How to Cut a Bell Pepper 4 Ways (Video)

Name: How to Cut a Bell Pepper
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 bell pepper (any color)

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Learn how to cut a bell pepper 4 different ways. Feel confident in the kitchen with any recipe that calls for peppers and follow my tips for easy clean up!

bell peppers cut four ways: sliced, diced, rings and stuffed

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How To Select Bell Peppers at the Store
Best Knife & Cutting Boards
How to Cut a Bell Pepper (step by step guide)
Slice Peppers (Julienne)
Dice Bell Peppers
Pepper Rings
Stuff Peppers
FAQs
Favorite Recipes with Bell Peppers
Storage Instructions
Recipe

Bell peppers are used in so many recipes, especially recipes on our website. Tackling the knife skills and simple techniques to make cutting these sweet peppers fast and efficiently for whatever recipe you have to make. Check out the images and video below for the best way to slice peppers.

How To Select Bell Peppers at the Store

Purchase brightly colored peppers with firm and shiny skin. The most popular are red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers and orange peppers.
The stems should be green in color.
Avoid peppers with discoloration, blemishes, soft spots or shriveled skin.

Best Knife & Cutting Boards

Use a larger cutting board made of wood, like a bamboo cutting board. It's best to avoid cutting on ceramic and metal surfaces because they can dull your knife.
A standard chef's knife is one of the most versatile kitchen tools. I really love this 8inch Zwilling Pro chef knife. If you have a paring knife that will work too. It's typically used for cutting small vegetables.

four bell peppers on a cutting board with a knife

How to Cut a Bell Pepper (step by step guide)

Slice Peppers (Julienne)

Use a sharp knife to cut the stem off of the pepper. After that, flip the pepper over so the stem end is down on the cutting board. Slice down around the 4 sides of the pepper so you end up with four pieces. You're essentially cutting around the inside of the pepper. Use your knife to slice off any white flesh (white pith) or extra seeds.
Finally, lay each piece of peppers skin side down then slice the pepper into long strips. The width of the strips may vary based on the recipe you’re making. Turn the strips sideways and chop them again to create diced peppers.

how to cut a bell pepper around the seeds — cut around the seeds

red bell pepper sliced on a wooden cutting board — cut around the seeds

Dice Bell Peppers

Follow the same directions to remove the stem and seeds.
Lay each piece skin-side down onto the cutting board and use the knife to cut it into thin slices.Turn the strips sideways and chop them again to create small dices.

cutting around the seeds of a yellow bell pepper — slice around seeds

dicing a yellow bell pepper on a wood cutting board — slice around seeds

Pepper Rings

Carefully cut a circle around the stem of the pepper. Next, use the stem to pull the center out, then reach inside the pepper to remove any excess seeds or white flesh. Lay the pepper on its side on the cutting board and slice the pepper into rings of your desired width.

cutting around the stem of a bell pepper — cut around the stem

cutting an orange bell pepper into rings — cut around the stem

Stuff Peppers

To prep the peppers to be stuffed, all you have to do is follow the directions to remove the stem, seeds and any excess white flesh from the inside. You may want to slightly cut some of the bottom of the pepper off, without making a hole in the bottom, so the pepper stands up straight.

how to cut around a bell pepper for stuffing — cut around the stem

FAQs

How do you cut peppers for fajitas?

The most common way to cut peppers and onions for fajitas is to slice them into 1/2 inch pieces. Follow the directions above!

How do you eat raw bell peppers?

Wash the peppers well then slice them into strips to dip into dressing and sauces. You can also put them on top of fresh salads.

Is it healthy to eat raw bell peppers?

Peppers in general, cooked or raw, are a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium.

What part of the bell pepper is edible?

The entire bell pepper, including the membrane, seeds and flesh of the pepper are edible. However, most people discard the white membrane and the seeds as they're slightly bitter.

Favorite Recipes with Bell Peppers

Soups and stews: beanless chili, crockpot pepper steak, Instant Pot taco soup,
Dinners and sheet pan meals: sheet pan chicken fajitas, sheet pan steak fajitas, Hawaiian chicken kabobs, Philly cheesesteak foil packs, one pan greek chicken, and healthy sloppy joes.
Breakfast dishes: sweet potato hash, sheet pan sausage and eggs, healthy breakfast casserole
Stuffed peppers: turkey taco stuffed peppers, air fryer stuffed peppers
Salads: antipasto salad and Italian pasta salad
Sauces and condiments for dipping: whole30 ranch, sweet potato hummus and Kansas caviar

Storage Instructions

One of the easiest ways to meal prep is to slice and dice ingredients in advance to save time when cooking. Use these storage tips to keep them in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

Fridge: place the bell peppers in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: store in a zip-top bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is a great way to not waste bell peppers you aren't planning to use right away.

5 crispy charred hawaiian chicken kabobs on a sheet pan layered with peppers

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