How do you cook peppers and onions for fajitas?

Slice them into thick strips with the grain, cook them in a screaming-hot, uncrowded pan with a thin film of oil, and salt only at the end. Let them sit undisturbed so they char, and cook them separately from the meat.

Why are my fajita vegetables soggy?

The pan or surface was too cool or too crowded, or you salted them too early — all of which make the vegetables release water and steam. Use high heat, don’t crowd, and salt at the end.

What are the best peppers for fajitas?

A mix of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers is sweeter and more colorful than green; poblanos add a mild, earthy chile flavor. Slice whichever you use into thick strips.

Peppers & onions

Fajita vegetables done right

The peppers and onions are half the plate, and getting them charred and tender-crisp instead of soggy is mostly technique. Here's how to slice, which peppers to buy, and how to cook them on the stove, in the oven, on the griddle, or in the air fryer — fresh or frozen.

How to cook them Best peppers

The whole game is avoiding steam

Vegetables release water when they heat, and that water is the enemy of char. Slice them into thick strips with the grain, cook them in a screaming-hot, uncrowded pan or surface, resist stirring so they blister, and salt only at the end. Cook them separately from the meat so their moisture never drowns the sear. Those four rules apply on the stove, in the oven, on a griddle, or in an air fryer.

The essentials

Choosing & cooking

How to cook themSlicing, heat, timing, and the salt trick.Best peppersWhich peppers to buy and why.Stop the sogThe fixes for soggy fajita vegetables.

By method

Stove, oven, griddle, air fryer

In the ovenRoasted peppers and onions for a crowd.On the griddleCharred vegetables on a flat top.On the grillSmoky charred planks, sliced after cooking.In the air fryerFast, crisp vegetables in small batches.From frozenHow to make frozen veg not soggy.

Gear & pantry

Knives, boards & pans

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Common questions

How do you cook peppers and onions for fajitas?: Slice them into thick strips with the grain, cook them in a screaming-hot, uncrowded pan with a thin film of oil, and salt only at the end. Let them sit undisturbed so they char, and cook them separately from the meat.
Why are my fajita vegetables soggy?: The pan or surface was too cool or too crowded, or you salted them too early — all of which make the vegetables release water and steam. Use high heat, don’t crowd, and salt at the end.
What are the best peppers for fajitas?: A mix of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers is sweeter and more colorful than green; poblanos add a mild, earthy chile flavor. Slice whichever you use into thick strips.