Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers are the perfect appetizer for big game parties and holiday gatherings.

These are stuffed with an amazing mixture of cream cheese and bacon and do not have to be baked. So quick and easy to make, just like this spicy crab dip appetizer.

Your guests might enjoy snacking on these while sipping on a Texas margarita or a Copycat Starbucks Matcha Green Tea Latte.

Jump to:

• What Kind of Peppers Should be Used?
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔀 Substitutions
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
• 🔪 How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers
• 👩‍🍳 Pro Tips
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe
• Pro Tips
• Recipe FAQs

What Kind of Peppers Should be Used?

This recipe works best with the colorful baby bell peppers. They’re perfectly sized for an easy party food.

Since this appetizer isn’t cooked the mini sweet peppers taste the best because they have a sweeter flavor and crunchier texture than the bigger sized peppers. Regular bell peppers have a stronger flavor and are not as good in this particular recipe.

Plus, the mini sweet peppers are conveniently bagged at the store and all ready to go. They’re also completely seedless so that makes prep super easy too.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is one of my go-to’s for easy entertaining. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Ready in minutes: There are only 5 ingredients needed for this recipe, so prep time doesn’t take long.
• No baking required: You just have to combine the ingredients, stuff the peppers and chill them in the refrigerator. This frees up your oven for other dishes.
• Kids can help: Since this recipe is so easy to make, the kids can help mix the ingredients and spoon the filling into the peppers. They’ll be proud to help make the appetizers for your party.

If you like appetizers that are stuffed with cream cheese, you’ll like these grilled stuffed mushrooms too.

🥘 Ingredients

This finger food recipe only has 5 ingredients. It is inexpensive to make and you’ll feel good knowing you’re serving some veggies too.

• Mini Sweet Peppers: They are usually sold in a bag in the produce section.
• Cream Cheese: Using block cream cheese is preferred for this recipe because it has a firmer texture and is less watery than tub cream cheese, making the filling thicker and more stable for stuffing the mini peppers.
• Bacon: Store-bought real bacon bits work great in this recipe and saves you the time of having to cook bacon strips.
• Shredded Cheese: Sharp cheddar works great. You can either buy pre-shredded or block cheese and shred it yourself (a food processor shreds cheese fast).
• Mayonnaise: I do not recommend using Miracle Whip in this recipe. Regular mayo gives the cream cheese mixture a better flavor.

🔀 Substitutions

If you don’t have the ingredients you need, or if you have different dietary needs/preferences, see if you have these instead:

Cream cheese: If you don’t have cream cheese, you can use goat cheese or ricotta cheese. A vegan cream cheese can be used for a dairy-free option.

Bacon: For a lower fat version use turkey bacon or to keep it plant-based use a vegetarian bacon alternative. If you only have pancetta that’s fine to use because it has a similar savory taste.

Shredded cheese: You can substitute different kinds of shredded cheese that you prefer or use vegan shredded cheese for a dairy-free substitution.

Mayonnaise: You can substitute sour cream, plain Greek yogurt (for a lower fat option), ranch dressing, or goat cheese.

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

Here are a few ways that you can personalize this appetizer recipe: 

Mix-Ins: You can enhance the flavor of your cream cheese filling with herbs and spices like garlic, onion, paprika or Italian seasoning. If you want to add a little kick, add some fresh diced jalapenos to the mixture or some taco seasoning.

Omit the bacon: If you want a vegetarian version, add some diced vegetables like mushrooms or cucumbers to add some crunch. If you still want meat in it, but don’t like bacon, you can try smoked sausage crumbles.

Additional garnishes: For added color, top with some chopped chives, parsley, cilantro or chopped green onions. Chopped walnuts or pecans add a wonderful crunch when sprinkled on top of the stuffed peppers.

If you also want to serve a warm appetizer made with cream cheese, try this Instant Pot Buffalo chicken dip.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this easy stuffed peppers recipe. 

• Cutting board: You’ll slice the peppers on this.
• Knife: Use this to slice the peppers in half.
• Medium or large bowl: The filling ingredients will be mixed in this bowl.
• Baking sheet: Put the peppers on here to chill in the refrigerator.

🔪 How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

If you have 5 minutes then you have time to make these Mini Peppers Stuffed with Cream Cheese. It is a great recipe to keep on hand when you need to make a snack in a hurry.

Step 1: Prepare Peppers

Take the package of mini bell peppers and slice the peppers in half. Deseed the peppers.

Step 2: Make Filling

Put the softened cream cheese, chopped bacon, shredded cheese, and mayonnaise in a medium or large bowl.

Stir to combine these ingredients well.

Step 3: Stuff Peppers

Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture into each of the pepper halves.

Step 4: Chill

Place the stuffed halves on a baking sheet and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to chill.

Step 5: Garnish and Serve

After the stuffed mini peppers are chilled you can garnish with additional chopped bacon or parsley flakes if you desire. Serve and enjoy the classic and timeless taste that everyone loves.

👩‍🍳 Pro Tips

Here are a few tips to help make sure that these peppers turn out well for you. 

• When deseeding the peppers, use a small spoon or melon baller to easily scoop out seeds and ribs.
• Use a piping bag or resealable bag with the corner cut off to fill the peppers cleanly and quickly.
• Prepare the filling a day in advance and stuff the peppers right before serving for convenience.
• Arrange peppers on a platter with fresh herbs or colorful garnishes to make them visually appealing.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers:

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📋 Recipe