Grilled Peppers Recipe

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/23/22
Tested by
Jacqueline Tris
Jacqueline Tris
Tested by Jacqueline Tris
Jacqueline is a freelance recipe tester and developer, with a love of content creation and fun recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Grilled peppers

The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
73 Calories
7g Fat
3g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 73
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 147mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 49mg 244%
Calcium 13mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 78mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Grilled peppers, like all grilled vegetables, are beyond easy to make. This recipe works for large sweet bell peppers as well as other types of peppers, such as cubanelles, poblanos, and other longer peppers. When grilling bell peppers, any color will do, but red, yellow, orange, and purple bell peppers are the sweetest. Any mild pepper will benefit from the smokiness of the grill, and cooking them brings out their natural sweetness.

Since this is as much a method as a recipe, feel free to grill more or fewer peppers as your menu, grill space, and dining companions dictate. They can also be stored in the fridge and served later either cold, room temperature, or reheated.

"Grilled peppers are a delicious addition to salads, fajitas, and sandwiches. They even make a great snack on their own. Removing the skin takes patience, but if you put them in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, letting them steam for about 5-8 minutes, it makes the process much faster. " —Jacqueline Tris

How to Grill Peppers /Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 large sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange, or purple bell peppers, or cubanelle peppers)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Grilled pepper ingredients
     The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Prepare a medium-high (400 F to 475 F) gas or charcoal grill fire. You should be able to hold your hand about an inch above the cooking grate for 3 to 4 seconds before pulling it away from the heat.

    Heat a charcoal grill
     The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. While the grill heats, halve or quarter and core the peppers. Smaller peppers can be grilled whole.

    Cut peppers on a cutting board
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Brush the skin side of each piece of pepper with olive oil.

    Brush skin side of peppers with oil
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Place the peppers on the grill, skin-side down. Cover the grill and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. The skin should blacken a fair amount; this is fine.

    Place peppers on grill
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Remove the blackened grilled skin; it should slip right off. Or, keep things simple and let diners do it themselves as they eat the peppers.

    Remove blackened skin from pepper
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Sprinkle the peppers with salt to taste and serve them hot, warm, or at room temperature. Enjoy.

    Sprinkle peppers with salt and serve
    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

How to Use

  • Offer them whole or in large pieces with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or other high-quality and slightly sweet vinegar (such as a rustic fruit vinegar like pomegranate vinegar).
  • Serve them as part of a grilled vegetable platter. Peppers are an excellent match with eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes.
  • Chop them up to add to summer salads—they are particularly good as part of a composed salad of various cooked and raw vegetables or when added to pasta salads or grain-based salads (some chopped grilled peppers are lovely added to tabouli, for example).
  • Use them instead of roasted peppers to make red pepper sauce or a dip, such as hummus.
  • Remove the skins, finely chop them, and add to scrambled eggs or tuck into an omelet.
  • Simply add them to sandwiches of all sorts—they make a flavorful addition to all-vegetable sandwiches and are very tasty when paired with hummus in pita bread.

How Do You Cut Bell Peppers for Grilling?

Large bell peppers should be halved and cored before grilling. Begin by slicing off the top of the pepper, including the stem. Make a cut all around the meat of the pepper, dividing it into two. Remove the core and seeds. If desired, slice again into quarters.