In this article
- Do bell peppers have fiber? A color by color breakdown
- How cooking changes the fiber in peppers
- Bell peppers next to other high fiber vegetables
- What else a cup of red pepper brings
- Bell peppers, fiber and your digestion
- One stuffed pepper dinner, counted
- Picking the right pepper for the job
- What people ask about fiber in bell peppers
- Sources
Do bell peppers have fiber? They do, but the color in your hand changes the number more than you might expect. Per 100 grams, USDA lists 2.1 grams for raw red bell pepper and only 0.9 grams for raw yellow.
Green lands in between at 1.7 grams. So a crunchy red pepper gives you more than twice the fiber of a yellow one of the same weight, while all three stay well under 30 calories per 100 grams.
Do bell peppers have fiber? A color by color breakdown
Fiber is the part of plant foods your body can’t digest or absorb, according to Mayo Clinic. It moves through your gut mostly intact, which is why it helps with regularity and keeps meals filling.
Bell peppers carry a modest amount of it, wrapped in a lot of water. A raw red pepper is about 92% water by weight, so the fiber comes with very few calories attached.
Here is how the main colors and cooking methods compare in USDA FoodData Central, all per 100 grams:
| Bell pepper (per 100 g) | Fiber | Calories | Vitamin C | Vitamin A (RAE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red, raw | 2.1 g | 26 | 128 mg | 157 µg |
| Green, raw | 1.7 g | 20 | 80 mg | 18 µg |
| Yellow, raw | 0.9 g | 27 | 184 mg | 10 µg |
| Red, boiled and drained | 1.2 g | 28 | 171 mg | 147 µg |
| Red, sautéed | 1.8 g | 133 | 163 mg | 138 µg |
Two patterns stand out. Red wins on fiber and on vitamin A, with roughly nine times the vitamin A of green, while yellow is the vitamin C leader despite having the least fiber.
Fiber in peppers by the cup and by the pepper
Most people eat peppers by the handful, not by the 100 gram portion. Using USDA values, here’s what common amounts work out to:
- 1 cup chopped raw red pepper (149 g): about 3.1 g fiber and 39 calories, the same figures the Dietary Guidelines list
- 1 cup sliced raw red pepper (92 g): about 1.9 g fiber and 24 calories
- 1 cup chopped raw green pepper (149 g): about 2.5 g fiber and 30 calories
- 1 cup sliced raw green pepper (92 g): about 1.6 g fiber and 18 calories
- ½ cup chopped boiled red pepper (68 g): about 0.8 g fiber and 19 calories
The FDA’s raw vegetable label lists a medium bell pepper at 148 grams with 2 grams of fiber, or 8% of the Daily Value, plus 25 calories. At USDA’s red pepper rate, a pepper that size works out closer to 3.1 grams, with green near 2.5 and yellow near 1.3.
Chopped and sliced cups differ because slices pack loosely and leave air in the cup. If you track your intake, weighing is the most reliable way to match these numbers.
How cooking changes the fiber in peppers
Boiling and draining red peppers drops the listed fiber from 2.1 to 1.2 grams per 100 grams in USDA data. If fiber is your main goal, raw strips in a salad or on a snack plate give you the most per bite.
Sautéing tells a different story, and calories are the part to watch. A cup of chopped sautéed red pepper (106 g) has about 1.9 grams of fiber but 141 calories and 13.5 grams of fat, almost all of it from the cooking oil.
Compare that with 39 calories in a cup of raw chopped red pepper. Cooking in a teaspoon of oil instead of a generous pour keeps the vegetable light while still giving you that soft, sweet fajita texture.
Vitamin C reacts to heat too. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that vitamin C is water soluble and destroyed by heat, and that steaming or microwaving may cut down cooking losses compared with longer methods.
Bell peppers next to other high fiber vegetables
On fiber alone, bell peppers sit in the middle of the vegetable pack. The Dietary Guidelines’ fiber list gives these standard portions, and the last column shows how much fiber each delivers per 100 calories:
| Vegetable (DGA portion) | Fiber | Calories | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artichoke, 1 cup | 9.6 g | 89 | 10.8 g |
| Green peas, 1 cup | 8.8 g | 134 | 6.6 g |
| Brussels sprouts, 1 cup | 6.4 g | 65 | 9.8 g |
| Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup | 5.2 g | 54 | 9.6 g |
| Cauliflower, 1 cup | 4.9 g | 34 | 14.4 g |
| Carrots, cooked, 1 cup | 4.8 g | 54 | 8.9 g |
| Red bell pepper, raw, 1 cup | 3.1 g | 39 | 7.9 g |
| Asparagus, cooked, 1 cup | 2.9 g | 32 | 9.1 g |
| Onions, cooked, 1 cup | 2.9 g | 92 | 3.2 g |
A cup of peppers gives you less fiber than a cup of broccoli or Brussels sprouts. Its edge is how easy it is to eat raw in volume: slice it, pull out the seeds and it’s ready, at under 40 calories a cup.
Peppers also mix well with the heavier hitters. Adding a cup of chopped red pepper to a pan of roasted broccoli lifts the fiber of that side dish to about 8.3 grams.
How much fiber a day, and where peppers fit
Mayo Clinic suggests about 25 grams a day for women 50 and younger and 38 grams for men in that group, dropping to 21 and 30 grams after 50. The Daily Value on food labels is 28 grams.
