Learn how to roast peppers with this easy step-by-step guide. Get tender, smoky peppers perfect for salads, sauces, meal prep, and more.
If you love adding big, bold flavor to weeknight meals, learning how to roast peppers is a game changer. A quick blast of high heat transforms any pepper into something smoky, tender, and incredibly versatile. I use roasted peppers in everything from simple pasta dishes (like my Garlic Roasted Vegetable Pasta) to fresh salads, blend them into creamy dips and spreads, or layer them onto tacos and grilled meats for easy flavor boosts. Once you master this simple method, you’ll always have a delicious, ready-to-use ingredient on hand for fast lunches or your favorite Mediterranean-inspired recipes.
Why Roast Peppers
Roasting peppers is one of the easiest ways to bring out their natural sweetness, deepen their flavor, and add smokiness to any recipe. High heat softens the pepper’s flesh while lightly charring the skin, creating a tender, caramelized result that works in everything from salads and sandwiches to pastas, dips, tacos, and more!
It’s also a smart, budget-friendly kitchen skill: roasting your own peppers tastes fresher than anything you’d buy in a jar, and you can use whatever peppers you already have on hand! Roast a batch once a week and you’ll always have a flavorful ingredient ready to add color, heat, and depth to quick meals.
How to Roast Peppers
Step 1. Using metal tongs, hold the pepper over the open flame of a gas burner or grill. Rotate every 30 seconds until all sides are charred and a little black.
Step 2. Place in a large bowl and cover with a towel to let steam for around 15 minutes. Once they’ve steamed and have cooled to the touch, peel off the charred skin.
Step 3. Open up the roasted pepper and remove any seeds, and use a sharp knife to slice into strips.
Step 4. Your roasted pepper is now ready to add to salads, top tacos, or to throw in a food processor to make a salsa or sauce!
Types of Peppers You Can Roast
You can roast almost any pepper, and each variety brings its own flavor, heat level, and texture. Here’s a helpful breakdown:
- Bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green): Sweet (or savory, in the case of green), versatile, and perfect for salads, dips, sandwiches, and pasta.
- Poblano peppers: Mild heat with deep, earthy flavor. Great for chile rellenos, enchiladas, sauces, and soups.
- Anaheim & hatch peppers: Lightly spicy and slightly sweet. Ideal for casseroles, Tex-Mex dishes, and fresh or roasted salsas.
- Jalapeños: Medium heat that mellows when roasted. Delicious in dips, tacos, nachos, and blended sauces.
- Serrano peppers: Hotter than jalapeños with bright, grassy flavor that becomes smoky when roasted. Perfect for spicy salsas.
- Mini sweet peppers: Roast quickly and caramelize beautifully. Perfect for snacking, charcuterie boards, salads, and pasta.
Recipes to Make with Roasted Peppers
- Roasted Asparagus and Red Peppers
- Grilled Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
- Flank Steak Tacos
- Mediterranean Tuna Salad Sandwich
- Spicy Chicken and Soba Noodles
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How to Roast Red Peppers (Step-by-Step Guide)?
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How to Roast Red Peppers (Step-by-Step Guide)
Ingredients
Video
Instructions
- Start by roasting the peppers over a hot grill or gas flame on the stove. Using tongs, hold the pepper directly over the heat and rotate every 30-60 seconds until all sides are nicely charred and black. Place in a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap to steam, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once peppers have steamed and cooled slightly, gently remove the skin and open to remove seeds. Slice into strips and enjoy in pastas, salads, wraps, and more.
Liz’s Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Peeling roasted peppers is recommended, but not always mandatory. The charred skin can be tough and bitter, so removing it gives you a smoother, sweeter result. For peppers with thin skins (like jalapeños or serranos), you can leave the skin on if you prefer a smokier flavor and don’t mind the texture.
Yes! You can roast peppers in the oven, under the broiler, in an air fryer, or directly on an outdoor grill. All of these methods produce charred, tender peppers, even without the open flame. Simply cook them at high heat until the skins blister and blacken, then steam and peel as usual.
Both methods work, but I prefer to roast whole. Whole peppers are ideal because they steam from the inside and become easier to peel. Slicing before roasting can work well when you want faster cook time or prefer a firmer texture.
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