How to Roast Chili Peppers
Learn how to roast chili peppers several different ways, including roasting peppers in the oven, over direct flame, and on the grill. Let’s get roasting peppers.
Roasting chili peppers allows you to easily remove the outer chili pepper skin and also alters the flavor of the pepper.
Roasted chili peppers are delicious and soft, and also perfect for making stuffed pepper recipes. Traditional ways to roast peppers include roasting over an open fire, broiling, baking or grilling.
Basically, you apply a heat source, wait for the chili pepper skins to blacken, char, and loosen, then peel. The hotter the heat source, the more you will affect the actual meat of the pepper, so beware of applying too high of heat.
Roasting Chili Peppers – How to Roast Chili Peppers
How to Roast Chili Peppers on a Gas Stove with Open Flame
First, produce a HIGH FLAME.
Place the chili pepper directly over the flame. Allow skin to blacken and bubble up. It will start to do so in about 2-3 minutes.
Flip the chili pepper and blacken both sides. Do not allow to catch fire.
Add chili pepper to a plastic baggie and seal. Allow to steam in the baggie about 5 minutes to loosen the skin.
Remove pepper from baggie and peel off the skin. A towel will help, or a fork. Discard the skin.
Cook the roasted peppers into any recipe you wish!
NOTE: You can adapt this recipe to the grill by heating the grill to HIGH heat, and roasting the peppers the same way over the heated grill. Again, the chili pepper skin will blacken and blister. From there, move onto step #4 and continue onward!
How to Roast Chili Peppers on the Grill
Produce a HIGH FLAME.
Place the chili pepper directly onto the lightly oiled grates. Allow skin to blacken and bubble up. It will do so in about 2-3 minute.
Flip the chili pepper and blacken both sides.
Add chili pepper to a plastic baggie and seal. Allow to steam in the baggie about 5 minutes to loosen the skin.
Remove pepper from baggie and peel off the skin. A towel will help, or a fork. Discard the skin.
Cook the roasted peppers into any recipe you wish!
Another way I do it, without the baggie, is to wrap the peppers in paper towels. The skins will still loosen and you can use the paper towels to rub off the skin. Don’t over rub, as you’ll remove too much of the overall smoky flavor.
How to Roast Chili Peppers in the Oven
Set the oven temp to 400 degrees F.
Place whole chili peppers on a lightly oiled baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake 20-30 minutes, or until skins are thoroughly blackened, flipping occasionally to achieve even charring and roasting.
Remove peppers from heat.
Add the charred chili pepper to a plastic baggie and seal, or to a bowl and cover. Allow to steam in the baggie about 10 minutes to loosen the skin.
When the skins are loosened and the chilies are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. A towel will help, or a fork. Discard the skin.
Cook the roasted peppers into any recipe you wish!
How to Roast Chili Peppers in the Broiler
Set the oven to broil.
Place whole chili peppers on a lightly oiled baking sheet 6 inches from the broiler flame, and broil about 5-10 minutes, or until skins are thoroughly blackened, flipping every couple minutes.
Remove peppers from heat.
Add the charred chili pepper to a plastic baggie and seal, or to a bowl and cover. Allow to steam in the baggie about 10 minutes to loosen the skin.
When the skins are loosened and the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. A towel will help, or a fork. Discard the skin.
Cook the roasted peppers into any recipe you wish!
Other Ways to Roast Chili Peppers
If you have an electric stove top and are unable to use an open flame, and also do not have access to an oven, try pan cooking the chili peppers, skin sides down, in a hot skillet or pan until the skins char and loosen from the pepper flesh.
Then let them steam in a baggie or paper bag to loosen the skins further enough to peel away.
Related Chili Pepper Roasting/Cooking Tips
- How to Grill Poblano Peppers – Or How to Roast Poblano Peppers on the Grill
- How to Roast Poblano Peppers
Here is a video on how to roast chili peppers in the oven with the broiler method.
Learn how to roast chili peppers several different ways, including roasting peppers in the oven, over direct flame, and on the grill. Let's get roasting peppers.
- 8 large chili peppers (bell peppers, poblano peppers, or any type of pepper)
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To roast the peppers over an open flame, turn a gas flame to HIGH. Set the peppers directly over the flame. Turn the peppers occasionally with tongs until all sides are blackened and blistered. Do not let them burn or turn white
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To roast the peppers in the oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees or set it to broil. Set the peppers onto a baking sheet (aluminum foil will make for easy cleanup), and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the skins are blackened and blistered, turning occasionally to evenly roast the peppers.
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To roast the peppers in the oven broiler, set your oven to broil. Set the peppers onto a baking sheet (aluminum foil will make for easy cleanup), skin sides up, and broil for 5-10 minutes, until the skins are blackened and blistered, turning every few minutes to evenly roast the peppers.
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To roast the peppers on the grill, produce a HIGH FLAME on your grill. Place the chili pepper directly onto the lightly oiled grates. Allow skin to blacken and bubble up. It will do so in about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chili pepper and blacken both sides to evenly roast the peppers.
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Allow the peppers to cool enough to handle. Transfer them to a bowl and cover them with plastic or a paper towel, or place them into baggies or paper bags to let the skins steam and loosen.
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If using for stuffing, carefully peel away or rub off and discard the charred skins. Otherwise, simply peel, stem and seed, then chop and use as needed.
Recipe Video
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A couple of years ago I roasted a huge batch of excess green bell peppers over an open fire on an 18″x36″ folding grill. It took four of us a half day to roast, peel and pack them all. Most of them were frozen in one gallon bags but we canned many of them in olive oil and, man, were those good on pizzas and salad.
This is a great tutorial. Thanks for sharing your passion with the world.
That is AWESOME, David! Dang, that must have been a LOT of peppers. WOW. Wish I would have been there that day. I can imaging the wonderful scent of roasting peppers. I appreciate the comments!
Can you broil previously frozen jalapeños?
Jackie, yes, you can. Just thaw them first and dry them off before broiling. Let me know how it turns out for you.
You know those large propane burners they sell for boiling turkeys in oil and setting your decks on fire? Well, they make a pretty high flame and with a grill plate you can roast the heck out of chiles without fumigating your kitchen (entire house). Or, use a big two or three burner camp stove if you have one…goes a lot faster that way.
Great tip, John!
So you guys leave the seeds in?
REPLY: Yes, though you can remove them if you’d like afterward. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
If you have a gas grill, I would use that. It’s easier and faster IMHO than broiler or cooktop.
REPLY: Yes, works great on the grill as well. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
what is the best way to store roasted chilies … and can you dry them like in pictures in the west … strung on strings?
REPLY: George, roasted peppers are best stored by freezing them. Place them into airtight bags and set them in the freezer. Thaw to use for later. I’ve never tried to dry roasted peppers, though I imagine a dehydrator would work. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
How far from the broiler elements are those peppers ?
REPLY: Don, I usually keep them in the middle of the oven, a bit closer toward the top. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
This was the best page for roasting chilis. It was very clear, concise, easy to follow and the method worked.
Thanks, Kris!