Reaching 28 grams on red peppers alone would take about 9 cups chopped. That’s not the job they’re best suited for, but a cup at lunch and another at dinner adds about 6 grams, close to a quarter of the target.
Curious what your own number looks like? Our fiber calculator works it out from your age and a few other details.
What else a cup of red pepper brings
Fiber is the modest part of a bell pepper’s profile. Based on USDA values and FDA Daily Values, a cup of chopped raw red bell pepper (149 g) provides about:
- 191 mg of vitamin C, about 212% of the Daily Value
- 234 µg of vitamin A as RAE, about 26%
- 0.43 mg of vitamin B6, about 25%
- 68 µg DFE of folate, about 17%
- 2.4 mg of vitamin E, about 16%
- 314 mg of potassium, about 7%
The NIH vitamin C table lists half a cup of raw sweet red pepper at 95 milligrams, or 106% of the Daily Value. A medium orange comes in at 70 milligrams, so half a cup of red pepper beats a whole orange.
Green pepper is no slouch either, at 60 milligrams per half cup, 67% of the Daily Value. Its vitamin A is far lower than red’s, though: 18 micrograms per 100 grams compared with 157.
Bell peppers, fiber and your digestion
Mayo Clinic explains that fiber helps normalize bowel movements by adding bulk and softening stool. The high water content of peppers works in the same direction, since fiber needs fluid to do its job.
A cup of peppers on its own won’t fix a low fiber diet. Where it helps is as one of several plant foods across the day, alongside beans, whole grains and fruit.
If you’re raising your fiber quickly, Mayo advises adding it gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water, which gives your gut time to adjust and limits gas and bloating.
Building more fiber into your routine and want a gentle plan for your gut? Our gut health guides lay out a pace that keeps digestion comfortable.
One stuffed pepper dinner, counted
Picture a weeknight where you halve a red bell pepper, scoop out the seeds and fill it before it goes into the oven. The filling decides how far this plate goes on fiber.
Counting the pepper at its raw value, one serving adds up like this:
| Part of the dish | Amount | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red bell pepper | 1 medium (148 g) | 3.1 g | 38 |
| Lentils, cooked | ½ cup | 7.8 g | 115 |
| Bulgur, cooked | ½ cup | 4.1 g | 76 |
| Total | 15.0 g | 229 |
That single pepper carries about 54% of the 28 gram Daily Value for under 250 calories, before any cheese or sauce. Fill the same pepper with ground meat alone and most of that fiber disappears, since the lentils and bulgur supply about 80% of it.
For a snack version, pair a cup of sliced red pepper with half a cup of shelled edamame. That’s about 6.0 grams of fiber for roughly 118 calories, with crunch from the pepper and protein from the soybeans.
Looking for more stuffed peppers, fajitas and crunchy salads to rotate through your week? Our recipe eBooks have plenty of high-fiber ideas built around them.
Picking the right pepper for the job
Each color and cooking method trades one strength for another, so a simple rule makes the choice quick:
- If fiber is the goal, choose raw red peppers at 2.1 grams per 100 grams.
- If vitamin C matters most, choose raw yellow or red, both well above 120 milligrams per 100 grams.
- If you’re counting calories, choose raw green at 20 calories per 100 grams.
- If you want peppers cooked, steam or microwave them, or sauté in a small amount of oil to keep calories near the raw level.
When a recipe doesn’t care about color, reach for red. It leads on fiber and vitamin A and still supplies 128 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, which makes it the most well rounded pepper in the bag.
What people ask about fiber in bell peppers
How much fiber is in one bell pepper?
A medium bell pepper of about 148 grams has 2 grams of fiber on the FDA’s raw vegetable label, or 8% of the Daily Value. By USDA values, a red pepper that size comes closer to 3.1 grams.
Which color bell pepper has the most fiber?
Red does. USDA lists raw red bell pepper at 2.1 grams of fiber per 100 grams, green at 1.7 grams and yellow at 0.9 grams.
Are bell peppers a high fiber vegetable?
No, they’re moderate. A cup of chopped raw red pepper has about 3.1 grams, compared with 5.2 grams in a cup of cooked broccoli and 9.6 grams in a cup of artichoke.
Does cooking bell peppers lower their fiber?
Boiling does in USDA data, dropping red pepper from 2.1 to 1.2 grams per 100 grams. Sautéed red peppers keep about 1.8 grams per 100 grams but pick up extra calories from the oil.
How much fiber is in a green pepper?
A cup of chopped raw green pepper has about 2.5 grams of fiber and 30 calories. A cup of slices has about 1.6 grams.
Do bell peppers help with constipation?
They can help as part of a fiber rich diet, since fiber adds bulk and softens stool and peppers are about 92% water. A cup gives you only about 3 grams, so pair them with beans, whole grains and fruit.
Are bell peppers low in carbs?
Yes. Raw red bell pepper has about 6 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams, including 2.1 grams of fiber and 4.2 grams of sugar.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Peppers, sweet, red, raw (170108); green, raw (170427); yellow, raw (169383); red, cooked, boiled, drained (170110); red, sauteed (168550).” FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Nutrition Information for Raw Vegetables.” 2017. www.fda.gov
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” 2025. ods.od.nih.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic, 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
