How to Dehydrate Jalapeno Peppers
Learning how to dry jalapenos is a great way to save your garden abundance for use all year long. The spicy, flavorful bites lend themselves to salsas, spicy blends, and more!
Whether your garden produces so many jalapenos that you feel you’re swimming in them, and you’ve made all the salsa, candied jalapenos, sweet and spicy pickles, or pico de gallo you can manage, here’s an alternative: dehydrate them.
Or maybe you’ve just found an awesome sale at the grocery store and want to preserve them in making jalapeno powder, jalapeno salt, to throw into a taco soup meal in a jar recipe, or any other meal that strikes your fancy!
Dried jalapenos, done in rings or in bits, are a great way to make them shelf-stable to use any time of the year to include in your favorite meals to give them a bit of a punch!
How to Dehydrate Jalapenos
Quick instructions: Slice or chop, dry at 125°F/52° until fully dry.
Instructions:
- Wash
- Slice into coins or chop into bits (I find my favorite food processor makes this easy). Seeds will naturally fall away during the process, but you may remove the membrane and seed structure before placing them into the food processor.
- Place onto dehydrator trays. You can pile the bits onto the trays as they shrink a lot while they dry.
- Dry at 125°F / 52°C for approximately 8-12 hours.
- Check for dryness. Rings or bits should be dry and easy to break.
- Condition. Shake in your jar once a day for 5-7 days to make sure no clumping or moisture issues are present. Put back into dehydrator if you find there are.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two years (your storage time may vary).
How to Condition
Conditioning dehydrated foods is a way to ensure you’re food is truly dry and to catch mold before it happens!
- Place dried food into a jar to allow movement. Do not add moisture absorbers or any other desiccant.
- Shake once a day for 5-7 days.
- Look for signs of sticking, clumping, or moisture buildup.
- If you have clumping or sticking to the side of a jar, if it is removed with a gentle shake, it is fine.
- If it takes significant shaking to remove it, or if it doesn’t unclump at all, place it back into the dehydrator to dry more.
- If you see mold of any kind, throw food away and sanitize the jar.
- Look for signs of sticking, clumping, or moisture buildup.
- Once complete, store in an airtight container in a dark, cool, dry.
Storing and Yields
Dehydrated jalapeno peppers should be stored in an airtight container and will last for about two years, optimally. However, you may get longer.
1 Cup of Diced Jalapenos = 1/3 Cup of dried pieces = 1 Tablespoon of Powder
These yields will also vary depending on the size of your jalapenos It isn’t an exact science – and since cooking is so forgiving, use how much you love!
Rehydrating Dried Peppers
Reconstituting peppers is easy but not always necessary.
If you are using them in a long simmer stovetop casserole or a soup/stew/chili, the rehydrating process will happen during the cooking time. Just toss them in!
However, if you want it for something more immediate, you’ll want to soak them in some water or broth and then put them into your dish. It takes about 20 minutes to rehydrate fully.
But remember – because they were raw, if you want them cooked, give them time to cook in the dish!
How to use dried jalapeno peppers
- Grind into a powder for a new spice.
- Rehydrate to use in salsas when you don’t have fresh.
- Add a handful to taco meat.
- Toss into chili or stews to kick up the spicy notch a bit.
- Add to cornbread for a little heat!
Pepper Powder
Dried green jalapenos make a tangy pepper powder similar to a spicy paprika.
Dried smoked red jalapenos are chipotle powder!
Any version in between also makes a wonderful spicy powder that will complement spice blends that you make yourself to flavor your favorite dishes.
- Fill your grinder or blender with the dried jalapeno pieces.
- Pulse until they are powdered.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a year. When you can’t identify a powder by its smell or taste, it’s time to compost and get another batch. Generally, store up to a year, but your mileage will always vary.
Darcy’s Tips
- Process into bits for those texturally challenged by biting into peppers. You still get the benefit of the spicy but not the bite.
- Wear gloves to protect your hands, and if doing powder, a mask to protect your face and lungs!
- Grind into powder for a jalapeno spice that adds all the flavor without any texture and can be incorporated into your favorite homemade spice blends for a kick!
- Try smoking or roasting your jalapenos for more of a smoky flavor. Using fully ripened red jalapenos to smoke will give you chipotles.
- Storing the dried pieces as they are is best for storage.
- This process will work with just about any pepper that you love!
More Pepper Ideas
- Dehydrating Sweet Peppers
- DIY Jalapeno Salt
- Dehydrating Bell Peppers & DIY Paprika
- Bulk Taco Seasoning Mix
How to Dehydrate Jalapenos
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- Jalapenos Use green or red
Instructions
- Wash
- Slice into coins or chop into bits.
- Place onto dehydrator trays. You can pile the bits onto the trays as they shrink a lot while they dry.
- Dry at 125°F / 52°C for approximately 8-12 hours.
- Check for dryness. Rings or bits should be dry and easy to break.
- Condition. Place in jar and shake for about 5 days to ensure that no clumps are forming. Place back into dehydrator if they do.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two years.
Video
Darcy’s Tips
-
- Wear gloves to protect your hands, and if doing powder, a mask to protect your face and lungs!
- Use a food processor to cut jalapenos into bits to help those who may have texture issues with biting into larger pieces.
- Grind into powder for a jalapeno spice that adds all the flavor without any texture and can be incorporated into your favorite homemade spice blends for a kick!
- Try smoking or roasting your jalapenos for more of a smoky flavor. Using fully ripened red jalapenos to smoke will give you chipotles.
- Storing the dried pieces as they are is best for storage.
- Rehydrate in water for about 15 minutes before using in a dish if necessary.
- This process will work with just about any pepper that you love!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.
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More Questions and Answers
YES! Save jalapenos through the growing season by freezing them whole. Thaw before preparation.
Yes, you can. However, the pickling taste is different than a dried jalapeno pepper, so be careful what you add it to.
Air drying jalapenos has been a traditional way of drying for centuries. Use a strong string and use clothes hangers to attach the peppers to the string. Be sure not to let them touch, which can trap moisture and create mold issues. The fancy pepper strands you see in stores are made after the drying process.
