Softly roasted bell peppers, a savoury filling of rice, kidney beans and walnuts, and a velvety pumpkin cream on top: these vegan stuffed peppers with pumpkin are the autumn dinner that makes heating the oven genuinely worth it – no meat substitute, no vegan cheese.
Stuffed peppers – a classic everyone knows. I took that classic apart and put it back together, and what came out are these fabulous vegan stuffed peppers with a savoury rice and bean filling and a creamy pumpkin topping – entirely without (vegan) ground meat.
Because what really makes the classic work, in my opinion, isn't the ground meat. It's the combination: soft, slow-roasted peppers on the outside, something savoury inside, and something creamy on top that turns golden in the oven. And you don't need cheese for that either. Pumpkin or butternut squash, a spoonful of cashew butter and a splash of soy milk make a cream that's velvety and lightly sweet – exactly the contrast the savoury filling needs.
The filling is brown rice and kidney beans, with smoked paprika, oregano and thyme – plus walnuts for a nutty bite.
The lovely thing about this recipe: you get a complete, balanced meal of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats on your plate, not just a side dish.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These vegan stuffed peppers win on three counts:
- No substitute products: no vegan ground meat, no vegan cheese – only whole, real ingredients go in here.
- Creamy topping without cheese: the pumpkin cream made from pumpkin, cashew butter and soy milk does that job.
- Filling & balanced: kidney beans, brown rice, nuts and vegetables turn these peppers into a healthy, satisfying meal – not just a side dish.
The Ingredients
For these healthy vegan stuffed peppers you only need a manageable list of ingredients:
Pumpkin cream
- Hokkaido pumpkin: 350 g or 2.5 cups cubed. Hokkaido doesn't need peeling, which saves you the most annoying step. Butternut works too, but you'll have to peel it first.
- Cashew butter: makes the cream velvety and rounded.
- Soy milk: Or any other unsweetened non-dairy milk.
Filling
- Red bell peppers: go for large, evenly shaped peppers that stand up on their own. Yellow or orange peppers are an option too.
- Brown rice: ¾ cup (150 g) cooked, so leftovers from the day before or a ready-cooked from the store are ideal. Basmati rice, bulgur or millet work just as well.
- Kidney beans: black beans are a good alternative.
- Tomato paste
- Walnuts: for a nutty bite and a little structure in the filling. If you need to leave out nuts, use sunflower seeds instead.
- Smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, chilli flakes
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Toss the diced hokkaido with salt and spread it on a baking sheet. Cut the „lids“ off the peppers and cut out the ribs and seeds. Stand the peppers on the sheet with the opening facing down. Lightly spray the pumpkin and peppers with oil if you like, then bake for 20–25 minutes.
- Step 2: Sauté the onions in a large pan. Add the garlic, the chopped pepper pieces and the chilli flakes and cook everything for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and toast it briefly.
- Step 3: Deglaze with water. Add the drained beans, the spices, the chopped walnuts and the rice and stir to combine.
- Step 4: Stir in 3–4 tablespoons of soy milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5: Blend the cooked pumpkin with cashew butter, soy milk and salt into a smooth cream.
- Step 6: Spoon the rice and bean filling into the peppers. Spread a little of the pumpkin cream on top and bake everything for another 10 minutes. Serve the stuffed peppers with the remaining pumpkin cream.
Tips & Variations
- Swap the rice: cooked millet, quinoa or bulgur work just as well.
- Without nuts: the cashew butter can be swapped for sunflower seed butter, the walnuts for sunflower seeds.
- Without pumpkin: if it isn't pumpkin season, top your stuffed peppers with my cauliflower mozzarella or a quick creamy sauce of cashew butter stirred together with a little water and salt.
FAQ
Of course! Butternut does have to be peeled, though, and it tastes a little sweeter.
In principle, yes. But red peppers are sweeter than green ones, which suits the pumpkin cream and the savoury filling much better.
Stored airtight, the stuffed peppers keep for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave, the oven or the air fryer.
Yes, but without the pumpkin cream. Let the stuffed peppers cool completely and store them in the freezer for up to 4 months.
More Hearty Autumn Recipes
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I hope you'll give my vegan stuffed peppers with rice, beans and pumpkin cream a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate it ⭐️ and feel free to tag me on Instagram (#veggiejam).
PrintRecipe
Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Pumpkin Cream
Red bell peppers with a savoury rice and bean filling and a creamy pumpkin-cashew topping. Healthy, filling and delicious.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin cream
- 350 g hokkaido or butternut squash (2 ½ cups cubed)
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) cashew butter
- ¼–⅓ cup (60–80 ml) soy milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Stuffed peppers
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 1 onion
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup (60 g) tomato paste
- 1 can kidney beans
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- ¼ cup (30 g) walnuts
- ¾ cup (150 g) cooked brown rice
- ⅛ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- 3–4 Tbsp soy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) convection.
- Dice the pumpkin, spread it on a baking sheet and toss with ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- Cut the "lids" off the peppers. Using a small sharp knife, carefully cut out the ribs and seeds. Set the lids aside.
- Place the peppers on the baking sheet with the opening facing down.
- Lightly spray the pumpkin and peppers with oil (optional) and bake for 20–25 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile, for the filling, finely dice the onion and sauté it in a large pan for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, the chopped pepper lids and the chilli flakes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and toast for 1 minute.
- Deglaze with the water. Add the drained beans, the spices, ½ teaspoon salt, the chopped walnuts and the rice and mix well. Stir in 3–4 tablespoon soy milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Once the pumpkin is soft, blend it with the remaining pumpkin cream ingredients and season with salt.
- Spoon the rice and bean filling into the peppers. Add a little pumpkin cream on top and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with the remaining pumpkin cream.
Notes
Storage: The stuffed peppers keep for about 4 days in the fridge.
Rice: The ¾ cup (150 g) refers to cooked rice, which is roughly ¼ cup (50–55 g) uncooked brown rice. You can use cooked quinoa, millet or bulgur instead.
Nutrition: Per serving (2 peppers) · Calories: 638 kcal · Sugar: 30.8 g · Fat: 21 g · Saturated fat: 3 g · Unsaturated fat: 15.8 g · Carbohydrates: 83.5 g · Fibre: 15 g · Protein: 24.8 g
This post is also available in German (Deutsch).
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