How to Cut Bell Peppers

A yellow bell pepper getting cut in half with a chef's knife.

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.

Course Tutorial

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Kosher, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings serving

Calories 31kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $3

Equipment

Ingredients

1 bell pepper (any color)

Instructions

To Cut Bell Peppers into Rings

Cut off the top. Place your bell pepper on a large cutting board. Use a sharp knife to chop the top and stem off of the pepper. 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 they are 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.
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

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.
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 unfavorable 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

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

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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition