How to Roast Peppers in an Air Fryer (Works for Chiles and Bell Peppers!)

Once you’ve roasted chile peppers and bell peppers in an air fryer, you may never go back to using the oven. The air fryer preheats fast, and its circulating high heat evenly blisters peppers’ skins for a sweet, char-grilled flavor. Here’s how to do it.

If you’re seeding chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves to protect your skin. Cut away the core of each pepper, then slice it lengthwise down one side. Use a small spoon to carefully scrape away and discard the seeds inside. Seeding before roasting is much easier than doing it after they’re cooked, and it doesn’t affect the final flavor.

Preheat the air fryer to 400°̊F. Using tongs, place whole, seeded chiles in a single layer in the air fryer. The chiles can be close together but shouldn’t touch one another; the hot air needs to circulate around the sides for the skins to cook evenly. Close the air fryer and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until the peppers look browned and charred.

Turn the peppers with tongs. If roasting chile peppers, cook 3 to 5 minutes more, or until browned and blistered on the bottoms. If roasting bell peppers, cook about 10 minutes more, until charred all over and blistered on bottoms.

Turn off the air fryer and leave the peppers in the basket for 15 minutes. The residual heat and closed environment will steam the peppers so the flesh softens and the skins are easy to remove.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, use your fingers to pull off and discard the now-papery skins. Roasted peppers will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Ready to try it? Use this technique to roast the bell peppers or chiles for any of these tasty recipes.