Can you freeze green bell peppers?

[Marie Stine]

I planted some green bell peppers this year and am hoping for a good crop! Does anyone know if they freeze well in the freezer? I was just wondering if I can wash, chop and put them in freezer bags. I have no experience in canning so the only way I can preserve fresh vegetables is the freezer.

 

[Chuck]

I planted some green bell peppers this year and am hoping for a good crop! Does anyone know if they freeze well in the freezer? I was just wondering if I can wash, chop and put them in freezer bags. I have no experience in canning so the only way I can preserve fresh vegetables is the freezer.

They freeze really well but only if you are going to cook with them. They get a little soft after freezing. Freeze them first on a cookie sheet and then put them in a freezer bag. That way they will not stick together and you can just grab ever how many you need without thawing out the entire bag.

 

[firelily99]

Yep, Chuck beat me to the punch on this one. They do freeze well as long as you follow his recommendation on how to do the process.

 

[Jessi]

They freeze really well but only if you are going to cook with them. They get a little soft after freezing. Freeze them first on a cookie sheet and then put them in a freezer bag. That way they will not stick together and you can just grab ever how many you need without thawing out the entire bag.

This is exactly right!

You can actually find frozen pepper slices in the freezer department at your local grocery store, which is how I discovered that they can be frozen. Don't expect them to be great for eating raw, of course, but they're perfect for stirfrys, fajitas, etc. I love keeping sliced and diced peppers in the freezer for easy go-to meal prep instead of having to cut them individually every time.

 

[Marie Stine]

That's great! Thanks for the advice. I didn't think they would be so good raw but as long as I can use them for spaghetti sauce, soups and fajitas, I will be a happy camper! I am hoping to have enough peppers this year to stock a lot in the freezer.

 

[Meowmie]

I always freeze diced pepper, in the way mentioned above- Freezing them on a sheet. Even in winter if I do have to buy a pepper, I will dice any that I don't use immediately and freeze it that way, then put it in a zip lock bag. So handy to grab them when making an omelet or something.

Be careful to put the bag right back into the freezer after using though. My husband uses them to make omelets, then complains to me after awhile that they are all stuck together. Well, yeah, when you leave them out to thaw the put them back, you end up with one frozen lump.

You can also roast a batch of peppers and then scrape off the flesh, freezing it in mounds on a sheet then putting them in a bag. Alternately you can freeze it in ice cube trays, then when they are frozen, move to a freezer bag or container.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I have frozen my peppers in slices or small chunks as well, and then I use them in spaghetti, spanish rice, or other foods where we like bell peppers. I watch for vegetables to be on clearance at the grocery store, and then buy several of them and put them in freezer bags. This also works well for mushrooms, and even bananas. I get the marked down bananas and we eat thee best ones, and I slice and freeze the rest and use them in my smoothies.
Another easy way to preserve your peppers is to get a small dehydrator, and then either slice or chop them into chunks and dry them. These are great for winter soups and stews.

 

[Trellum]

I always freeze green peppers and other things, there are things that will sustain little to no damaged when freezing them. My preferred veggies to freeze are broccoli and cauliflower. Those do well, even if you don' plan to cook them afterwards.... I can use them in salads!

 

[Rosyrain]

I also freeze bell peppers and agree with the others that they do soften. I don't think they lose any flavor and I vacumn seal mine, but it is great to pull them out and have them ready to throw in a meal.

 

[Jessi]

That's great! Thanks for the advice. I didn't think they would be so good raw but as long as I can use them for spaghetti sauce, soups and fajitas, I will be a happy camper! I am hoping to have enough peppers this year to stock a lot in the freezer.

Yep, you certainly can!

And just a couple days after seeing this thread, I ran across this new how-to tutorial, too: http://www.wikihow.com/Freeze-Bell-Peppers

It's pretty standard stuff, but I think the flash freezing portion is important not to skip. Otherwise, the strips will freeze together in the bag.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

You can, but it is better if you cut them up before you freeze them. They just seem to keep fresh for longer if you do it that way.

 

[MindyT]

This is great to know. I have never thought of freezing my peppers. I have frozen green beans and snap peas but never peppers. I will have to give it a try.

 

[Tiara Murphy]

I always freeze several bags to last me for frying and sauces. I tend to get a little lazy toward the end of my supply, since I usually do about a hundred or so, sometimes more, so I do just end up having them freeze together but it's very easy to break off a hunk of those for frying up. I just bust a piece off and throw in the skillet and justify my laziness to myself!

 

[Pat]

I freeze the peppers we have not used up as I see them going bad using the same methods stated above, they are good in stews, soups, smoothies and sauces. I always cut the peppers into strips of diced before I freeze them.

 

[evelynmcgregor]

When I had a large freezer, I always froze peppers, onions, celery, and parsley when I had a bumper crop or when I found them on sale at the grocery. It made cooking so much easier if I did not have to take the time to chop these things.