want to put the peppers in the pot, then stuff them? Wouldn’t it be easier to stuff them first, then place them in the pot? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      March 10, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      I tried both ways and found it easier to stuff them in the pot. Once they are stuffed they are heavy and mine kept tipping and spilling into the pot when trying to place them.

      Reply
  14. Amy

    February 21, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    4 stars
    We used turkey instead of beef so we had to cook them for about 15 minutes to get the turkey cooked all the way through . Froze the left over mix for another meal in the future .

    Reply
  15. Ashley

    March 18, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    This is the second time I’ve cooked these in the instant pot. We absolutely love them!! However, it takes it double the time to cook them each time. And then tonight it actually took even longer! What could I possibly be doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      September 1, 2020 at 8:31 am

      Hi Ashley! Are you remembering to add the water to the Instant Pot before cooking?

      Reply
  16. Toni

    June 24, 2020 at 5:34 am

    5 stars
    This is so quick and easy to make!! Really delicious too!
    Toni recently posted…Triple Citrus Chicken Marinade RecipeMy Profile

    Reply
  17. Lauren Kelly

    June 24, 2020 at 5:42 am

    5 stars
    Briliiant! Another great reason to love my IP!

    Reply
  18. Rachael Yerkes

    June 24, 2020 at 7:34 am

    5 stars
    instnat pot recipes are my favorite because they’re so easy. this one is super easy and tastes amazing!

    Reply
  19. Regina Wellham

    February 9, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    5 stars
    OMG best stuffed peppers ever I used white rice did everything to recipe but added 3 more minutes in cooking delicious

    Reply
  20. Andrea Thueson

    September 9, 2021 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe for instant pot stuffed peppers was so easy to make, and it tasted amazing! All my children loved it!

    Reply

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