How to Cut Bell Peppers

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If you are a novice cook, learning how to cut bell peppers is a great skill to master. They're delicious in several types of cuisine and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Here, we'll go over 4 ways to cut peppers and easily remove the inner core.

A chef's knife cutting a yellow bell pepper in half.

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📋 What is a bell pepper?
⁉️ What You'll Need
🔪 How to Cut a Bell Pepper
❄️ How to Store Bell Peppers
🍽 How to Use/Cook Bell Peppers
🔍 FAQs
💭 One More Tip
🍴 Recipe Ideas + More Cooking Tips
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

📋 What is a bell pepper?

A bell pepper is a fruit in the Capsicum Annum Species that comes in a variety of colors. They are closely related to sweet peppers, Jalapeños, and other chili peppers and are notably high in vitamin c.

The bell pepper got it's name due to it's large bell shape. They also typically grow in warmer regions of North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

⁉️ What You'll Need

Sharp chef's knife - One of the most important tools in the kitchen. It may be counterintuitive, but using a small knife or a dull knife is going to make it more likely that you will cut yourself and have difficulty cutting your bell peppers uniformly. A good chef's knife should glide through whatever you are cutting without resistance and feel comfortable in your hand.
Cutting board - The larger the better! Using a small chopping board is going to make your workspace feel crowded and take you longer to prep.

Different cuts of bell peppers on a cutting board.

🔪 How to Cut a Bell Pepper

To Cut Bell Peppers into Rings

Cutting the top off a red pepper, then removing the seeds and ribs.

Cut off the top. Place your bell pepper on a large cutting board. Use a sharp knife to chop the top and stem of the pepper off. Reserve the top portion and cut any extra bell pepper off around the stem.
Remove the seeds and ribs. Using the knife, cut the ribs away from the sides of the pepper until it is easy to remove. If there are several seeds in the bottom of the pepper, turn the pepper upside down and tap it lightly until the remaining seeds fall out. Alternatively, rinse the inside of the pepper out with fresh water to flush out the seeds.

Place the pepper on its side. In order to cut bell pepper rings, you will need to cut the pepper crosswise, not lengthwise.
Slice evenly. Using light pressure, cut the pepper into evenly-sized rings.

To Cut Bell Peppers into Strips:

Cutting a yellow bell pepper in half, then removing the seeds and ribs.

Slice the pepper in half. Cut the pepper in half, directly through the top stem and ribs.
Remove the seeds and pith. Using your knife, cut the stem and pith out of the pepper half. Scrape any lingering seeds out of the pepper.

Removing ribs from bell pepper, then cutting it into thick strips.

Remove any lingering ribs. After removing the core of the pepper, there may be a few lingering white parts. Although they are edible, some find their texture unfavorably and prefer to remove them.
Slice into strips. Lay the bell pepper skin side down on the cutting board and slice the pepper lengthwise into even-sized strips.

To Cut Bell Peppers into Chunks:

Cutting bell pepper strips in half lengthwise, then cutting into square chunks.

Slice into strips. Lay the bell pepper skin side down on the cutting board and slice the pepper lengthwise into thick even-sized strips.
Cut strips crosswise. Once the pepper has been cut into thick strips, cut the strips crosswise into evenly sized squares or chunks, as desired.

To Dice Bell Peppers:

Cutting bell pepper into thinner strips, then dicing into small pieces.

Cut into thin slices. To dice bell peppers, cut peppers into thin strips (about half the width as you'd cut for chunks).
Slice the strips crosswise. Turn the thin strips crosswise and dice the pepper into uniform, even pieces.

❄️ How to Store Bell Peppers

To store whole, uncut bell peppers: Fresh, whole peppers will keep best when stored in the crisper drawer, free from any plastic or packaging that can trap excess moisture. When stored properly, fresh peppers will last for a couple of weeks.

To store cut bell peppers: Once cut, both fresh and cooked bell peppers will keep for about 3 days when stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Unlike whole, uncut bell peppers, it is best to store cut peppers in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out.

🍽 How to Use/Cook Bell Peppers

Bell peppers can be enjoyed both raw or cooked in several cuisines. Enjoy them raw as a crunchy snack dipped in pine nut hummus or cooked in one of these favorite recipes:

🔍 FAQs

Should you remove the seeds from the bell pepper?

Bell pepper seeds are safe to eat, but they are slightly bitter and are best removed. Most of the bell pepper seeds should be stuck to the bell pepper's pith and be simple to remove. To do so, refer to my photos above to help you successfully remove both the white pith and excess seeds.

Which bell pepper is the sweetest?

The red peppers are sweetest and the green peppers are the most bitter. The yellow peppers and orange peppers are also typically sweet tasting, but are less mature than the red peppers.

What is the best way to cut bell peppers for a salad?

In order to allow the peppers to toss seamlessly into the salad and be easy to eat, I'd recommend diced peppers or chunks but it really is up to personal preference! Give it a try in my Rainbow Orzo Salad with Pesto or Jerusalem Salad (Israeli Salad).

💭 One More Tip

Practice your knife skills! One of the easiest ways to gain confidence in the kitchen is to practice your knife skills on basic cuts such as cutting bell peppers, corn off the cob, and jalapeños.

If you found this helpful, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

🍴 Recipe Ideas + More Cooking Tips

📖 Recipe