How to Freeze Bell Peppers in 3 Easy Steps

Bell peppers are one of the most colorful and flavorful vegetables out there. I simply love to throw them in pasta dishes, spaghetti, soups, and even sandwiches.

Oh, and don’t even get me going about the delightfulness of stuffed bell peppers! 

However, just like any other vegetable, bell peppers are also seasonal veggies. With that said, it has never stopped me from having them all year long.

I simply freeze a mighty batch of fresh and crunchy bell peppers to use in my dishes whenever I crave them.

It’s a simple enough process that saves my meal-prep time and allows me to have my favorite vegetable even when it is out of season. 

If you are wondering how to freeze bell peppers, read on to find out! 

Can You Freeze Fresh Bell Peppers?

You can easily freeze fresh, store-bought or homegrown bell peppers in your freezer to use throughout the year.

In fact, the best time to freeze them is when they are fresh and ripe. Overripe peppers are not ideal for freezing as they can become a mushy mess, which is not appetizing at all!  

How to Freeze Bell Peppers in 3 Easy Steps

When it comes to freezing bell peppers, you can slice them up, chop them into fine pieces before freezing them or freeze them whole with the stems and seeds removed, depending on your need.

Choose whichever method works best for you.

Things You Will Need:

• Bell peppers
• A sharp chef’s knife
• Heavy-duty freezer bags
• A large cutting board
• Cookie sheets
• Wax paper
• A flat spatula

Instructions

Here’s how to freeze bell peppers:

Step 1 – Preparing the Bell Peppers

Carefully inspect the bell peppers that you plan on freezing for any signs of soft spots, molds, or rot. Separate these peppers from your batch and cut out the bad parts.

Pro Tip: Only freeze peppers that are crisp and ripe. Use the ones that are overripe in your dishes immediately. 

• Rinse the surface of the bell peppers under cool running water.
• Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the top off of bell pepper. Tear out the core and shake out the remaining seeds. Tip: You can use the seeds, stems, and pith in your compost.
• Now you can cut the peppers into your desired freezing size and shape.

• Cut them across the round to create ringlets.
• If you want thin strips, cut them right down the center.
• Dice the pepper into chunks for soups, casseroles, and sandwiches. 
• Rinse the bell peppers once more to get rid of pesky leftover seeds.

Pro Tip: Thoroughly dry the peppers with a towel before freezing them, this will prevent freezer burn!  

Step 2 – Flash Freezing the Peppers

Flash freezing the bell peppers keeps the peppers from sticking together in the freezer. This makes life so much easier when you are ready to use the peppers in a single recipe.

This tip allows you to pull out exactly the amount of peppers that you want from the container and then put the rest of the frozen peppers back in the freezer.

Here’s how to flash freeze bell peppers:

• Find a cookie sheet that will easily fit in your freezer.
• Cover the sheet with a wax or parchment paper to prevent the bell peppers from sticking to the tray.
• Carefully spread your cut up or diced bell peppers on the paper. Make sure that you don’t place them in clumps or allow them to touch.
• This step will allow air to circulate around each piece. It will prevent them from sticking together when you store them in your freezer. 
• Place the bell peppers in your freezer to flash freeze.
• Let the peppers sit in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour.
• Take the bell peppers out of the freezer and make sure that the pieces have frozen individually.

Step 3 – Storing the Frozen Peppers

• Use a flat spatula to remove the frozen bell pepper pieces off the paper.
• Put the pieces in heavy-duty freezer bags, roughly half to one cup at a time. 
• Make sure to squeeze out all the air from the freezer bags. Squeeze and roll them to ensure that there is no air left. This will prevent the peppers from getting affected by freezer burn.
• Label the freezer bags with the date and the contents (diced or sliced bell peppers).
• Place the bags in the coldest part of your freezer to keep the peppers fresh for long. 

Pro Tip: 1-1/4 cups of bell pepper slices make one large bell pepper. So, whenever a recipe calls for bell peppers, simply take the quantity you need from the freezer bag and dump the bag back into your freezer. 

Do You Need to Blanch Bell Peppers Before Freezing Them? 

One of the best things about freezing bell peppers is that you don’t need to blanch them before freezing them.

This means that you can freeze bell peppers as is without the additional step of parboiling or blanching them.

It definitely saves a lot of your time. Moreover, once thawed, they will taste almost as good as fresh bell peppers. 

How Long Do Bell Peppers Last in the Freezer?

Frozen bell peppers can last for as long as 8 months in your freezer. They might lose their taste past that time period. So, it’s best to devour them within that time.

Also, make sure to store them in high-quality Ziploc bags or airtight containers and at 0 degrees F or below in your freezer to maintain their quality. 

Can You Freeze Whole Bell Peppers?

You can freeze whole bell peppers to make delicious stuffed peppers all year long but you do need to remove the seeds and stems!

However, they will take up more space than chopped bell peppers. Here’s how you can freeze whole bell peppers:

1. Slice off the top of each bell pepper
2. Remove the seeds and stems
3. Place the bell peppers into individual high-quality freezer bags

✔Check out this divine recipe for delectable stuffed bell peppers!

Can You Stuff Bell Peppers Before Freezing Them?

You can store stuffed bell peppers in your freezer! Just wrap them tightly in cling wrap or place them on cookie sheets and freeze them individually in airtight containers.

Label and date the peppers as required. 

How to Defrost Frozen Bell Peppers? 

To defrost whole bell peppers, simply take them out of your freezer and put them in your refrigerator for around 12 hours to defrost.

You can easily slice them and use them in your recipes as you please. If you are short on time, then you can also defrost them in a bowl of cool water.

This will only take around an hour. 

With sliced bell peppers, you don’t have to defrost them at all! Just take them out of the freezer and chuck them in your dishes.

If you want, then you can defrost them in your refrigerator prior to using them. However, this way, they will turn out to be a bit mushy. 

The bottom line

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on how to freeze bell peppers.

Follow the steps mentioned above to freeze bell peppers (whole, sliced, or diced) and enjoy delicious bell peppers even when they are not in season!

Just make sure to devour them within 8 months for maximum flavor and freshness.