Roasted Poblano Peppers
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It’s easy to make Roasted Poblano Peppers in the oven, on the stove, or on the grill. Learn which method is my favorite and how to use the roasted peppers in recipes, like poblano sauce, stuffed poblano peppers with cheese and stuffed poblano enchiladas!
Table of contents
Poblano peppers are a large Mexican chili pepper. They’re mild in spice and perfect for roasting, stuffing, adding to tacos or blending into a delicious sauce.
I’ve been roasting poblano peppers for years on the grill to make salsa, and to pair with carne asada. I’ve also roasted them in the oven dozens of times to make stuffed poblano peppers and creamy poblano sauce.
These peppers add a ton of flavor to recipes and they’re so versatile. Because of their large size, they’re great for stuffing to make enchiladas, chile relleno and more! Follow this step-by-step guide and you’ll see just how easy it is to roast poblano peppers.
In this post, I’m sharing how to roast them in the oven, on the stove, or on the grill. All are great options, but scroll through the post and I’ll share more about my favorite method, and why it’s my favorite!
How to roast them in the oven
This is my favorite method for roasting peppers. It’s fast, easy and requires the least hands-on time of all the methods. It can also be done in any type of oven, and therefore does not require you to have a gas stovetop or grill, to roast the peppers at home.
- Preheat the oven broiler to high and place the top rack in the oven 6-8 inches from the heat source. Place poblano peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Place the peppers in the oven on the top rack, 6-8 inches from the heat source. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is black and bubbling. Remove the peppers from the oven, flip and continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and use tongs to immediately transfer them to a plastic zipper bag, or a container with a lid. This will allow the peppers to steam and will make the skins of the peppers easy to peel.
- After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag and transfer them to a cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, use your hands to peel the skins from the peppers. Discard the skins and now your peppers are ready to use. Depending on what type of recipe you’re using the peppers in will depend if you slice them open for stuffing, dice them, or slice them into strips. More on that below, in the section “ways to use them in recipes”.
How to roast them on the stove
This is my least favorite method for roasting peppers, but is a good method if you only need to roast 1-2 peppers at a time and you have a gas stovetop in your kitchen, with an open flame.
- Place 1-2 poblano peppers on top of a gas burner on a stovetop. Turn the gas on to high and roast the peppers for 2-3 minutes per side. Use tongs to flip the peppers once they’re black and bubbling on the first side.
- Continue cooking the peppers on the other side for 2-3 minutes, or until black and bubbling.
- Remove the peppers from the stove and use tongs to immediately transfer them to a plastic zipper bag, or a container with a lid. This will allow the peppers to steam and will make the skins of the peppers easy to peel.
- After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag and transfer them to a cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, use your hands to peel the skins from the peppers. Discard the skins and now your peppers are ready to use.
How to roast them on the grill
I love this method if I’m already cooking something else on the grill, like carne asada or grilled chicken. The poblanos can be tossed on the grill, while you grill the rest of your meal. It’s an easy method and great for someone with a grill!
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Place the poblano peppers on the preheated grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is black and bubbling. Flip and continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Use tongs to remove the peppers from the grill and immediately transfer them to a plastic zipper bag, or a container with a lid. This will allow the peppers to steam and will make the skins of the peppers easy to peel.
- After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag and transfer them to a cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, use your hands to peel the skins from the peppers. Discard the skins and now your peppers are ready to use.
Ways to use them in recipes
- Add them to salsa. I love to dice up the peppers to make this Poblano Corn Salsa recipe. For this recipe, you’ll want to slice the stem off the roasted, peeled peppers, remove the membrane and seeds from inside, then dice the peppers into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Add them to tacos, or other Mexican dishes. Sliced, roasted poblano peppers are delicious added to steak tacos, mushroom tacos, chilaquiles, pulled pork nachos or migas. For these recipes, you’ll want to slice the stem off the roasted, peeled peppers, remove the membrane and seeds from inside, then slice the peppers into 1/2 inch wide strips.
- Blend them into a sauce or salad dressing. Remove the stem and membrane from the roasted peppers, then follow this recipe to make a creamy roasted Poblano Sauce. Use the sauce to top tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and more! Or use the peppers in this Poblano Cashew Ranch Dressing to toss with your favorite salad!
