How to Cut a Pepper (5 Easy Methods!)

Cutting bell peppers and small peppers might seem a little daunting, but there are five different methods to prepare these veggies for your next recipe. 

How do you properly cut a pepper?

There are many different ways to cut a pepper properly, and this primarily depends on: the type of pepper you are using (it is a bell pepper or a spicy variety?); the recipe (is it for stuffed peppers? Diced bell peppers for an omelet?); and the spice level (do you want to remove seeds or keep the heat?). Below are five ways to cut a pepper properly. 

How To Slice Bell Peppers (Matchsticks)

To get the best uniform matchstick pieces, try removing the top and bottoms first and slicing one side of the body so it can lay flat on the board. With this method, you can uniform matchsticks perfect for fajita veggies. 

1. Clean your bell pepper and lay it on its side on the cutting board.
2. Slice the bell pepper ¼ inch from the stem. Hold the top of the bell pepper between two hands and use your thumbs to pop out the stem gently. Discard the stem and set the top flesh aside. 
3. Then make a cut that’s ¼ inch from the bottom. Remove any seeds and set aside the bottom meat. 
4. Make an incision on one side of the body and open the body so it lays flat. Use a knife to remove the center seeds and white membranes.
5. Cut ¼ inch thick matchstick slices on the body and leftover top and bottom pieces. 

How to Chop Bell Peppers (Diced Peppers)

For an easy and fast way to dice bell pepper for a recipe like chili or as a salad topping, turn it upside down (with the stem facing the cutting board). Follow the sections of each bell pepper and make curved cuts from the top down. This should leave the seeds intact with the stem and bell pepper pieces to dice. 

1. Clean the bell pepper and place it upside down (stem side down) on the cutting board. 
2. Hold the pepper with one hand. Locate one section of the pepper and cut from the top down in a curve to keep the seeds intact.
3. Repeat this on each section until you end up with the seed body. 
4. Discard the seed body.
5. Place the pepper pieces with the skin side down on the cutting board. Cut into matchstick pieces or dice.  

How to Cut Bell Peppers for Stuffing or Cut Into Rings

For stuffed bell peppers or rings, you will need to prepare the peppers with the body intact and the seed body removed. 

1. Clean the bell pepper and place it on its side on the cutting board. 
2. Make an incision with your knife about ¼ of an inch from the stem. Carefully use the knife to slice through the bell pepper but not deep enough to cut through the seed and stem. Use your knife to cut along the bell pepper. 
3. After cutting, hold the bottom of the bell pepper on one hand and the top on the other. Carefully twist until the seed comes out. 
4. Turn the bottom of the bell pepper upside down and pat the bottom to remove excess seeds. Use your fingers to remove additional white membranes inside the bell pepper. 
5. To use stuffed bell peppers, use a knife to slice off the seed body. Add the filling to the bell peppers and cover with the bell pepper top. 

Option to remove the seed body and stem from the top: hold the top with both hands and press the stem from the top down. This should pop out the entire stem from the flesh. 

6. To cut rings, lay the bell pepper on its side and cut ¼-inch thick slices. 

How To Slice Small Peppers Into Rings

The easiest way to cut small peppers like jalapenos is to cut them into rings for pickling or as a topping for ramen or a burger because it’s a one-step process and you get to keep a little heat. 

1. Clean the jalapeno and lay it on its side on a cutting board. 
2. Starting from ¼ inch from the stem, make ⅛-¼ inch thick slices on the jalapeno. Repeat the slices until you’ve reached the tip.
3. Use as desired and discard the stem. 

How To Cut Small Peppers So They’re Less Spicy

To make small peppers less spicy, you need to remove the seeds and membranes since this is where most of the capsaicin is. 

1. Clean the jalapeno and cut off the stem. Discard stem. 
2. Cut the jalapeno in half lengthwise.
3. Remove the white membrane and seeds for less heat. If you like it spicy, you can leave more of this in.
4. Slice the jalapeno into matchstick slices, half circles, or dice. 

What is the easiest way to cut a pepper?

The easiest way to cut a bell pepper is to use the upside-down method because you don’t have to touch any seeds. After all, you keep the seed body intact while removing the flesh. The easiest way to cut jalapenos if you like the spice is in rings, but if you want less heat, we recommend cutting it in half and removing the seeds and membranes. If you have extra bell peppers, you also have the option of freezing bell peppers.

How do you cut a bell pepper fast?

The fastest and easiest way to cut bell pepper is the same method we use for dicing bell peppers, also known as the upside-down method. You turn a bell pepper upside down and use the section as a guide for your slices. Depending on the number of sections the bell pepper has, it would take about three to four slices of your knife to remove the seed body from the flesh.