Vegan Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa - Got no rice? Don’t worry! Make Low Calorie, Gluten-Free, and super-easy quinoa stuffed peppers 🫑 Quite similar to reader's favorite Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Our family has been making this easy stuffed peppers without rice or cauliflower or cheese for years!
The veggies and herbs gives a tasty kick. They should be a staple in every vegan’s diet.
These crispy stuffed peppers are great meatless meal and can be done in about 30 minutes. 🕦

Make sure you try these as well:
Vegan stuffed bell peppers with impossible meat
Have you been craving stuffed peppers but you don’t want to eat rice? 🍚
Stuffed peppers are an excellent meal-in-one dish. But it’s hard to find a stuffed pepper recipe that doesn’t contain rice. This recipe for veggie stuffed peppers replaces rice with quinoa.
Result -> 2 times more protein and 5g more fiber than regular white rice.
And for that meat-y ground beef like taste, I like to use canned, rinsed and drained pinto beans. Which of course can be replaced with black beans or Navy Beans.
An all-veggie filling makes this stuffed pepper recipe dairy-free and vegan. 🌱
Vegan stuffed peppers without rice cook quicker than traditional stuffed peppers.
The short prep time and ease of cooking makes stuffed peppers a great meal for busy weeknights.
I like to squeeze in this recipe at least once in a fortnight. It's so comforting and hearty. And, the best part - My Kids love it. ❤️

Low carb quinoa stuffed peppers
This year I've decided to hop on to this #Veganuary challenge. It's pretty amazing. 😍
So, I guess you'll be seeing a lot of Vegan recipes this January. I love how vegan culture and especially Plant Based recipes have become so popular these days.
My idea behind skipping rice was to skip the calories and fat count in rice.
Although, many might argue that you can use brown rice instead of white rice for healthy alternative.
But, I find quinoa more filling and of course healthy!
Quinoa is a superfood. Full of fiber and high in protein Quinoa makes an excellent substitute for rice.
So, if you are following a low carbohydrate diet or you’re on a gluten free diet there cannot be anything better than this vegan stuffed bell peppers with quinoa.
In this recipe for vegetarian stuffed bell peppers the stuffing has a pinch of chili powder, some ground cumin for that earthy taste, cayenne pepper for a hint of heat 🌶, and some tomato paste to bring it all together. ❤️

Jump to:
- Vegan stuffed bell peppers with impossible meat
- Low carb quinoa stuffed peppers
- 🎩Why You should be making this protein- and fiber-packed dish.
- 🔖Ingredients to make Best vegan stuffed peppers
- 👩🍳Instructions
- 📖Substitutions
- 🥦What to serve with quinoa stuffed peppers
- Can I Make this in the Crock Pot
- Can I make this in the Air Fryer
- Storage 🧊
- More Ideas to Make the Best Vegan Stuffed Peppers 🎉
- 🍽Recipe
- Vegan Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa
🎩Why You should be making this protein- and fiber-packed dish.
Vegan stuffed bell peppers beyond meat and an excellent meatless main course that deserves a place on your list.
- These stuffed peppers are vegan and taste great! Low in fat and high in flavor, they're the perfect healthy alternative to stuffed peppers that use rice.🌾
- This vegan stuffed peppers recipe substitutes the rice for quinoa. Quinoa makes the stuffed peppers gluten-free and high in protein.
- There's minimal prep, so you can make it for a quick weeknight meal.⏳
🔖Ingredients to make Best vegan stuffed peppers
- bell peppers
- quinoa
- Vegetable stock
- olive oil
- onions
- finely minced garlic
- Homemade Chili powder
- cayenne pepper
- ground cumin
- salt
- tomato paste
- vegan sour cream
- chopped parsley
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
- STEP 1: Prepare Bell Peppers
Half Bell Peppers from stem to base and scoop out membranes and seeds.
- STEP 2: Cook Quinoa

Place Quinoa in a strainer and rinse under water until the water runs clear. This step helps remove the bitter outer coating known as saponin from quinoa. Drain and rinse and then place it in a skillet over medium high heat. I like to toast my quinoa for about a minute for a nuttier taste. Next, add vegetable broth (you can also add water) and bring it to a quick boil. Then reduce the heat, cover cook until the quinoa soaks up the water completely. It's that easy. 😌
- STEP 3: Make the filling
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. I prefer extra virgin olive oil because it has less impurities and is a more refined version of regular olive oil. Now add in yellow or red onions and sauté until translucent. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in cayenne pepper, chili powder (I like to use my homemade chili powder), ground cumin, salt. Pour in tomato sauce and stir well until combined.
- STEP 4: Stir in Pinto Beans and Quinoa

Stir in cooked quinoa and canned (drained and rinsed) pinto beans.
- STEP 5: Stuff in Peppers

Stuff the filling in prepared bell peppers. Fill them all the way up to the top.
- STEP 6: BAKE
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-minutes or until the peppers are crispy.

