Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers
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Making instant pot stuffed bell peppers can’t get any easier than this! No pre-cooking of peppers or sautéing onion is needed. Simply fill with them and cook under pressure. Easy comfort food ready in no time!
Guys, have you tried making stuffed peppers? If you haven’t I highly recommend doing so. Juicy sweet peppers, ground beef & rice filling & tomato sauce complement each other and create a delicious dinner!
By the way, if you are looking for more pressure cooker recipes, check these out:
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato Gratin
- Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce
- Instant Pot Chicken Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- Sweet bell peppers
- Small onion
- Ground beef
- Cooked rice
- Marjoram
- Salt and pepper
- Tinned tomatoes
- Breadcrumbs
- Garlic
How long does it take to cook stuffed peppers in a pressure cooker?
When using medium-sized peppers like I did the 8 minutes active cooking time is all it takes to make these instant pot stuffed peppers.
However, the time needed to cook these bell peppers may vary. If you are using very large peppers then you might need to add an extra minute or two to the overall cooking time – just to be sure they are cooked through.
Now I used similar sized peppers but from 2 different producers and I noticed a slight difference in the tenderness. So please don’t be afraid to add more time if needed to adjust it to your needs.
How to make stuffed peppers in instant pot pressure cooker
If you know how to make beef and rice stuffed peppers in the oven, then all you need to do is use your instant pot instead of the oven. I like making instant pot stuffed peppers because it saves me time, energy and the peppers turn out extremely juicy.
To fill the peppers all you need to do is cut off the tops of the peppers. Then remove the seeds and membranes. When you are done, make the filling by combining finely chopped onion, garlic, beef, rice, marjoram, salt, black pepper and half of the tinned tomatoes (without the liquid). I use hands to mix this but you can also use a wooden spoon or a normal soup spoon. Just make sure you combine everything properly.
When you are done, fill each pepper to the top.
Now get your Instant Pot pressure cooker, pour in ½ cup water + the remaining tomatoes with juice. Insert in the steam rack and place the peppers onto it. You will fit 4 medium-large peppers in which will serve 4 people.
Lock the lid, place the steam release to the SEALING position and press MANUAL. Adjust the time to 8 minutes and you are done! Before opening the pot let the pressure drop naturally. It only takes about 4 minutes in this case.
I suggest letting it cool down slightly before serving as they will be piping hot.
Useful tips
- To make these pressure cooker stuffed bell peppers use any type of rice you like.
- Marjoram can be substituted with oregano.
- You can also add some fresh parsley to the filling.
- I sometimes add ketchup to the tomatoes right before serving to make the sauce richer.
- Great for meal prep: Cooked stuffed bell peppers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days!
- Optional – Top these stuffed bell peppers with shredded cheese right before serving!
Check out more Easy Instant Pot Recipes on my blog. Chicken Stock, Tortellini Soup, Chicken Paprikash … they all can be made in your Instant Pot!
Watch the video!
Instant Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers , medium
- 1 onion , small
- ½ pound ground beef (220 grams)
- 2 cups cooked rice , packed (300 grams)
- 1½ tablespoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 1 can tomatoes (14 ounces/400 grams)
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Rinse the peppers. Cut off the top parts and remove all the membranes and seeds.
- In a bowl, combine together finely chopped onion, ground beef, cooked rice, marjoram, salt, pepper, minced garlic, breadcrumbs and ½ can of tomatoes (without their juice). Mix well using your hand or spoon.
- Fill each pepper with the mixture.
- Add water and the remaining tomatoes (with juices) to the inner pot of the instant pot. Insert the steam rack and place the stuffed peppers onto it.
- Lock the lid. Turn the steam release to SEALING and press MANUAL. Adjust the time to 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (about 4 minutes) before opening the lid.
- Let the peppers cool down slightly before serving.
Notes
- This recipe was made in a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot.
- The cooking time does not include time needed for the pot to come to the pressure and release its pressure.
- If using large peppers you might need to adjust the cooking time slightly to make sure they are tender and the meat is cooked through.
- Marjoram can be substituted with oregano.
- This recipe is enough to fill 4 medium peppers. If you use large peppers you will need more filling.
- Optional: top cooked stuffed peppers with shredded cheese. You can also add some ketchup to the tomatoes to make it thicker and richer.
- The meat to rice ratio can be adjusted to your liking.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but I have a lot of stuffing leftover and Even filled a 5th one. Since I didn’t cook the beef, can I only dispose of it ? I hate being very wasteful.
Maybe the peppers you used were rather small. If you end up with any leftovers, just roll them in a ball and cook them alongside the stuffed peppers.
These peppers are amazing and so easy!
We added an 11.5 oz can of V8 juice into the pot, and a 1/2 c of elbow macaroni. Turned out P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!
Fantastic. I added 2 Tbsp half and half and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire to the meat mixture and finished the sauce with 1/2 C Ketchup. Love these!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Eric.
Tried these tonight, thanks for having the recipe available!! Delicious!!
