How to Freeze Sweet Peppers (Diced or Strips)
When your garden gives you more sweet peppers than you can use fresh, freezing them is a simple way to preserve the harvest for later. Learn how to freeze sweet peppers diced or in strips so you can enjoy your garden peppers throughout the winter and have them ready for easy soups, casseroles, stir-fries, and other meals.
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Toward the end of August, our garden is overflowing with produce that needs to be harvested and preserved—including lots of sweet peppers. It's nice to have a method that helps get them preserved quickly without much fuss. Freezing sweet peppers is a simple way to preserve a large or small garden harvest of peppers.
Freezing peppers is a very straightforward process—wash, deseed, cut them up, pack them into bags, and put them in the freezer! There's no need to blanch this garden vegetable, so it goes pretty quickly.
I love keeping frozen peppers on hand to throw into soups, chili, casseroles, stir-fry, and breakfast scrambles. I'll use them in place of fresh peppers in most recipes where the peppers would get cooked anyway. I love having this option because buying fresh peppers in the middle of winter is pretty expensive, so freezing your own is a great way to save money and really makes the most of your garden harvest.
You'll love this easy, no-fuss method—and even more, you'll love having peppers ready to grab from the freezer whenever you need them!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love Freezing Sweet Peppers
- Simple to preserve: No complicated canning process or special equipment is needed.
- No blanching required: Just wash, cut, package, and freeze.
- Saves money:Buying fresh peppers for cooking when they're out of season can get pretty expensive. You can save quite a bit of money by freezing peppers while they're plentiful.
- Perfect for a large harvest: Preserve extra sweet peppers while they're fresh and abundant.
- Ready for cooking: Frozen peppers can go straight into many cooked dishes, making mealtime easier.
- Choose the cut you need: Freeze some diced for soups and casseroles and some in strips for fajitas, stir-fries, and skillet meals.
Do You Need to Blanch Sweet Peppers Before Freezing?
No, sweet peppers do not need to be blanched before freezing.Unlike many vegetables, sweet peppers can be frozen without blanching, making them especially easy to preserve. Simply wash, remove the stems and seeds, cut them into strips or dice them, and package them for the freezer.
What You Need to Freeze Sweet Peppers
You don't need any special equipment to freeze sweet peppers. Just a few basic kitchen supplies and freezer-safe bags or containers are all you need!
- Fresh sweet peppers—red, green, orange, yellow, purple, any color of sweet pepper!
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Colander
- Bowls
- Quart freezer bags or freezer-safe containers
How to Freeze Sweet Peppers
Freezing sweet peppers is a simple process that requires very little prep work. You can freeze them diced, in strips, or do some of both depending on how you plan to use them.
1. Wash the peppers. Place the sweet peppers in a colander and rinse them well under cool running water. There is no need to dry them before continuing.
2. Remove the stems and seeds. Cut off the stems and remove the seeds and inner membranes from each pepper.
3. Cut the peppers. Dice the peppers, cut them into strips, or prepare some of each.
Diced or Strips?
Dice them for soups, casseroles, and eggs. Cut them into strips for fajitas, stir-fries, and skillet meals. You can also freeze some diced and some in strips, so you have both ready whenever you need them.
4. Package the peppers. Place the prepared peppers directly into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. You can portion them into specific amounts if you regularly use a certain amount in your recipes.
I usually keep things very simple and fill my freezer bags full of peppers rather than measuring them into portions. When I'm ready to cook, I can easily break apart the frozen peppers and take out as much as I need for the recipe.
5. Date and freeze. Label the bags or containers with the date and place them in the freezer.
Use within 8 to 12 months.
How to Use Frozen Sweet Peppers
Frozen sweet peppers can be used in many of the same cooked dishes as fresh peppers. There is no need to thaw them first—simply take out the amount you need and add them directly to the pan, pot, or recipe.
Frozen peppers are especially useful in:
- Soups and Chili
- Casseroles
- Stir-fries
- Fajitas
- Grilled sausage and peppers
- Egg scrambles and omelets
- Skillet or sheet pan meals
Keep in mind that freezing softens the peppers, so they won't have the same crisp texture as fresh peppers. For this reason, frozen peppers are best used incooked recipes rather than fresh dishes where you want a crisp, crunchy pepper.
How to Freeze Sweet Peppers
Equipment
- Colander
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Bowls
- Freezer bags or freezer-safe containers
Materials
- Fresh sweet peppers
Instructions
Wash the peppers
- Place the sweet peppers in a colander and rinse well under cool running water. There is no need to dry them.
Remove stems and seeds
- Cut off the stems and remove the seeds and inner membranes.
Cut the peppers
- Dice the peppers or cut them into strips, or prepare some of each depending on how you plan to use them.
Package the peppers
- Place the prepared peppers into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. You can portion them into amounts you commonly use in recipes, or simply fill the bags and break off as much as you need while still frozen.
Date and freeze
- Remove excess air from freezer bags, seal, and label with the date. Place the peppers in the freezer.
Notes
More Ways to Preserve Your Garden Harvest
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze sweet peppers without blanching?
Yes. Sweet peppers can be frozen without blanching, which makes them one of the easier garden vegetables to preserve. Simply wash, remove the stems and seeds, cut, package, and freeze.
Do you have to flash freeze peppers in a single layer?
No. There is no need to flash freeze the peppers, you can place them directly into freezer bags or containers. I prefer this simple method and can easily break apart the frozen peppers to remove only what I need without needing to flash freeze.
How long do frozen sweet peppers last?
Frozen sweet peppers are best used within about 8 to 12 months for best quality when stored properly in a consistently cold freezer.
Do frozen sweet peppers need to be thawed before cooking?
No. For most cooked recipes, you can add frozen peppers directly to the skillet or pot. There is no need to thaw them first.
Can you freeze sweet peppers whole?
Yes, sweet peppers can be frozen whole, although you will still need to wash them, remove the tops, and remove the seeds first. Cutting them into strips or dicing them before freezing makes them much more convenient to use later, but you absolutely could freeze them whole.
