Learn how easy it is to freeze bell peppers for many months, so they are conveniently available whenever you need them for a recipe!
Do you enjoy learning new tips to make cooking easier? Well, I sure do! In the past I’ve shared several tips (or kitchen hacks) on this blog, to save time and money in the kitchen. It’s always fun to learn new tricks and tips to make kitchen work easier!
Today I want to share an EASY tip that will allow you to have frozen bell peppers on hand ANY TIME you need them for a soup or casserole, etc. By simply planning ahead, you will not need to add one more trip to the grocery store, should you need a bell pepper for a stove top, crock pot or baked recipe!
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How To Flash Freeze Bell Peppers
Rinse and dry the bell peppers. You can use as many as you want, and can use any color bell pepper. Cut the bell peppers in half, and then remove all seeds and any white membrane on the inside.
Once the peppers have been de-seeded, cut the bell peppers into 2″ wide strips, and then slice each strip into 2″ portions. This is the way I cut the strips, but you can also cut into long, thin strips, if desired. If there’s a lot of moisture, simply pat them dry with a paper towel.
To flash freeze bell peppers, place the dry pieces in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Try to NOT let the pieces touch each other. Place the baking sheet into your freezer, and let the bell peppers freeze (uncovered) for one hour (or more). Using this method is how you will successfully flash freeze bell peppers!
Once the bell pepper pieces are flash frozen, they will feel like little rocks! This is what they looked like, after an hour in the freezer.
Storing Frozen Bell Peppers
Remove the frozen bell pepper pieces from the baking sheet, and immediately place them into a plastic re-sealable freezer bag, remove the air, and seal. The frozen bell peppers will not stick together, because they have been individually frozen! Label the bag, and include the date frozen on it, if desired.
Place the bag back in the freezer, and whenever you need bell peppers for a casserole or soup, etc., you can simply pull out the bag and remove the amount you need! Now you know how to freeze bell peppers! In the past, I have kept them in the freezer and used them, for up to 10 months.
Do You Need To Thaw Frozen Bell Peppers To Use?
No. I throw frozen bell pepper pieces into recipes (such as soups or casseroles) all the time! There’s no need to thaw them before adding them to a recipe. If you need smaller pieces, simply cut them while still frozen. It’s EASY!
For me, it has been wonderful and convenient way to always have frozen bell peppers handy, to add to a recipe if a fresh bell pepper is not immediately available. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been thankful for this little tip! Have a GREAT day! It’s raining here in Oregon today as I write this blog post. We have had a drier than normal winter here, but we are grateful to have a bit of “liquid” sunshine today!
Interested In More Kitchen Tips?
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- 3 large bell peppers , any color
Rinse and dry the bell peppers. You can use as many as you want, and can use any color bell pepper. Cut the bell peppers in half, and then remove all seeds and any white membrane on the inside. Slice the bell peppers into 2" wide strips, and then slice each strip into 2" portions. This is the way I cut the strips, but you can also cut the peppers into long, thin strips, if desired. If there's a lot of moisture, simply pat them dry with a paper towel.
Place the dry bell pepper pieces in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Try to NOT let the pieces touch each other. Place the baking sheet into freezer, and let the bell peppers freeze (uncovered) for one hour. When done, they will be hard as a rock!
Remove the frozen bell pepper pieces from baking sheet, and immediately place them into a plastic zip-loc freezer bag, remove air, and seal. The frozen bell peppers will not stick together, because they have been individually frozen! Label the bag, and place the date on it, if desired. They should keep many months in the freezer, if properly sealed.
Three large bell peppers will yield approximately one quart sized bag of frozen peppers. The caloric calculation is based on the TOTAL amount, using three large bell peppers.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
Can you freeze them whole to make stuffed peppers or would you advise against it? But I would still take the membrane and seeds out.
Good morning, Joyce… It IS possible to freeze whole bell peppers, but you would need to cut off the top and remove the seeds. Once frozen, the peppers tend to lose some of their “firmness”, so they are better suited to add to soups or casseroles. Perhaps fresh peppers would be the way to go for stuffed peppers, in my humble opinion, so they retain their structural integrity! Have a great day.