Green Pepper Pow(d)er

We are harvesting the peppers…lotsa peppers!   We have too many peppers!  So, we create lasting value with Green Powder.

Green Bell Pepper Powder is also known as (Capsicum annuum) and of the Bell pepper varieties. They are mainly cultivated for the fruits but now there are many more uses for it. It has been used as a spice and a source of healing throughout the history of India. Discover the wonders of green bell pepper powder and how it works

GREEN PEPPER POWDER

Green pepper powder is a dry powder made from green peppers that have been dried then finely ground. It is used as you would a spice, in small quantities.

The powder adds to dishes a delicate background flavour with a mild zip.

You can make it yourself, or buy it already made. Restaurant cooks often buy it in bulk, and use it to add a green pepper taste to dishes.

YIELDS AND EQUIVALENTS

5 tablespoons dehydrated green pepper powder = 40 g (1.5 oz)

1 tablespoon = 8 g (.3 oz)

DIRECTIONS

Prep and dry green peppers as per recommendations for dehydrating sweet peppers.

When dried and cooled, store dried pieces for a few days in a sealed container to ensure there will be no condensation starting. If there is, dehydrate a bit more, as that excess moisture would affect your powder.

When are you sure that your pieces are truly safely dried, you can grind them into powder. (Make sure they are quite brittle before attempting to grind them into a powder, or they dance around the food processor blade.)

It’s ideal if you can grind in two steps but just one step is fine if that is all you can do or wish to do:

1. Put in food processor and grind to a coarse powder (you can stop here if you wish);
2. Take the coarse powder, and in small batches, process through an electric coffee bean mill to reduce to a fine powder. You may need to strain your work a few times and reprocess any pieces that didn’t turn to a powder.

Note that you may not be able to get as fine a floury-like powder as you can with some other items. That’s fine.

STORAGE

Store in an air-tight jar. Label jar with name of product and date. Store away from heat and direct light.

USAGE NOTES

No need to rehydrate first when using.

Delicious in dressings, dips, soups, sauces, scrambled eggs, western omelettes, etc.

History and Cultivation

Chile Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Excavations of prehistoric Peruvian sites have discovered that these ancient South Americans flavored their foods with bell peppers more than 6,000 years ago.

The earliest recording of the term “Bell Pepper” dates back to the late 1600’s where Lionel Wafer, a Welsh explorer, wrote about them in his book “A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America” as he explored the Caribbean as a doctor on a ship.

In horticulture, cultivars are a group of plants of the same species that have been selected and bred deliberately to produce specific characteristics (i.e. flavor, color, hardiness to growing conditions, etc.). Different cultivars of the bell pepper plant produce different color fruit. There are at least 15 cultivars of bell peppers including the most common green, orange, red and yellow as well as some harder to find such as brown (also called chocolate), purple and white (also called vanilla).

All sweet bell peppers begin green and their color changes as they ripen. Green bell peppers are fully developed but are harvested before they start to change colors.

It is not true that bell peppers with 3 lobes are female and those with 4 lobes are male. Bell Pepper plants have complete flowers which means that each flower contains both female and male parts. The number of lobes is actually related to the specific variety of pepper.  There are cultivars of peppers that produce 2, 3-4, or 3-5 lobes.  The 4 lobed ‘bell’ pepper have historically been more popular in this country, so plants have been breed for this characteristic.

Where to Use

Use Granulated Red Bell Peppers in Asian, Italian and Mexican dishes. We’ve used these in barbecue sauces, homemade beans, cheese dips, chili, dips, marinades, meatballs, pasta, salad dressings, sauces, soups, spice blends and stews.

Flavor Profile and Heat Leve

The flavor of Granulated Green Bell Peppers is less sweet than the more popular red, orange or yellow bell peppers. The seeds and ribs inside bell peppers may be consumed, but some find their taste somewhat bitter.

Green Bell Peppers are a 0 on the heat scale.

How to Dehydrate Bell Peppers

Dehydrated bell peppers are an unbelievably versatile staple to have in your pantry. Whether you’re a home cook, car camper, or backpacker, a jar of dehydrated peppers is an easy way to add colorful vegetables to just about any meal! 

Red, orange, yellow, or green, we love the bright and festive energy dehydrated bell peppers bring to a meal. They’re like the vegetable version of sprinkles!

While fresh bell peppers are available at the grocery store year-round, it can be really nice to have a jar of shelf-stable dehydrated bell peppers on hand in the pantry. The bite-sized dehydrated pieces just need a little bit of time in hot water to rehydrate, which means they can be spontaneously added to a lot of different meals.