- Stuff them. Because poblanos are large in size, they’re perfect for stuffing with meat, cheese or veggies to make a complete meal. Instead of tortillas, use roasted poblano peppers to make ground beef enchiladas. For a fun fall meal, try these Butternut Squash Stuffed Poblano Peppers. And when you just want a cheesy stuffed pepper, combine 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese. Stuff the poblanos with the cheesy mixture, then bake them at 375°F for 10 minutes. For each of these stuffed poblano recipes, you want to leave the stem on the pepper. Then cut a slit in the middle of the pepper, but be sure not to cut all the way through, so that you can stuff the pepper.
- Replace bell peppers. You can also replace bell peppers with roasted poblano peppers in these recipes for Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers, or Grilled Chorizo Stuffed Peppers.
- Make chile relleno. Use this recipe from Isabel Eats to make authentic Chile Relleno with roasted poblanos.
- Add them to salads. Diced roasted poblano peppers are a delicious addition to this Southwest Salad.
Storage options
Before storing the roasted peppers, you can cut them into strips or dice them. If you plan to add the peppers to tacos or a salsa recipe, it’s nice to already have them sliced or diced!
- Roasted poblano peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- To freeze the peppers, place them in a freezer-safe container, such as a zipper bag or mason jar. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw and use the peppers in recipes. The roasted peppers can be frozen whole, sliced or diced.
Pro tips
- Instead of a zipper bag, you can also transfer the roasted peppers to a bowl and cover with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap to steam them, before peeling them. Another option is to seal them in an aluminum foil packet or paper bag.
- Steaming the peppers as they cool makes it so the skins slip off effortlessly. Some people skip this step, but it really does make it easier!
- Poblano peppers should always be peeled after roasting. While the skins are safe to eat, once they’ve been roasted, they develop of a papery texture that’s unappealing when added to a recipe, so make sure to always peel the peppers after roasting them.
- Poblano peppers are mild-to-medium in spice. They are hotter than a green bell pepper, but not as spicy as a jalapeno.
- This method can also be used on other kinds of peppers, but the cook time may need to be adjusted based on the size of the pepper.
More kitchen tutortials
Don’t miss these other quick and easy kitchen how-to guides!
Roasted Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large poblano peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler in the oven to high.
- Add the poblano peppers to a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven, 6-8 inches under the broiler.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin begins to turn black and bubble on the peppers.
- Remove from the oven, use tongs to flip the peppers and continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the skin begins to bubble.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately transfer them to a plastic zipper bag.
- Seal the bag shut and set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the peppers from the bag and once they're cool to the touch, use your fingers to peel the skin away. Discard the papery skins.
- Remove the stem from the pepper and the seeds inside.
- Keep the peppers whole, slice or dice them, depending on how you’ll be using them in a recipe.
Notes
- To roast the peppers on the stove:
- Place 1-2 poblano peppers on top of a gas burner on a stovetop.Turn the gas on to high and roast the peppers for 2-3 minutes per side. Use tongs to flip the peppers once they’re black and bubbling on the first side.
- Continue cooking the peppers on the other side for 2-3 minutes, or until black and bubbling.
- Follow steps 6-10 above to steam and peel the peppers.
- To roast the peppers on a grill:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Place the poblano peppers on the preheated grill and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the skin is black and bubbling. Flip and continue to cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Follow steps 6-10 above to steam and peel the peppers.
- Roasted poblano peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
- To freeze the peppers, place them in a freezer-safe container, such as a zipper bag or mason jar. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Move from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw and use the peppers in recipes. The roasted peppers can be frozen whole, sliced or diced.
- Instead of a zipper bag, you can also transfer the roasted peppers to a bowl and cover with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap to steam them, before peeling them. Another option is to seal them in a foil packet or paper bag.
- Poblano peppers should always be peeled after roasting. While the skins are safe to eat, once they’ve been roasted, they develop of a papery texture that’s unappealing when added to a recipe, so make sure to always peel the peppers after roasting them.
Nutrition Facts
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