So you bought a package of little green Padron peppers and you are wondering what to do with them. I love these bite-sized mild peppers. There are so many fun ways to cook them.
Join along as I show you how to roast Padron peppers and create a simple easy Padron peppers recipe. If you love peppers as much as we do, check out some of my popular gluten free pepper recipes!
Have you tried Padron peppers? They are my new favorite little bit-sized pepper to cook. If you don’t like super spicy, these little peppers are for you!
Where to find Padron Peppers?
They are in the farmer’s markets now, but if you have a small ethnic market nearby, you may be lucky enough to find them all year round! You know me, I LOVE peppers. Check out my popular Shishito Pepper and Hatch Green Chile Pepper recipes.
You will find lots of fun pepper recipes to try here at Fearless Dining! (And they are all gluten free!)”
These peppers are not big! These peppers are only two inches long and can come in either green or yellow colors. They are mostly mild, but watch out for that rare 10% that have a spicy kick!
Pimientos de Padron
Did this fancy title fool you? Padron peppers are originally from Spain but are also grown in Mexico and the United States too. You can find them on menus in tapas restaurants used in all sorts of fun pepper recipes.
How to Cook Padron Peppers
There are several ways to cook Padron Peppers including:
- Cooking in a special grill basket on a grill. (Pictured grill basket above. Note those are shishito peppers cooking in the grill basket.)
- Blister the peppers with garlic and oil over high heat in a cast-iron pan. (Pictured below this list.)
- Cut them and cook them in a recipe. I don’t do this as often, but it helps cook their flavor into the recipe you are making.
Pan Blistered Peppers
I recommend using a cast-iron skillet to blister peppers. Cast iron pans can get really hot, which blisters the skin on the peppers. It almost adds a caramelized flavor to the blistered peppers…totally worth it!
Can you eat Padron pepper seeds?
The answer to this question is yes, you can. It is smart to ask this question because many peppers like jalapeños seeds are HOT! You don’t have to worry about this with Padron peppers.
Padron Peppers Appetizer Recipe
I can’t wait to share with you my second favorite way to eat these peppers! (The first way was blistered. I love to pop them in my mouth!
Grab your favorite hummus and gluten free crackers. (I love to use a hummus with roasted red peppers.)
- Top your gluten free crackers with hummus.
- Add a blistered pepper on top. You probably won’t want to eat the stems so go ahead and remove those. I left them on for the pictures because it looked pretty :-).
- Pop the whole thing into your mouth!
This appetizer is easy to make in under 15 minutes, and it is perfect for a party or game day celebration!
More Delicious Padron Recipes to Try:
Padron Peppers Recipes
Easy delicious padron pepper recipes.
A delicious padron pepper and scallop dinner.
Pickled padron peppers are so easy to make.
Blistered padron peppers with serrano ham.
How fun to make a tempura batter and fry your padrone peppers. Use gluten free batter if you need it to be gluten free.
- Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic
- Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
- Chilled Shishito Pepper Soup
- Hatch Green Chiles
Are you ready to make some peppers?
Things You Need to Make This Recipe:
- A good 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Or, you can use a grill basket and cook these on your grill.
Marie
I’ve never heard of padron peppers before, but now I want to try them. Love that they are bite-sized and mild in flavour with a chance of a spicy kick. Great appetizer to showcase these peppers!
Sandi Gaertner
If you love peppers, you will love these Marie. I wish more were spicy, but they are a great bite-sized appetizer treat.
Sharon
These look like little bites of amazing! Perfect appetizer for tailgating.
Sandi Gaertner
These would make a great appetizer for tailgating 🙂
Caroline
I love padron peppers – I lived in Spain for a while and they were a favorite whenever we got tapas (which was often!)
Sandi Gaertner
I bet living in Spain was incredible. I would love to hear some more of your favorite tapas places. Hoping we can make it to Spain sometime.
Tisha
I’ve never had padron peppers! Eager to try them
Sandi Gaertner
I hope you can find them at a local market Tisha.
kristi
Wow… I learned so much from this post. I have seen padron peppers but I had never heard the actual name, now I know and great ideas what to do with them too!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad Kristi 🙂