A medium raw red bell pepper (119 grams) contains just 24 calories. That makes it one of the lowest-calorie whole vegetables you can eat, whether you’re snacking on slices, tossing them into a salad, or cooking them into a stir-fry.
Calories by Serving Size
Most of the calories in a red bell pepper come from its natural sugars, with a small contribution from fiber. Here’s how the numbers break down for common portions:
- 1 medium pepper (119g): 24 calories
- 1 cup chopped (roughly 149g): about 30 calories
- Half a medium pepper: about 12 calories
- 1 ring or slice: roughly 2 to 3 calories
Per 100 grams, raw red bell pepper provides approximately 20 calories. Because bell peppers are about 92% water, their calorie density is extremely low. You’d need to eat four or five whole peppers to reach the calorie count of a single banana.
Carbs, Fiber, and Sugar
One medium red bell pepper has 6 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, and 3 grams of natural sugar. That sugar is what gives red peppers their noticeably sweeter taste compared to green ones. The fiber offsets much of the carbohydrate impact, leaving a net carb count of roughly 4 grams per pepper.
Red bell peppers also have an exceptionally low glycemic index of about 15, with a glycemic load of approximately 1. For context, anything under 10 on the glycemic load scale is considered low. This means red bell peppers cause virtually no spike in blood sugar, making them a reliable snack for people managing their carbohydrate intake.
Red vs. Green Bell Peppers
Red and green bell peppers are actually the same plant picked at different stages. Green peppers are harvested early, while red peppers have fully ripened on the vine. That extra time changes both the flavor and the nutrition. Red peppers taste sweeter because they develop more sugar as they mature, which adds a couple of calories compared to green ones. A medium green bell pepper has roughly 20 calories versus 24 for a red one. The difference is negligible in practical terms.
Where the gap widens is in vitamins. The ripening process dramatically increases the concentration of certain nutrients, especially vitamin C and vitamin A. If you’re choosing between colors purely for calories, it’s a wash. If you care about nutrient density, red wins easily.
Nutritional Bonus: Vitamins
Red bell peppers pack a surprising amount of nutrition for their calorie cost. One cup of chopped raw red bell pepper delivers 191 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 212% of the daily value. That’s more than twice what you’d get from a medium orange. The same serving provides 234 micrograms of vitamin A (26% of the daily value), mostly from beta-carotene, the pigment responsible for the red color.
This combination makes red bell peppers one of the most nutrient-dense foods per calorie. You’re getting over two days’ worth of vitamin C for about 30 calories, with no fat, very little protein, and minimal sugar.
Cooking and Calorie Changes
Raw and cooked red bell peppers have similar calorie counts per pepper. Roasting or sautéing doesn’t add calories to the pepper itself, though oil or butter obviously will. A teaspoon of olive oil adds about 40 calories, which is more than the pepper it’s coating.
Cooking does soften the cell walls, which concentrates the pepper slightly as water evaporates. A cup of cooked peppers weighs more than a cup of raw chopped ones, so cooked servings measured by volume can have somewhat more calories. The difference is small. If you’re tracking closely, weighing peppers in grams gives you the most accurate count regardless of preparation method.
Dried or dehydrated red pepper flakes are a different story. Removing the water concentrates everything, bringing the calorie count to roughly 280 to 300 per 100 grams. A typical pinch of pepper flakes is so small it barely registers, but it’s worth knowing that dried peppers are not the same nutritional profile as fresh.