How Many Calories Are In a Green Pepper? | Crisp Counts

One raw medium green bell pepper has about 27 calories, while 100 grams has about 23 calories.

If you typed “How many calories are in a green pepper?” you’re most likely asking about a raw green bell pepper, not a hot pepper. The answer is low enough to fit almost any meal plan, but the number changes with size, cut, and cooking fat.

A green bell pepper is mostly water, with a light amount of carbohydrate, a little fiber, and almost no fat. That’s why it adds crunch and volume without adding many calories. The pepper itself is not the calorie problem in fajitas, omelets, salads, or stuffed peppers. Oil, cheese, sauces, rice, and meat usually raise the count.

Green Pepper Calories By Size And Serving

The cleanest calorie count comes from weight. USDA data lists raw green bell pepper at about 23 calories per 100 grams through USDA FoodData Central. That makes kitchen math simple: a small handful of chopped pepper stays low, while a full pepper still lands under 40 calories in most cases.

Size can fool you. A medium pepper from one store may weigh less than a small pepper from another store if the walls are thin or the seed core is large. If you track calories closely, weigh the edible part after removing the stem, seeds, and pale inner ribs.

What Counts As One Green Pepper?

Most calorie charts use edible weight, not the full pepper before trimming. A medium raw green bell pepper often gives about 110 to 120 grams of edible flesh. That puts it near 25 to 28 calories.

A large pepper may give closer to 160 grams of edible flesh, which lands near 37 calories. A few grams either way won’t change much, so there’s no need to stress over tiny size shifts unless you’re logging every gram.

Why Green Bell Peppers Are So Low In Calories

Green bell peppers are low in calories because they carry a lot of water and very little fat. Their crisp bite can make a plate feel bigger, which helps when you want crunch without chips, crackers, or fried sides.

They also bring a clean, grassy taste that works raw or cooked. Raw slices feel sharp and snappy. Cooked strips turn softer and sweeter, but the pepper itself still stays light unless you add fat during cooking.

Raw Versus Cooked Counts

Cooking does not create many new calories inside the pepper. The change comes from water loss and added ingredients. A cup of raw sliced pepper may shrink in a hot pan, so the cooked portion can look smaller even with the same calories from the pepper.

Oil changes the math in a hurry. One teaspoon of olive oil adds about 40 calories. That means a pan of sautéed peppers may be low or high based on how much oil you pour, not based on the pepper itself.

The USDA’s MyPlate bell pepper fact card notes that peppers are high in vitamin C and work well in omelets, stir-fries, chili, and snacks with hummus. The same USDA bell pepper fact card also explains that red bell peppers are ripened green bell peppers.

Serving Of Raw Green Bell Pepper	Edible Weight	Calories
100 grams	100 g	23 calories
Half cup chopped	75 g	17 calories
One cup sliced	92 g	21 calories
One cup chopped	149 g	34 calories
One small pepper	75 g	17 calories
One medium pepper	119 g	27 calories
One large pepper	164 g	38 calories
Two medium peppers	238 g	55 calories

Calories In Green Pepper Meals And Snacks

A plain green pepper stays light, but most people eat it with something else. That’s where the count starts to move. A raw pepper with hummus can be a filling snack. A pepper stuffed with rice, sausage, and cheese can turn into a full meal.

For calorie tracking, split the meal into parts. Count the pepper first, then add dip, oil, filling, dressing, or topping. This avoids the common mistake of blaming the vegetable for calories that came from fat or starch.

Green Pepper In Salads

Raw chopped pepper adds crunch to salads for very few calories. Half a cup gives about 17 calories and pairs well with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onions, tuna, chicken, beans, or eggs.

Dressing is the bigger variable. Two tablespoons of creamy dressing can add more calories than several whole peppers. Vinegar, lemon juice, salsa, herbs, and a measured spoon of oil can keep the salad bright without hiding the pepper’s taste.

Green Pepper In Stir-Fries

Green pepper strips work well in stir-fries because they cook quickly and hold some bite. If you use a nonstick pan and a measured spoon of oil, the meal stays easier to track.

Sauce can change the count, too. Sweet sauces, bottled glazes, and thick marinades may bring sugar and sodium. Soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and a small amount of oil can give strong flavor with less guesswork.

Stuffed Green Peppers

A stuffed green pepper starts low because the pepper shell is usually under 40 calories. The final count depends on the filling. Lean ground turkey, beans, tomatoes, cauliflower rice, or lentils can keep it lighter. Rice, sausage, cream sauce, and cheese raise the total.

A simple method works well: bake the pepper until tender, then fill it with a measured mix. This gives you the pepper’s volume and the filling’s flavor without turning dinner into a calorie mystery.

Food Pairing	What Changes The Count	Smarter Portion Move
Green pepper with hummus	Dip portion	Measure 2 tablespoons first
Green pepper in omelet	Cheese, butter, egg count	Use pepper for bulk, measure fat
Sautéed green pepper	Oil in the pan	Start with 1 teaspoon oil
Stuffed green pepper	Rice, meat, cheese	Track filling by weight
Green pepper salad	Dressing and toppings	Add dressing last and measure it

Green Pepper Nutrition Beyond Calories

Calories are only part of the story. Green bell peppers also bring vitamin C, water, and a small amount of fiber. That mix makes them handy when you want a crisp food that feels fresh but does not crowd the plate with calories.

The FDA lists 90 milligrams as the Daily Value for vitamin C on Nutrition Facts labels. That label reference helps explain why green peppers get credit as a vitamin C food, since pepper servings can add a solid share of that target. You can check the FDA Daily Value table for the current label amounts.

Green peppers also have a clean role in low-calorie plates because they take up space. Sliced into strips, they give you something to chew. Diced into soups, chili, eggs, and rice bowls, they stretch the dish without making it heavy.

Green Pepper Versus Red Pepper

Green and red bell peppers come from the same plant type, but red peppers stay on the plant longer. Red peppers often taste sweeter, while green peppers taste sharper and grassy.

The calorie gap is small. If you swap green for red pepper, the meal will not change much from a calorie view. Pick green when you want a crisp, less sweet bite. Pick red when you want more sweetness.

How To Measure Green Pepper Calories At Home

You don’t need lab tools. Trim the pepper, remove the stem and seeds, then weigh the edible part. Multiply the grams by 0.23 to estimate calories. A 120-gram pepper would be about 28 calories.

No scale? Use simple servings. Half a cup chopped is about 17 calories. One medium pepper is about 27 calories. One large pepper is about 38 calories. Those numbers are close enough for most home meals.

Practical Ways To Add Green Pepper

• Slice it for a snack plate with yogurt dip, hummus, or salsa.
• Dice it into eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad, or bean salad.
• Add strips to fajitas, stir-fries, wraps, and rice bowls.
• Roast halves and fill them with lean protein and vegetables.
• Chop extra pepper ahead so weeknight meals come together faster.

The simple takeaway: a green bell pepper gives you crunch, color, and vitamin C for very few calories. Count the pepper, then pay closer attention to the extras around it. That’s where most of the meal’s calories usually sit.