Not sure how to cut a bell pepper? You are in the right place! This is a super simple step-by-step tutorial to show my technique for cutting bell peppers so you throw away as little as possible.

A red bell pepper on a cutting board with a knife. Another bell pepper that has been cut into slices sits next to it.

Who would have thought that one of the big questions in the world would be how to cut a bell pepper?

Okay, maybe it isn’t a BIG question, but it is one of those things in my adult life that I have been asked more than once. And just like there are many ways to say “I love you,” there are just about as many ways to cut a bell pepper.

However, many of them can end up with a whole lotta pepper in the trash or compost. Booooooo! Bell peppers are almost entirely edible, all except for their seeds and stems. But a lot of people don’t know how to cut one without sacrificing a bunch of the flesh.

This is the method I use all the time for making pepper-packed recipes, like sheet pan fajita veggies or Teriyaki sheet pan salmon & veggies. Here’s my veggie-expert step-by-step guide for how to cut a bell pepper, minimize waste, and get more in your belly!

A knife cutting the stem out of a red bell pepper.

Step 1:

Wash and dry your bell pepper (always).

Place it vertically on your cutting board so the stem is pointing up.

Using a sharp paring knife, cut around the green stem in a circular motion.

Step 2:

Pull the stem (and likely a good amount of the seeds) out of the hole.

A halved bell pepper on a cutting board. A person is using a paring knife to cut the pith and seeds out of the cut pepper.
A hand holding a halved bell pepper under a running facet.

Step 3

Slice the bell pepper in half. Use the paring knife to carefully remove the remaining white pith and scrape out as may seeds as possible. Discard those to the compost.

Step 4

Rinse out the remaining seeds.

Step 5

Place the bell pepper skin side down on your cutting board and cut it into slices.

You can stop there if you want to enjoy sliced bell peppers. But if you plan to dice them for stir fry or soup, rotate the slice of bell pepper on your cutting board and cut them crosswise to small pieces.

A person slicing a bell pepper into slices on a cutting board.

How to store a cut bell pepper

Fridge:

Bell peppers are a great thing to slice ahead of time for quickly adding to a meal.

  • Once cut, store bell peppers in an air-tight container in your fridge.
  • Use within 3 days or move to freezer.

Freezer:

Store your cut bell pepper in your freezer for up to 6 months for easily adding to recipes or to enjoy them when bell peppers are out of season.

  1. Arrange cut bell peppers on a plate or baking sheet in a single layer and freeze. This will help them not to stick together.
  2. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container and store in freezer until needed.

Now how to use this cut bell pepper…

Bell pepper is (of course) amazing raw. But it is also delicious in so many veggie-loaded recipes. Here are a few that are beloved by TNN readers….

Did you find this veggie-how to helpful?

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