4-Ingredient Balsamic Roasted Mini Peppers
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Say hello to your new favorite party trick: 4-ingredient balsamic-roasted mini peppers. The beauty of this pepper recipe is that you don’t have to do any prep — no stemming, no seeding, no peeling. You simply dress, roast, and serve.
It’s kind of a miracle.
My mother, who learned this recipe from cousin Kristina, makes these often for company, and I’m telling you, you soon will be, too.
Let me sing their praises a little bit more:
The Magic of Balsamic-Roasted Mini Peppers
- Fewer than 5 minutes of prep.
- Delicious flavor: charred and sweet with the right amount of sharpness thanks to the balsamic.
- Versatile: They can be served as a side dish or as an hors d’oeuvre.
- Amenable: They can be served piping hot or at room temperature.
- Colorful/Appealing/Stunning.
- Juicy. As they collapse, they release juices that mingle with the olive oil and balsamic and unite to form an incredibly tasty sauce, which you can sop up with bread or use to dress other things — I really love serving these peppers aside these black lentils and spooning the two together as I eat.
Let me know if you make them or if YOU have any party tricks up your sleeve.
PS: Another favorite, crowd-pleasing pepper recipe: Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers
Here’s the play-by-play: Place peppers in a 9×13-inch pan or similar dish:
Dress them with olive oil, balsamic, and salt.
Roast until blistered and collapsed to your liking.
Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Serve as a side dish or as an hors d’oeuvre with bread and cheese.
Print4-Ingredient Balsamic Roasted Mini Peppers
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
This is a recipe my mother has been making for years, and something she often makes for company because it is always well received. She learned about it from cousin Kristina, another source of all good things.
Regarding the pan: A sheet pan is not recommended because the balsamic will reduce too quickly and burn. You want to use a pan that will fit the peppers snuggly. I find a 9×13-inch pan to be perfect for 1.5 lbs. of mini peppers, but something a little bit larger or slightly smaller will work well, too.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. mixed baby peppers
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450ºF convection. (If you don’t have convection, don’t worry — your peppers may just take a little bit longer.) Place peppers in a 9×13-inch pan or something similar, see notes above (a sheet pan is not recommended). Season with salt, olive oil, and balsamic and toss to coat.
- Transfer pan to the oven and cook for 15 to 25 minutes. Start checking at the 15 minute mark — every oven is different, and depending on the pan you are using the peppers may need more or less time. Remove the peppers when they look blistered to your liking — they shouldn’t be charred the way peppers look when you want to roast and peel them, but they should have some nice dark spots, and they should look wrinkly and slightly collapsed — they’ll collapse more once you remove them from the oven.
- Remove peppers from the oven and transfer them and all of their juices to a serving platter. Taste one. Sprinkle with more flaky seas salt (or other) if desired. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
132 Comments on “4-Ingredient Balsamic Roasted Mini Peppers”
This is incredible. It is so versatile. 1st time I followed recipe exactly & served in with a loaf of French bread cut.up. 2nd time I added more balsamic because my family loves it. When it was done in oven after cooling a bit I took the stems off & cut peppers in half, mixed in goat cheese & served it with sour dough bread. Next time I’m going to mix in some spicy pepper. We’ve never had it cold because there hasn’t been leftovers. I feel like this would be great on a sandwich too!
So great to hear this, Rebecca! I find these irresistible as well. Love your idea of mixing in goat cheese!! Yum. Thanks for writing.
This baby bell pepper recipe was WOW!! Better than I expected!
Yay! So nice to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂
So delicious 😋 we had chicken, bulgur pilaf, steamed broccoli and your lovely roasted peppers. We all loved 🥰 it. Thank you !
Great to hear! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This was very good. I cleaned out my produce drawer and added 1/2 bag of mini peppers, 1 large stick sized zucchini, small onion 6 grape tomatoes, sliced, and 3 stalks of celery., stick wise. Cooked at 400 convection for 30 minutes and sprinkled feta on top when cooked. I also well greased ceramic cast iron baking pan, and mixed. Balsamic and oil and salt and dumped over veggies as another reviewer recommended
So nice to hear this! Love a good clean-out-the-fridge meal 🙂
I made this last night and was so happy to learn how to cook mini peppers this way. I feel like I now understand their purpose. 🙂 It’s going to become a staple around here.
So great to hear this, Liz 🙂 🙂 🙂 This is such a good one to have in the repertoire. Glad you liked them!
Delicious, simple and everyone loved! I needed an extra dish for a brunch menu I was hosting and this was perfect.
So nice to hear this, Lori! Thanks so much for writing!
Simple, delicious and very attractive presentation. Thank you, Ali! Looking forward to trying this with Brussels sprouts next.
Great to hear this, Janet! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
I can’t wait to make these. Can they be frozen?
Hi Lois! I would imagine they would freeze just fine, but I’ve never tried so I can’t say for sure.
Can you cook these in and air fryer ?