📖Substitutions
- RICE - Rice can be one of the most common variations for this vegan stuffed peppers recipe. You can use brown rice or white rice.
- CAULIFLOWER RICE - You can use Frozen cauliflower rice or homemade Cauliflower rice to stuff it in your pepper.
- BLACK BEANS - You can go Mexican 🇲🇽 and combine black beans with quinoa to make the filling for these stuffed peppers. Also try - Instant Pot Black Bean Quinoa Burrito Bowl, Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers, Crock-Pot Black Bean and Quinoa Chili, Southwestern Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- CHEESE - You can top with Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Shredded Cheddar Cheese before you bake these stuffed peppers.
- CHICKPEAS - Instead of black beans or Pinto Beans you can use Chickpeas (see how to cook dry chickpeas from scratch) to make vegetarian stuffed peppers with quinoa and chickpeas.
- FETA - Feta is generally paired with Orzo. But, vegetarian stuffed peppers feta quinoa is one of the most loved recipe out there.
- LENTIL - Instead of using any beans you can use French Green lentils or Brown Lentils. I don't recommend red or yellow lentils as they will turn mushy.
🥦What to serve with quinoa stuffed peppers
You can serve this with the following:
- Salad - When it comes to Salad, there are a variety of options. Cucumber Red Onion Salad or Black Bean and Corn Salad or Mediterranean Pasta Salad or etc.
- Potatoes - You can serve your quinoa stuffed peppers with Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips or Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges or Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
- Roasted Carrots - Crispy Carrot Fries in Air Fryer or Miso Carrots (Roasted) can be a super-good side dish for this vegan stuffed peppers recipe.
- Roasted Cauliflower - Whole Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower can be an excellent side for stuffed peppers.
- Green Beans - No one can beat the classic Green Bean sides like Green Beans Almondine. But, make sure you try my favorite Maple Mustard Glazed Green Beans
- Fritters - Jalapeño Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters with Lemon Tabasco Aioli or Low Carb Keto Zucchini Fritters or Vegan Carrot and Potato Fritters or Easy Cheesy Corn Fritters can make a crispy and tasty side dish for this recipe.
- Bread - You can also serve this with some crusty bread such as Peanut butter Banana Bread or Baguette or Brioche or Challah or Ciabatta or Focaccia or Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
Can I Make this in the Crock Pot
Yes. You can make vegetarian stuffed peppers with quinoa in the crockpot. But, I would prefer cooking the filling partially like we do in this recipe and then stuffing it in the peppers. Finally, place them in the crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours or on High for 1 hour.
Although, making this in the crockpot will take more time but is perfect when you are busy and want to run some errands in the meantime.
Another advantage of making this recipe in the crockpot is the peppers stay juicy and doesn't turn dry.
Can I make this in the Air Fryer
Of course you can make vegetarian stuffed peppers in the air fryer. Air Fryer stuffed peppers gets done in half the time and is super-crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. You can see this - Jalapeño Poppers in Air Fryer recipe and take hints.
Storage 🧊
First bring your stuffed peppers with quinoa to room temperature. Allow them to cool down naturally. Then, wrap your Stuffed peppers in plastic wrap and place them in a tightly sealed airtight container. Now you can refrigerate them for 2-3 days.
Next, If you want to freeze them for a longer time, you should keep them in a freezer-safe container. This can stay fresh for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Ideas to Make the Best Vegan Stuffed Peppers 🎉
- Red Pepper Flakes - If you want more heat then you can add some crushed red pepper flakes for added taste and flavor.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes - For an italian taste you can use sun-dried tomatoes.
- Italian Seasoning - Use my homemade Italian Seasoning recipe and add in 2 teaspoons of this to your filling. You are gonna love it. ❤️
- Non-Dairy Mozzarella Cheese - Since this is a Vegan Recipe you can use Non-Dairy Shredded Mozzarella Cheese to top your Stuffed Peppers.
- Cashew Cream - You can also use Cashew Cream to top your Stuffed peppers.
🍽Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large bell peppers halved from stem to base with membranes and seeds scooped out
Cooking Quinoa
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed and drained
- 3 cups Vegetable Broth
Filling
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow or red onion finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- salt as per taste
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (15.5oz) pinto beans or 1½ cup soaked, rinsed and drained dry beans*(see notes)
garnish (optional)
- vegan sour cream
- chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook Quinoa
- Place quinoa in a strainer. Run it under water until the water runs clear. Rinse and drain quinoa this gets rid of the bitter outer coating known as saponin.
- Place quinoa in a large skillet and toast on high heat for about 1-minute.
- Pour 3 cups of vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 15-minutes. Fluff using a fork and keep aside.
Make filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9x13 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add yellow or red onions and cook until translucent. Add finely minced garlic and cook for 30-seconds or until fragrant.
- Add in cayenne pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt. Toss to combine. Add in an 8 oz can of Tomato Sauce. Toss and cook for about 2-minutes on medium-high.
- Add in cooked and fluffed quinoa and a can of rinsed and drained pinto beans. Toss lightly and cook on medium-high for 2-minutes stirring occasionally.
- Spoon them in prepared bell peppers. Stuff them generously all the way upto the top. Place them in a rimmed 9x13 inch baking dish lined with parchment paper.
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the bell peppers are lightly roasted.
OPTIONAL
- Top with vegan sour cream and freshly chopped parsley. Serve right away.
James says
Most delicious Vegan stuffed Peppers recipe I have made in a while!! So good ☺️😊
Anjali says
Thank you so much!!!!