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Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese

Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese come together in 30 minutes in three easy steps. These mini peppers are grilled until softened and charred, then filled with tangy goat cheese and herbs. It’s a quick and easy summer appetizer or side dish for any meal!

mini sweet peppers that were grilled and then filled with goat cheese, on a sheet pan

These Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese are so addictive, that I’m almost positive my family helps sustain the mini sweet pepper market every summer. We make these stuffed mini peppers at least once a week during grilling season. Everyone loves them, including our kids.

To be fair, my husband deserves all credit for this recipe. Years ago, he found a jar of goat cheese cubes marinating in olive oil, rosemary, and smoked salt at the store’s cheese counter. He grabbed some mini sweet peppers and treated me to some amazing grilled and stuffed sweet peppers for Mother’s Day. The whole family fell in love, and I knew I needed to figure out a way to make them regularly– without splurging on a tiny jar of marinated goat cheese each week. You’re gonna LOVE this easy, delicious grilled pepper recipe!

Why You’ll Love These Stuffed Mini Peppers

  • Simple ingredients. After a bit of experimenting, I have perfected the recipe for the BEST grilled sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese. No specialty ingredients, just some fresh herbs, flaky smoked salt, and mini sweet peppers. If you can’t find smoked salt, regular flaked sea salt works just fine.
  • Quick and easy. With just three easy steps and a little bit of prep, these mini peppers are ready for the grill in 25 minutes. The cook up fast on a hot grill and always taste great.
  • Perfect for summer grilling. This mini sweet pepper recipe has become a summertime staple at our house. It’s a hit not only for my family but also for any BBQ or get-together with friends, too. No one can eat just one!
Halved mini sweet peppers in a pile

What You’ll Need

There are just 6 ingredients in these stuffed mini peppers, and that’s including salt and pepper. I’ve included some notes on what you’ll need here. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for a printable ingredients list.

  • Mini Sweet Peppers – I love buying these fresh from the farmer’s market. Otherwise, you’ll find these small sweet peppers at pretty much any grocery store.
  • Olive oil – For coating the peppers before grilling. You can use any cooking oil you’d like.
  • Seasoning – I use a simple combo of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to bring out the other flavors. You can get as creative with seasonings as you’d like, though.
  • Goat cheese – Since we’re adding fresh herbs, basic unflavored goat cheese is perfect. If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese, you can stuff these peppers with another type of cheese, like feta.
  • Fresh herbs – Rosemary and thyme are my personal favorites. Fresh basil is another tasty option.
  • Smoked sea salt – I love finishing my grilled peppers with Maldon® Smoked Sea Salt Flakes. They give the stuffed sweet peppers a hint of irresistible, smoky flavor reminiscent of the marinated goat cheese I fell in love with years back. If you’d prefer, regular Maldon sea salt or another plain flaked sea salt works, too.
Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese on a sheet pan next to Maldon Smoked Sea Salt Flakes and a box of sea salt

How To Make Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese

There are just 3 quick steps to making this easy summer appetizer. You can have your sweet mini peppers grilled, stuffed, and ready to serve in 30 minutes. Here’s how to do it, and you’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card below the post.

  • Prep. While the grill preheats, clean and grease the grates so that the peppers don’t stick.
  • Grill the peppers. Arrange your mini peppers over the hot grill grates, cut side down. Let the peppers cook for a couple of minutes per side until they’re nicely charred, then move them to a pan or baking dish. Make sure they’re facing cut side up.
  • Stuff the peppers. Now, you’ll fill each pepper with a small amount of goat cheese. Sprinkle the tops with rosemary, thyme, and sea salt flakes, and serve!
A sheet pan of Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers filled with Goat Cheese

Tips for Success

Making these grilled sweet peppers is beyond easy! Here are a few tips to make them even better.

