HUB 03 · Guides
How to Cut a Bell Pepper
Skip the messy hack-around-the-core approach. The pro method gives you clean, flat panels with no seeds flying — then strips, dice or rings in seconds with a chef's knife.
We earn a commission when you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes a ranking, and we say so when the cheaper knife is the better buy. How this works.
Bell peppers are awkward because of the curved shape, the seedy core and the waxy, rolling skin. The fix is to turn the pepper into flat panelsfirst — everything is easy once the pieces lie flat on the board. Here's the clean, fast method with a sharp chef's knife, using the safe grip from how to hold a chef's knife.
Step by step
How to do it
- 01
Slice off the top and bottom
Stand the pepper on the board and cut a thin slice off the top (stem end) and the bottom. You now have two flat rings of usable pepper from the ends and a hollow, seeded middle. Trim any core out of the top and bottom pieces and set them aside to dice.
- 02
Stand it up and cut down through one side
Stand the hollow middle section on one cut end. Set your knife inside and cut straight down through one side of the wall so the pepper opens into a long strip. Keep your guiding hand in a claw, well clear of the blade.
- 03
Open it flat and remove the core in one move
Lay the opened pepper skin-side down and run your knife flat along the inside to shave away the white ribs and the seed cluster in a single pass. The core, ribs and seeds come off together and stay on the board instead of scattering — the whole point of this method.
- 04
Cut the panels into strips
You now have flat, seed-free panels. Lay them skin-side down (the knife bites the softer flesh better than the waxy skin), press flat, and slice lengthwise into even strips as wide as you want. Skin-side down also stops the pieces sliding around.
- 05
Turn strips into dice
For diced pepper, gather the strips, line them up, and cut across them into even pieces. Move your guiding-hand claw back steadily to set the size. For rings instead, skip the opening step and simply slice the whole hollow middle crosswise.
- 06
Deal with the seeds and clean up
Tip the loose seeds and ribs straight into the compost or trash, and give the board a quick wipe. A sharp knife matters here: it slices cleanly through the skin instead of crushing the pepper, so you lose less juice and get neater pieces. If yours is dragging, it's time to hone.
Questions
Frequently asked
What's the easiest way to cut a bell pepper?
Cut off the top and bottom, stand the middle up and slice down one side to open it into a strip, then run your knife flat to shave off the core, ribs and seeds in one move. You're left with flat panels that are simple to slice into strips or dice.
Should you cut a pepper skin-side up or down?
Skin-side down. A knife bites the soft inner flesh far more easily than the waxy, slippery skin, so you get cleaner cuts with less sliding and crushing. Cutting skin-side up tends to squash the pepper and dull the feel of the cut.
How do you dice a bell pepper evenly?
Get flat, seed-free panels first, then slice them lengthwise into even strips, line the strips up, and cut across them into dice. Even strips make even dice — the same slice-then-cut-across approach used for onions and most vegetables.
Keep reading