Natural form

A whole red bell pepper showing its glossy skin, blocky lobed shape, and green stem.

Shows the reader exactly what to look for when selecting a red bell pepper at a market — the characteristic deep red color, quadrilateral lobes, and waxy surface.

Produce

Red Bell Pepper

Sweet, fully ripened bell pepper eaten raw, roasted, or blended into sauces.

Red bell peppers are green bell peppers left to ripen fully, turning sweet, juicy, and mild with no heat. They are eaten raw in salads and crudités, roasted and peeled for antipasti, or blended into sauces and stews like the West African tatashe base. Roasting concentrates their sugars and adds a smoky depth.

Red bell peppers are the fully ripe stage of the common bell pepper (Capsicum annuum, Grossum group), a cultivar bred for thick flesh and zero heat. Unlike their unripe green counterparts—which are sharp, slightly bitter, and firm—red bell peppers have undergone a complete transformation. As the pepper matures on the plant, chlorophyll breaks down and carotenoid pigments accumulate, developing the characteristic red color, while sugar content climbs to roughly three times that of green peppers. The result is a pepper that is sweet, slightly fruity, and structurally substantial enough to hold its shape when cooked. In the United States and Canada the term "bell pepper" is universal; in the UK and Commonwealth nations they are called simply "peppers" or "sweet peppers," and in France, "poivron." Their lack of capsaicin places them at 0 Scoville Heat Units, making them accessible to nearly every palate. The color change also signals a significant nutritional shift: lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin C all increase dramatically at the red-ripe stage, making this the most nutritionally dense point in the bell pepper's life cycle. When selecting and cooking red bell peppers, treat them as the mature fruit they are—ripe flavor compounds are delicate and degrade with prolonged heat, and underripe peppers (those with green shoulders or pale, papery walls) simply cannot deliver the sweetness you expect.

Measured in: piece
Storage: Fridge

Types & varieties

California Wonder

Classic blocky bell; turns deep red when fully ripe, thick walls, pronounced sweetness

Ruby King

Reliable field variety with large, four-lobed fruit that matures to bright, even red

Redskin

Compact plants suited to containers; produces sweet, crisp red peppers with good wall thickness

Flavorburst

Hybrid bred for especially high sugar content and very thick walls at red maturity

King of the North

Cold-tolerant variety; blocky fruit with excellent sweet flavor when fully red-ripe

Ace Hybrid

Early-maturing red bell with smooth, thick-walled fruit and consistent classic bell shape

Color as a Ripeness Indicator

The red color of a bell pepper is not a variety designation—it is a ripening stage. Field-grown bell peppers progress from green (unripe) through yellow and orange (semi-ripe) to red (fully ripe). Commercial labeling often distinguishes them by color, but all three are the same cultivar harvested at different points. Red peppers left on the plant longest accumulate the most sugars and antioxidants, which is why they cost slightly more than green or yellow peppers at the market. Greenhouse production has largely leveled seasonal availability, but flavor and nutritional density remain highest in peppers harvested at true maturity, which most reliably occurs in late-summer field crops.

Green shoulders (patches of green near the stem) indicate an incompletely ripened pepper—expect less sweetness and a thinner wall
Orange and yellow bell peppers are semi-ripe stages of the same cultivars that become red
Color is a more reliable sweetness indicator than price or size

Roasting and Peeling Technique

Roasting transforms red bell peppers from fresh and crunchy to deeply aromatic and velvety. The direct heat chars the outer skin, which then steams loose from the tender flesh beneath. This process concentrates flavor, mellows any remaining bitterness from the ribs, and creates a silky texture useful in sauces, spreads, and salads. The classic method uses a gas flame, but a very hot broiler or a cast-iron skillet over high heat produces comparable results.

