How to Cut a Bell Pepper
Believe it or not, there’s more than one way to cut a bell pepper! If you’re looking for the best tips and trick on how to cut a bell pepper to make your prep time easier, then you’ve come to the right place.
How to Cut a Bell Pepper
Whether you’re making stuffed bell peppers or adding some thin slices of peppers to your pepperoni pizza frittata, you’ll need to know the best way to cut a bell pepper. There’s loads of recipes out there that use this tasty veggie, so knowing how best to slice it up will come in handy.
Kung pao chicken is loaded with red bell peppers and my philly cheesesteak boats are full of thin strips of these tasty peppers. So whether you need a whole pepper, a small dice, or julienne strips, I’ve got the tips for you!
Even if you’re not “up to par” with your knife skills, I’ll guide you step by step to make this cooking prep work as easy as possible! A step-by-step tutorial is the best way to learn a new skill anyway.
Once you learn how to slice up these versatile vegetables, you can learn how to freeze them so that you’ll always have some on hand. Though bell peppers are available year-round in the grocery store, I love to load up on them when they’re in season at the farmers market. Then I just slice em up and freeze until needed!
This little pepper can elevate the flavor of so many dishes, so let’s walk through how to slice them!
Why You’ll Love this How To
Learning helpful kitchen “how-to’s” can be super beneficial for loads of different reasons:
- I have included all of the easiest ways to cut a pepper. You’ll be cutting veggies like a professional chef in no time.
- Cooking resources, like this one, are a great way to improve your skills in the kitchen and ensure that you are making the best use of your time when prepping a recipe.
- You can do some prep work ahead of time and slice peppers in multiple different ways. Then store and freeze them until you need them for a recipe!
How to Cut a Bell Pepper
There are tons of different ways to chop up this tasty veggie. Choose whichever way is best for you and the recipe that you are making:
Slices
Begin by cutting off the top of the pepper and the bottom of the bell pepper. Cut two slits in the pepper and then open up the pepper and remove the core. Make sure you scoop out the white membrane.
Cut the pepper into even sections and then flip them over, skin-side down on the cutting board.
Slice into even sticks, anywhere from ⅛ to ¼ inch wide. You can make larger slices or thinner strips depending on what you need. Use in Instant Pot chicken fajitas, salads, in stir fries, and any other tasty recipe! Perfect to dip into veggie dip on a vegetable tray too.
Rings
Turn a bell pepper on its side and carefully slice off the stem end and the bottom of the pepper.
Then run your knife along the inside of the pepper to remove the seed core. Use your knife to slice rings all the way down the pepper.
Rings are great as sandwich toppers, to crack an egg into, add to a charcuterie board, or even throw onto the grill! They’re great for pickled bell peppers too.
Dice
Begin by cutting the top and bottom of your peppers off. Just like you did for slices, hold the pepper upright and cut vertical slits into the skin and scoop out the seeds and white parts.
Place the bell peppers halves skins side down and slice into strips. Then gather all the strips close together and chop down the slices to create the perfect dice!
Use in soups, stir fry, salsa chicken, loaded fries, casseroles, egg muffins and so much more!
Chunks
You can also cut the bell pepper into small chunks. De-seed the peppers and quarter them, then slice the quarters into threes.
These are great for small bites like kebabs or you can use them as dippers (and chip alternatives) for healthy dips like hummus or whipped feta dip.
How to Cut a Bell Pepper for Stuffed Peppers
There are two different ways to cut bell peppers for stuffed peppers. You can either stuff them standing up or cut them in half and fill up the flat-lay sides. Here’s how to do both:
Standing Pepper
Turn a bell pepper on its side and then slice the stem end off. If the bottom is uneven, you can cut a bit to even it up but don’t cut it deep enough that there is a hole in the bottom of the pepper.
Cut out the seed core and membranes and then use according to your recipe.
Pepper Halves
Slice a pepper in half from top to bottom. Then remove the white membranes and seed core and cut the stem off.
Use as directed in your favorite stuffed pepper recipe!
Tips for Success
- Always use a very sharp chef’s knife and a cutting board for the best results! Regularly sharpening your knives is a great practice to put into place to keep them cutting through things with ease. If you need extra help removing the membranes, you can use a pairing knife to help cut them out.
- Wash your bell peppers before you cut them. Make sure you remove any stickers too and if there are any bruises, cut around them.
- When purchasing bell peppers, it’s best to grab ones that don’t have any blemishes or wrinkly skin. And if you want to use them for stuffed peppers, the most evenly shaped ones will work best!
FAQ
A sharp chef’s knife is usually best to cut bell peppers! You can also use a pairing knife, but you’ll need a bit more skill to be able to properly use a smaller knife.
It is not necessary to peel bell peppers before cutting them. However, you can peel them if you prefer!
More Helpful Resources
How to Cut a Bell Pepper
Equipment
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2 bell peppers any color
Instructions
Slices
- Begin by cutting off the top of the pepper and the bottom of the bell pepper. Cut two slits in the pepper and then open up the pepper and remove the core. Make sure you scoop out the white membrane.
- Cut the pepper into even sections and then flip them over, skin-side down on the cutting board.
- Slice into even sticks, anywhere from ⅛ to ¼ inch wide. You can make larger slices or thinner strips depending on what you need.
Rings
- Turn a bell pepper on its side and carefully slice off the stem end and the bottom of the pepper.
- Then run your knife along the inside of the pepper to remove the seed core. Use your knife to slice rings all the way down the pepper.
Dice
- Begin by cutting the top and bottom of your peppers off. Just like you did for slices, hold the pepper upright and cut vertical slits into the skin and scoop out the seeds and white parts.
- Place the bell peppers halves skins side down and slice into strips. Then gather all the strips close together and chop down the slices to create the perfect dice!
Standing Pepper for Stuffed Peppers
- Turn a bell pepper on its side and then slice the stem end off. If the bottom is uneven, you can cut a bit to even it up but don’t cut it deep enough that there is a hole in the bottom of the pepper.
- Cut out the seed core and membranes and then use according to your recipe.
Pepper Halves for Stuffed Peppers
- Slice a pepper in half from top to bottom. Then remove the white membranes and seed core and cut the stem off.
- Use as directed in your favorite stuffed pepper recipe!
Pepper Chunks
- Slice a pepper in half from top to bottom. Then remove the white membranes and seed core and cut the stem off.
- Cut the halves to make quarters, then slice the quarters into threes horizontally to make square-ish shapes. These are great for small bites like kebabs or chip-like alternatives.
