In Short
Poblanos are the closest overall match for stuffing and roasting, while celery works best when you need a mirepoix base. If you just need crunch in a stir-fry, grab carrots or bok choy stems instead.
The bell pepper occupies a weird space in the kitchen. It is both a foundational aromatic and a star vegetable, which makes replacing it surprisingly tricky. You cannot just swap one vegetable for every situation. A substitute that works for a raw salad will ruin a Cajun gumbo, and a pepper that handles the grill beautifully might collapse into mush if you try to stuff it. Understanding the mechanics of the recipe is the only way to pick the right alternative.
Poblanos Are the Easiest Swap
Ever notice how poblanos look like flattened green bell peppers? This structural similarity makes them your most reliable overall substitute. It is an easy swap. A 1:1 volume ratio works perfectly for chopping, and they can be swapped one-for-one when stuffing whole peppers.
They work well because their thick outer walls hold up to sustained heat just like a bell pepper does. When roasted or charred, the skin blisters and peels easily, leaving the flesh intact. The flavor difference comes down to a slight earthy bitterness and a minor kick of heat. A poblano averages 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville Heat Units. This is noticeably warmer than a zero-heat bell pepper, but still quite mild. It lacks the grassy, watery bite of a raw green pepper, replacing it with a richer, darker flavor profile.
Nutritionally, they are very similar. A 100-gram serving of raw poblano contains roughly 28 calories, 1g of protein, 0.3g of fat, and 6.2g of carbohydrates (USDA FoodData Central). A green bell pepper sits right alongside it, generally providing 20 calories, 0.86g of protein, 0.17g of fat, and 4.64g of carbohydrates.
This is your premier choice for fajitas, roasting, and making stuffed peppers. They are robust enough to handle heavy rice and meat fillings without collapsing in the oven. Poblanos fail when used in raw salads or delicate dipping platters. Their thick, somewhat leathery raw skin and subtle heat can easily overwhelm milder ingredients. If a pepper is being eaten uncooked, a different vegetable is required. For fresh storage, poblanos will keep for about two weeks in the crisper drawer.
Anaheim Peppers Keep Things Mild
Not everyone wants the lingering heat of a poblano. If a recipe needs a large pepper with a gentle profile and a thin wall, Anaheims are the answer.
These can be measured out at a simple 1:1 ratio for any cooked application. They have a sweet, slightly tangy flavor that closely mirrors a red or orange bell pepper. While they do carry a tiny bit of spice, usually hovering around 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units, it is generally a fleeting background warmth rather than a sharp, noticeable burn. The walls of an Anaheim are thinner than a bell pepper, meaning they cook down much faster.
They share a similar nutritional footprint to other peppers. According to USDA FoodData Central data for raw New Mexico-type green chiles, a 100-gram serving offers 27 calories, 6.7g of carbohydrates, and nearly zero fat.
Anaheims excel when diced into breakfast skillets, baked into egg casseroles, or blistered under a broiler for a quick salsa. The failure case here is heavy stuffing. Because their walls are so thin and delicate, an Anaheim will frequently collapse, tear, or turn into mush if packed tightly with heavy rice, beans, and ground beef for a traditional stuffed pepper recipe. They retain maximum shelf life when kept unwashed in a breathable bag in the crisper.
Cubanelle Peppers Belong in Italian Food
If the plan is to cook a classic sausage and peppers hero, a bell pepper is traditionally expected. When that is missing, the Cubanelle is the exact pepper needed.
A 1:1 volume replacement is standard. Cubanelles are long, light green or yellowish peppers that often go by the name "Italian frying peppers." The walls of a Cubanelle are significantly thinner than a bell pepper, meaning they blister and collapse much faster in a hot skillet with olive oil. The flavor is sweet and mild, with just a faint whisper of heat that rarely exceeds 1,000 Scoville Heat Units.
According to USDA FoodData Central data, a 100-gram serving of raw cubanelle peppers contains roughly 40 calories, 1.9g of protein, 0.4g of fat, and 8.8g of carbohydrates.
They are the premier substitute for pan-frying, tossing into a rustic tomato sauce, or layering onto a heavy meat sandwich. They fail if a pepper needs to hold its shape over a long period of time. Because the walls are so thin, a Cubanelle will turn into absolute mush if simmered in a slow cooker chili for six hours. The flesh simply disintegrates into the broth. They keep best when left unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.
Celery Fixes the Aromatic Base
Sometimes you do not care about the vegetable itself. You just need it to flavor a soup or stew. Cajun and Creole cooking rely heavily on the "holy trinity" of onions, celery, and bell peppers to build deep flavor bases. If a green bell pepper is missing, increasing the celery volume solves the problem.
A 1:1 ratio of diced celery works seamlessly to replace the missing pepper in a cooked base. Celery brings the exact same watery, vegetal crunch to a hot pan that a green pepper does. As it cooks down, it releases moisture into the fat. This helps to soften the onions and prevents the garlic from burning. The flavor leans slightly more herbaceous and salty, completely missing the distinct grassy sweetness of a green bell pepper. But it performs the same structural job in the mirepoix.
Celery is very light on macronutrients. It provides just 14 calories, 0.69g of protein, 0.17g of fat, and 2.97g of carbohydrates per 100 grams (USDA FoodData Central).
Relying on this swap works exceptionally well for soups, stews, meatloaf, and classic mirepoix bases. Celery tends to fail completely in dry-heat applications like fajitas, stir-fries, or grilled vegetable skewers. When cooked aggressively without surrounding liquid, celery turns stringy, limp, and overwhelmingly fibrous. It will never develop the caramelized sweetness a pepper would. To keep celery crisp before cooking, the stalks do best wrapped tightly in aluminum foil in the refrigerator.
