These Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers with brown rice, black beans, corn, and spices are topped with avocado cream. Not too spicy and totally satisfying for an easy weeknight meal packed with plant-based nutrients.
In honor of my mom’s birthday, I decided to make my own version of one of her signature dishes. Growing up dolma, or stuffed peppers were in our meal rotation on the regular.
I’ve made versions of other stuffed vegetables, like these vegan stuffed zucchini, but today I’m making stuffed peppers with a Mexican twist. I’ve used colorful bell peppers, brown rice, black beans, corn, salsa, and vegan avocado cream.
The result is a healthy whole food plant-based stuffed pepper that is packed with both flavor and nutrients. It makes an easy weeknight meal, so add it to your vegan prep meal rotation!
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Why You’ll Love these Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Easy weeknight meal
- Kid-approved
- Dairy-Free
- Whole food plant-based ingredients
- Nutrient-dense
- Whole Grains
- Bold flavors without being too spicy
Ingredients and Notes
Brown Rice: Higher in fiber than white rice, brown rice is gluten-free and nutrient-rich.
Frozen Corn: Adds texture and flavor to the rice mixture.
Black Beans: Traditionally used in Mexican recipes, black beans add protein.
Salsa: Combining salsa with the rice mixture brings all the flavors together.
Bell Peppers: You can use a variety of colored peppers, or choose your favorite. I like using a variety because the colorful peppers look like a rainbow.
Seasoning and Spices: Simple seasoning round out the flavors. You’ll need salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder for a kick of spice.
Avocado Cream: Creating a creamy avocado cream gives these peppers moisture and flavor. It’s like a version of healthy sour cream! It starts with mashing up avocado, adding almond milk to think it out, and spices like cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the rice according to the package instructions.
Step 2: Combine the prepared brown rice, black beans, corn, and salsa. Mix in the spices (cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper).
Step 3: Cut the tops off of the peppers. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Dice the pepper tops. Then fold the diced pepper tops into the rice mixture.
Step 4: Blanch the peppers. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and prepare a large bowl of water filled with ice. Place the peppers in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove the peppers with tongs, and place them into the ice bath for 2 minutes to stop the cooking process.
Step 5: Fill the peppers with the rice mixture. Place them in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil at 350 F. Remove the foil cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 400 F.
Step 6: While the peppers are baking prepare the avocado cream. Slice the avocado in half. Remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh and add to a bowl. Add the almond milk and spices, and mash with a fork until creamy.
Step 7: Serve the peppers topped with avocado cream and chopped cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not necessary to boil the peppers prior to stuffing. However, boiling the peppers reduces the baking time, and helps soften them if you’re avoiding oil.
Amp up the protein by subbing brown rice for quinoa. Quinoa has more protein and it’s also high in fiber. You could also reduce the amount of rice and double the number of beans to add more protein. Other fillings include bulgur, farro, wild rice, or added veggies such as diced onions or tomatoes.
Expert Tips
- Add ½ a cup of vegetable stock to the baking dish to steam the peppers for a softer texture.
- To save time on making the rice, use instant brown rice, or brown rice steam bags.
- Increase or decrease the amount of cumin and chili powder to suit your taste. I keep it on the mild side for my kids.
- Use mild, medium, or spicy salsa depending on how spicy you like it.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeño pepper for even more of a kick!
Health Benefits of Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers
These peppers are full of vitamins and nutrients. They are low in calories and fat and high in fiber.
- High in Plant Protein– The added black beans in these stuffed peppers add protein. One serving has 11 grams of protein.
- High in Fiber-Brown rice and black beans are naturally high in fiber. One serving contains 29% of your daily recommended fiber.
- Low in Fat and Calories-One stuffed pepper comes in at 320 calories and less than 3 grams of fat.
Serving Suggestions
These Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers are a hearty meal on their own. Consider topping them with avocado cream, or guacamole, vegan sour cream, or a sprinkle of vegan cheese.
Serve them alongside a veggie-heavy side dish for added nutrients. Consider a simple mixed green salad, air fryer roasted broccoli or cauliflower, corn on the cob, or vegan empanadas as an appetizer!
Storage Instruction
Allow the peppers to cool and come to room temperature. Transfer them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to reheat, transfer to a microwave-safe container and warm until the desired temperature is reached.
I don’t recommend freezing the peppers because the rice mixture will have a different consistency and texture after defrosting.
How to Blanch Peppers
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare peppers by cutting off their top and removing the seeds.
- Submerge peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. If you prefer softer peppers boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove peppers from the water. Submerge in an ice bath for 2-3 minutes if you plan to freeze. If not, you can skip this step.
- Stuff peppers and continue with the recipe.
More Vegan Mexican Inspired Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers various colors
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Avocado Cream
- 1 avocado
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the rice according to the package instructions.
- Combine the prepared brown rice, black beans, corn, and salsa. Mix in the spices (cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper).
- Cut the tops off of the peppers. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Use the tops of the peppers to slice and dice. Then fold the diced pepper tops into the rice mixture.
- Blanch the peppers. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and prepare a large bowl of water filled with ice. Place the peppers in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove the peppers with tongs, and place them into the ice bath for 2 minutes to stop the cooking process.
- Fill the peppers with the rice mixture. Place them in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil at 350 F. Remove the foil cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes at 400 F.
- While the peppers are baking prepare the avocado cream. Slice the avocado in half. Remove the seed. Scoop out the flesh and add to a bowl. Add the almond milk and spices, and mash with a fork until creamy.
- Serve the peppers topped with avocado cream and chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer softer peppers, bring a pot of water to boil. Submerge peppers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and submerge in ice bath for 2-3 minutes. If using this process you do not need to bake the stuffed peppers for the additional 10 minutes uncovered.
- You can also add a ½ cup of vegetable stock to the baking dish to steam the peppers for a softer texture.
- To save time on making the rice, use instant brown rice, or brown rice steam bags.
- Increase or decrease amount of cumin and chili powder to suit your taste. I keep it on the mild side for my kids.
- Use mild, medium, or spicy salsa to suit your taste.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeño pepper for even more kick!
Barbara
Made these for dinner tonight. Easy to make and delicious. The family loved them. Will be making these again!
Alison Corey
Hi Barb! So glad you enjoyed them. They’re a family favorite in our house too!
Patty at Spoonabilities
Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite dishes. I’ve never tried them with a Mexican twist and am so excited to try them!
Erika
I love stuffed peppers! These look so delicious!
Whitney
I love the avocado cream sauce, do you think it would still be good if I used coconut milk instead of almond?
Alison Corey
Yes, you could use coconut milk or any unsweetened dairy free milk. Thanks for asking!
thisiswholesome
I love stuffed bell peppers and the fact that you’ve made them vegan is even better!
Laura
Aren’t these peppers delicious? Such a great way to use up black beans, too. I could certainly make them before this year ends, and I am sure they would taste delicious.