Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers: Bacon & Black Garlic Bliss

Intro

In the I Love Black Garlic kitchen, we look for appetizers that feel special enough for a party but stay simple enough for a busy weeknight. A tray of cream cheese stuffed peppers checks a lot of those boxes already. When you bring black garlic and crispy bacon into the mix, you get a pan of bite size snacks with more depth, more texture, and a flavor that tastes like you put in a lot more work than you actually did.

Black garlic melts into the cream cheese and shredded cheese, adding a sweet, almost balsamic like umami that balances the salty, smoky bacon. The mini peppers stay bright and slightly sweet, so each cream cheese stuffed pepper lands as creamy, crunchy, smoky, and savory all at once. It is the kind of appetizer that disappears fast from the platter, which is usually the best feedback you can get.

Ingredients

For the bacon and peppers

• 6 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and finely chopped (divided into filling and topping portions)
• 12 to 16 mini sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• Olive oil, optional, for brushing the peppers

Black garlic cream cheese filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3 to 4 peeled black garlic cloves, mashed with a fork, or 1 to 1.5 tablespoons Organic Black Garlic Purée
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onions
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt, to taste

Optional toppings

• Reserved chopped crispy bacon
• Toasted panko breadcrumbs
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Extra chopped chives or green onions

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon. Place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and cook until crisp, turning as needed. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain, then finely chop. Divide into two portions, one to mix into the cream cheese filling and one to sprinkle on top of the cream cheese stuffed peppers before baking.
2. Prep the peppers. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the mini peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and white membranes. Arrange the halves cut side up on the baking sheet. For a slightly softer bite, brush the inside lightly with olive oil. For extra crunch, leave them unbrushed.
3. Mix the filling. In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese, mashed black garlic or black garlic purée, shredded cheese, chopped chives, lemon juice, smoked paprika, black pepper, and a small pinch of salt. Add about two thirds of the chopped bacon. Stir with a spoon or spatula until the mixture is smooth, thick, and evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Stuff the peppers. Use a small spoon to fill each pepper half with the black garlic bacon cream cheese mixture, gently pressing it in and mounding it slightly above the edges. If you want a more polished look on your cream cheese stuffed peppers, pipe the filling in using a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the corner snipped off.
5. Add toppings. Sprinkle the reserved chopped bacon over the stuffed peppers. If you like, add a pinch of toasted panko for crunch and a little crushed red pepper flakes for heat.
6. Bake. Bake the stuffed peppers at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes, until the peppers are just tender at the edges and the filling is warmed through and lightly melty. For a touch more color, switch the oven to broil for the last 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely so the tops do not overbrown.
7. Garnish and serve. Remove the peppers from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Sprinkle with extra chopped chives before serving. Arrange the cream cheese stuffed peppers on a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips and Variations

• Crisp bacon matters. For the best texture, cook the bacon until fully crisp so it stays crunchy inside the creamy filling. If it is still chewy, it can make the cream cheese stuffed peppers feel heavy.
• Serve some raw. If you enjoy a very crunchy bite, you can set aside a few stuffed peppers and skip baking them. Chill those in the refrigerator and serve alongside the warm ones for a mix of textures.
• Swap the peppers. For a spicier version, use halved and seeded jalapeños instead of mini sweet peppers. Remove seeds and membranes for a milder jalapeño, or leave some in for more heat.
• Try different cheeses. Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a mild white cheese all work well. The cream cheese keeps the filling smooth, while the shredded cheese adds stretch and flavor.
• Add extra umami. A small splash of soy sauce mixed into the filling can deepen the savory notes even more. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust to taste so the cream cheese stuffed peppers still feel balanced.
• Air fryer option. For a quick batch, place the stuffed peppers in a single layer in an air fryer basket and cook at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 minutes, checking early so the tops do not burn.

Nutrition

Exact nutrition will vary depending on the size of your peppers, the bacon you use, and how much filling you add to each one. As a rough guide, here is an estimate for one stuffed mini pepper when the recipe makes 16:

• Calories: about 80 to 100
• Protein: about 3 to 4 grams
• Fat: about 7 to 8 grams
• Carbohydrates: about 2 to 3 grams

These cream cheese stuffed peppers are rich and satisfying thanks to the combination of cheese, bacon, and black garlic. To balance the appetizer table, you can serve them with some lighter options like vegetable sticks and a black garlic hummus or a simple salad on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these cream cheese stuffed peppers with bacon ahead of time?

Yes. You can cook the bacon, prepare the filling, and stuff the peppers up to a day in advance. Store them covered in the refrigerator. Bake just before serving, adding an extra minute or two if needed so they warm through.

Do I have to bake the stuffed peppers?

Baking is not required, but it does warm the filling, crisp the bacon on top, and soften the peppers slightly. If you prefer a crunchy bite, you can serve them unbaked and chilled. Make sure the bacon is fully cooked and crisp before mixing it into the filling.

Can I use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon?

You can. Cook the turkey bacon until crisp, chop it finely, and use it exactly as you would regular bacon. The flavor will be a bit leaner, but black garlic still brings plenty of richness to the cream cheese stuffed peppers.

Can I make a vegetarian version?

Yes. Skip the bacon and keep the black garlic cream cheese base. You may want to add a little extra smoked paprika or a pinch of soy sauce to boost the savory flavor if you leave out the bacon.

More Black Garlic Appetizers And Small Bites

If you enjoy how black garlic and bacon transform these cream cheese stuffed peppers, you can build a full black garlic appetizer spread around them.

• Add a dipping option with our black garlic mayo recipe, perfect for fries, sandwiches, and vegetable sticks.
• Offer a plant based contrast with quick black garlic hummus and warm pita or crackers.
• Use ideas from our black garlic charcuterie board or moody black garlic midnight charcuterie board to build a full platter around these peppers.
• For a light lunch the next day, pair leftover peppers with black garlic avocado toast for a mix of crunchy, creamy, and fresh.

Make Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers With Our Black Garlic

Slow aged black garlic is the quiet secret behind these cream cheese stuffed peppers. It blends into the cream cheese and shredded cheese, adding depth and gentle sweetness that works beautifully with both bacon and sweet peppers.

For appetizers like this, we like to keep both our smooth Organic Black Garlic Purée and our convenient Organic Peeled Black Garlic Cloves on hand. That way, you can mash or stir black garlic into fillings, dips, and sauces any time you want to turn a simple recipe into something that tastes restaurant worthy.