Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers is an easy appetizer recipe ready in 25 minutes. Sweet mini peppers are stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and chives, then baked until creamy for a crowd-pleasing colorful appetizer year round.
Other easy mini pepper recipes we love include these goat cheese stuffed mini peppers and roasted mini sweet peppers. Everything is more fun bite sized!
Table of contents
Fill them up, bake in the oven, and watch these cream cheese stuffed mini peppers disappear. Plus, it just so happen to be one of the easiest appetizers you will ever make, bam!
I am in love with the little sweet peppers you can buy in a bag at the store. They are not only delicious but nutritious too, loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Slice them for salads, dip them in hummus, use them in dinner recipes, or make a stuffed sweet peppers recipe filled with cheesy goodness. They are similar to jalapeño poppers and perfect finger foods!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect appetizer: Only 6 ingredients, ready in 25 minutes and is a great appetizer to serve year round at summertime BBQs, football games, or the holidays.
- Diet friendly: It’s naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, low carb friendly and easy to adapt to ingredients you have on hand.
- Make ahead: Make ahead and bake later for easy entertaining at your next party!
Ingredients and Notes
To make stuffed mini sweet peppers recipe you will need only 6 simple ingredients. Amounts noted here are enough for a dozen of servings or 24 halves. So feel free to half the recipe or double it depending on your needs.
- Mini sweet peppers: You will need 1 pound of mini bell peppers which is a dozen. Bags of small peppers can be purchased at the grocery store often near the regular bell peppers. If it comes in less than 1 lb, grab 2 bags. Often it comes in 1.5 lbs bag. In this case, just stuff each pepper with less filling. It will be enough, I tried.
- Cream cheese: You will need plain cream cheese, from a block or a tub. You will have to use room temperature cream cheese. If you would like to use goat cheese, just check my goat cheese stuffed mini peppers.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Freshly grated cheddar cheese will melt and taste better. Other types of cheeses like pepper jack cheese, monterey jack, mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese can be used too.
- Chives: Other fresh herbs like green onions and fresh parsley work as well.
- Salt and ground black pepper: To season and taste.
How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
This recipe for stuffed mini peppers with cream cheese comes together in 25 minutes with only one bowl, one spoon and a baking tray. No mixer or extra prep is required!
To start, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Combine your filling ingredients: Add your softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, chives, salt and pepper to a medium bowl. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed. You could use an electric mixer if preferred.
- Stuff your peppers: Cut peppers in half and stuff each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture, dividing it evenly among the peppers. Filling will not be overflowing or mounding over your peppers.
- Bake: Place mini stuffed peppers cheese side up in a single layer on your sheet pans and bake for 15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Transfer to a platter, garnish with more chives, if desired, and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper: It helps with easy clean up if some filling happens to leak out.
- Softened cream cheese: Room temperature cream cheese is easier to mix with the other ingredients and stuff into the pepper than cold cream cheese. To soften cream cheese, just place it in a microwave for a few seconds or leave on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Lay flat: Before baking, make sure your cream cheese stuffed peppers are sitting as flat as possible, so the creamy filling doesn’t leak out.
- Make ahead option: Assemble your stuffed pepper appetizer and store covered in the refrigerator. Then proceed with baking instructions when you are ready to serve them.
What Else Can I Add?
- Everything bagel seasoning: Sprinkle some on before roasting. Adds additional flavor and is so good.
- Zesty: Add some horseradish to your cream cheese mixture for a burst of flavor.
- Creamier: You could add some sour cream or Greek yogurt to the filling for even more creaminess.
- Other spices: The sky’s the limit with what you can add to your cream cheese filling. Try paprika, garlic powder, or onion powder for even more savory taste. If you like spicy food, add taco seasoning or cayenne pepper.
- Serve raw: Cold stuffed mini peppers are especially great during the summertime. If you plan to eat them raw, I would remove the seeds first.
How to Store Leftovers
These are best enjoyed right away but you can store leftovers in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy your leftovers cold. Do not freeze them as bell peppers do not thaw well.
Recipe FAQs
Sort of. Baby bell peppers are in the same family but are smaller and sweeter. You can use about 4 regular size bell peppers and cut them up for serving.
Yes. You can add chopped cooked bacon to your filling mixture for cheesy bacon stuffed mini peppers. Ground beef or ground sausage is delicious too, just make sure it is fully cooked before adding it.
No. Fill them up and bake from raw. This is a very easy recipe.
Yes. If you have a bake setting on your air fryer, it is the one to go with. Otherwise lay peppers in a single layer in the air fryer basket and roast for 8 minutes at 360 degrees F.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes to Try
- Baked feta dip
- Cranberry jalapeno dip
- Healthy spinach artichoke dip
- Smoked salmon starters
- Crostini with goat cheese
Pair this hearty appetizer with something as equally creamy and filling as white chicken chili in Instant Pot.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini sweet peppers cut lengthwise and seeds removed
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons chives more for garnish, or use minced green onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Fill the peppers with filling, dividing evenly. It won't be mounding over the peppers.
- Place stuffed mini peppers on previously prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes or until filling is hot.
- Transfer to a platter, garnish with more chives and serve warm.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold. Do not freeze as bell peppers do not thaw well.
- To soften cream cheese, just place it in a microwave for a few seconds.
- Before baking, make sure peppers are sitting as flat as possible so the filling doesn’t leak out.
- You can half or double this recipe.
I just made a few of these for a light lunch. OMG! Instead of baking, popped them in my air fryer at 392* F for 5 minutes.
Fantastic! Yes, air fryer is so handy for frying small amounts of food. We use it all the time!
I’m going to do these for Christmas Eve get together. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are so welcome, Claudette!
I actually made these stuffed peppers as a side dish for grilled chicken and they were gone in a flash! Everyone LOVED them. Even my picky 14 year old daughter. Thank you for the great recipe.
I’m so happy your family loved the recipe, Susie. Thanks for sharing that with me!