How to Freeze Dry Peppers

If you have a bumper crop of fresh peppers, freeze dry them for later! They’re perfect for adding flavor to soups, stews, and stir fries and have a wonderful texture, even after rehydrating.

Learn how to freeze dry peppers properly for perfect peppers every time.

The great thing about freeze drying peppers is that you can use all different types of peppers. From fresh bell peppers to scorching hot peppers, you follow the exact same steps each time.

Freeze Dryer for Home

A first question people ask is how do you freeze dry at home. Is there a way to do this DIY? the only way I know of to freeze dry is with a machine. The only at home freeze dryer company I know of is the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. You can read more about mine here.

Since freeze drying allows your fresh peppers to last for so long, it’s important to follow the proper steps. It’s really a simple process though, so keep it easy and just follow one step at a time!

Equipment

Harvest Right Freeze Dryer (I have an older version of this freeze dryer, and it works great.)
Freeze-dryer trays
Cutting board, a chef’s knife, and paring knife
Disposable gloves (important for hot peppers)
Small bowl for collecting seeds and stems
A sheet pan or freezer bag (optional for pre-freezing the peppers)
Parchment paper or silicone mats (optional)
Airtight container (glass jars or mylar bags with oxygen absorbers)
Vacuum sealer (for sealing mylar bags or removing air from glass jars)

Preparing the Peppers

Whether you want to make freeze-dried bell peppers, jalapenos, chile peppers, or anything in between, you’ll follow the same simple steps.

NOTE: It’s best to use fresh green or red peppers from your garden or farmers’ market as grocery store peppers are often coated in wax.

Choose fresh, firm whole peppers, ideally from a local market or your garden. Avoid peppers with soft spots or browning. Rinse them in cold water.

Remove the Seeds

Put on gloves (if using hot peppers) and remove the seeds and center portion (veins). There are two ways that can be done.

My preference is to just cut the top of the pepper off removing the stem. Then scoop the centers out with the seeds. If you’ve got a skinny shaped pepper it is sometimes easier to go ahead and cut the whole pepper lengthwise to use your thumbs to remove the seeds.

Removing seeds from a halved pepper using a gloved hand. — Deseeding banana peppers.

You’ll have some pepper still connected to the stem. (I call it the ‘lid’) Simply Use a knife and cut those pieces off to use them.

You can also use a paring knife to slice a circle around the stem. Twist to remove the veins and shake the seeds out over a spare bowl.

Discard the seeds and stems. Don’t worry if there are some seeds still with your peppers. It won’t hurt anything. Keep in mind that spicy peppers will have more heat in the seeds.

Chopping Peppers

Next. Use the chef’s knife to slice the peppers into strips or to dice them into cubes. The important part here is to make the pieces as close in size as you can. They do not have to be super small, you can even simply quarter the peppers. Smaller pieces do dry quicker and seem to do better in my opinion.

You can simply use a knife for this step, a food processor makes it quick. I’ve even used my french fry blade for slightly chunkier pieces. That french fry blade has become a favorite of mine for many different uses.

Pre-Freezing

Pre-freezing is an optional but important step and a great way to speed up the freeze drying process.

The way a freeze dryer works is first it freezes the food to a super cold temperature. Way colder than a regular freezer. By freezing the food in our freezer first, we can shorten that step a little bit.

Prefreezing also allows us to prepare many foods ahead of time. Get them all chopped and ready to go in the freezer. When the freeze dryer is done with one load, the next load is ready to go in.

Spread the peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat and freeze overnight.

Freeze-Drying Peppers

Using your freeze dryer.

Arrange the frozen peppers in an even layer on your freeze drying trays.
Expert Tip: With my older model I start the freeze dryer before I add the trays of food. I want the freeze dryer to already be cold when I put in a frozen tray of peppers. Otherwise, the peppers will thaw before they freeze, which can affect their final texture.
Place the trays in the freeze dryer and turn on the device following the manufacturer’s instructions. Newer models have options to choose like if your food is already frozen, you’ll choose that setting.
Allow the freeze dryer to run until the peppers are dry and brittle. The good news is, the freeze dryer automatically detects when the peppers are done. It may take 20-32 hours or so.
Check the peppers to be sure they are done. If so, turn off the device and store the peppers for long term storage.

How to Tell When Freeze-Dried Peppers are Done

Like all freeze-dried products, your peppers should be completely dry and brittle when they’re done. You should be able to break them into little pieces or crush them into a powder.

I suggest pulling one of the largest pieces from each tray and break it in your hands. This will check all layers and ensure they are ready to go.

If the peppers are not dry yet, add time to the machine and continue freeze drying. It is important that all moisture is gone. If even a tiny bit is still present, the food will spoil in storage.

Here’s a tip.

If you are freeze drying different types of peppers you can keep it organized by tray. Simply fill each tray with a different style of pepper. And make a note! We are not spicy pepper users, but I do like to have a few to have on hand to use sparingly. I had one tray of spicy peppers. I just knew I’d get them mixed up so I simply added a note to the side of the freeze dryer to help me remember.

Storage

There are different ways to store your peppers to give them a long shelf life.

Short term storage (1-2 years): Place your peppers in an airtight container like a mason jar, ideally with an oxygen absorber.
Long term storage (up to 25 years): Store the dried chiles in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber and vacuum seal.

Always keep your freeze-dried food in a cool, dark, and dry place to keep them safe for later use. Dark is more important if you’ve packaged them in jars or other clear container. Sunlight will affect the color of the food inside.

Here is a printable recipe. Below this you’ll find more tips, FAQ’s and ways to use home freeze dried peppers.