  • Prep ahead of time. If you want to have these ready before guests arrive, you can prep the peppers and filling ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to grill.
  • Do not grill them stuffed. As tempting as it might be to stuff the peppers before grilling…don’t do it! The cheese will melt too much and you’ll end up with a very messy appetizer.
  • Grill over direct heat. For blistered peppers that still have their shape, make sure to grill quickly over direct heat vs for a longer time over indirect heat.
Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers filled with Goat Cheese on a white platter

Serving Suggestions

These grilled peppers filled with creamy, tangy goat cheese have been a HUGE crowd-pleaser every summer, always the first dish to disappear at gatherings. Be prepared for everyone to eat several! I serve these mini grilled sweet peppers as an appetizer and side dish. They pair well with almost any meat on the grill, from grilled pork chops to grilled chicken and burgers. This beer can chicken is great and goes phenomenal with grilled peppers.

We most often serve these grilled peppers straight from the rimmed baking sheet, super casual. Otherwise, I’ll arrange them on a nice platter if we’re being more civilized. They make delicious finger food at parties!

Overhead view of Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers filled with Goat Cheese on a white platter

How to Store Leftovers

Mini sweet peppers with goat cheese can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to enjoy leftovers cold or remove them from the fridge for 30 minutes to remove the chill. I don’t recommend reheating, as the cheese will melt too much.

More Easy Grilling Recipes

grilled mini sweet peppers with goat cheese on a baking dish

Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese

Yield: 6 servings
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 5 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
These Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese come together in just 3 steps! These little peppers are grilled until softened and charred, then filled with tangy goat cheese and herbs. A quick and easy summer appetizer or side dish for any meal.
4.5 Stars (14 Reviews)
Print

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mini sweet peppers
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 ounces plain goat cheese log
  • minced fresh rosemary
  • minced fresh thyme
  • Maldon® smoked sea salt flakes

Instructions

  • Heat grill to medium to medium-high heat. Make sure grates are scrubbed clean and then oiled. 
  • Cut stems off peppers, then slice peppers in half length-wise and remove inner ribs and seeds. Place halved peppers on large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, folding to coat evenly. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold and repeat.
  • Place peppers cut-side down on hot grill grates. Once the peppers are charred to your liking, flip to grill the other side of the peppers. Each side should only take a couple minutes. When peppers are done, remove them to the rimmed baking pan, cut-side up, or to a platter for a nicer serving presentation.
  • Using a small knife or spoon, add a bit of goat cheese to the center of each grilled pepper half. Sprinkle peppers with fresh rosemary and thyme, plus a nice amount of smoked sea salt flakes. Some of the salt flakes can be rather large, so lightly crunch them between your finger tips as you sprinkle, if desired. I’ve found that our family likes to get plenty of pops of smoked salt in their bites, so I tend to sprinkle fairly generously. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Video

Notes

To oil the grill grates, add some canola oil to a small bowl. Then fold a heavy paper towel a few times to make a smaller square. With tongs, grasp the folded paper towel and dip it into the oil until the paper towel is drenched. Then run the paper towel over the grates, repeating until all grill grates are thoroughly oiled.
recipe from Blake at a farmgirl’s dabbles

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 110kcal Carbohydrates: 5g Protein: 5g Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 4g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 18mg Sodium: 274mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!

This post was originally published in 2017, and then updated in 2021. This is one of our most-made recipes!!

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18 comments on “Grilled Mini Sweet Peppers with Goat Cheese”

  1. I love smaller peppers like these and I love goat cheese. This is a perfect recipe for snack, appetizer, or addition to maybe grilled steaks! I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it.

  2. Brian @ A Thought For Food

    I’m obsessed with those mini peppers. We grill them all the time and then drizzle with olive oil, balsamic and herbs. They’re perfect. This dish looks fantastic… always down with more goat cheese in my life.

  3. You didn’t “create this recipe” from a Pioneer Woman recipe, you copy and pasted it. You took her photos and her exact words. Super tacky and illegal.

    1. Ok. My mistake. I see you wrote it for her site. Guess I’ve seen so many pins that are wholesale copied from others, but this isn’t. Sorry!

    2. No worries, Al. I am a contributor to The Pioneer Woman’s “Food & Friends” section, so you’ll see a number of my recipes over there, with an introduction to them here on my own site.