Low-carb stuffed peppers are a genuine treat, but can you eat them on a low-carb diet, without worrying about too many carbohydrates? How many calories are in a stuffed pepper recipe, and will you safely be able to enjoy stuffed peppers on a keto diet?
Fortunately, our favorite low-carb stuffed peppers will give you plenty of nutrients, while having few enough carbs and calories for low-carb diets. Also, we will be sharing a few alternatives for vegetarians and protein lovers. Let’s discover the best low-carb stuffed peppers.
Here a sneak peek at some of our top low-carb stuffed peppers:
Making low-carb recipes at home always helps to ensure that you can count the carbs and other macros within a meal.
A green bell pepper has the lowest carbs and calories to enjoy on a low-carb diet. The following table shows how many carbs, calories, and other nutrients are in 100 grams of each raw bell pepper (13, 14, 15, 10). For reference, a medium bell pepper (2.75 x 2.5 inches) weighs around 120 grams.
| Nutrients | Green Pepper | Red Pepper | Yellow Pepper | Orange Pepper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 20 | 26 | 27 | 32 |
| Carbs | 4.64 g | 6.03 g | 6.32 g | 6.7 g |
| Fat | 0.17 g | 0.3 g | 0.21 g | 0.16 g |
| Protein | 0.86 g | 0.99 g | 1 g | 0.88 g |
| Fiber | 1.7 g | 2.1 g | 0.9 g | 1 g |
| Calcium | 10 mg | 7 mg | 11 mg | 5 mg |
| Magnesium | 10 mg | 12 mg | 12 mg | 10.4 mg |
| Phosphorus | 20 mg | 26 mg | 24 mg | 27 mg |
| Potassium | 175 mg | 211 mg | 212 mg | 201 mg |
| Vitamin A | 18 µg RAE | 157 µg RAE | 10 µg RAE | N/A |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.22 mg | 0.29 mg | 0.17 mg | 0.33 mg |
| Vitamin C | 80.4 mg | 128 mg | 184 mg | 158 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.37 mg | 1.58 mg | N/A | N/A |
Green bell peppers may be slightly lower in calories and carbs, but it has more of some certain nutrients and vitamins (13, 14, 15, 10). All of the colors work well in low-carb meals. Whether you want the lowest carbs or most nutrients per serving, or the best of both worlds by using all the colors, all depends on your goals.
Bell peppers are safe to eat on a low-carb diet. The National Institute of Health suggests that people typically eat less than 130 grams of total carbs daily on a low-carb diet or 20-50 grams of total carbs on an ultra-low-carb diet, such as the keto diet (5).
Some people choose to count net carbs instead of total carbs (9). In that case, a green bell pepper has 2.94 g of net carbs per 100 grams when you deduct the fiber from the total carbs (13). The same deduction shows that red bell peppers have 3.93 g of net carbs per 100 grams (14).
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The carbs you consume in stuffed peppers will depend on the recipe used and ingredients added. For example, the stuffed poblanos with turkey only has just 3.5 g of net carbs per serving (19). However, the Mexican stuffed peppers recipe has 5.9 g of net carbs per serving (8).
The carbs and calories in a stuffed pepper recipe will also determine if it’s a side dish or main meal. For example, a stuffed peppers recipe with 400 calories and 7.6 g of net carbs would probably be a main meal (18). On the other hand, you might use a recipe with 219 calories and 5.9 g net carbs as a side (8).
Low-carb stuffed peppers without rice carbs depend on the recipe and added ingredients. The low-carb stuffed peppers without rice recipe has 8.3 g of net carbs per serving (6). Meanwhile, the cauliflower rice stuffed peppers have only 4 g of net carbs per serving (20).
However, the keto stuffed peppers (no cauliflower) recipe has 7 g net carbs per serving (7). Other ingredients also count toward carbs, so you can only define your carbs in a stuffed peppers without rice recipe by considering individual ingredients.
Let’s show you the most delicious low-carb stuffed peppers to enjoy as a vegetarian, keto follower, or protein enthusiast. Some make complete meals and others are great side dishes. However, please note that each meal’s macros are per serving.
First, let’s show you a few easy low-carb stuffed peppers recipes to tantalize your taste buds.
Kalyn’s Kitchen has a cheesy stuffed poblanos with turkey recipe that packs a lot of protein in a complete and spicy stuffed peppers meal (19). It also has very few carbs per serving. However, the green chili enchilada and poblano chilis will give you a spicy kick.
Macros: 480 calories, 3.5 g net carbs, 31 g fat, 39 g protein, and 3 g fiber (19)
Jennifer Banz has a low-carb, keto-friendly stuffed peppers recipe you can complete in 40 minutes (4). The recipe also doesn’t use as many ingredients as the others, but it delivers strong flavor from monterey jack cheese and ground Italian sausage, for a complete meal.
Macros: 494 calories, 7 g net carbs, 33 g fat, 31 g protein, and 5 g fiber (4)
Seeking Good Eats has a Mexican-flavored stuffed peppers recipe with low carbs and plenty of flavor in just seven ingredients (8). Sour cream, salsa, cheddar cheese, and taco seasoning with ground beef gives you all the Mexican fiesta tastes.
