Autumn has arrived, and after the harvest, you’ve realized you have far more chili peppers than you can consume fresh? This story repeats itself every year, which is why we’re summarizing the best ways to preserve chili peppers for the rest of the year in one place. We all know that the season lasts an ultra-short 3-4 months, and for the rest of the year, we need to be prepared not to run out of spiciness.
Food without spiciness makes as much sense as an inflatable anchor, so be sure to get ready. Of course, if you don’t mind running out or simply don’t feel like preserving peppers, our webshop is always here.
If you’ve decided to preserve the peppers, below are 9 ways to do it at home, starting from simpler methods to more complicated ones.
1. Freezing Chili Peppers
The simplest method is freezing chili peppers. Chili peppers will lose their firmness through freezing and become mushy after thawing, but the taste, spiciness, and aroma remain.
You can freeze them whole, sliced, or even after blending and placing them in an ice cube tray, which is very convenient for cooking. Frozen peppers can be safely stored until the next season (up to 12 months).
After that period, they will still be good, but soon after, they will dehydrate significantly, and their properties won’t be as expected.
2. Make a Chili Pepper Sauce
There’s no wrong recipe for spicy sauce; make it the way you want and with the additions you like. Read more about preparing the sauce on our blog – “Recipe for a Spicy Sauce Anyone Can Make at Home.”
3. Drying Whole Chili Peppers
Drying peppers is a simple but time-consuming process. You can do it at home in the oven or with a small dehydrator. If you’re drying whole peppers, expect the drying process at 50°C to take about 72 hours.
Avoid exposing them to higher temperatures, as the peppers will lose their properties, and the capsaicin will burn, resulting in terribly bitter and visually unappealing peppers.
Remove the stems from the peppers before drying as it will be much harder later.
Avoid drying peppers directly in the sun as UV rays will destroy their color and properties. Air drying is possible, but you need to have very good conditions for it (low humidity) as otherwise, the peppers may develop mold and you’ll have to discard them.
After drying, it’s important to store the peppers in a container where they won’t have access to air; otherwise, they may absorb moisture and potentially spoil due to mold.
4. Ground Dried Chili Peppers
Unlike drying whole peppers, the drying process here is much faster (up to 48 hours at 50°C) because they are sliced before drying, which speeds up the process. After drying in the oven or dehydrator, you can grind them in a good blender or coffee grinder.
Note that you should be prepared to buy a new blender or coffee grinder because the old one won’t be usable for its primary purpose anymore.
When grinding, make sure the lid of the blender/grinder is tightly closed, as the dust created could cause problems not only for you but for the entire neighborhood.
Also, after turning off the grinder/blender, wait at least 30 seconds before opening if you value your life. Store ground dried peppers in a sealed container without access to air as dried peppers easily absorb moisture.
5. Pickled Chili Peppers
This is one of the most classic methods of preserving chili peppers for the winter, and we’ve written about it several times before, so to avoid repetition, below are the links to the blogs:
- Pickling Hot Peppers and Chili Peppers
- Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
- Pickled Cucumbers or Fermented Pickles + 3 Recipes – the fermentation process for peppers is the same as for cucumbers
6. Chili Peppers in Oil – CAUTION
First, an extremely important note when it comes to preserving any ingredients in oil. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU PUT FRESH VEGETABLES IN OIL BECAUSE YOU COULD DIE.
Namely, when preserving fresh vegetables in oil, there is a risk of botulism development, which is fatal in many cases because there are no changes in the appearance and taste of the food, so you don’t know you’ve been poisoned until you start experiencing symptoms.
Botulism is very rare but also extremely deadly, so it’s not worth the risk. Also, high temperatures do not kill the bacteria spores that produce the toxin, so pasteurization/sterilization won’t help.
Ok, now after this drastic warning, I can explain how you can safely preserve chili peppers in oil. The first way is to pickle the peppers before putting them in oil – that means, soak them in vinegar (you can add sugar and salt for better taste) for at least 72 hours, and then store them in oil. The second way is to store them dried in oil. Both methods are safe.
Regarding general recipe advice, my favorite combination is to roast the peppers, soak them in vinegar, and after they’re pickled, store them in sterilized jars where additional dried herbs (garlic, oregano, rosemary, basil) are added between layers, and oil is poured over each layer.
Never put the peppers first and then pour oil over them because air can remain between the peppers, which can lead to mold development.
If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll get extremely tasty preserves. Perhaps the warnings sound drastic, but it’s really not difficult to follow the instructions for safely preserving in oil. It’s preferable to store chili peppers preserved in oil in the refrigerator and consume them within 3 months.
7. Chili Pepper Jam
Making jam with chili peppers is similar to making any other jam, but (who would have guessed) with chili peppers. The process is similar to cooking hot sauce, the only difference being that you add pectin at one point to achieve that jelly-like texture, and you use a bit more sugar.
For those wondering about combinations to enjoy with spicy jam, here’s a tip – focus on savory, meaty dishes. If various jams made from plums and cranberries work wonders with meat, imagine the flavor explosion with sweet-spicy jam with the citrusy flavor of fatalii or the fruity aroma of habanero!
So, all you need to do for jam is chop the peppers and cook them with sugar, vinegar, and salt, then later add pectin. After about 15 minutes, your jam should be ready. You can then transfer it to sterilized jars, pasteurize it, and store it for a long time.
8. Chili Pepper Confit
A very interesting way to prepare chili peppers is confit, but you should combine it with freezing the peppers because the shelf life of confit is not long. It will only last a few weeks in the refrigerator.
The recipe is simple: in a deep dish, place chili peppers, garlic, salt, and spices, and completely cover them with oil of your choice. Place them in an oven preheated to 90°C and bake for an hour and a half to two hours, until all the vegetables soften.
After that, store everything together in a container with a lid and place it in the refrigerator. The advantage of this method is the excellent flavor obtained by gently frying the peppers, garlic, and spices. You can use confit as an excellent gourmet addition to dishes, and if you haven’t tried it, it will be a discovery for you.
Also try our best homemade hot sauce recipe!
9. Incorporate Peppers into Your Meals
Try some of our spicy recipes or get creative in the kitchen!
for more ideas, check out our chili pepper products:
