Food and Recipes Veggies Peppers How Long Do Bell Peppers Last In The Fridge? Refrigerating bell peppers ensures their signature crisp texture lasts as long as possible. By Kait Hanson Kait Hanson Kait Hanson is a lifestyle reporter with more than ten years of experience writing stories on entertainment, travel, food and more. Her work has been featured by Vanity Fair, CNN, TIME, TODAY and more. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on October 27, 2023 Fact checked by Khara Scheppmann Fact checked by Khara Scheppmann Khara Scheppmann has 12 years of marketing and advertising experience, including proofreading and fact-checking. She previously worked at one of the largest advertising agencies in the southwest. brand's fact checking process In This Article View All In This Article How Long Do Bell Peppers Last? Do Green Peppers Last Longer? The Best Storage Tips How To Know If They've Gone Bad There is nothing like a stocked refrigerator full of fresh produce after a trip to the grocery store or farmers market. Keeping produce refrigerated helps maintain freshness and prolong shelf life, but the length of time any one fruit or vegetable can stay in the fridge varies. Refrigerating bell peppers ensures that the flavor and texture will remain, which is great because there is certainly no shortage of bell pepper recipes to enjoy. However, refrigerated bell peppers do come with an expiration date. When stored properly in the refrigerator, bell peppers can last up to two weeks. How Long Do Bell Peppers Last In The Fridge? According to FoodSafety.gov’s FoodKeeper app, developed by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, bell peppers can last in the refrigerator between four and fourteen days when refrigerated properly from the date of purchase. The length of time a bell pepper stays fresh and safe to eat is dependent upon several factors, including the ripeness when purchased and if the bell pepper has been cut yet. Cut peppers, for instance, will stay fresh in the refrigerator for three to five days. Do Green Bell Peppers Last Longer In The Fridge? Yes, green peppers last longer in the refrigerator than their red, orange, and yellow bell pepper counterparts. This is because green peppers are picked before they ripen. If left on the vine to ripen, green bell peppers become yellow, then orange, and finally red. The Best Storage Tips For Bell Peppers Storing In the Fridge The best place to store bell peppers inside your refrigerator to ensure the longest possible shelf life is in the crisper drawer. The crisper drawer helps control the levels of humidity that items inside are exposed to, thereby extending the life of your produce. The FDA reminds consumers to wash produce before storing and keeping all ready-to-eat produce separate from raw meats that may contaminate your food. Storing On the Counter If you plan to use your bell peppers within a day or two, leaving them on the counter should be safe as long as the peppers have not been cut. Keeping bell peppers on the counter for longer periods of time promotes mold and bacteria growth that can lead to decay. How To Tell If A Bell Pepper Has Gone Bad At their freshest, bell peppers are firm and slightly heavy. The skin will be firm and the stem will be green. So how will you know if your bell pepper has gone bad? The first sign of rotten or decaying bell peppers is brown, wrinkly spots on the skin. Peppers that are going bad (or that could be past their prime entirely) may also start to smell or show visible signs of mold. 15 Recipes Where Bell Pepper Is The Star Ingredient Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Southern Living is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. FoodSafety.gov. Foodkeep app. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Selecting and serving produce safely.