Macros: 219 calories, 5.9 g net carbs, 15.5 g fat, 12 g protein, and 1.7 g fiber (8)
Low Carb Maven brings you a sloppy Joe stuffed peppers recipe with low carbs and plenty of flavor twists (18). Mustard, red wine vinegar, and worcestershire sauce blend something entirely new, while the recipe takes less than an hour for a complete meal.
Macros: 400 calories, 7.6 g net carbs, 23 g fat, 37 g protein, and 3 g fiber (18)
The Big Man’s World has a delectable low-carb stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice recipe (20). Ground beef, taco seasoning, cauliflower, and shredded cheese make the flavors pop giving you a massive protein and fiber boost with very few carbs.
Macros: 295 calories, 4 g net carbs, 14 g fat, 38 g protein, and 6 g fiber (20)
Jennifer Banz welcomes a philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers recipe packed with protein and only a few carbs per serving (16). It uses provolone cheese, steak, avocado oil, mushrooms, and onion to make a fast 35-minute meal.
Macros: 427 calories, 6.7 g net carbs, 32 g fat, 37.8 g protein, and 3.7 g fiber (16)
Low Carb Yum has a tasty low-carb stuffed peppers recipe that doesn’t use rice substitutes yet packs a lot of flavor (7). It uses Colby jack cheese for a sharp and well-defined taste, with marinara sauce, ground beef, and Italian seasoning for a yummy complete meal.
Macros: 243 calories, 7 g net carbs, 14 g fat, 21 g protein, and 3 g fiber (7)
Read more: 6 Low Carb Thanksgiving Sides That Even Carb-Lovers Will Enjoy
Food has an incredible low-carb stuffed peppers recipe without any rice (6). The recipe uses ground turkey, Italian seasoning, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and monterey jack cheese for a sharp burst of flavors.
Macros: 298.7 calories, 8.3 g net carbs, 16.3 g fat, 27.9 g protein, and 3.5 g fiber (6)
Plowing Through Life has a mouth-watering stuffed peppers recipe with cream cheese and ground beef or sausage meat (17). The recipe uses four cheeses and Italian sausage with ground beef for a protein-packed meal with only a few carbs.
Macros: 415 calories, 4 g net carbs, 35 g fat, 20 g protein, and 1 g fiber (17)
Kalyn’s Kitchen has the highest protein low-carb stuffed peppers recipe with unusual flavors and spicy twists (1). The recipe uses spicy sausages, ground beef, cabbage, parmesan, mozzarella, and a few mouth-watering herbs and spices.
Macros: 463 calories, 7 g net carbs, 26 g fat, 45 g protein, and 2 g fiber (1)
All Day I Dream About Food has a slightly different recipe using ricotta and parmesan to create a new flavor in your low-carb stuffed peppers (3). Note, the ground beef can be changed to ground pork, and the spinach adds more fiber and iron.
Macros: 311 calories, 5.5 g net carbs, 18.7 g fat, 22.7 g protein, and 1.8 g fiber (3)
Foodal has a vegetarian low-carb stuffed peppers recipe that uses cheese but no meat products (2). Only use the recipe as a vegetarian, not a vegan who avoids all animal products. However, the flavors are incredible with this vegetarian-friendly option.
Macros: 196 calories, 8.3 g net carbs, 12.5 g fat, 10.6 g protein, and 4 g fiber (2)
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A green bell pepper only has 4.64 g of carbs per 100-gram vegetable (13). The other color peppers are slightly higher in carbs and calories for the same size vegetable, including hot peppers, with green hot chili peppers having double the carbs per 100 grams (14, 15, 10, 12, 11). However, all bell peppers are appropriate for a low carb diet, as are hot chili peppers since the serving size is much smaller.
Low-carb diets restrict your total carb intake daily to less than 130 grams or 20-50 grams on an ultra-low-carb diet like keto (5). Fortunately, you can enjoy 100 grams of any of the bell peppers with fewer than 6 grams of total carbs (13, 14, 15, 10,). However, count the carbs in other ingredients when making stuffed peppers.
Bell peppers may taste sweeter than hot peppers but are typically low in carbs (13, 14, 15, 10,). In addition, the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in bell peppers support a nutritionally dense diet with magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and tons of vitamin C.
Hot chilis are low-carb, especially if you add one chili to a multi-serving recipe to divide the carbs into at least four. A 45-gram hot red chili pepper has 18 calories and 3.96 g of carbs (12). Meanwhile, a 45-gram hot green chili pepper has 18 calories and 4.26 g of carbs (11).
Try one of our favorite low-carb stuffed peppers today to satisfy those sweet pepper cravings, while enjoying low-enough carbs for a low-carb diet. Any of our recipes work as a main or side dish, but be careful with what you use if using them as side dishes. Enjoy trying our favorites with carbs and calories in check.
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