Freezing Bell Peppers: A Step-By-Step

Yes, and bell peppers are one of the easiest vegetables to freeze, because you can skip blanching. Wash them, seed them, slice them, freeze the pieces on a tray, then bag them. They keep their best quality for 6 to 8 months, and while they come out softer than fresh, they’re ready to go straight into a pan. Here’s the full process, when blanching is worth it, and how to use them once they’re frozen.

Glad Flex’N Seal Freezer Storage Bags, Gallon, 28 Count

Freezer bags, not regular storage bags, are what you want for peppers headed into the freezer for months. The gallon size holds a good batch of tray-frozen strips, and the zipper seal lets you press the air out before you close it.

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Overhead view of sliced red, yellow and pale green pepper strips packed in a clear plastic storage container — Raw pepper strips can be packed with no headspace, then sealed and frozen.

Do you need to blanch bell peppers before freezing?

No, you don’t. Most vegetables need a quick blanch before they go in the freezer, but peppers are one of the exceptions. The National Center for Home Food Preservation gives two ways to freeze them, and which one you pick depends on how you’ll use them:

Raw (unheated): The center says these keep a crisper texture, so they work in uncooked foods as well as cooked ones. Pack them with no headspace.
Blanched (heated): Best for cooking. Blanch halves in boiling water for 3 minutes, or strips and rings for 2 minutes, then cool them quickly, drain, and pack with half an inch of headspace.

For most home cooks, raw is the way to go. It’s faster, and you can still cook with the peppers later.

How to freeze bell peppers, step by step

This is the raw method, and it’s the one most people want:

Pick firm peppers: Look for crisp, tender peppers without soft spots. USDA lists bell peppers among the firm vegetables where you can cut off a small mold spot, along with at least an inch around and below it, and use the rest. A pepper that’s soft or moldy all over belongs in the compost.
Wash and seed them: Rinse the peppers, cut out the stems, halve them, and scrape out the seeds and the white membranes.
Cut them the way you’ll cook them: Half-inch strips or rings for fajitas and stir-fries, a dice for chili and soups, or halves if you plan to stuff them.
Pat them dry: Wet pieces tend to freeze together in clumps, so get them as dry as you can with a clean towel.
Freeze them on a tray: Spread the pieces in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze them for about an hour, or until they’re solid. That way they stay loose, and you can pour out just what a recipe needs.
Bag them: Move the frozen pieces into freezer bags or freezer containers, and press out as much air as you can before you seal them.
Label and freeze: Write the date on the bag and keep it in a freezer set to 0°F or colder.

Use real freezer bags or containers made for the freezer. Regular plastic storage bags aren’t suitable for long-term freezer storage.

How long do frozen bell peppers last?

For the best quality, use them within 6 to 8 months, the guidance in USDA’s FoodKeeper for frozen peppers. That’s about taste and texture, not safety. According to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, food stored constantly at 0°F or below will always be safe, and only the quality suffers with long storage.

Freezer burn is the same story. It shows up as dry, discolored patches where air got to the peppers, and FSIS says it doesn’t make food unsafe. Trim off the worst of it or toss it into a long-simmered dish where it won’t matter. And the freezing itself doesn’t destroy nutrients, according to the agency. So a bag from last summer is still worth cooking.

Can you freeze a bell pepper without cutting it?

You can, but uncut peppers take up a lot of freezer space. Want peppers to stuff later? Halves are easier: cut them in half through the stem, seed them, and freeze them flat. The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s blanching method, 3 minutes for halves, is a good fit here since they’ll be cooked anyway. Planning to stuff them first and freeze the finished dish? Our guide on freezing stuffed peppers walks through it.

Can you freeze roasted peppers?

Yes. The National Center for Home Food Preservation’s method for freezing pimientos, a sweet red pepper, is a good model for roasted red bells. Roast them in a 400°F to 450°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the skins rub off, then wash off the charred skins, cut out the stems, and remove the seeds. Pack them with half an inch of headspace, seal, and freeze.

How do you use frozen bell peppers?

Straight from the freezer, in most cases, since there’s no need to thaw them for soups, stews, chili, fajitas, stir-fries or a pan of sausage and peppers. Just add them a little later than you would fresh ones, since they’ve already softened.

Expect them to be softer than fresh once they thaw, and to give off some water. Raw-frozen strips keep enough bite for uncooked dishes, as the National Center for Home Food Preservation notes, so they can still go into a salsa or a salad. They just won’t snap like a fresh pepper. If you need them thawed, do it in the fridge, and drain off the liquid before you use them.

What about hot peppers?

They’re even simpler. The center’s guidance for freezing hot peppers is to wash them, remove the stems, and package them with no headspace, and FoodKeeper gives them about 9 months. Wear gloves when you handle them. Our step-by-step for freezing hot peppers covers the details.

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