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Home » Recipes » Appetizer Recipes

How To Roast Shishito Peppers {Easy!}

Published: Mar 29, 2022 by Sandi Gaertner · 26 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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These pan roasted shishito peppers make a simple and delicious appetizer. These little peppers have the best flavor and luckily, only one in ten are spicy! You can roast or pan fry them and serve them in only 10 minutes!

a bowl of pan fried shishito peppers on a wooden table
Jump To:
  • What Are Shishito Peppers?
  • Why This Recipe Is Great:
  • Recipe Step By Step Directions:
  • More Ways to Cook Shishito Peppers:
  • Air Fryer Shishito Peppers:
  • Tips and Recipe FAQ:
  • More Easy Pepper Recipes:
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Have you seen those bins of shishito peppers at your local farmer's market? If you haven't seen them, these Japanese peppers should come soon because they are all the rage!

You will also find that many grocery stores are starting to carry them in the refrigerated produce section, including Trader Joe's. Here are some of my very favorite shishito pepper recipes to try when you find these peppers.

What Are Shishito Peppers?


Shishito peppers are tiny little bright green peppers. Shishito peppers originally came from Japan. They are considered sweet pepper and are very mild. These peppers are mild, and they say 1 in 10 are actually spicy.

Part of the fun is eating the peppers to look for the spicy ones. Eating these peppers is a little like Russion Roulette. You never know which is the spicy one!

red shishito peppers in a basket.

You most often will see green shishitos but I recently found out can come in a vibrant red color too! (Check out this delicious Red Shishito Pepper Soup I made with them!)

Shishitos make a great side dish or appetizer, and you can also use them as a part of the main dish.

shishito peppers at the farmer's market in little baskets.

These peppers are easy to eat. You grab them by the stem and bite the pepper off the stem. I know it sounds weird but you eat the seeds and all. We toss the stems, but I would say don't toss them on the ground if you have pets. Our friend's dog got really sick from the stems.

Why This Recipe Is Great:

  1. You can get these peppers all year long which means this easy appetizer is no longer just something to enjoy in the summer.
  2. Shishito peppers are very versatile and work in so many recipes. I share five easy ways to cook and enjoy shishito peppers below.
  3. You can enjoy the blistered peppers plain with some lemon juice, sea salt, and a little oil, or dip them in a creamy dipping sauce or soy sauce.
  4. They cook in just a matter of minutes. All you need is 10 minutes.

Recipe Step By Step Directions:

Step 1: Gently wash the shishito peppers. Do not remove the stems. Pat them dry with a paper towel.

Step 2: Heat avocado oil, or another high heat oil, in a 12" large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Because you are roasting these peppers at temperature, you need to use an oil with a high smoke point. I typically use avocado oil or canola oil for this. I do not recommend using olive oil. When the pan is hot, toss in the shishito peppers whole.

Step 3: Add the peppers in a single layer in the pan. Toss to coat in the oil.

Step 4: Cook the peppers, stirring occasionally until they develop a nice char. This blackened bllister helps give these peppers a sweeter taste. The peppers soften as they blister, making them so good!

shishito peppers in a skillet with charred lemon.

Step 5: As the peppers blister, I like to add some lemon, minced garlic, and flaky salt. The garlic gets nice and crispy around the peppers. You can toss in some sesame seeds, onions, or diced shallots too if you like!

More Ways to Cook Shishito Peppers:

These little mild peppers can be cooked in several ways. Shishito peppers can be cooked in so many ways including:

  • Pan-frying
  • On a grill - Add them to a grill basket (see above!) and toss them onto the grill!
  • Baked in an oven
  • Sautéd
  • Air fry them!! They come out perfect every time!
  • Pickle them!

Air Fryer Shishito Peppers:

Another fun ways to cook shishitos is in an air fryer. Cooking your shishito peppers in an air fryer is so easy and you get the same delicious charred flavor.

  1. Spray a high heat oil in the air fryer basket.
  2. Fill the bottom of the air fryer with washed shishito peppers. Leave the stems on! Do not overfill the air fryer so that air can circulate around the peppers.
  3. Spray them with more oil, dust with salt.
  4. Air fry them at 400º F for 7-8 minutes.
  5. I love to drizzle a garlic butter over the charred shishito peppers for more flavor!
shishito peppers in a grill basket
Blistered shishito peppers in a grill basket.

Note this post was updated from an older Sept 19, 2014 post with better photos and directions.

Tips and Recipe FAQ:

How long do shishito peppers keep fresh?

Cooked shishito peppers will keep fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Store them in an air-tight container.

What do you eat roasted shishito peppers with?

You can eat shishito peppers by themselves as an appetizer, or with a meal like steak or seafood.

Can you eat shishito peppers raw?

You can eat these peppers raw, but they taste a lot better charred with salt and oil.

Do you need to refrigerate shishito peppers?

Uncooked shishito peppers should be stored in the produce bin in your refrigerator to keep fresh.

If you love shishito peppers as much as we do, how about trying this Chilled Shishito Pepper Soup recipe?

More Easy Pepper Recipes:

  • How to Cook Shishito Peppers and 8 Yummy Recipes
  • Sautéd Chicken with Shishito Pepper Sauce over Cheesy Polenta
  • Roasted Pepper Italian Panini
  • How to Cook Padrone Peppers
  • Padron Pepper Chili

Recipe

a bowl of pan fried shishito peppers on a wooden table

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic

Sandi Gaertner
An easy roasted shishito pepper and garlic recipe. It makes a delicious appetizer
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Total Time 13 mins
Course Gluten Free Appetizer Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 24 peppers
Calories 9 kcal

Equipment

  • Cast iron skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pint shishito peppers
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 clove minced garlic

Instructions
 

  • Heat a cast-iron skillet with avocado oil or another high smoke point oil.
  • Heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the shishito peppers and toss to coate them in the oil.
  • Cook the peppers until the skins blister. Add the garlic and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt.
  • Remove them from the heat and serve warm.

Notes

  1. You can cook shishito peppers in several ways. You can pan-fry as listed above, or use a vegetable basket and cook them on a grill.
  2. I recommend using an oil that can tolerate high heat. I have pan-fried shishito peppers in avocado oil, coconut oil, and canola oil. Do not use olive oil or it will get rancid.
  3. Cooked shishitos will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 4peppersCalories: 9kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 35mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 73IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Susie

    December 26, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    These were the hit of the Christmas appetiser.. so easy but made a mess on the stove top. They splatter pretty good. I will try some of your other ways to cook them.

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      December 26, 2019 at 10:09 pm

      I am so glad you liked this recipe. You could try to cook them on the grill first, then pan sauté them with garlic and olive oil.

      Reply
  2. Fiorenza

    July 11, 2019 at 2:03 am

    Amazing idea! I love them and I'll keep to make them by following your recipe
    Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      July 13, 2019 at 10:46 am

      Thank you so much Fiorenza 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jersey Girl Cooks

    July 10, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    These are so good. I order them as an appetizer in restaurants but will now make them myself.

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      July 10, 2019 at 4:18 pm

      We like to order them too!

      Reply
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