Stuffed Mini Peppers
Stuffed Mini Peppers are a delicious and colorful appetizer that’s sort of like a healthier and less spicy version of a jalapeño popper, and they can be roasted in the oven or cooked on the grill! Every time I make these, the entire tray gets completely demolished.
It’s crazy how delicious these mini stuffed peppers are because they’re quite simple. But there are certain recipes where the flavor affinities are so strong that the combination is wildly tasty without any fuss at all.
I’m a big fan of stuffed peppers in general, and have done both Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños and Stuffed Hot Cherry Peppers on the blog. As much as I love those two recipes, what’s nice about this recipe is that you can control the spiciness.
When you’re about to bite into a whole stuffed jalapeño, there’s no way to tell how spicy it’s going to be, and there were just too many times when my mouth was on fire!! It got to be too much. But here you get a sweet, mild pepper experience with a touch of jalapeno in the filling, so you get that heat and flavor in a tempered way.
So if you’re looking for an easy but delicious appetizer that’s also colorful and pretty, these peppers are fantastic. You can even add them to an Antipasto Platter and have an epic board to serve at your next gathering.
Tips for Best Results
Use a soft, not crumbly goat cheese – The kind of goat cheese you’ll want to use here is a chevre, which is the soft and spreadable goat cheese that usually comes in the shape of a log. My favorite brand is actually Costco’s (it has a lovely natural sweetness), but Whole Foods brand and Chavrie are also great.
Get the amount of filling right – Take your time to add the right amount of filling to each pepper. They should neither be understuffed nor overstuffed.
Leave the stem on – I like to keep the step on both for aesthetics and also because I’ve noticed people using them as a “handle” for eating. However, if you prefer, you may cut off the stem during prep.
Step by Step Overview:
Start by preparing the filling, which includes soft goat cheese, grated parmesan, fresh minced jalapeño, garlic, and black pepper:
By the way, a quick tip for seeding the jalapeños is to use a melon baller to remove them:
Removing the seeds and the ribs cuts down on the heat significantly.
Stir to combine the ingredients into a fluffy, creamy filling:
Wash a pound of mini sweet peppers, and slice them all in half through the middle:
When I make these for a party, I keep the tops on because I think it looks pretty, but you can cut those off if you prefer. I don’t bother removing the ribs from these, and most of them don’t really have seeds either, so not much prep is needed beyond halving.
Place the cut peppers in a bowl and toss to coat with olive oil and salt:
Then fill all of the mini peppers with the prepared filling:
There should be just enough to fill each pepper half generously.
Cooking Options
Oven: If roasting in the oven, cook the mini peppers for about 20-25 minutes in a 425F oven.
Traeger: This adds a wonderful smoky flavor. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the peppers are soft.
Charcoal or gas grill: Try to make sure the heat isn’t above 450F, and cook for about 20 minutes.
No matter which of these cooking methods you pick, you’re best going off doneness than time. The cheese should be slightly golden on top, and the peppers should be softened, like this:
How to Serve
These Stuffed Mini Peppers are definitely at their prime when they’re hot and bubbling, so try to serve promptly. I will usually serve them right on the tray I cooked them on, to retain heat as long as possible (though if you have young kids, you may want to transfer to a platter).
Smoked Salmon Spread, Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts, and Buffalo Chicken Dip are some of my other favorite party appetizers to serve alongside these. You can see the full collection in the Appetizers section of my recipe index.
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a 300F oven for 10 minutes, until warmed through. Microwaving will also work, about one minute for 10 peppers. If reheating from frozen, add a few minutes to oven time, and 30 seconds to microwaving time.
Absolutely! You can really multiply this as much as you’d like.
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Stuffed Mini Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini sweet peppers
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- 10 ounce log goat cheese softened (soft chèvre)
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan (40g by weight)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 jalapeños seeded and finely chopped (1/3 cup, measured)
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F*.
- De-stem the peppers if desired (I leave them on for aesthetics), then cut each in half. Place in a bowl with the olive oil and 1/4 tsp of salt, and toss well to coat.
- In a large bowl, stir to combine the goat cheese, parmesan, garlic, jalapeno, and black pepper.
- Fill the cut peppers with small spoonfuls of filling. You should have just enough filling to fill the peppers with a generous amount, coming slightly over the tops of the peppers.
- Roast the peppers for about 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the cheese is golden on the edges. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
41 Comments on “Stuffed Mini Peppers”
Love this recipe! We grow about a dozen different peppers and I was looking for a recipe for using the many mad hatters we have, which are shaped perfect for stuffing. This was perfect and tasted so yummy. I started with a third recipe to see if we’d like it and will likely double it from now on. I may mix up the jalapeños now and then with other peppers from the garden but this is a 10/10 as is.
Are these just as good if they are served raw (fresh summertime option)?
This looks fabulous. Has anyone tried this with Boursin, garlic and herb? I already have some in the frig and want to use it this weekend.
Thank you so much for this recipe! These were a fun little snacker during our Super Bowl Party. Everybody loved them! My husband placed a cookie sheet of these pretty little gems on his Traeger Grill. He grilled them at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
Question. If taking these to a party do you bake ahead of time and reheat them at party or just eat at room temperature? Not sure if hostess will have her oven on and don’t want to ask her to turn it on while entertaining or take up room if she has other things in oven. Have only met her once.
My family loved these, despite my substituting some cheese that made them a bit greasy. I expect they’ll be even better if I follow the recipe exactly next time.
These were so yummy!!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I made this with Shishito peppers, everyone loved it.
Have made these at least 8X during the pandemic; they have become a wine-hour staple. Have been devoured by approximately 10 different adults; everyone raves about them! They’re very pretty to serve as well. I do not add salt nor jalapenos. These are wonderful; thank you! P.S. I’m not a huge goat cheese fan; the parmesan mix cuts the goat flavor down quite nicely.
These are divine! My husband has been asking me to make stuffed mini peppers for what seems like years now, and he was so happy with these! The filling is absolutely delicious and so quick and easy to make. And those little peppers get perfectly soft in the oven. We make a lot of appetizers for parties and these definitely make the cut! Thanks!
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
Did the same as one of the other commenters did a 50/50 goat cheese and cream cheese. With garlic cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper. I top mine with strawberry preserves mixed with a little cayenne for that sweet and spicy mix. My family are them all. Love it
Help me out, please. I love goat cheese and very much want to make these stuffed peppers. However, I’m afraid my family won’t like the jalapenos peppers (unless they’re rendered mild in the baking). If not, can I substitute a “mild cayenne” pepper. The mild cayenne I have has about 50% the potency. Thanks…Leo
We left out the peppers and added some rosemary. Do whatever your heart wants!
Mild green chiles would be great as well.
These are amazing!
Can you substitute ricotta cheese fir the goat cheese ? Thanks
Hi Guy! I’ve subbed ricotta as well as the Mexican requeson (very similar in texture to ricotta), and it came out divine!
We and all our friends love this recipe. I cut goat cheese 50/50 with cream cheese and add a little fresh lemon which tempers the tartness of the goat cheese for some of our family. Any way you do it, this is an awesome recipe.
Thanks so much for the inspiration, i pull this up often when I can’t remember the ingredients. Another thing i do is get my Italian seasoning or dipping spice from a local mom and pop Italian market, an extra special twist. Cheers!