These lightly charred air fryer bell peppers are drizzled with balsamic vinegar for tons of flavor. Top them with a little olive oil, capers, basil and feta for a perfect late summer side dish.
The best thing about air fryer recipes is that whatever you're cooking, cooks so much faster, without sacrificing any flavor. And in many cases, the flavor is the BEST, like this Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash.
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I go to a lot of pot luck dinners. It's kind of what we do here in our small town. There aren't a ton of good dinner restaurants in the area, so we have dinner parties in our homes, pot luck style. It's actually wonderful - spending whole evenings together instead of the 90 minutes a restaurant would give us.
This is one of my favorite dishes to bring. And it's ready in about 15 minutes, including cutting up the peppers. Woo-hoo!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Super easy and quick side dish that goes with so many dishes.
- Flavor packed with lots of umami, thanks to the balsamic vinegar and capers.
- Bell peppers are low in calories, and high in nutritional value. They're excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber.
- One of the 10 best vegetables to eat on a keto / low-carb diet. Yay!
🧅 Ingredients + Notes
- Bell peppers - red, yellow or orange bell peppers all work great in this recipe. In fact, I like to use a mix. Likewise, both baby peppers and large peppers work equally well.
- Balsamic vinegar - any balsamic vinegar works great, so have some fun with it. My personal favorite is fig balsamic vinegar.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Capers
- Fresh basil leaves
- Feta cheese
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
Best Way to Prep Bell Peppers
If you're making this recipe with larger bell peppers, you may wonder about the best way to quickly slice them, and get rid of the seeds, pith and stem. Here's how they taught it in culinary school:
- Stand the pepper up, so that it sits on a work surface, with the stem facing up.
- Look at one of the lobes that curves outward, and using a sharp chef's knife, slice the lobe off along the indented veins.
- Continue this all around the pepper. When you're done, all you'll be left with are the stem and seeds that are attached to a central pith.
- Discard the seeds and stem, and trim any remaining white pith from the pepper lobes. Slice them to the size you want.
This can all be done in under 1 minute. Promise.
If You Don't Have an Air Fryer...
If you don't have an air fryer, no worries. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the cut bell pepper in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and lightly sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Roast until just tender.
If you're using them as an appetizer, you want them to have a little crispness so that they can be finger food.
Best Way to Thinly Slice (Chiffonade) Basil.
Stack the basil leaves on top of each other, and tightly roll like a cigar. Holding the basil cigar down on a cutting board, thinly slice the cigar using a sharp chef's knife.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
Use these as a base for nachos with the peppers substituting for taco chips. Cook up some Beyond Beef with taco seasoning, and crumble it over the top. Melt some Monterey Jack cheese over the "beef" and add sliced tomatoes, black olives, and avocado.
🥬 Make it Vegan
Use vegan feta cheese or eliminate the cheese.
📇 More Air Fryer Recipes You Might Like
Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes in 15 Minutes
📇 More Bell Pepper Recipes You Might Like
Marinated Roasted Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Olives
Jambalaya Stuffed Red Peppers Casserole
Calabrese Style Fried Potatoes with Peppers
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Air Fryer Bell Peppers with Basil and Feta (Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers use a variety of colors
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400˚F.
- Prep the peppers. Stand the pepper up, so that it sits on a work surface, with the stem facing up. Look at one of the lobes curving outward, and using a sharp chef's knife, slice the lobe off along the indented veins. Continue this all around the pepper. When you're done, all you'll be left with are the stem and seeds that are attached to a central pith. Discard the seeds and stem, and trim any remaining white pith from the pepper lobes. Slice the pepper lobes to the size you want. For an appetizer, it's nice to keep the lobe shape as it's easier for scooping up dips and salsas.This can all be done in under 1 minute. Promise.
- Air fry. Toss the peppers with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Lightly salt and pepper if desired. Roast in the air fryer for 10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly charred. If you plan to use the peppers for scooping dips and salsas, be careful not to air fry too long, or the peppers will be too limp.
- Finish. Arrange the peppers on a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Scatter the capers over the top, followed by the thinly sliced basil (see the notes for tips on slicing basil) and feta.
- Serve. Serve at room temperature.
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