We add them when making rice for paella, pasta when making chili mac, sauces like bolognese or marinara, or just about any type of braise. Anything where you will be cooking something in hot water for a little bit. And when you have dehydrated peppers in the pantry, adding some vegetables can become as easy and casual as adding some salt.

We also love to use dehydrated bell peppers for backpacking. They’re amazing in all sorts of cold-soaked pasta lunches as well as lightweight dinners like our quinoa burrito bowl.

Okay, have we sold you on how great dehydrated bell peppers are yet? Great, now let’s show you how easy it is to make them yourself!

Free Dehydrating Cheat Sheet!

What Types Of Bell Peppers Can Be Dehydrated?

You can dehydrate any color of bell pepper! Red, orange, and yellow peppers will be slightly sweeter and more “fruity” than green bell peppers due to the higher sugar content that develops as the pepper matures.

Choose organic peppers if possible, as bell peppers are one of the “dirty dozen” more likely to contain pesticide residues.

Prepping & Pretreating Bell Peppers For Dehydrating

• Clean the bell peppers: Thoroughly wash the peppers and dry with a towel.
• Remove the stems, seeds, and white ribs and discard.
• Slice the bell peppers: Using a sharp knife, cut the bell peppers into ¼” to ½” squares, or into thin strips. You can also slice them into thin rounds. Try to keep the pieces to a uniform size to help with even drying.
• If you’re dehydrating bell peppers for backpacking meals, note that while it’s not necessary, it will rehydrate faster if blanched or steamed. To blanch, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the sliced or chopped bell peppers. Blanch for four minutes before straining out the peppers and placing them in an ice bath or running under very cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry.

Equipment Spotlight: Dehydrators

If you’re in the market for a dehydrator, we recommend buying one that has an adjustable temperature, which will allow you to dial in the drying temp to give you the best results for individual ingredients. The dehydrator we recommend (and use) most often is the COSORI Premium. You can also check out our best dehydrators post for a comparison of all the dehydrators we’ve used and would recommend.

How To Dehydrate Bell Peppers

Dehydrating bell peppers is fairly simple and straightforward—a great ingredient for beginners! Once your counters, equipment, and hands are clean, set up your dehydrator and follow these steps:

• Arrange the bell peppers on your dehydrator trays. If you’re using a tray that has large holes, line it with parchment paper or, even better, a mesh liner cut to the size of your tray (be aware that bell peppers may stain the mesh). Leave space between the pieces to allow air to circulate.
• Dehydrate at 125ºF (52ºC) for 8-12 hours until the bell peppers are dry and hard—they should not be pliable or bend.
• Depending on your machine, you may need to rotate the trays every so often to promote even drying.

How To Tell When Bell Peppers Are Done

Bell peppers should be hard when they are completely dried. To test, let them cool, then try to bend a few pieces. If they bend, put them back into the dehydrator or oven to dry longer.

How To Store

When properly dried and stored, dehydrated bell peppers can last upwards of a year. Here are our tips for storage:

• Let the bell peppers cool completely before transferring them.
• Condition: Loosely pack the peppers in a transparent airtight container. Check it daily for a week to check for signs of moisture or condensation, and shake to help prevent the pieces from sticking together. If signs of moisture appear, stick them back into the dehydrator (as long as there’s no mold—in that case, toss the batch). After a week, if there’s no signs of moisture or mold, you can package them for long-term storage.
• Store in a clean, airtight container. For longer shelf life, vacuum seal.
• Use a moisture absorbing desiccant packet if you anticipate opening the container often, or if you live in an area with high humidity.
• Label the container with the date and any other important details
• Place the container in a cool, dark, and dry place—inside of a pantry cabinet works well.

 Surprising Benefits of Green Peppers

Green sweet peppers or bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) are commonly thought of as vegetables, though they’re technically a type of fruit

Bell peppers have thick walls, are bell-shaped, and come in a variety of colors, including red, yellow, and purple.

Green bell peppers are simply unripe bell peppers. They tend to be less sweet than red and yellow peppers and have a slightly bitter taste.

1. Rich source of nutrients

Green bell peppers provide an array of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they’re a good source of fiber and relatively low in carbohydrates.

Here’s the nutrition breakdown for 1 cup (150 grams) of raw sweet green pepper (

• Calories: 30
• Protein: 1.3 grams
• Carbs: 7 grams
• Fiber: 2.6 grams
• Vitamin A, RAE: 3% of the daily value (DV)
• Vitamin C: 134% of the DV
• Vitamin K: 9% of the DV
• Potassium: 6% of the DV
• B6 (Pyridoxine): 20% of the DV

In addition to the nutrients listed above, green peppers contain smaller amounts of other vitamins and minerals including thiamine (B1), magnesium, copper, and vitamin E.

