Bell peppers are one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can add to your plate, but exactly how many calories you get depends on the color and the portion size. This Bell Calorie Calculator takes the guesswork out of tracking by estimating calories for green, red, yellow, or orange bell peppers in whatever amount you plan to eat — grams, ounces, chopped cups, or whole medium peppers.
Because each pepper color has a slightly different sugar and water content, values range from about 20 kcal per 100 g for green peppers to 31 kcal per 100 g for red peppers. The tool also displays protein, carbs, fat, fiber, and net carbs for your portion, which makes it handy for meal prep, calorie tracking, and healthy eating plans.
Use it when you're logging a salad, building a balanced stir-fry, or just curious about your afternoon snack. The results are instant, consistent, and based on standard USDA portion weights.
Bell Pepper Calorie Calculator
Choose a color and portion size to estimate calories and macros for raw bell peppers.
How the Calculator Works
Bell peppers have one of the lowest calorie densities in the produce aisle, but the exact number depends on the color you choose because riper peppers contain more natural sugar. The calculator converts your portion to grams, then applies average macronutrient values for that color. All base numbers come from standard food composition databases and represent the raw, edible portion of fresh bell pepper.
Net carbs = total carbs − fiber
Unit conversions are built in: 1 ounce equals 28.35 g, one loosely packed cup of chopped pepper equals about 149 g, and one whole medium pepper equals about 119 g. If you weigh your pepper on a kitchen scale, you can skip the estimates and type in the exact gram weight.
Reference Values at a Glance
The table below lists the average values per 100 g of raw pepper used by the calculator. Keep it handy for quick comparisons at the store or when logging a meal without the calculator open.
| Color | Calories | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Fiber (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 20 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.7 |
| Red | 31 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.1 |
| Yellow | 27 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 |
| Orange | 30 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.1 |
For a complete nutrient profile, search the USDA FoodData Central database, which is the source of most standard produce values.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Medium red pepper. A medium red bell pepper weighs about 119 g. Calories = 31 × 119 ÷ 100 = 36.9 kcal. Carbs come to 7.1 g, protein 1.2 g, fat 0.4 g, and fiber 2.5 g, so net carbs are about 4.6 g.
Example 2 — 1 cup of chopped green pepper. One loosely packed cup is about 149 g. Calories = 20 × 149 ÷ 100 = 29.8 kcal. Macros are 6.9 g carbs, 1.3 g protein, 0.3 g fat, and 2.5 g fiber.
Example 3 — 85 g of yellow pepper. With yellow values, Calories = 27 × 85 ÷ 100 = 23.0 kcal. Total carbs are about 4.5 g and fiber is about 1.4 g.
Example 4 — 4 oz of orange pepper. Four ounces equals 113.4 g. Calories = 30 × 113.4 ÷ 100 = 34.0 kcal, with 8.2 g of total carbs and 2.4 g of fiber.
Tips for Accurate Tracking
- Weigh in grams whenever possible. Cups and piece counts vary with chopping size, packing pressure, and the size of the pepper.
- Trim the stem, seeds, and white pith before weighing if you are logging the part you will actually eat.
- For a recipe that serves several people, weigh the whole cleaned pepper, divide the total by the number of servings, and log that number.
- If you are on a low-carb or keto plan, use the net carb figure. A large red pepper can contribute roughly 8 g of total carbs and 5 g of net carbs to your daily total.
- Stuffed peppers include rice, meat, cheese, and sauce. Use this calculator only for the pepper shell, then add the filling separately from package labels or recipe builders.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Selecting the wrong color in the dropdown. Red peppers have about 55% more calories than green peppers per 100 g, so the color choice matters.
- Packing the measuring cup tightly. Dense, pressed-in pieces weigh more than the standard 149 g cup estimate.
- Logging an entire pepper when you ate only a few strips. Weigh only the portion that reached your plate.
- Forgetting that roasted or sautéed peppers lose water. If you cook peppers, weigh them after cooking and use the same color values, or recalculate from a cooked-food entry.
- Ignoring added oil when sautéing. Pepper calories are low, but cooking oil adds about 120 kcal per tablespoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these values for raw or cooked peppers? The numbers are for raw, fresh peppers. Cooking removes water, so cooked peppers weigh less and contain more calories per gram. For the best estimate, weigh cooked peppers after cooking.
Why are red, yellow, and orange peppers higher in calories than green peppers? The warmer colors are riper. During ripening, starches convert to sugars and the fruit accumulates more soluble solids, which raises calories slightly and gives those peppers their sweeter flavor.
Can I use this calculator for mini sweet peppers or specialty varieties? Mini sweet peppers and standard bell peppers have broadly similar nutrition, but exact values can differ by cultivar and growing conditions. For precise tracking, check the nutrition label or look up the item in the USDA FoodData Central database.
What if I only have a food scale that shows ounces? Enter the weight in ounces and select the ounce unit. The tool converts ounces to grams at 28.35 g per ounce before applying the nutrition values.