• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
es_ES Español
  • About
    • Meet Tracy!
    • Contact Me
    • Disclaimers & Disclosures
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Holidays
    • New Years Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • es_ES
Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Oh, The Things We'll Make!

Make it yourself so that you control the ingredients!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Soups & Salads
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Sweets
      • frozen treats
    • Breads & Wraps
    • MIY Pantry Basics
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • Beverages & Smoothies
    • Story Archives
  • Make it Yourself
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Face & Body
      • Cleansers, Soaps, & Gels
      • Deodorants
      • Hair
      • Skin Care
      • Oral Care
      • Baby & Toddler Care
    • Home & Garden
      • Cleaning & Laundry
      • Garden & Hens
    • Soap Making
    • Upcycling
  • About
    • Meet Tracy!
      • More About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Disclaimers & Disclosures
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Soups & Salads
    • Beverages & Smoothies
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Sweets
      • frozen treats
    • Breads & Wraps
    • Condiments & Sauces
    • MIY Pantry Basics
    • Story Archives
  • Make it Yourself
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Natural Face & Body
      • Cleansers, Soaps, & Gels
      • Natural Skin Care
      • Natural Hair care
      • Oral Care
      • Deodorants
      • Baby & Toddler Care
    • Soap Making
    • Home & Garden
      • Cleaning & Laundry
      • Garden & Hens
    • Photography
    • Upcycling
  • Holidays
    • New Years Eve
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
es_ES Español
A small bowl of roasted red peppers in their juices, in front of a raw, whole red pepper.

Easy Roasted Red Peppers

Last Modified: June 2, 2021 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // October 10, 2019 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

es_ES Español

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, roasted red peppers are a healthy, delicious addition to all sorts of dishes. Learn how easy it is to roast red peppers (in the oven, over a flame, or in a slow cooker), how to use them, and how to store them for later. #thethingswellmake #peppers #redpeppers #roastedredpeppers #condiments #flavor #veggies #roastedveggies #miy
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, roasted red peppers are a healthy, delicious addition to all sorts of dishes. Learn how easy it is to roast red peppers (in the oven, over a flame, or in a slow cooker), how to use them, and how to store them for later. #thethingswellmake #peppers #redpeppers #roastedredpeppers #condiments #flavor #veggies #roastedveggies #miy
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, roasted red peppers are a healthy, delicious addition to all sorts of dishes. Learn how easy it is to roast red peppers (in the oven, over a flame, or in a slow cooker), how to use them, and how to store them for later. #thethingswellmake #peppers #redpeppers #roastedredpeppers #condiments #flavor #veggies #roastedveggies #miy
Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, roasted red peppers are a healthy, delicious addition to all sorts of dishes. Learn how easy it is to roast red peppers (in the oven, over a flame, or in a slow cooker), how to use them, and how to store them for later. #thethingswellmake #peppers #redpeppers #roastedredpeppers #condiments #flavor #veggies #roastedveggies #miy

Looking for a healthy way to add flavor? Roasted red peppers are quick and easy to make. They’re packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and make a delicious addition to all sorts of dishes.

Top view of three roasted red peppers with char-broiled skin on a baking pan
Pin this post for later!

Until I arrived here in Spain, I hadn’t learned to appreciate the deliciousness of roasted red peppers. Here they are commonly made and featured in many popular dishes. The roasting process brings out their subtle sweetness which pairs well with so many foods.

Why make them?

While you could buy them in a jar, why would you want to? They’re so easy to roast yourself. Not only can you save money and excess packaging waste, but nothing compares to the texture and flavor of freshly roasted.

I love them so much that I make some almost every week. 

How to use them

Roasted red peppers are super versatile. They can be used whole (in strips) or made into a purée. The purée can be served alone as a dip or spread or can be incorporated into other purées.

In Spain, they’re served atop cocas (a cheeseless sort of “pizza” that is typical to my region), in traditional vegetable side dishes like espencat or esgarraet (a roasted vegetable dish with eggplants and red peppers), and are a common addition to bocadillos (sandwiches served on baguette-style bread).

A casserole dish filled with espencat, a Spanish dish made from roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, and salted cod.
Espencat is a dish made with roasted red peppers and roasted eggplant.

As a garnish or topping

Served in whole pieces or strips, they can be used to garnish and add flavor to all sorts of foods. I especially love adding strips of roasted red peppers with roasted eggplant on hamburgers and sandwiches. You must try it! The combination is divine.

Try them in/on:

  • Pizzas
  • Sandwiches
  • Hamburgers
  • Salads- both green leaf salads and mayonnaise-based salads like potato salad
  • Atop bread or crackers (bruschetta-style)
  • As a vegetable garnish alone or with other roasted veggies
Two bowls of creamy, roasted pumpkin soup garnished with caramelized onions and fresh sage leaves
This roasted pumpkin soup’s flavor is enhanced with roasted red peppers and caramelized onions.

Roasted Red Pepper Purée

Once roasted, you can process them into a purée in a food processor (with a bit of olive oil) until smooth. Adding a roasted red pepper purée to soups and dips adds color and sweetness. The purée can also be used as a spread or garnish in a number of dishes.