Green sweet peppers are particularly rich in vitamin C. Because this vitamin is water-soluble, your body can’t store it well, so you need to get it from your diet regularly.

Vitamin C is needed for many essential functions in your body, including proper immune function, collagen synthesis, nutrient metabolism, and more. It also acts as a powerful antioxidant and protects your cells from harmful oxidative damage

The peppers are also a good source of vitamin B6, which is involved in nutrient metabolism, immune function, and neurotransmitter synthesis (the creation of chemical messengers). It also helps create hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen within red blood cells

This crunchy vegetable also contains provitamin A, which your body can transform into vitamin A. Provitamin A is found in the form of beta carotene, a plant compound with a vibrant color and many health benefits.

What’s more, green sweet peppers are low in calories and relatively low in carbs. Plus, they’re a good source of fiber.

SUMMARYGreen sweet peppers are low in calories and a particularly rich source of vitamins C and B6.

2. Good for gut health

Peppers are a good source of fiber, which is essential for gut health.

Adding fiber-rich foods like peppers to your diet can help you meet the recommended fiber intake of 1.1–1.2 ounces (30–35 grams) per day for men and 0.9–1.1 ounces (25–32 grams) per day for women

One cup (150 grams) of raw green pepper contains 0.08 ounces (2.5 grams) of fiber

Studies show that increasing your fiber intake can protect against digestive system conditions like colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Eating fiber-rich foods can also help keep your digestive system functioning optimally by preventing constipation and promoting a healthy gut bacteria balance .

Try snacking on sliced green bell pepper with hummus or adding chopped green bell pepper to salads, chili, and stir-fries for an extra boost of fiber.

SUMMARY

Green sweet peppers are a good source of fiber. Adding fiber-rich foods to your diet can promote healthy gut function and protect against conditions that affect the digestive system.

3. Contains health-benefiting plant compounds

Bell peppers contain a variety of plant compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

For example, this vegetable provides flavonoids, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, and carotenoids, all of which have health-promoting effects

A 2019 study that analyzed the bioactive compound concentrations in sweet peppers found that compared with red, orange, and yellow peppers, green sweet peppers had more phenolic acids, including a powerful type called p-coumaric acid

Studies have shown that diets high in phenolic acids may protect against certain health conditions, such as insulin resistance, fatty liver, mental decline, and heart disease

What’s more, a 2013 study found that green bell pepper extract had higher antioxidant activity than red, orange, and yellow bell pepper extracts .

Eating a diet high in antioxidants — like vitamin C and carotenoids from green peppers — benefits your health in several ways.

For example, a large 2018 review of 69 studies found that either consuming more vitamin C and carotenoids and/or having higher blood concentrations of these antioxidants was associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality

SUMMARY

Green sweet peppers are high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant compounds, including vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolic acids. Eating foods high in these compounds may promote your overall health and reduce your disease risk.

4. May promote heart and eye health

Adding more fruits and vegetables like green sweet peppers to your diet is a smart way to promote your heart and eye health.

Numerous studies have linked diets rich in fruits and vegetables with a lower heart disease risk

For example, eating more fruits and vegetables can improve heart disease risk factors like elevated cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels

Furthermore, green bell peppers are rich in lutein, a carotenoid nutrient that’s essential for eye health. Lutein helps protect against light-exposure-induced damage to photoreceptor cells in your eyes

As such, eating a lutein-rich diet may help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that can cause vision loss

SUMMARY

Studies show that diets high in vegetables and fruits like green sweet peppers protect against heart disease. Plus, lutein, a carotenoid compound found in sweet green peppers, may protect your eye health.

5. Could help you maintain a healthy body weight

Eating more fruits and vegetables like green sweet peppers can help you maintain a healthy body weight or even lose weight.

Green sweet peppers are low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with other nutrients your body needs to function optimally. This makes them an excellent addition to any diet.

Still, it’s better to eat many different fruits and vegetables rather than only cranking up your intake of peppers.

That’s because people who eat more total fruits and vegetables tend to have lower body fat levels and weigh less than those who eat low amounts of produce

Studies also demonstrate that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables typically have less visceral fat — a type of deep belly fat that’s strongly linked to increased disease risk — than people who eat less produce

So, to improve your overall diet quality and promote a healthy body weight, try incorporating not just green sweet peppers but also other fruits and vegetables into your meals and snacks.

SUMMARYA healthy, well-rounded diet rich in produce like green sweet peppers may help you maintain a healthy body weight and reduce belly fat.