How to Roast Peppers at Home

Having roasted peppers on hand can add a punch of flavor, pop of color, and attractive garnish to a dish. This tutorial will show you step by step how to roast peppers at home.

There are many peppers that are roast worthy from sweet bell peppers, poblanos, and jalapenos. The roasting process is similar regardless of the type of pepper. The roasting time will vary depending on the size of the pepper. You can roast peppers in the oven, on the grill, or over the open flame of a gas stove. Once peppers are roasted they can be frozen and pulled out whenever needed. Every so often I will find peppers on sale. This is when you want to stock up, roast away, and stock the freezer for future deliciousness.

I have seen several tutorials online on how to roast peppers.  Here’s how I have been doing it and hope you find it easy and useful. For this tutorial I am roasting poblano peppers.

What’s Needed

Peppers of choice

Olive oil or cooking spray (optional)

Baking sheet

Aluminum foil

Long tongs (the longer the better)

Large bowl with lid (if you don’t have a lid you can use a plate or plastic wrap)

Gloves (It’s best to wear gloves when handling any peppers and their seeds. The oils in the seeds and skin can cause some serious irritation)

I have seen many tutorials that use olive oil or cooking spray on the peppers. I like to go keep things simple and natural so I don’t add anything to my peppers. Of course you are welcome to use it on yours if you like.

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Move oven rack to the top allowing for enough room for the peppers and set the oven to broil on high. Rinse peppers and apply oil if desired.
3. Arrange peppers on baking sheet and place on top rack. 
4. Leave oven door cracked open to better monitor the progress and control the heat. I use a wooden spoon to hold the oven door open just enough prevent the heat from building too quickly.
5. Broil each side until it has charred blisters. Use long tongs to gently turn the peppers until all sides are roasted. For the poblano peppers I roasted the first side for 5 minutes, turned and roasted the other side for another 3 minutes. They go from warm to roasted pretty fast so keep an eye on your peppers! Be gently while handling the peppers to prevent punctures or tears if you plan on stuffing them.
6. Once roasted, put the peppers in a large bowl and cover for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  This will allow the remaining heat to create steam and continue to soften the meat of the peppers. 
7. While wearing gloves, gently peel away the charred skin under cool running water. The water will help in the peeling process, similar to peeling an egg.
8. Slice into the top of the pepper and pull back the stem cap to remove the seeds. Rinse all seeds out of the pepper. The peppers are very delicate so be gentle if you want to keep them whole. 
9. From here, your peppers are ready to be stuffed, sliced, or stored. Enjoy!