Carrots Bring Back the Sweetness
Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are significantly sweeter than their green counterparts. When a recipe specifically relies on that high sugar content, carrots step in and perform brilliantly.
A 1:1 ratio of carrots chopped into matchsticks, thin coins, or fine dice works nicely. The density of a raw carrot mimics the satisfying snap of a fresh bell pepper. Because carrots contain 9.58g of carbohydrates per 100 grams—more than double the 4.64g found in a green bell pepper—they effortlessly replicate that caramelized sweetness when roasted or sautéed in a hot pan (USDA FoodData Central). They also provide 41 calories, 0.93g of protein, and 0.24g of fat per 100 grams.
You will notice a heavier, denser texture. A carrot does not have the hollow, watery structure of a pepper. It requires a slightly longer cooking time to reach the same level of tenderness. It lacks acidity. The vegetable offers an earthy sweetness instead of a sharp bite.
This swap shines in stir-fries, raw salads, and fresh dipping platters where crunch is paramount. Carrots are a terrible choice for chili, savory tomato sauces, or Cajun dishes. The concentrated sugars in a carrot can easily throw a savory, spicy flavor profile completely out of balance. This turns a rich stew into something unpleasantly sweet. Carrots can be kept submerged in water in the fridge if they need to be revived before cooking.
Zucchini Shines on the Grill
Think about what happens when you grill a bell pepper over an open flame. It softens, chars beautifully on the edges, and absorbs smoke. Zucchini behaves almost exactly the same way when exposed to high heat.
A 1.5-to-1 ratio (one and a half cups of zucchini for every cup of bell pepper) accounts for the fact that zucchini shrinks significantly more during cooking. It works effectively due to its high water content, which prevents it from drying out on a grill grate or in a roasting pan. The flavor is much milder. It skews slightly nutty and sweet compared to the bright, acidic astringency of a roasted pepper.
From a nutritional standpoint, raw zucchini is very light. It provides 17 calories, 1.21g of protein, 0.32g of fat, and just 3.11g of carbohydrates per 100 grams (USDA FoodData Central).
Slicing it into thick planks for grilling, tossing it into a summer pasta Primavera, or threading it onto kebabs highlights its best traits. It absorbs marinades and vinaigrettes beautifully. Zucchini is a disastrous idea for a raw substitute in tacos, sandwiches, or salads. Its spongy, slightly squeaky texture feels unpleasant when uncooked. It entirely lacks the sharp, definitive crunch needed to cut through heavy meats or rich dressings. Zucchini should be stored whole and unwashed until the exact moment it needs to be sliced for the recipe.
Bok Choy Stems Work for Stir-Fries
Most people only think about the leafy green part of bok choy. The thick white stems are structural marvels in the kitchen.
A simple 1:1 ratio of diced or sliced stems in place of bell peppers gets the job done perfectly. The stems provide an intense, satisfying crunch that easily survives the high heat of a wok. They taste like a cross between mild cabbage and water chestnuts. They completely lack the aromatic, grassy bite of a bell pepper, but they offer the exact same physical texture.
Nutritionally, bok choy is highly efficient for volume eating. A 100-gram serving of raw bok choy contains just 13 calories, 1.5g of protein, 0.2g of fat, and a mere 2.18g of carbohydrates (USDA FoodData Central). It brings substantial water weight and fiber with almost zero caloric density.
This is the ultimate substitute for Asian-inspired dishes like pepper steak, lo mein, Kung Pao chicken, or any high-heat stir-fry where a vegetable needs to stay crisp. It fails completely in Western or Latin American dishes. Adding bok choy stems to a Creole gumbo, an Italian sausage hero, or a Mexican fajita platter will result in a confusing clash of cuisines. Bok choy maintains that crucial stem crispness when stored unwashed in a perforated plastic bag.
Jalapeños Work for Tiny Diced Volumes
Sometimes a recipe calls for diced bell peppers simply to add a confetti-like visual appeal and a tiny bit of vegetal flavor to a dish like cornbread or a cheese dip. When bulk volume does not matter, jalapeños can step in.
A 1:4 ratio (one-quarter cup of diced jalapeño for every cup of bell pepper) is necessary here. You cannot swap them 1:1 unless you want an inedibly spicy dish. Jalapeños bring a bright, grassy flavor that is almost identical to a green bell pepper, just with a massive spike in capsaicin. Averaging 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, they pack a serious punch. By removing the seeds and the white placental ribs before dicing, a significant portion of that heat is mitigated.
A 100-gram serving of raw jalapeños contains 29 calories, 0.91g of protein, 0.37g of fat, and 6.5g of carbohydrates (USDA FoodData Central).
They are brilliant when finely minced into cornbread batter, scattered over nachos, folded into macaroni and cheese, or mixed into a fresh pico de gallo where a green bell pepper was originally requested. They fail miserably if used as a bulk vegetable. Jalapeños cannot replace bell peppers in a stir-fry, a fajita skillet, or a roasted vegetable medley, as the sheer volume of heat will render the entire meal impossible to eat. Jalapeños stay fresh longer when kept dry in the fridge to prevent shriveling.
Bottom Line
The bell pepper is often treated as an afterthought in American kitchens, tossed into recipes just for color. But once you try to replace it, you realize how much heavy lifting it actually does. Between its water content, its structural integrity, and its specific balance of sugar and grassy bitterness, it occupies a very specific culinary niche. Swapping it out successfully just requires deciding which of those traits your meal actually needs.