16 Favorite Sweet Peppers to Grow

Sweet peppers are defined in part by what they're not: hot. Sweet peppers lack the chemical component capcaisin that gives chili peppers their heat. Many sweet pepper varieties are bell peppers — characterized by their rounded, bell-like shape — but not all. There are also sweet varieties of banana peppers; sweet elongated types like 'Cubanelle' and 'Giant Marconi'; shishito peppers (which are rarely hot); and even new heat-free hybrid jalapeños.

The peppers shown here are the 'Cajun Belle' variety, a small bell pepper that has a just-right blend of sweet flavor and flavorful bite that every member of the family will approve. This 2010 All-America Selections winner frequently has fruit on the plant in several shades: lime green, orange and bright red.

Read on for more of our favorite sweet peppers.

This 1928 heirloom and a favorite among gardeners across the country, 'Sweet California Wonder' produces a mass of blocky, 4-inch bell peppers. For a real treat, use 'Sweet California Wonder' in your favorite stuffed pepper recipe.

'Cabernet' delights with elongated, 8-inch long bell peppers. The fruits turn from a glossy green to red as they mature and taste very sweet. The plants are resistant to tobacco mosaic virus.

Tapered ‘Carmen’ fruits are a type of Italian “bull horn,” or corno di toro peppers, and they’re delicious when fried. The peppers turn from green to deep red as they mature and average about 6 inches long.