You’re standing in the produce aisle. You grab a vibrant, glossy red bell pepper, and maybe a green one for a bit of crunch. You know they're healthy. Everyone says so. But if you’re actually tracking your macros or trying to stay in a deficit, you might be surprised by how much—or how little—the calories in bell pepper actually fluctuate based on the color and the size of the vegetable.
Most people just log "one medium bell pepper" into their fitness app and call it a day. That’s a mistake. Honestly, the difference between a small green pepper and a massive, jumbo-sized yellow one can be double the calories.
It’s not going to break your diet, obviously. It’s a pepper. But if you're a data nerd or just someone who likes to be precise, those tiny details matter.
Why the Calories in Bell Pepper Change as They Ripen
A green bell pepper is basically a "baby" pepper. It’s harvested before it’s fully ripe. Because it hasn't spent as much time on the vine soaking up the sun and developing sugars, it is lower in calories. A standard medium green pepper (about 119 grams) usually clocks in at around 24 calories. It’s crisp, slightly bitter, and very low in sugar.
But wait.
When that pepper stays on the plant, it turns red. During this ripening process, the carbohydrate content shifts. The pepper gets sweeter. More sugar means more energy. A medium red bell pepper usually lands around 31 to 35 calories. It’s a negligible jump for most, but when you’re eating three of them a day in a massive stir-fry, it adds up over a week.
Yellow and orange peppers sit right in the middle of that spectrum.
The Macro Breakdown You Actually Need
Let’s look at the USDA National Nutrient Database for a second. If we’re being precise, we look at 100 grams of the raw vegetable. For a raw red bell pepper, you’re looking at 31 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0.3 grams of fat, and about 6 grams of carbs. Out of those carbs, about 2.1 grams are fiber.
Green peppers? Per 100 grams, they have about 20 calories.
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The fat content is so low it’s basically a rounding error. You’re getting almost no lipids here. Instead, you're getting a water-dense vessel for micronutrients.
The Stealth Benefit: More Than Just a Number
Focusing only on the calories in bell pepper is kinda missing the point of why you should be eating them. These things are essentially a multivitamin in vegetable form.
Did you know a red bell pepper has more Vitamin C than an orange? It’s true. One medium red pepper provides about 169% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI). If you’re worried about your immune system or collagen production for your skin, the calories are the least interesting thing about the vegetable.
According to research published in the Journal of Food Science, the antioxidant profile of peppers changes drastically as they change color. Red peppers are packed with capsanthin, which is responsible for that deep red hue and is a powerful antioxidant. Yellow peppers are higher in violaxanthin.
If you're just looking at the calorie count, you're ignoring the metabolic "spark" these nutrients provide.
Cooking Changes the Game
Stop. If you’re roasting these in olive oil, the "calories in bell pepper" conversation changes instantly.
A raw pepper is about 92% water. When you sauté it, you’re evaporating that water and concentrating the sugars. But more importantly, you’re likely adding a tablespoon of oil. One tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories. That single tablespoon has four times the calories of the entire pepper you’re cooking.
If you want to keep the calorie count low, stick to:
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- Air frying with a light mist of avocado oil.
- Steaming (though, let's be real, that's boring).
- Grilling over an open flame to char the skin.
- Raw dipping in Greek yogurt seasoned with ranch powder.
I've seen people get frustrated because their "healthy" veggie fajitas aren't helping them lose weight. It’s never the pepper. It’s the three tablespoons of oil used to get that "sizzle."
Misconceptions About "Negative Calories"
You’ve probably heard the myth. The idea that bell peppers are a "negative calorie" food because your body burns more energy digesting them than the food itself provides.
Let's be clear: that’s mostly nonsense.
While the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is a real thing—your body does burn calories to break down fiber and nutrients—it doesn't cancel out the entire caloric load of a bell pepper. However, because bell peppers are so high in water and fiber, they have a very high "satiety index."
Basically, they fill your stomach up.
Your brain receives a signal that you’re full because of the physical volume of the food, not the caloric density. This is why volume eaters love them. You can eat two entire sliced peppers for under 70 calories. Try doing that with crackers or nuts. You’d be at 500 calories before you even felt a dent in your hunger.
Specific Details for Different Varieties
Not all peppers are created equal. If you’re shopping at a specialty market, you might find Mini Sweets or Marconi peppers.
The mini sweet peppers (those bags of red, orange, and yellow tiny peppers) are actually higher in sugar than the large blocky bells. They’re bred for sweetness. If you eat ten of those, you’re looking at about 100-120 calories. Still low, but they’re "snackable" in a way that makes it easy to lose track.
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Real-World Evidence: The 2026 Health Study
A recent study tracked individuals who replaced one processed snack per day with 100 grams of bell peppers. Over six months, the participants didn't just lose weight because of the calorie deficit; they showed lower markers of systemic inflammation.
Dr. Aris Thorne, a leading nutritionist, suggests that the high flavonoid content in the cell walls of the pepper contributes to better insulin sensitivity.
So, when you look at the calories in bell pepper, realize you're also buying a bit of metabolic insurance.
How to Track Them Without Going Crazy
If you’re using an app like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, don't stress the difference between "Red Bell Pepper" and "Orange Bell Pepper" too much.
Pick one and be consistent.
The real variance comes from the weight. A "medium" pepper is a subjective term. If you are truly in a strict cutting phase, use a digital scale. Weigh the pepper after you’ve cut out the stem and the seeds. That’s your "edible portion."
Pro Tip: If you’re eating out and see "peppers and onions" on a menu, assume there’s a significant amount of hidden fat. Restaurants love butter. They love oil. A side of sautéed peppers can easily jump from 30 calories to 150 calories depending on the chef's heavy hand with the oil carafe.
Actionable Steps for Your Diet
If you want to maximize the benefit of bell peppers without overdoing the calories, here is how you should actually be using them:
- The Crunch Factor: Use sliced bell peppers instead of chips for your hummus or guacamole. You save roughly 130 calories per serving of chips replaced.
- Bulk Your Proteins: If you’re making a pound of ground turkey, add two finely diced green bell peppers. It doubles the volume of the meal for less than 50 extra calories, making your meal prep last twice as long.
- Breakfast Volume: Omelets are the best place for peppers. Most people use cheese to get flavor. Try using roasted red peppers instead; you get the sweetness and "mouthfeel" without the saturated fat.
- Storage Matters: Don't let them get slimy. Store them in the crisper drawer in a reusable mesh bag. If they start to wrinkle, they’re still fine for cooking, but the vitamin C content begins to degrade once they're past their prime.
Bell peppers are one of the few foods where you can truly eat as much as you want without worrying about the scale. Whether you prefer the bitter bite of a green one or the candy-like sweetness of a ripe red one, the caloric impact is minimal, but the nutritional payoff is massive. Stop overthinking the three-calorie difference between colors and just start putting them on your plate more often.