Shishito Peppers are one of my all-time favorite snacks. They’re healthy, delicious, and insanely easy to make.
We love them roasted, grilled, or sautéed…and we especially love them with this sweet and savory soy glaze. They’re the perfect snack to nibble on with a glass of wine and they make a great side dish, too!
Whether you’re new to shishitos or just looking for a new way to enjoy them, I promise you’ll LOVE the flavors in this recipe. You won’t believe just how easy it is to make this delicious, restaurant-quality appetizer right in your own kitchen.
I’ll never forget the first time I tried shishitos. I was out with a friend, grabbing a drink, and we decided to order a couple appetizers to share. One of them, of course, being shishito peppers.
I’m pretty sure I ate waaaaay more than my share of them. Honestly, I couldn’t get enough. Just like that….I was sold.
And then the unthinkable happened. I went back to the restaurant….with those yummy peppers on my mind….and they had taken them off the menu. Which could only mean one thing: clearly I needed to make my own.
And now that I know how to make them? I’ve been making them non-stop. Not only because they’re the quickest snack ever, and one I don’t feel bad about indulging in, but because I’m obsessed with the glaze! It’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory with just a touch of spice….and it gives these peppers the BEST flavor.
Make them as an appetizer, a side dish, or a healthy snack. Whatever you do…just make them!
What are shishito peppers?
Shishito peppers are a small, mild chili pepper that’s harvested while green and often used in East Asian cooking.
How spicy are they?
In general, they’re known as a mild variety of pepper. As compared to jalapeños, the typical shishito is 13 to 160 times milder. However, one out of every 10-20 is spicier….so be prepared!
How to cook them:
The main goal in cooking shishitos is to blister the skin, so you’ll want to cook them over high heat and be sure to rotate so that all sides of the pepper touch the hot pan. They can be grilled, oven-roasted, broiled, or sautéed. However you choose to cook them, keep in mind that cooking them over high heat for a short amount of time will yield the best results.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. shishito peppers
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
How to make the soy glaze:
- Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 10 minutes or until reduced by half. (*Note: the longer you let the glaze reduce, the thicker and sweeter it will be.)
Where do you buy them?
You can typically find them at Whole Foods, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Amazon. They’re also available at other various specialty grocers.
When are they in season?
They’re available year round, but in season during summer and early fall.
Other ways to prepare them:
- Roast them in the oven, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Grill them and serve them with your favorite dipping sauce
- Broil them over high heat, then toss them with olive oil and your favorite seasonings
Seriously….these peppers are the best. And they were inspired, not only by one of my favorite restaurant appetizers, but by a recent trip I took with Best Food Facts and the United Soybean Board.
If you’ve never heard of Best Food Facts, it’s a great resource for finding objective, fact-based information about food…so you can make better informed decisions for you and your family.
In recent years I’ve had a LOT of questions about soy, based on things I’ve read and things I’ve heard from friends or family members. On my trip I learned about the many health benefits of soy, and was able to put to rest some of my concerns.
I learned that soy may help build strong bones because of isoflavones and other components which are found naturally in it. It has also been shown to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol without affecting HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Research also suggests that soy may help lower the risk of various types of cancer, including prostate, colon and breast cancer.
In terms of the concern over soy foods being feminizing for men because of estrogen, I learned that soy foods don’t actually contain the hormone estrogen. They contain isoflavones, which are phytoestrogens, that are structurally similar to estrogen but function more weakly. Overall, I learned that this concern is more of a misunderstanding than anything.
To hear more about my trip, and get another of my favorite soy recipes, check out my post on Pad Thai!
More vegetable recipes:
- Honey Soy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic Roasted Asparagus
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower
- Maple Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Parmesan Roasted Green Beans
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Butternut Squash
Soy Glazed Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
- 12 oz. shishito peppers
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1/4 c. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Toss peppers in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from heat.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add peppers to hot pan, turning regularly, until skin begins to blister on all sides. (*Note: these peppers cook quickly. Mine were ready after just 2-3 minutes.)
- Remove from heat, add sauce, and toss to coat.
Nutrition
Shishito Peppers are one of my all-time favorite snacks. They’re healthy, delicious, and insanely easy to make. We love them roasted, grilled, or sautéed…and we especially love them with this sweet and savory soy glaze. They’re the perfect snack to nibble on with a glass of wine and they make a great side dish, too!
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