These Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers are a hit at any party, because they’re the perfect finger food. The flavor from the bacon and onion cream cheese in mini bell peppers is craveworthy.

Cream cheese stuffed peppers on a platter

One of the reasons I love making these cheese stuffed mini appetizers for parties is that they’re so easy to make. You can use baby bell peppers and just cut them in half. Mixing up the filling is a breeze, so you can have extra ready to make a second batch if you find yourself running low on these tasty appetizers.

For a party, I’ll mix up extra filling and keep it in a bowl in the refrigerator so I can easily fill more peppers, if necessary. An air fryer really comes in handy too, because you can cook them in just 6 minutes in the air fryer, if you have one. But they can also be served cold if you want.

Stuffed peppers with cream cheese are always a hit at a get-together.

>> For more tasty finger food try these 16 Tasty Cocktail Party Appetizers.

What You’ll Need

Mini peppers – The peppers we use for this are mini sweet peppers, with no heat to them. You will want to remove the seeds and ribs, but that’s not due to heat, like with jalapenos. If you prefer more heat, you’ll want to use jalapenos instead – then you can vary the heat based on how many seeds and ribs you leave in.
Cream cheese – It’s best to use a full fat cream cheese. Philadelphia cream cheese is great. You can even use a variation, like garlic and herb or garden vegetable.
Cheddar cheese – Shredded cheese helps bind together the cream cheese filling so it doesn’t just pour right out of the peppers. You can use yellow or white cheddar, or Monterey Jack or Mozzarella.
Bacon – Just 2 slices is all that’s needed. Cook it to well done so it’s easy to crumble.
Green onion – You could also use chives. I don’t like to use raw white onion because the flavor is overwhelming to the filling.
Seasonings – Dried oregano, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper

How to Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds and ribs. I like to leave the green stem on the peppers, but it’s just for show. You can remove the stem if you want.

In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, crumbled bacon and green onions. Stir it all together until it’s well combined.

cream cheese, cheese, spices, bacon and green onions in a bowl

You can store the cream cheese mixture for up to a day before using it, in case you’re prepping ahead for something. Otherwise, go ahead and fill each pepper half with the cream cheese filling. I like to put in enough just to the top of the pepper, but don’t overfill. The excess will end up bubbling over in the oven.

Cream cheese stuffed peppers on a baking sheet

Place the peppers spaced out on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned on top. At this point, the pepper is still a little bit crunchy and it holds up well when you pick up a pepper. If you want the peppers to be completely cooked through, you can continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. But they will be hard to pick up.

Cream cheese stuffed peppers on platters

Frequently Asked Questions

Should the peppers be pre-cooked before stuffing?

No, these peppers are so small that they cook along with the filling. If you pre-cook them, they will be soggy and overcooked.

Can I use bell peppers instead of mini peppers?

Yes, if you can’t find mini peppers, you can cut up a bell pepper into slices and use those as “boats” for your cream cheese filling. However, the filling won’t stay on the pepper as well, so larger slices are recommended.

Do they have to be baked?

No, you can serve these appetizers cold if you want. All you would need to do is stuff the raw mini peppers and set them out for your guests to enjoy!