You are welcome, Barbara. Thanks for finding time to leave a feedback and rating!
I made this recipe and it was delicious. I substituted ground turkey and oregano as I didn’t have marjoram. The time of 8 minutes was spot on. Peppers and filling were so good. I will definitely make these again…thank you!
Thanks so much for your feedback and rating, Christine! Hope you find on my blog more recipes you like.
We love this recipe. This is my go to for stuffed peppers. I generally do a single modification of using Spanish rice instead and it gives it a spicy pop.
That’s great to hear :) Thanks so much for your feedback and the tip!
Hello there,
This recipe is for a 6qt since I have an 8qt I am wondering how much water to use? This one here says 1/2 a cup of water plus tomatoes and liquid but I know that the 8qt requires at least 2 cups of liquid. Would 1 cup of water and more tomatoe and it’s juice work?
Thank you
Juliane
Hi Juliane, yes, your suggestion should work perfectly. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Julia, it’s awesome! I cannot wait to try this. I bet it makes the house smell divine and tastes incredible!
Hi There, Stuffed Peppers are my very very favorite food but I have a question when adapting the way I cook into Instant Pot cooking. I usually stuff my peppers, place in a casserole dish filled with tomato sauce, and bake. Can I put the Peppers in the Pressure Cooker without the rack and right in the sauce? I really enjoy the sauce tasting like the peppers and we serve the pepper over elbow mac w/ the sauce. I’m just curious if I’ll get the burn notice if I do it this way. Thank you!
Laurie
Hi Laurie, I’d say it’s OK to cook them without the rack. If not sure, increase the amount of sauce slightly. Hope this helps :)
I’m so EXCITED to try this! But, I’m wondering….what did ya’ll pair these peppers with as a side dish? I’m stuck on what it might mix will with.
Hi Ashley, I usually serve them with bread or bread rolls or nothing but some people like serving these with salads, roasted potatoes or steamed veggies. Hope this helps!
I used TVP (texturized vegetable protein) in place of meat to make this a vegan meal and it turned out amazing! Looks, smells and tastes like the stuffed green peppers I remember from my childhood. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you!
Yay! I am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know that this recipe can be made vegan.
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. I used ground turkey instead of beef and it was still very delicious just had to cook it a few minutes more to get it to the correct temp. Also used the boil in bag brown rice for a short cut.
Could I replace the cooked rice for cooked quinoa?
Hi Jessica, it sounds like a delicious substitution to me and I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t work! Please let us know how you liked it!
8 minutes is too much. My peppers fell apart :(
This may be due to the size of peppers you used. Also the fresher peppers the better. As you can see on the video, my peppers did not fall apart. If you make it next time, you can either try reducing the cooking time slightly or release the pressure after the cooking is finished. This will stop them from cooking any further.
Hi are the canned tomatoes puréed, diced, or whole?
Hi Celeste, I used diced tomatoes. You can also use whole if you have those on hand. Just smash them with a fork or dice with knife. Hope this helps.
I used a can of ro-tel! It was great!
Sounds like a great substitution! Glad to hear you enjoyed it :)
Do I have to cook the rice first if I am using Instant Rice?
Hi Connie. I would say that yes, you have to. The reason is that there is not much of a liquid for the rice to be cooked in. Please let me know how you liked this dish when you try!
I can’t wait to try this! I have a larger family and will need to make more than four. Do you think stacking another layer of peppers would work? I’m still trying to figure out how to use this thing and what you can and can’t do!
I know it’s OK to stack food in Instant Pot but haven’t really tried it myself yet so I am afraid I am not much of a help here. I think it should be fine when it comes to cooking time. I am not sure if they will hold their shape well though. Please let me know if you do give it a try!
I am just now getting comfortable with my instant pot and am excited to try this recipe tonight. When you say “let the pressure release naturally” what does that mean? Do I turn the valve to “vent” for 4 minutes or just wait 4 minutes after the cooking time is complete? Thank you in advance!
Jordan, sorry for the late reply. Yes, you wait 4 minutes after the cooking time is complete and then you turn the valve to vent (be careful not to burn yourself with the steam). Let me know how they turned out for you if you get a chance!
Im so excited to try this tonight! I usually use frozen riced cauliflower and ground turkey with stuffed peppers. Would I cook that first and mix it with the raw meat? Or could I precook the rice and meat before filling the peppers and then put them in the Instant Pot for a shorter amount of time? This will be my first try with the Instant Pot-i just got a 6 qt on Prime Day last week :)
I hope you will love your instant pot as much as I do! :) I have never used frozen riced cauliflower in anything so can’t really advise you on this. You could try pre-cooking both the rice and meat and reducing the active cooking time like you suggested. If you do give it a go, please let us know!
Did you end up using cooked cauli-rice? I’m worried if I pre cook the cauli-rice if might turn out too mushy. On the other hand, I didn’t want it to be crunchy if I didn’t pre cook the cauli-rice. Please help.