Terry, hi! I’ve never used an air fryer, so I don’t really know how to advise. Sorry!
Absolutely on Air fryer and just as delicious
Great to hear! Thanks for writing, Debbie 🙂
Yum, yum! These are wonderful!
Yay 🎉🎉🎉
Just tried these and SO glad I did!
Fantastic flavor, under five ingredients
and could NOT be simpler!
Thank you Ali
So great to hear this, Janine! Thanks for writing!
I see the cheese on your plate, what kind of cheese is it?
Thank you!
Stacy
Hi! It’s these two:
Gorgonzola dolce (Italian)
Istara (Spanish)
I love this recipe so much! I make it at least once a month. Thanks Ali for such a quick, delicious and easy recipe that also works well for entertaining!
So nice to hear this, Jill! It’s a staple here as well. Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks delicious. Going to make tonight. I like that they are left whole but do you eat the seeds?
Yes! Eat the seeds! Hope they turned out great 🙂
Simple and delicious. Cooked up some taco meat, put in bowl with the baked peppers (chopped) added some cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Tortilla strips, OGM – yummy.
Oh wow!! That sounds absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂
When you say “Heat the oven to 450ºF convection,” does that mean if I have an oven thermometer in the oven it will read 450*? Thanks!
Hi! If you have an oven thermometer is should register close to 450ºF.
Oh my gosh, these are good and so easy! I fixed them for a pre-Christmas family dinner as an appetizer and everyone loved them!! A great new “go to”!!
Wonderful to hear this, Emily! So easy, right?? I love this one so much.
This was absolutely delicious and so simple to make!!
Great to hear, Donna! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
I made these because they sounded so delicious. But the next day, trying them at room temperature, they seemed too greasy. Only used 1/4 cup of olive oil. Wanted to bring them to our invited dinner. What can I do differently?
I suppose next time you could use less oil? These definitely do taste oily — peppers have a lot of natural oils and juices that release when roasted. It might just not be a dish that’s suited to your tastes.
I love this recipe and have made it many times. Great appetizers, but my favorite way yo use them is in a sandwich: ciabatta, provolone, peppers, and aarugula.
That sounds AMAZING!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Absolutely delish!
Great to hear, Catherine 💕💕💕💕
Hi Ali, I love your recipes and look forward to them every week! I am a sucker for all the peppers available in this abundant season. Would this recipe for roasted mini peppers work with a variety of peppers?
Also, while we’re talking …: I just had roasted Asian eggplant with garlic from a Chinese restaurant, and now I’m craving them. I can’t find a recipe like that in your recipe index – can you suggest some guidelines? Thanks so much!
Judy
Hi Judy! Apologies for the delay here … I’ve been out of the country, which has been a blast, but feel terrible about neglecting the comments here.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the same technique will work with larger peppers because of their seeds and inner membranes. The beauty of the mini peppers is that you don’t have to seed them. Now, I think you could stem and seed larger peppers, chop them up to roughly the same size as the mini peppers and then follow this recipe with success. It won’t be quite as effortless, but it will still work. I love ALL the peppers this time of year as well.
Regaridng the eggplant, I will keep my eyes peeled for the preparation you are describing. I know the dish — I love it, too — but I have never made it. It would be great to add to the repertoire!
These are so simple and elegant. Perfect paired with grilled meats, crusty bread and goat cheese or stirred into rice or pasta, or even an omelette. So versatile and delicious, worth having on hand all the time. I had some leftovers last time and chopped and froze in tablespoon sizes to stir into all sorts on things. Yum. Thank you! A big favorite here in regular rotation.
So nice to hear this, Ali 🙂 🙂 🙂 Smart tip on freezing in small portions. Love that idea! Thanks for writing 💕
Do you also eat the stems?
Nope!
I’ve never seen baby peppers!
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was amazing. Thanks so much.
We had this with some Spanish onion wedges, and served with bbq lamb fillet,feta and flat bread. Was delightful, and how flavoursome is the sauce. 10/10
Great to hear, Greg! Your meal sounds incredible. Thanks so much for writing and sharing 🙂
This is really tasty. I didn’t use the balsamic until after cooked so I didn’t burn. Wondering if anyone packed this into a canning jar with extra oil? This is good enough to be used in recipes as flavor.
How was this simple dish the best thing on the buffet for a party I hosted last weekend? 10/10, highly recommend!
Great to hear, Janet! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Would adding garlic work?
Possibly… I worry a little bit about it burning, but it’s worth a shot.
I love this recipe. It’s great with fresh bread and cheese. I also add cut up eggplant to it sometimes and eat them alone or mix it in pasta or spaghetti.
Yum! I love eggplant and love this idea!!
Great recipe. (As if I would expect anything else from Ali) I made your peasant bread and these peppers to serve with dinner with friends yesterday. Thanks for making me look like a entertaining super star!!!!
Oh yay! Great to hear, Carol! You are a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️