Mild Peppers to Try: Bell or Pimento for No Heat, Cubanelle for Frying

How should you choose a mild pepper?

A useful mild-pepper choice starts with shape, wall thickness, and preparation. Iowa State University Extension separates common peppers by those traits as well as pungency. Its table lists bell peppers as thick-walled and sweet, Cubanelle peppers as thin-walled and suited to fresh or processed uses, and poblano and Anaheim types as mild.

This approach is more reliable than a ranked list. A thick bell pepper holds a filling. A thin Cubanelle cooks quickly in a skillet. A poblano brings modest heat. They solve different problems.

For no heat: bell and pimento

Bell pepper is the clear zero-heat choice. Iowa State lists it at 0 SHU and describes the fruit as large, blocky, and thick-walled. Use it raw when crunch matters, or roast and cook it when sweetness and body matter. Green bells are immature fruit. Fully colored bells are usually slightly sweeter.

Pimento occupies the next documented band at 0 to 500 SHU. Iowa State describes pimento fruit as heart-shaped, thick-walled, and sweet. It works when a cook wants a smaller sweet pepper for roasting, processing, or a compact stuffed preparation.

Sweet banana peppers are another low-heat option. Iowa State lists Sweet Banana among recommended sweet cultivars. Check the label, because Hungarian wax peppers can look similar and Iowa State places that type anywhere from mild to hot.

For frying: Cubanelle

Cubanelle has thin flesh, an elongated, slightly wrinkled shape, and about 500 to 1,000 SHU in Iowa State's heat table. University of Florida Extension describes it as sweet and very mild and says it is widely used in Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican cooking, especially for frying and cooking.

Use Cubanelle when you want strips that soften quickly without the bulk of a bell pepper. Its thin wall also means it will not support a heavy filling as well as a bell or a broad poblano.

For roasting or stuffing: poblano and Anaheim

Iowa State places both poblano and Anaheim peppers at 1,000 to 2,500 SHU. That is enough warmth to notice while remaining far below its published jalapeno band of 2,500 to 10,000 SHU.

Poblanos are large and blocky, which makes them practical for roasting and stuffing. Anaheims are long, thin, and tapering, so they suit strips, chopped fillings, and sauces. The choice depends on the shape the recipe needs rather than a claim that one tastes universally better.

Can a mild pepper still turn out hot?

SHU bands describe a type, not every pod. Growing conditions, cultivar, and ripeness can shift pungency, and diners differ in sensitivity. Taste a small piece before mixing a pepper through the entire dish. When serving people who avoid heat, keep the hot component separate.

Wear gloves if a pod may be hot. Iowa State notes that capsaicinoids form in glands on the placental tissue, while seeds can pick up capsaicin from contact. Removing the seeds alone therefore does not remove all heat.

How should you buy and store mild peppers?

Choose firm peppers without soft, wet, or collapsed areas. Iowa State says peppers may be harvested green or fully colored and can be eaten fresh, dried, frozen, pickled, or processed into sauce. For long storage, follow a tested method: the National Center for Home Food Preservation directs cooks to wash hot peppers, remove stems, package without headspace, seal, and freeze.

Frozen peppers soften after thawing, which is acceptable for sauces, soups, and cooked fillings. Keep fresh peppers for dishes where crisp texture matters.