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How to Freeze Bell Peppers

March 13, 2015 by Missy Rakes 29 Comments

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Freezing bell peppers is a fast and easy way to preserve the harvest. Plus, its great having them available year-round to toss into soups, omelets and casseroles whenever you need them.

 

This post is long overdue. The peppers shown here are from my garden in October. As I’ve mentioned before in my garden journals, our bell peppers did amazing this past year and I only hope for that trend to continue. Bell peppers are one of the easiest things to freeze and they are great to keep on hand for soups, stews and sautés. Even if you can’t grow them yourself, you can still stock up when you find them on sale and use the same technique.

 

How to Freeze Bell Peppers

 

Step 1: Choose fresh peppers without soft spots or blemishes.

Step 2: Wash peppers and slice off the stem ends.

Step 3: Remove seeds and pith (the white part) from the inside.

Step 3: Cut as you wish (I diced mine, but you could do strips for fajitas or leave them whole for baked peppers).

Step 4: Arrange peppers in single layer on tray and flash freeze for 2 hours.

 

IMG_2395

Step 5: Remove tray from freezer and place peppers in freezer bag removing as much air as possible.

Step 6: Lay flat to freeze and you are done!

 

IMG_2396

 

Bell peppers should last 6-12 months in a deep freeze. Whenever a recipe calls for them I just scoop out however much I need and cook them like normal.

Writing this is making me want Spring to come even faster! I can’t wait to plant the first seeds of the season. Be sure to check out my Farming & Self-Sufficiency Pinterest Board for more gardening inspiration.

 

Have you ever froze bell peppers? What other fruits or veggies do you keep on hand in the freezer? I’d love to know!

 

Other posts you might enjoy:

dehydratepeppersStretchGroundBeef

 

 

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Filed Under: Cooking Tips & Tricks, Easy Recipes, Freezer Cooking, gardening, natural living, Preserving Food

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  1. Kentucky Lady 717 says

    March 13, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Yes, I freeze them all the time....same way you do....they are great to use in chili, meatloaf,when I make spaghetti..... How would you freeze carrots & potatoes ? I have not done this.....do you have to blanche them ?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      March 13, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      I believe that carrots can be frozen the same as peppers, but potatoes need to be blanched 3-5 minutes.
      Reply
  2. HJ says

    March 13, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Thanks for this tip. It looks easy and would be nice to have on hand when needed. I'llhave to try it. We freeze strawberries and blueberries when we find them on sale. I love to bake an angel food cake, puree some strawberries and spoon the strawberries over the cake for a delicious low calorie dessert. We use the blueberries for blueberry pancakes, in smoothies and cereal when fresh ones are prohibitive.
    Reply
  3. Jayleen @ How Do The Jones Do It says

    March 13, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    We freeze hash browns, pumpkin puree, strawberries, green beans, etc. The pickings are getting slim so I know it's almost time to start planting! Our peppers were tiny last year but we buy them at Costco and freeze what we don't use.
    Reply
  4. Christie Ferguson says

    March 14, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Do you use them frozen or defrost before using?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      March 15, 2015 at 7:41 am

      I use them frozen.
      Reply
  5. Sandra Farmer says

    March 15, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    I like to dice bell peppers and onions and mix them together, put them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze like you said. I use these all year for lots of different dishes. They are so convenient.
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      March 15, 2015 at 9:49 pm

      Great idea. I tried to freeze onions once, but they made my whole freezer smell even though they were double bagged. I was worried that they would make my fruit and freezer jam taste like onions so I ended up throwing them out. Have you had this problem??
      Reply
      • de says

        August 6, 2015 at 11:27 pm

        I freeze onions and scallions in canning jars or recycled pickle and sauce jars. As long as they have a rubbery seal ring in the lid, the aroma stays in the jar.
        Reply
  6. J @ A Hot Southern Mess says

    March 17, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Wow! I never knew bell peppers could last you 6-12 months when done properly! I am pinning this one so I can look back on it for reference! Thanks so much for sharing this post! :) Join in on our weekly #CelebrateSouthern link up! We'd love to have you join in on the fun! www.ahotsouthernmess.com
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      March 17, 2015 at 11:10 am

      Thanks for pinning and I can't wait to check out the link party!
      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    March 18, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    I freeze bell peppers all the time in our freezer meals (and freeze the left over bits for use later when making stocks.
    Reply
  8. Jaime says

    March 21, 2015 at 6:28 am

    Thanks for this, I was just thinking about that! My Meijer had bags of almost-expired green bell peppers, like 6 or 7 per bag, for only $1.50! Next time I see them, I'm definitely buying and freezing them.
    Reply
  9. Bonnie says

    May 4, 2016 at 10:38 am

    Sorry. At my age I get confused easily. Please ignore my request to join your site. Thank you.
    Reply
  10. Alayna says

    November 23, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    What happens if you don't flash freeze the peppers before vacuum-sealing?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      November 23, 2016 at 1:26 pm

      They may clump together and become harder to scoop out.
      Reply
      • Heather scherer says

        January 15, 2018 at 12:53 pm

        Would They still be safe to eat ?
        Reply
      • Gillian says

        January 29, 2019 at 1:15 pm

        Yes, I don't flash freeze them, even though that's a great idea! But I don't have a garden, so I don't do a whole bunch at a time. Whenever I go to use the bell peppers I purchase from the store, I just chop up the rest of them and put in ziploc small baggies in the freezer. If they clump together, I just hit the bag against the counter and they separate. That way they're always ready for gumbo, chicken tortilla soup, enchiladas, spaghetti, chili, or with onions for breakfast with fried eggs. I also chop up onions and do the same thing and haven't been bothered by any smell.
        Reply
  11. Walter says

    February 7, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    I thought you had to blanch bell peppers before freezing. Skipping that step makes it a lot easier.
    Reply
  12. Dorica says

    August 16, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Thanks Missy for the informative post. Can't wait to freeze mine!
    Reply
  13. Carla says

    February 7, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    I have froze my peppers in strips. They turned out horrible for me. They’re very rubbery. But, I just put them in freezer without flash freezing them. I didn’t know how to do it. So thank u
    Reply
  14. Vicki says

    April 30, 2018 at 9:23 am

    What do you mean when you say “flash freeze”?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      May 1, 2018 at 1:31 pm

      Lay in single later on pan and freeze for 1-2 hours.
      Reply
  15. Susan Albert says

    June 7, 2018 at 8:55 pm

    I also do this with onions. And hot peppers.
    Reply
  16. SandyToes says

    September 21, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    I've successfully frozen diced jalapeño peppers and love them because they don't run to mush when added to soups, chili or tacos. When I tried it with sliced red peppers, they got very soggy when I tried to add them to fajitas. Will flash-freezing keep them a little more crisp?
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      September 25, 2018 at 8:43 am

      Possibly, but I'm not sure. Sorry.
      Reply
  17. Valerie says

    January 17, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    I freeze peppers, onions and carrots. It never crossed my mind to freeze celery! I just wind up throwing it out when it gets soft. Now i know! I didnt know about flash freezing. After cutting my vegetables they go into snack sized zip bags, perfect size! One bag holds about 1 medium onion, or 1 pepper, or about 2 carrots. When i make something that needs either, i just take out one little bag, empty it, done. Thank you for the post, now i will have celery on hand too. 😊
    Reply
  18. Marie says

    August 13, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    When I put pepper in the freezer everything in it smells and and tastes like peppers What am I doing wrong
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      August 19, 2021 at 9:09 am

      You aren't doing anything wrong. Maybe if you double bag the peppers, then it would be better. I have the same problem with onions.
      Reply

Welcome, I'm Missy and I'd love to help you cook from scratch, save money and live a more simple and abundant life. Click the buttons below to follow along on social media and get to know me better. Have a lovely day!

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