7 Types of Sweet Peppers
Sweet peppers are the best vehicles for stuffing, grilling, or pickling thanks to their dynamic, easygoing flavor profiles that won’t overwhelm other ingredients. Here are some of the main types of sweet peppers:

Anaheim. Anaheim peppers are mild green chili peppers with a bright, tangy crunch when raw, and mellow sweetness when roasted. The native California peppers are big enough to be used in stuffed pepper dishes like chile rellenos. They have a flexible flavor that can work in place of bell peppers for recipes that call for a little heat, like jambalaya or paella.
Banana. Banana peppers, also known as Hungarian Sweets, yellow wax peppers, or banana chilies, are a mild pepper that comes in shades of bright yellow to pale green. Banana peppers have smooth skin, and a long, even shape that resembles a banana. They’re most frequently pickled and sliced into banana pepper rings, or left whole and stuffed for antipasti.
Bell. The bell pepper (or sweet pepper) is technically a colorful summer fruit that falls under the culinary classification of a vegetable due to its texture and taste. Bell peppers clock in at zero on the Scoville scale (a tool that measures the spiciness or pungency of hot peppers) and are a perennial fixture in the produce aisle. Flavors range from bitter and grassy to tangy to sweet; Green bell peppers feature a more bitter flavor profile; Orange and yellow bell peppers are sweeter than green, while the red bell pepper has the sweetest taste of all the bell peppers. Despite their naturally sweet taste, red bell peppers only contain two grams of sugar per serving and are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Cherry. The quintessential sweet and spicy pepper, cherry peppers (also known as pimientos or pimentos) are tiny, but pack a huge punch—condensing all the bright sweetness of a red bell pepper down into a smaller package with a bit of an afterburn. Cherry peppers are perfect for pickling or slicing and incorporating into salads or sandwiches. Thanks to their high sugar content, cherry peppers are ideal for roasting. Charring their skin brings out a deep, earthy sweetness that’s great on its own, maybe with a drizzle of olive oil and a little soft cheese on the side.
Cubanelle. Green cubanelle peppers, also known as Italian frying peppers or sweet Italian long peppers, are a popular side dish when sliced and seared in olive oil, not unlike the spicier East Asian shishito pepper.
Pepperoncini. Pepperoncini peppers, also known as friggitelli or Golden Greeks (a slightly sweeter variety), are a sweet Italian pepper most associated with Tuscany. Pepperoncini have slightly wrinkled skin and grow in a crimped, folded shape. If allowed, they can ripen to a red color. The sweet peppers’ flavors are greatly concentrated by pickling, making them an ideal vehicle for heat on a dish like pizza. These sweet peppers may go by the name pepperoncini in the United States, but they are not the same as the Italian peperoncini—a general term for hot and sweet chili peppers, such as Calabrian chilies.
Poblano. Poblano peppers are an invaluable ingredient in Mexican cuisine. These green peppers are mild in heat but bold in flavor. The spice levels of this pepper can vary widely (the ripe reddish version tends to be the hottest). While poblanos are widely known for their role as a vehicle for chile rellenos, they can also make a great addition to guacamole soup. Learn more about poblano peppers in our complete guide here.