These Instant Pot Mexican Stuffed Peppers with ground beef are a delicious and low carb meal option with a Mexican twist all made in one pot!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as canola or avocado oil.
- Extra-lean ground beef – you could also try making these stuffed peppers with ground turkey.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots can also be used.
- Garlic – I prefer freshly minced garlic but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chili powder – if you don’t have any chili powder on hand, use a combination of paprika, cumin and cayenne.
- Cumin – coriander would be the best substitute here.
- Fresh salsa – your favourite jarred salsa would also work. If you’re feeling fancy, you can even make your own homemade fresh salsa!
- Bell peppers – use any colour combination of bell peppers of your choice.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – feel free to swap out for another type of cheese like Tex Mex or mozzarella.
Topping ideas
- Avocado – guacamole would also be delicious on top of these stuffed peppers.
- Cilantro – leave this out if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
- Jalapenos – poblano peppers would also be good.
- Green onions – try using some diced red onion instead.
How to make stuffed peppers in the Instant Pot
- Sauté the ground beef, onions, chili powder and cumin.
- Add in the salsa.
- Stuff the peppers with the beef mixture.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Top with cheese.
- Serve with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
What to serve with stuffed peppers
Personally, I think this meal is completely delicious on its own! If you want to serve your Instant Pot stuffed peppers with some toppings, low-carb options include:
- Avocado or guacamole
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Cilantro
- Green onions
Frequently Asked Questions
For most brands of electric pressure cookers, the total cooking time for this instapot stuffed peppers recipe will be about 20 minutes. That includes the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure – you’ll see that you’ll only be cooking for two minutes on high pressure but the Instant Pot usually takes 10-15 minutes to preheat and then a few minutes to de-pressurize. These peppers are still ready very quickly though compared to versions done in the oven!
Nope! For this stuffed pepper Instant Pot recipe, the peppers will cook in the pressure cooker so there’s no need to pre-bake or boil them like you might need to if you were making this recipe in the oven. Since you’re adding 1 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot, it’ll help steam the peppers.
Some people like to make Instant Pot stuffed peppers directly in the bottom of the pot. The thing is, we won’t be using tomato sauce. So, you will need to add water to the bottom of the pot in order for some liquid to allow the pot to come to pressure. If you don’t want the bell peppers to get too soggy, you can cook them on a trivet or place them in a steamer basket.
Storing and reheating
You can store your leftover Instant Pot stuffed peppers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days before the cheese starts to get soggy. Wrap them in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight glass container. When it comes to reheating, I suggest cooking them in a foil-covered dish at 350° Fahrenheit until heated through. You can also try microwaving them, but the peppers might get soggy.
Freezing this recipe
Freeze your cooked instapot stuffed peppers for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe glass bowl. Make sure the peppers have fully cooled before transferring them to the container to freeze! To reheat them, you don’t have to worry about letting them thaw in the fridge – stick them right in the oven from frozen at 350° Fahrenheit.
More Mexican-inspired Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these Instant Pot stuffed peppers into your weekly lunches.
- I get all of my free-range chicken and grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Instant Pot Mexican Stuffed Peppers {Low Carb}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 container fresh salsa (jarred works too)
- 4 bell peppers, lids and seeds removed
- 1/2 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
Topping Ideas
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Jalapenos
- Green onions
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot onto saute mode. Add olive oil and heat for 1-2 minutes. Add ground beef, onions, chili powder and cumin, sauteeing until beef is browned; about 5 minutes. Stir in salsa and remove beef mixture.
- Wipe inner pot clean with a paper towel and add 1 cup of water. Stuff peppers with beef mixture and place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 2 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 2 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Top peppers with cheese then replace lid and let sit for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top peppers with toppings of choice then serve and enjoy!
