•Experiments were conducted on RAC-FSST under lateral monotonic and cyclic loading.•The structural performance of RAC-FSST beam and beam-column were analyzed.•Finite element models were established for structural behaviour analysis and parametric analysis.•Modification methods for bearing capacity and hysteretic models were proposed. This paper presents a series of experimental research on recycled aggregate concrete-filled stainless steel tubular (RAC-FSST) columns subjected to lateral monotonic and cyclic loading. The influence of axial load level, shear span ratio, and replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate on the RAC-FSST members under compression-bending loads is studied. The test results indicate that the RAC-FSST columns exhibit favorable ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The P-Δ skeleton curves of the columns subjected to lateral cyclic loading are similar to those of columns under monotonic loading. It indicates that, compared with the plastic damage of the concrete, the cyclic hardening characteristics of the stainless steel have more significant influence on the bearing capacity. Considering the characteristics of material loading and unloading criteria, a FE model is established to analyze the seismic performance of RAC-FSST, with the internal force development and stress distribution discussed. Based on the parametric analysis, the modification method of bearing capacity and the hysteretic models of RAC-FSST members are proposed.