How To Preserve Roasted Red Peppers – 3 Methods To Save Your Harvest

At the end of every garden season we are always looking at ways to preserve roasted red peppers.

It seems like we wait all garden season for the first red bell pepper to turn from green to red. And when they do, they all seem to turn at once.

And that usually leaves us with an abundance of red peppers that we need to use or preserve. Of course we make our salsas, pasta sauces, and even stuffed peppers from them.

However, we are always looking at other ways that we can save the remaining peppers for use throughout the year. And that is when we decided to save them by making and preserving roasted red peppers.

How To Make Roasted Red Peppers

The first step in preserving roasted red peppers is to turn your fresh red bell peppers into classic roasted red peppers.

You can do this in a variety of ways. But first, you must wash and dry the peppers, leaving them whole with the stem intact.

Although you could remove the stem and core and slice the peppers in smaller sections, it is easier to peel them whole once they are roasted.

Then rub olive oil over the entire surface of the peppers. This will help them char better and it will also help loosen the skin from the pepper itself.

Next, choose a method below to char the skins of the red peppers.

Grill/Stovetop Method

I find the easiest method to roasting red peppers is to use an outdoor grill. However, you can also use this same method if you have an indoor gas stove.

Start by heating the gas burners on medium heat.  Then place the peppers directly on the grate until one side is charred.  

You want to char as much of the pepper as you can.  Work carefully so that as soon as one section of a pepper is blackened, you turn it to so the other sides can char as well.

Cast Iron Pan

If you do not have a gas grill or stove, you can still make roasted red peppers. The first option involves using an electric stove and a cast iron skillet.

Prepare the red peppers as instructed above. Then heat a cast iron skillet on high and place the peppers in the pan. Once the peppers begin to blacken, turn and continue to heat the peppers until all sides are charred.

Broiler Method

Another option to make roasted red peppers is to place them under the broiler.

After you wash, dry and oil the peppers, position the oven rack so that the top surface of bell peppers placed in the oven will be 4-5 inches from the broiler heat element.

Turn the broiler on high. Place peppers on a foiled lined broiler pan or cookie sheet.

As the surface of the peppers blister and blacken, turn them with tongs so that they will blacken on all sides.

Peel The Skins & Remove The Stems & Seeds

Once all sides of your peppers are blackened, immediately remove the peppers from the heat source and place in a large bowl.  

Then cover the bowl with a clean towel.  *Other ideas – place in a plastic bag and seal, or place in a brown paper sack and close. The important part is that you trap the heat with the peppers.  

The steam will help to loosen the skin, making them easy to peel once they are cool enough to handle, which will take approximately 10 minutes.

When the peppers are cool enough to touch, remove and discard the skins. The skins should easily peel off the pepper at this point.

However you may have a section or two that seems more difficult to remove. If so, use a small paring knife and carefully remove the stubborn section of skin.

Then cut the pepper in half and remove the stem and seed core. Do this by running the dull edge of a small knife down the inside of the pepper and wiping it on a paper towel.

It is important not to run the pepper under cold water to remove the seeds, as this decreases the flavor of the roasted red peppers.

Place the prepared peppers in a bowl until all of the peppers have had their skins and seeds removed.

To Cut or Not To Cut

You can preserve roasted red peppers in large sections or slice them into thin strips. I prefer to preserve them in thin slices so that they can easily be added to recipes.

However, the choice is up to you. Regardless of how you cut them, the preserving methods below will remain the same.

How To Preserve Roasted Red Peppers – 3 Methods

1. PRESERVING ROASTED RED PEPPERS IN OIL

INGREDIENTS

• Red Bell Peppers
• Olive Oil

Yield: As a guideline 8 large bell peppers = approximately 2 pints of preserved roasted red peppers

1. In a half-pint mason jar, layer olive oil and roasted peppers, making sure the top layer is olive oil. Leave a 1-inch head space.
2. Using an air bubble remover work out any air bubbles. Make sure the peppers are fully submerged in the oil, add more olive oil if needed.
3. Add a plastic lid and freeze the jars for long-term storage.

2. CANNING ROASTED RED PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS

• 5 lbs. red bell peppers
• Canning or Kosher salt
• Boiling water

Yield: About 6 pints

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each pint jar or 1/4 teaspoon to each half-pint jar.
2. Pack the jars with peppers, making sure to leave 1” headspace then add boiling water to each jar still making sure to leave 1” headspace.
3. Use the bubble remover to remove air bubbles. Then, use a clean paper towel to wipe the rim of each jar before placing the lid and tightening the band.
4. Set the filled jars in the pressure canner on the rack. Close the canner and turn the heat to high. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes before placing the weight on the vent.
   If you are using a dial gauge canner, process under 11 psi for 35 minutes. For weighted gauge canner, process with 10 lbs. of pressure for 35 minutes. (Adjust for altitude accordingly).
5. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and let your canner cool slowly. After the pin has dropped, open the lid and let the jars rest in the hot water for 10 more minutes. Then use the jar lifter to remove the jars and set them on a thick kitchen towel to cool for 24 hours.

3. PICKLED ROASTED RED PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS

• 5 lbs. red bell peppers
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups 5% vinegar, white or apple cider
• 2 cups water
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 tsp canning or pickling salt

Yield: About 6 pints

1. In a medium stockpot add the sugar, vinegar, and water and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
2. Add the roasted red peppers and bring the mixture back to a boil.
3. Place 1/2 clove of garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt in each sterilized half-pint jars. Add pepper strips and cover with hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
4. Use a plastic knife to remove any air bubbles by running it along the inside edge of the jar. Wipe the rim clean and add the lid and band.
5. Process in a hot water bath canner for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the jars and let cool for 24 hours. Be sure to check if the jars have sealed properly by pressing on the center of the lid. If the lids do not move, store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. If the jars didn’t seal, place in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.

Of course the simplest method of preserving roasted red peppers is to place them in air tight freezer safe containers or bags and freeze them.

If you do this, I highly suggest that you flash freeze the strips on a baking sheet lined with wax paper before adding them to a bulk container.

This way you can easily access individual pepper strips to use in your recipes as needed.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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