Roasted Peppers & Chiles

Homemade roasted peppers and chiles have a wonderful campfire character. They’re far superior to jarred roasted peppers in both flavor and texture, and their smokey goodness is delicious in everything from sandwiches and salads to soups and sauces.

For roasting, select straight-sided peppers and chiles; avoid irregularly shaped ones as they are difficult to roast evenly. Place the whole pepper directly on the grate of a gas burner and set the heat to high, so that the flame is licking the pepper. If you don’t have gas, you can use a preheated broiler. Cook the pepper, using a pair of tongs to turn it, for 1 to 2 minutes per side.


Continue until the skin is charred and blistered all over.


The flesh of the pepper will still be relatively firm at this point. Transfer the pepper to a bowl, seal with plastic wrap, and let rest for about 15 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.


The steam from the pepper will finish the cooking process and loosen the skin. Once it is cool, transfer the pepper to a cutting board and use a paring knife to scrape off its skin.


Don’t worry about removing every last black speck.


This can be a bit messy, but avoid any temptation to rinse the pepper off with water, or the flavor will disappear down the drain along with the skin. But using a small bowl to collect the waste can make it more manageable.


Cut the pepper open.


Cut out the seed pod.


And then remove any remaining seeds.


The roasted pepper is now ready.


It can be used as is, julienned, diced, or pureed for a recipe.

Green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers and fresh chiles such as Anaheims and poblanos can all be roasted this way. Roasted peppers and chiles will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several days.