Shishito Tempura (Japanese Fried Shishito Peppers)

A recipe for Shishito Tempura (Japanese Fried Shishito Peppers)! These peppers are coated in a light tempura batter and fried until crisp.

I added a shishito plant to my garden for the first time this year and it may just be my most prolific vegetable this season!

I usually sauté or roast the peppers with soy sauce and other seasonings, but also love to dip them in a light batter and deep-fry to make Shishito Tempura (ししとうの天ぷら).

Simply coat each whole pepper in the batter and fry until crisp with a light golden color, about 3-5 minutes.

Serve the Shishito Tempura with a light sprinkling of salt or alongside a traditional Tentsuyu (Tempura Dipping Sauce) for an appetizer or side paired with drinks.

You could also use them as a topping for udon and other noodle soups or as a part of a bento or larger tempura assortment.

Shishito Peppers

The Shishito Pepper is known as shishito (獅子唐, ししとう) in Japan and kkwari-gochu (꽈리고추) in Korea. These light green, slightly wrinkled peppers are about 3-4 inches (7.6-10 centimeters) long with a thin skin and usually mild, slightly sweet flavor. They do turn red with maturity, but are usually picked with green.

The peppers generally are mild, but you may come across one that has a surprising level of spice. I often see the statistic of 1 out of every 10, but I personally have yet to try a really spicy one.

Shishito can be found in the produce section of markets with East Asian ingredients and some larger grocery stores.

For those in Northern Virginia, I have gotten them at Marufuji Japanese Market in Vienna and Wegmans in Chantilly. For those in Los Angeles, I would usually see them at Mitsuwa Marketplace or Tokyo Central in Torrance.

When growing in my garden, I order the seeds from Kitazawa Seed Co. or Baker Creek Seeds.

A Few Shishito Tempura Tips

Pat the peppers completely dry after washing to remove all moisture. Prick the side of each pepper a couple of times with a toothpick or sharp knife. This will help prevent them from popping and splattering in the oil. I still like to cover the pan with a splatter guard for added protection.

I kept the stems on to easily dip the peppers in the batter and oil. You can also remove the stems and seeds if desired before coating and use chopsticks to transfer the peppers.

Do not bring together the batter until immediately before frying. The batter is best mixed very briefly with chopsticks. Take care to not over-mix or the texture will become too chewy. There should still be a few small lumps.

Make sure to use ice-cold water. It helps create that notable light, crisp texture.

If the batter is too thick when coating the peppers, mix in a little more cold water (not too much!). If too thin to stick, add a little more flour.

Fry the Shishito in batches, taking care to not crowd the pan. Bring the temperature of the oil back up to around 360˚F (185˚C), no higher, before frying the next batch. If the oil is too cold, the peppers will soak in the oil and not become tender. If too hot, the batter will brown before the interior gets a chance to heat through and become tender.

Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to remove the pieces of batter that accumulate in the oil during frying before they become too dark. These fried pieces (tenkasu) can be saved for future use such as sprinkling on noodles like this Hiyashi Tanuki Udon, topping sushi, or other dishes.

Looking for more Japanese recipes?

Try my:

• Chahan (Japanese Fried Rice)
• Sweet Potato Tempura
• Hayashi Rice (Japanese Hashed Beef Rice)

This recipe was originally posted in August 2017 and updated in April 2025 with metric measurements and new photos.

Shishito Tempura (Japanese Fried Shishito Peppers) Recipe

Adapted from My Japanese Table

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Shishito Tempura (Japanese Fried Shishito Peppers)

A recipe for Shishito Tempura (Japanese Fried Shishito Peppers)! These peppers are coated in a light tempura batter and fried until crisp.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Japan, Japanese, pepper, shishito pepper, tempura

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 15-20 shishito peppers
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) ice water
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) cake flour
• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch
• salt or dipping sauce for serving

Instructions

• Wash the shishito peppers and pat dry with a towel to remove all moisture. Prick each pepper a couple of times with a toothpick or sharp knife along the sides. This will help keep them from bursting.
• Pour the oil in a large saucepan or wok to about 2 inches (5 centimeters) deep and heat to 360˚F (185˚C).
• In a large bowl, beat together the water and egg yolk until frothy.
• Whisk in the flour and cornstarch using chopsticks until just combined, but not completely smooth, no more than a minute.
• Dip a pepper into the batter to coat completely, allow any excess to drip off, then place in the heated oil. Repeat with more peppers, taking care to not crowd the pan.
• Cover the pan with a splatter guard.
• If the batter is too thick when coating the peppers, mix in a little more ice cold water. If too thin and falling off, mix in a little more flour.
• Fry until golden on all sides, 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a towel-lined plate or rack. Repeat with remaining peppers, letting the oil get back to 360˚F (185˚C) between batches.
• Serve immediately with a sprinkling of salt or alongside desired dipping sauce.