These vegetarian Turkish Stuffed Peppers, called Biber Dolması in Turkish, are filled with a tasty rice mixture and cooked in a tomato and garlic sauce. First, they’re simmered on the stove, then baked in the oven until the tops turn perfectly golden. A delicious and comforting meal the whole family will love!

Rice stuffed green peppers topped with tomatoes, lemon slices and chopped parsley in a baking pan.

Do you love stuffing vegetables? You might want to see our other Turkish foods like stuffed onions, stuffed grape leaves and Turkish stuffed zucchini too!

Biber Dolmasi or Dolma Biber (Stuffed Peppers) are one of the most traditional Turkish dishes. Although we often make feta cheese stuffed peppers as an appetizer, our choice is to make these rice stuffed peppers when it comes to a comforting dinner.

Why We Love This Recipe

It is easy to serve biber dolma in portions.
This is a freezer-friendly recipe. Let them cool completely after cooked in the pot over stove-top or baked in the oven and freeze in an air tight container. Thaw and reheat with a splash of water before eating.
It is easy to customize. You can make this biber dolmasi recipe either vegetarian or with lean ground beef. Also, you can make the filling with brown rice, bulgur, wheat berries or buckwheat instead of rice.

About The Ingredients

You can find the full list of ingredients with exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
To make it easier, we’ve grouped the ingredients into four simple categories:

1. Peppers

We use small green Turkish peppers called dolmalık biber, which literally means “peppers for stuffing.” They have thin skin and are perfect for this recipe. In Turkey, they are the go-to peppers for stuffed dishes. The thinner the skin, the better they cook.
Can’t find Turkish peppers? No worries! You can use regular bell peppers instead. If they are too big, just cut them in half lengthwise and stuff each half.

Turkish peppers, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, rice, spices, lemon, onion and olive oil on a light background.

2. Filling

The filling is a mix of rice, onion, garlic, tomato, tomato paste, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. We use black pepper, dried mint, paprika or chili powder (or red pepper flakes), and salt.
You can use any type of rice, but we find long-grain rice works best.

3. Garnish

This is optional, but in Turkey, stuffed peppers are often topped with tomato slices or the tops of the peppers we cut off earlier — they work like little lids. We also like to add a few lemon slices in the pot while cooking for extra flavor and a fresh finish.

4. Tomato Sauce

This simple sauce is made with olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, dried mint, and water. It adds a rich flavor and brings everything together beautifully.

How to Make Turkish Stuffed Peppers

You can find the full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Steps of making Turkish stuffed peppers: filling mix, hollowed peppers, stuffed peppers in a pot, and cooked with sauce and lemon.

Start by preparing the peppers. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Try to keep them whole so they hold the filling well.

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the rice filling. Then stuff the peppers, leaving a little room at the top for the rice to expand.

Place them upright in a pot, top with cherry tomatoes or pepper lids, and add lemon slices if you like. Pour the tomato sauce over and cook on the stove until the rice is tender.

Once cooked, bake the peppers in the oven for a short time to get a nice golden top. You can do this in the same pot if it's oven-safe or transfer everything to a baking dish.

Baked Turkish stuffed peppers with golden tops, cherry tomatoes, and lemon slices in a white dish.

Our Tips

Top the stuffed peppers with either cherry tomato halves or the pepper tops you cut off earlier. Both look nice, it’s up to you.
If your peppers are larger than the ones we use, cut them in half lengthwise and stuff each half. (See the photo below for an example.)
Topping the peppers is optional. We just like the way it looks, but it's not a must.
Have leftover filling? Cook it in a separate pan over low heat. Let it cool and keep it in the fridge. Reheat and serve it as a side dish the next day. Or use it to stuff a few tomatoes: cut off the tops, scoop out the seeds, and fill them. You can cook them with the peppers.
Want to make it with meat? Add about 250g (½ pound) of ground beef to the rice filling.

Making Turkish Stuffed Pepper Recipe on the stove

How To Serve Turkish Stuffed Peppers

We love to sprinkle sumac on top of the filling right before serving. It’s optional, but we love the tangy flavor this Middle Eastern spice adds.

Turkish stuffed peppers taste great with a spoonful of plain yogurt or Turkish cacik on the side. In the summer, a fresh tomato and cucumber salad like Turkish shepherd salad is a perfect match too.

A serving of Turkish stuffed peppers with sauce and yogurt on a blue plate.

Storage and Reheating

To Store: Let the cooked stuffed peppers cool completely. Place them in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To Reheat: Put the peppers in a pot with a splash of water or leftover sauce. Cover and heat on low until warmed through.

Freezer-Friendly Tip:
These stuffed peppers freeze well before cooking. Simply fill the raw peppers with the rice mixture, then place them in freezer-safe bags or containers. When you're ready to cook, no need to thaw. Just follow the recipe as it is, adding a little extra cooking time if needed.

More Stuffed Vegetables

As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.

📖 Recipe

Baked rice stuffed green peppers in a white oval baking pan.

5 from 5 votes

Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi)

By Zerrin & Yusuf

Bell peppers stuffed with rice and with or without ground beef makes the easiest weeknight dinner when prepared and frozen beforehand.

Yields: servings

PRINT PIN

PREP 20

COOK 40

TOTAL 1

INGREDIENTS

12 green bell peppers choose small ones or 6 large

Filling:

12 tablespoons rice 1 tablespoon for each pepper
1 onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 tomato chopped finely
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup parsley chopped
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil

Garnish:

4-5 cherry tomatoes to top the filling in peppers*
1 lemon sliced

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic mashed
2 teaspoons dried mint
2 cups hot water divided

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing Peppers:

Cut the tops of peppers in the form of a lid (please see the picture above) and remove the seeds. Try not to damage the peppers.

Make The Filling:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling.

Assemble:

Stuff each pepper with 1-2 tablespoons of the filling depending on the size of the peppers. Leave a little space for rice to rise when cooked.
Place each stuffed pepper in a pot. If the pot is oven-proof, things will be easier.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in two and place one half over the filling in the peppers. These tomatoes act like a lid for the peppers. Alternatively, you can use the tops you cut from the peppers as a lid too.
Place lemon slices on the peppers.

Make The Sauce and Cook The Peppers:

Combine olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, dried mint and water in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Pour it in the pot with stuffed peppers.
Cook the stuffed peppers covered over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Bake:

Preheat the oven at 425F/220C.
If your pot is oven-proof, place it in the oven. If not, transfer the stuffed peppers and lemon slices into a baking pan. Pour all the juicy sauce in the pot into this pan. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they get golden brown.

Serve:

You can serve it warm or at room temperature with some yogurt on the side.

NOTES

We either use cherry tomatoes to top the filling in the peppers or put the pepper tops we cut as a lid (please see it in the picture above). You can do whatever you prefer.
If the peppers you are using are larger than the ones we use, you can cut them lengthwise into two and then stuff them.
You really don’t need to top the stuffed peppers, we do it because we love how they look that way.
If you have leftover filling, you can cook it in another pan over low heat, let it cool and keep in the refrigerator. Reheat and serve it as a side dish on another day. Alternatively, you can stuff a few tomatoes with that remaining filling. To do this, cut the top of tomatoes, remove the seeds and stuff. Place them in the same pan.
If you want to make these with ground beef, add it (about 250g or ½ pound) into the filling with rice.

NUTRITION

Calories: 311kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 675mgPotassium: 715mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1594IUVitamin C: 215mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolmasi)

Why We Love This Recipe