SaurabhGreen, red, yellow, purple, orange sweet, or spicy peppers are, believe it or not, fruits. Yes, you read it right fruits. They have small seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the pepper plant which makes peppers a fruit.
Sweet and spicy peppers belong to the Capsicum family. Peppers are ingredients used in all cuisines around the world. You can eat them raw, fried, roasted, stuffed, grilled, pickled, it all depends on your taste.
But what if you don’t have green peppers on hand? Can you substitute green peppers? Yes, you can use green bell peppers, orange bell peppers, red bell peppers, purple bell peppers, or some of the next substitutes.
Substitutes for Green Pepper
One of the most used peppers is bell peppers. They can be found in a few varieties including green, yellow, orange, red, white, and purple. And since bell peppers are colorful, your plate will be colorful too.
You can use them as a substitute if you don’t have green pepper. Here are some other types of peppers which can be used as a substitute for green peppers. They will improve the taste of your dishes. And maybe you will like them more than green peppers.
1. Yellow bell peppers
Yellow bell peppers are more ripped than green peppers. They have a sweeter and fruity taste. Yellow bell peppers are used for roasting, cooking, in stir-fries, or raw with cream cheese, hummus, or other dips.
2. Orange bell peppers
Orange bell peppers are another type of peppers. They have less flavor than red bell peppers, but sweet enough for roasting, cooking, or raw in salads. They are adding their vivid orange color to dishes.
3. Red bell peppers
Red bell peppers are the most used of all bell peppers. They have a very sweet flavor, with bright red color so they are perfect for roasting and stuffing.
However, you can use them in soups, salads, make the famous romesco sauce, blend them in sauces or simply put them on a pizza.
4. Purple bell peppers
This type of bell peppers is less sweet than other bell peppers except for green. They can be used in salads or other raw dishes. If you want to use them for cooking they will lose their beautiful color and become grey.
5. Cubanelle peppers
Cubanelle peppers are long and thin with a yellow-green color. If they are left too ripe they will turn red. They are often sold green and used for roasting, frying, stuffing, salads, or pizzas. Cubanelle peppers are very good for quick coking because they have thin walls.
6. Pimentos
Pimentos are sweet heart-shaped peppers very similar to red bell peppers. They can be found fresh or in jars. Pimentos are best when roasted. They have high sugar levels so when you are roasting them they become sweet and silky.
7. Anaheim peppers
Anaheim peppers have thick walls and a mild fruity taste. They are very good for stuffing, roasting, frying, sauces, or soups. Anaheim peppers are mild chilly peppers so if you don’t like spicy food use some other substitute for green peppers.
8. Poblano peppers
One of the best substitutes for green peppers is poblano peppers. They have a similar earthy flavor and shape, with one difference poblano peppers are spicy.
Poblano peppers are very good roasted, stuffed, grilled, or sauteed. When they are cooked they become slightly sweet and not so spicy.
9. Jalapenos
Jalapenos are medium heat chilies. They are spicy, so if you don’t like spicy food don’t use them or remove the seeds and ribs to reduce the spicy flavor.
You can roast, cook or pickle them. However, they are also very tasty when stuffed with meat or cheese, or even eaten raw in salads.
10. Onions
If you need fried green peppers in the dish you can substitute them with fried onions. When you are frying onions they lose their sharp taste and become sweet. You can pick between a variety of onions that suits best for your recipe.
11. Zucchini
Zucchini is used in sweet and savory dishes and it works well with both. It has a mild vegetable flavor, with a sweet and nutty hint. They are a pretty good addition to any meal. Zucchini can be fried, sauteed, or stuffed. They can be used in most recipes that call for green pepper. Zucchini will take the flavors of other ingredients in the dish, but it will add some color.
Interesting Facts About Peppers
You can either use sweet or spicy types of peppers. Sweet peppers include bell peppers, cubanelle, roasting pimentos, Italian frying peppers, and cherry peppers.
When it comes to spicy peppers you can choose between jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, Guero, poblano, ghost, anaheim, serrano, and many other types. It all depends on how spicy you want your dish to be.
The heat of the peppers is measured on the Scoville scale, which goes from 0 to 3 million heat units. Just like a fun fact Carolina Reaper pepper has 2,2 million Scoville heat units, and Pepper X is the hottest pepper in the world with 3.18 million SHU.
If you want to use some of the hot peppers for your dish but don’t want it to be too hot you can remove the seeds and ribs. And in case you have eaten too spicy pepper you can drink milk or yogurt to neutralize the heat.
You should protect your hands when you are chopping hot peppers, and don’t touch your eyes either. Peppers have many vitamins which help for better health. They contain C, A, B6, B9, K, E, vitamins, fiber, iron, potassium, and folates.
Green peppers have a grassy flavor and crunchy texture. They are perfect for any savory dish to improve its taste. And they can stay fresh longer than yellow and red peppers Because they are picked before ripening, green peppers contain less sugar and they have a slightly bitter taste.
Thus, it’s better to use them for cooking. You can use them in sauces, soups, sauteed, stuffed, grilled, or even raw.
Related Questions
Can I substitute yellow pepper for green pepper?
You can substitute yellow pepper for green pepper. Yellow pepper is more ripped than green pepper therefor it’s sweeter too.
What color pepper is closest to a green pepper?
Yellow and orange pepper is closest to green pepper. They have a sweeter and less bitter flavor than the green pepper.
Can you substitute celery for green pepper?
You can substitute celery for green pepper if you need crunchiness in your dish. They both have a similar bitter earthy taste.
Can I use paprika instead of bell pepper?
Paprika comes from ground red peppers, so you can use it as a substitute for red bell peppers. It can have a mild, sweet, or hot taste depending on the peppers used for it.
Final Thoughts
Peppers go well with many dishes. From soups, sauces, dips, stir-fries, you can roast them, stuff them, or use them as appetizers. Dried peppers are perfect for condiments to spices and powders to improve the flavor of the dishes.
Peppers are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and folates which makes them a good addition to a diet, or you can use them to improve your health. Especially red bell peppers which have more vitamin C content than oranges.
Bell peppers have different colors because they are not the same variety, not because the red ones are ripped. They are all ripped in a different color. You can store raw peppers in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
You can marinate them in olive oil and store them for more than one month in the refrigerator. There are 50.000 pepper varieties in the world. You cant try all of them and pick the ones that you want to use in your dishes.