Try using as/enhancing the flavor of the following with roasted red pepper purée:

  • Creamy vegetable soups (Like my roasted pumpkin soup)
  • Hummus (or raw zucchini hummus)
  • Vegetable dips
  • Cream cheese or other spreads
  • Salad dressings
  • Spreads for bread or crackers (Alone or in other spreads)
  • Sauces

Or use it alone as a sauce or to garnish plates (It pairs well with meat and seafood.)

Which type of red peppers should you use?

Most commonly, red bell peppers are used to make these, but you can also use other sweet pepper varieties. Italian peppers and small piquillo style peppers also work well.

Those peppers that have thin skins can be used, but they will be harder to peel.

Charbroiled red Italian peppers with a charbroiled eggplant on a bamboo cutting board.
Red Italian peppers and eggplants can also be cooked in the same way.

Preparation

Roasting red peppers is easy and can be done in a number of ways.

Broiling/Roasting in the oven

Broiling in the oven is my favorite method as it is very quick and easy. To easily roast and peel your red peppers, rinse them well, and then place them sideways on a baking sheet and cook them underneath your broiler.

If you’ll be keeping a close eye on them, you can place them around 2 inches under the broiler as shown above. As the skin begins to blister and char, rotate the peppers until they are pretty evenly charred all over.

If you won’t be able to keep as close of an eye on your peppers, you can slow roast them in the oven at around 200ºC/390ºF instead. You’ll want to place the tray around 6 inches from the top of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Once the peppers have browned, flip them over and bake for another 20 minutes or so.

Three red peppers on a baking sheet under a broiler.
Char broiling the red peppers in an oven

Grill/Open flame

Red peppers can also be charbroiled over a flame such as a BBQ grill, a fireplace, a gas stove, or a campfire. With this method, you’ll want to charbroil each pepper individually.

To charbroil the peppers, hold them over the flam, taking care not to burn yourself. You can use metal tongs or long skewers to hold the peppers over the flame.

Once you’ve charred the area of the pepper over the flame, rotate the pepper to expose an uncooked area. Continue to roast and rotate until the peppers have charred evenly all over.

Slow Cooker

Red peppers can also be slowly roasted in a slow cooker at the high heat setting. Cook them for around 2 and a half hours. Then, turn the heat off and allow the red peppers to cool, covered, inside.

Removing the stems, skin, and seeds

Once cooled, you’ll want to remove the stems, skin, and seeds of the red peppers. If they have blistered and charred pretty evenly all over, or if you’ve slow roasted them in a slow cooker, they should be easy to peel once cool.

To make for easier peeling, though, you can also place them in a heat-safe container and allow them to cool, covered, inside. This helps steam them, making the skins easier to remove.

  • pulling the seed core from the roasted red peppers
    remove the seeds
  • Peeling the char-broiled skin off the roasted peppers
    peel off the skin
  • Removing the skin and seeds from roasted red peppers.

Once you’ve finished peeling them, Use a small knife to cut around the stem to release it from the rest of the pepper. Pull the stem (with attached seeds) from the pepper. This step removes most of the seeds from the peppers.

Cut down the pepper on one side from top to bottom. Pull apart the red pepper to expose the inside. You can now remove any remaining seeds inside.

Serve immediately, or store for later.

Storage

If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge or freezer for later. Some people also conserve them in vinegar or brine solutions.

In the refrigerator

Roasted red peppers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to around 5 days.

For longer-term storage, up to around 7-9 days, cover them with olive oil (in a covered container) and store them in the refrigerator. You can add extra flavor by adding minced or sliced garlic to the olive oil.

In the freezer

To ensure you always have them on hand, freeze strips of roasted peppers for up to 6 months.

To keep them from sticking together when freezing, place the strips on a tray covered with parchment paper. Once frozen, remove them from the tray, and store them in a well-sealed freezer bag.

Watch me roast them

Craving more?Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest recipes and tutorials!
A small bowl of roasted red peppers in their juices, in front of a raw, whole red pepper.

Easy Roasted Red Peppers

A delicious healthy topping or garnish, roasted red peppers are easy to make and super versatile.
Yield: Approximately 2 Cups
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cooling time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 half cup servings
Calories: 37kcal
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Equiment

  • Oven, flame, or slow cooker.
  • Tongs (for cooking over a flame)
  • Heat-safe container with lid. (For cooling charbroiled peppers, to make removal of the skin easier)

Ingredients

  • 4 red bell peppers

Instructions

  • Prepare the red peppers by rinsing them and drying them.

