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These vegan Quinoa Stuffed Peppers burst with smoky Tex-Mex flavors, offering a hearty, wholesome meal that’s simple to make and highly customizable. Perfect for any occasion, these colorful peppers are sure to become a family favorite.
I love all-in-one meals—they’re easy, require minimal cleanup, and make feeding a crowd a breeze. These Quinoa Stuffed Peppers check all those boxes and then some! They’re hearty, flavorful, and perfect for a fuss-free meal that everyone will love.
Why you’ll love these stuffed peppers
- Simple: From stove to oven, this dish comes together easily—perfect for busy nights.
- Make It Your Own: Top them with your favorites such as vegan sour cream, delicious vegan nacho cheese, or tangy quick pickled red onions.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Got leftovers? The filling is amazing in tacos, salads, or even as a breakfast side.
- All-in-one-meal: These Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are as complete as it gets, so you won't need to dirty any more pots and pans.
Ingredients + Swaps
- Quinoa - Make sure to rinse or use pre-rinsed to avoid bitterness. Swap with rice, farro, or couscous (adjust cooking time and liquid as needed).
- Bell Peppers - Red, yellow, and orange are sweeter; green adds a bitter edge—try poblanos for spice.
- Onion - Yellow or red works here.
- Mushrooms - If you don't like them, you can use plant-based ground.
- Garlic - Fresh is best—use garlic powder if needed.
- Tomato Paste - Deepens flavor. You can omit if you don't have it or use 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce.
- Spices - Chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, and smoked paprika. Use taco seasoning in a pinch but check for salt.
- Vegetable Broth - Low sodium or regular will work. Adjust salt in recipe if needed.
- Corn - Frozen is easy—no thawing needed, or swap with peas.
- Black Beans - Canned pinto, kidney beans, or lentils will work too.
Pairing Suggestions
These stuffed peppers are a complete meal, but if you want to go a little extra, they pair nicely with my vegan ceviche, a simple green salad or my Mexican corn salad recipe. If you have leftover filling, you can serve it with a tofu scramble and breakfast potatoes for a hearty morning meal.
More quinoa recipes to try
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and sharing your feedback in the comment section below. It would make my day!
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Recipe
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa , rinsed well or use pre-rinsed
- 6 large bell peppers , assorted colors
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or preferred oil) + more for brushing
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms , chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 2 cups vegetable broth , low sodium
- 1 cup corn , fresh or frozen
- 15 ounces canned black beans , rinsed and drained
Recommended Equipment
- Medium Pot
Instructions
To Prepare Peppers:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve peppers lengthwise, keeping stems intact if present (to help maintain their shape) and remove seeds and membranes. Brush insides with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes until slightly tender, then remove and set aside.
To Prepare Stuffing:
- While peppers roast, prepare stuffing. In a medium pot, cook quinoa in 2 cups of low-boiling water with a pinch of salt, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat, sauté onion until translucent and golden, 4-5 minutes
- Add mushrooms and cook until tender and browned, 4-6 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium, add the garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and spices, sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Mix in cooked quinoa, beans, and corn, adjusting seasoning as needed, and cook uncovered for 5-8 minutes until liquid reduces, stirring often. Remove from heat.
- Stuff peppers evenly with mixture, packing it down, and arrange upright on a baking sheet with space between each. Bake until quinoa is lightly browned and crispy on top, 15-20 minutes.
Notes
- Topping Ideas: vegan sour cream, fresh-cut cilantro, squeeze of lime, hot sauce, salsa, avocado, and diced red onion.
- If you'd like the peppers to be more tender, let them cook 10 minutes longer. Cook less if you'd like a crisper texture.
- You may have filling leftover and this all depends on the size of the peppers you used. You can save it for wraps, burritos, tacos, salads, a breakfast side, or for more stuffed peppers. It will last in the fridge for 5-6 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Torrie
I just made this. I roasted my peppers extra long because that’s how I like them. While I was stuffing them I couldn’t stop eating the filling! My 3 year old loved it, we all did! Thank you 😊
Melissa Huggins
Hi Torrie, this is wonderful to hear! Thank you for giving them a try and sharing your feedback. 🙂
LAC
Is the serving size one full pepper or is it one piece (half s pepper)? I know the recipe has the peppers cut in half so wanted to clarify!
Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi there, the serving size is one full pepper. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Bea Pastiva
Absolutely delicious!!
Karma
This is literally so good oh my god
Melissa Huggins
Yay! So glad you liked it! Thank you so much 🙂
Tanis
I made these for my family tonight and we ALL loved them!! I've made stuffed peppers with green peppers and the meat and rice before, but these are WAY better! I'm always trying to find good meatless recipes lately and these fit the bill! I'll be making them again for sure!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Tanis, I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you for making them and sharing your feedback! Have a lovely week 🙂
Joe Wilkerson
I made these tonight for the family (1 vegetarian and 1 diagnosed with Celiac). We have a large family, 3 teenagers and a tweener, so I doubled the recipe. The only change I made: after coring and capping the peppers (6 green, 3 red and 3 yellow) I trimmed the edible parts and diced them up, including them when I added the mushrooms. Everyone loved them!!! It is difficult to find meals that everyone can enjoy so this will definitely be added to the rotation. Thank you
Melissa Huggins
Hi Joe, This is so nice to hear! I'm glad your family loved them 🙂 Thank you for sharing your feedback. Love the addition of peppers to the stuffing too. Great idea!
Melissa Rivera
I made these for dinner tonight and they were amazing!! I’ve never had stuffed peppers before but my husband and I loved them! We’re not vegan so we added sour cream and a bit of cotija cheese:) so good thank you!!
Melissa Huggins
Hi, Melissa! Thank you for making them and sharing your feedback. I'm happy you guys liked them. I first made them a few years ago, and I couldn't believe how easy it was. I've been making them ever since. Have a great weekend!
rebecca
I made this tonight, and it was AMAZING! I did dice some tomatoes in it as well and used only half of the mushrooms because my husband is not a big fan. He didn't even know they were in there so I will definitely use all 8 oz. next time. It was a hit by the whole family! Thanks so much!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rebecca, thank you for the feedback! I'm so happy your family loved it! The diced tomatoes sound like a tasty addition. I'm going to try that next time. Have a great week! 🙂
Lins
So yummy!!! I added pumpkin seeds at the end for some crunch 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Thank you for making them and sharing your feedback! Sounds perfect with pumpkin seeds. I must try this next time 🙂
Carol
Made this today. Delicious.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Carol, thank you for making them! I'm so happy you liked them. 🙂
Ana
What can I use in leau of vegetable broth?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Ana, I haven't made this with anything else. You could try water, but it could be less flavorful. It might work with extra seasoning, salt and a pat of vegan butter though. Do you have any bouillon cubes around? You could make broth with those. Do you have any other soups in your pantry that are brothy? They could also work. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you. 🙂
kellie
I just made this for the first time and it certainly won't be my last. They are delicious. I added a little chipotle with adobo and kicked up the spice a little.
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Kellie! I'm so happy to hear this. Must've been so good with the chipotle. I must try that next time. Have a great week! 🙂
Lois
Made no changes, added a little more spice before stuffing, and my family loved them; thank you so much!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lois, thank you for making them and sharing your feedback. I've been making them a lot lately, because I have so many peppers growing. This is the first year I've been able to grow that many peppers. I'm happy your family likes this recipe too 🙂
Mia
FYI. Love the recipe, but wanted to let you know that garlic and amount of, is not listed in ingredients. 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Mia, oh my, thank you for catching that! It was meant to have 2 cloves of garlic in there. I fixed it above 🙂
Sarah
Isn't it fun to go back and update old posts? I've done that with posts that have gotten popular yet have embarrassingly bad photos. I can barely handle what my photos used to look like but it's a good reminder of how far we've come! These peppers look fantastic, btw!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sarah, yeah, it's always fun to see before and after photos, realizing how far we've grown. I'm still learning too 🙂