Char the pepper on all sides, turning with tongs, 8–12 minutes total over high heat
Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with a plate or foil; let steam 10 minutes—the skin slides off with no scraping needed
Seed and strip the ribs while warm; the membrane separates easily before the pepper cools
Roasted peppers keep refrigerated in a sealed container with their juices for up to one week
For long-term storage, freeze roasted strips flat on a sheet pan first, then transfer to freezer bags to prevent clumping

Common uses

Eaten raw in salads, crudité platters, and sandwiches for bright sweetness and satisfying crunchRoasted whole over an open flame or under a hot broiler until blistered; skin peeled for sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, and antipastoGrilled and sliced for fajitas, stir-fries, grain bowls, and pizzasSautéed with onions as a foundational mirepoix component for soups, stews, braises, and tomato saucesStuffed with grains, ground meat, or cheese and baked until tenderBlanched and tossed with pasta, risotto, or grain salads for sweet, colorful contrastBlended into gazpacho, vichyssoise, or other cold soups for body and sweetnessQuickly charred and pureed into sauces for tacos, braises, and pastaJulienned for bánh mì sandwiches, tacos, or omeletsPickled in vinegar brine for preserves, condiments, or garnishesDried and ground as a seasoning; roasted and frozen whole for extended storage

Tips & pitfalls

Select firm, heavy peppers with taut, glossy skin and no wrinkles, soft spots, or blemishes; a heavy pepper for its size means thick, juicy walls
Avoid peppers with green shoulders (patches of green near the stem) if you are buying for sweetness—these indicate incomplete ripening and will taste green and vegetal
Store whole peppers unwashed in the crisper drawer; moisture accelerates spoilage, so wash only at the moment of use
When seeding, remove the white inner ribs (pith) as well as the seeds—the ribs contain the most bitterness and can make even sweet peppers taste harsh
Do not overcook: red bell peppers retain their sweetness and pleasant texture only with quick, high-heat cooking; prolonged simmering causes them to turn mushy and their sugars to caramelize into muted, flat flavors
Season aggressively with salt before cooking to draw out the pepper's natural moisture and amplify sweetness
Cut peppers deteriorate quickly due to their high water content—use within 1–2 days or freeze for longer storage
Freeze roasted or blanched peppers flat on a sheet pan first, then transfer to bags; this prevents them from clumping into an unusable frozen mass
Common mistake: using underripe peppers (thin walls, green shoulders, pale color) and expecting the sweetness of fully ripe red peppers—color is a ripeness cue, not just an aesthetic choice

Nutrition

26kcal

Energy

109 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 13%Carbs 78%Fat 9%

Protein

2% DV

Carbs

2% DV

Fat

0.3g

0% DV

Fiber

2.1g

8% DV

Sugars

4.2g

of which

Sodium

4mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin C142% DV

Vitamin A17% DV

Vitamin B617% DV

Folate12% DV

Vitamin E11% DV

Riboflavin (B2)7% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Peppers, sweet, red, raw

View on FDC →

In the shops

Matched grocery products

Red Pepper
360 g · Mercadona
€1.04
Tricolor Peppers
710 g · Mercadona
€2.20
Green Frying Pepper
90 g · Mercadona
€0.23
Semi-Spicy Peppers
250 g · Mercadona
€1.35
Roasted Bell Peppers Three Colors
SURINVER · kg · Bonpreu
€2.49
Extra Whole Piquillo Peppers
Hacendado · 340 g · Mercadona
€1.45

Good to know

Scientific Name: Capsicum annuum (Grossum group)
Heat Level: 0 Scoville Heat Units (no capsaicin)
Ripened State: Fully ripe; green → yellow → orange → red as it matures on the plant
Peak Season: Late summer through early fall (field-grown); available year-round from greenhouse production
Sugar Content: Approximately 3× higher than unripe green bell peppers
Key Nutrients: Exceptionally high in vitamin C; good source of vitamin A, B6, folate, potassium, lycopene, and beta-carotene
Storage (Whole): Refrigerate unwashed in crisper drawer 1–2 weeks
Storage (Cut): Refrigerate in airtight container 1–2 days; freeze blanched or roasted up to 6 months
Yield: Approximately 75–80% usable after seeding and trimming

Substitutes

Yellow Bell Pepper — Fully ripe yellow stage; similar sweetness and texture but slightly less lycopene; 1:1 substitute in most applications
Orange Bell Pepper — Fully ripe orange variety; comparable vitamin C, marginally less sweet than red but close enough for raw or cooked uses
Roasted Pimiento (canned) — Prediced, pre-roasted peppers; convenient for cooked dishes, sandwiches, and salads when fresh are not available
Roasted Red Pepper (jarred) — Commercially roasted and packed in brine or oil; suitable for sauces, spreads, and salads when time is short; rinse to remove excess salt or brine
Piquillo Pepper — Spanish roasted pepper; slightly smokier flavor and good stuffing candidate; may need blending for smooth sauce applications