Broiling Method

  • Pre-heat your oven broiler. (Temperatures will vary from oven to oven.)
  • Place the clean, whole red peppers sideways on a baking tray. You can prepare the baking tray with parchment paper first, if you like.
  • Place the pan several inches under the broiler. If you'll be keeping a close eye on them, you keep them closer to the broiler (around 2-3 inches away). If not, you'll want to keep them at least 4-5 inches from the broiler.
  • As the skin begins to blister and blacken, turn the peppers to expose an area that isn't charbroiled yet.
  • Continue to broil the peppers, turning as needed, until all sides of the peppers are blackened.
  • Allow the peppers to cool slightly. (For easier peeling, place the peppers in a covered container while they cool. This allows steam to build up and helps release the skin.)
  • Carefully remove the stem, skin, and seeds. Areas that haven't blistered and blackened may be more difficult to remove. You can use a paring knife to scrape off any small bits of the remaining skin.

Slow roasting Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to around 390ºF/200ºC.
  • Place the clean, whole peppers sideways on a prepared baking tray.
  • Place the pan in the oven with the peppers at least 6 inches from the top.
  • Bake for around 20-30 minutes, until the peppers begin to brown.
  • Flip the peppers over, and return the tray to the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes.
  • Turn the oven off, and open the door to allow the peppers to slowly cool.
  • Once cooled, carefully remove the stem, skin, and seeds.

Slow cooker Method

  • Place your peppers in a slow cooker. You can optionally add some olive oil to the bottom of the slow cooker first, to help prevent sticking.
  • Cook at the high setting for around 2.5 hours.
  • Turn the slow cooker off and allow the peppers to slowly cool inside the covered slow cooker.
  • Once cooled, carefully remove the stems, skin, and seeds.

Grill/Flame Method

  • Using metal tongs, hold a pepper over a flame. (You can use a gas stove, fireplace, campfire, or BBQ grill.)
  • Allow the skin of the pepper to blister and char.
  • Turn the pepper to char an uncooked area, continuing to rotate and cook until the entire pepper is blackened.
  • Place the charred pepper into a heat-safe container, and cover it.
  • Continue with the other peppers, adding them all into the container once charbroiled.
  • Allow the peppers to cool (covered).
  • Once cool, remove the stems. Carefully peel off the skin and scrape off the seeds.

Notes

  • If you are having a hard time peeling the cooked peppers, you can heat them up and place them in a covered container while cooling so that steam builds up inside. This helps release the skin, making it easier to remove.
  • Roasted red peppers are great for serving on pizzas and breads or in sandwiches of all sorts (including hamburgers).
  • They make the perfect garnish for salads and meat or seafood dishes.
  • Puréed (with a bit of olive oil, if you like), it can be used on its own or incorporated into soups, dips, and spreads.
  • Store covered for up to 5 days in the fridge.
  • Longer-term storage can be done in olive oil in the fridge for up to 10 days. (You can add some garlic to the oil for more flavor).
  • Strips of roasted red pepper can be frozen to always have some on hand.
Course Condiments
Cuisine American, European, Middle Eastern
Keyword garnishes, roasted vegetables,
Other Diets Dairy free, Gluten free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegan
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Serving: 0.5cups | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3726IU | Vitamin C: 152mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Roasting other vegetables

Red peppers aren’t the only vegetables whose flavor is enhanced by char-roasting and removing their skin, you can roast other veggies in the same way.

Try using the same method to roast…

  • Bell peppers of other colors
  • Other peppers like Italian style peppers and banana peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Some squash varieties

Roasted eggplant can be used to make baba ganoush, a healthy Mediterranean eggplant dip with flavors similar to hummus.

Update Information

This post was originally published on May 22, 2014. It was completely rewritten and updated with new photos, cooking methods, video, and recipe card in October of 2019.

Category: Condiments & Sauces, MIY Pantry Basics, Spanish Food & Recipes

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

Previous Post: « Plastic bottle filled with a homemade baby wash and shampoo. DIY Baby Wash and Shampoo
Next Post: Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Red Peppers and Caramelized Onions two bowls of a roasted pumpkin soup garnished with fresh sage and caramelized onions. »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Search

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

More about Tracy

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin

Closeup of 4 bars of homemade soap. Two of them have been wrapped in brown paper and wrapped with ribbons. One soap is wrapped with red ribbon and the other with white ribbon.

Making an Easy, Basic Beginner Soap, and Then Making it Fun!!

Homemade prawn crackers on a plate in front of uncooked homemade prawn crackers and a roll of prawn crackers dough.

Prawn Crackers from Scratch

Impress your friends and save money by making your own soy sauce from scratch. Today we'll learn how to make a homemade shoyu, a fermented Japanese soy sauce made from soybeans and wheat berries. #shoyu #soysauce

How to Make Soy Sauce (Homemade Shoyu)

Two bottles of a homemade conditioner next to a wooden comb and a washcloth.

Easy DIY Hair Conditioner for Natural Hair

A small glass jar filled with an emulsified sugar scrub with a wooden spoon in it.

Easy Emulsified Sugar Scrub

Over head view of a spoon full of tomato paste over a jar full of it. A couple of fresh tomatoes lay next to the jar.

Easy Homemade Tomato Paste Recipe

Featured on Buzzfeed, Lifehacker, Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Healthline, Redbook, Redfin

White logo for Oh, The Things Well Make! website

Copyright © 2023 Tracy Ariza · Disclaimers and Disclosures · Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy