How to Blanch and Freeze Bell Peppers Tutorial

Last weekend I harvested about 3 dozen green bell peppers from our backyard garden. This past gardening season was fabulous for peppers and overall…I would estimate that our garden produced around 10 dozen peppers for us. Obviously we can’t eat all of those at one time, so I got busy freezing some for later use. This particular batch was cut into strips to be used in stir-fry’s, soups, stews, casseroles and omelets.

How to Blanch and Freeze Bell Peppers

Select unblemished and ripe bell peppers. Wash them gently under cool running water. Don’t use a scrub brush to clean them which will bruise the skins. Pat dry with a clean towel.

Use a paring knife to remove the tops and slice them into quarters. Remove membranes and seeds. Rinse under water to remove any additional seeds. Place pieces onto cutting board (I use a tempered glass cutting board) and cut them into thin strips.

Bring a pan of water to a rapid boil over medium to high heat. Place strips into the water and boil for 2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.

Pour strips into a colander and run cold water over the top to stop the cooking process. I run the water over them for 2 to 3 minutes or until completely cool. You want to cool them down as fast as possible. Shake out excess water.

Place a clean cotton towel over the top of your cutting board. Place 4-5 paper towels on top of the cotton towel. Pour the pepper strips onto the towel and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Use additional paper towels to blot the strips dry. You want to dry up all of the excess water.

Arrange all of the bell pepper strips onto a flat baking sheet and in a single layer. I like using one of those 2-piece baking sheets that have the air circulation holes in the top layer which allows air to flow through and helps them to freeze quicker.

Place the baking sheet into your freezer for 3-5 hours. You want the strips to be frozen solid…completely solid!

Remove baking sheet from the freezer. I like to measure out my green bell pepper strips into 1 and 2 cup portions, so I place them into a glass measuring cup and then pour them into my freezer bags. Purge out the air and zip close. Label bags with contents and date. They will keep for up to 1 year if properly frozen.

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