Drying chili peppers is a great way to store them for the long term. You don't want to waste any of those chili peppers picked from that huge harvest this year. Here are a few ways to dry them so they don't go to waste.
The Basic Method for Drying Chili Peppers
Wash your chili peppers thoroughly after picking to remove any dirt, then dry.
Place on a plate or a wire rack in a dry, well ventilated room. You can also string the chilies up on string or thread and hang to dry. Within several weeks, you will have dried chili peppers and you can grind them up or use them as ornaments as desired.
Oven Drying Instructions
- Wash your chili peppers thoroughly after picking to remove any dirt.
- Cut them in half, lengthwise to expose the pepper innards.
- Arrange the chili peppers over a baking sheet.
- Bake at low heat, about 100 to 135 degrees.
- There is no set time to bake the chili peppers for drying. Keep an eye on them, turning every few minutes or so. You can leave the oven door cracked for some air flow. It will take several hours with this method. Keep in the oven until the moisture has been baked out of them. Use as desired!
Drying Chili Peppers Without an Oven - Air Drying
- In this case, dry your chili peppers whole. Do not slice.
- String them together on some strong thread with a few inches between each jalapeno peppers.
- Hang the chili peppers in direct sunlight. Be sure it is dry and warm.
It can take several weeks for the jalapenos to completely dry with this method, but it'll be worth it!
Last but not least, you can also consider a food dehydrator, which is a more fool proof method of drying chili peppers.
Drying Chili Peppers with a Dehydrator
A dehydrator is probably the easiest method for drying chili peppers. A dehydrator encloses the chili peppers and dries them overnight in soft heat. Slice them up before dehydrating for faster dehydration. You can find dehydrators in stores or online.
NOTE: This is the food dehydrator that I use. It works GREAT and I highly recommend it. It's an affiliate link, FYI: Food Dehydrator: Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A - For dehydrating peppers and making powders.
What can you do with your dried chili peppers?
Grind them up to make your own chili powder, which is like cayenne powder, or keep them whole and use them as you might use a sun dried tomato. They can be rehydrated with hot water and go great with many recipes!
Also see: How to Rehydrate Dried Chili Peppers
Ron Brangham says
Is it possible to use my smoker to dry poblano peppers (or any peppers) if I can keep the heat down to 125 - 135 degrees? I'm thinking it would add a nice smokey flavor to the peppers.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Ron, yes, you can dry the peppers in a smoker. I have a page on this. I like to lightly smoke them then finish them in a dehydrator. You can completely dry them in a low heat smoker, but keep an eye on them. https://chilipeppermadnesscom.bigscoots-staging.com/preserving-chili-peppers/how-to-smoke-chili-peppers/
Jennifer O says
This is our second summer to dehydrate our garden peppers and we're having fun with it! I notice that when you buy peppers like anchos at the store that they are a little leathery and not crispy. If we are drying them to make crushed peppers or chili powder should we dry them until crispy or stop when they're still a bit pliable? Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Jennifer. I recommend drying them until they are brittle, as they will break down into powders much more easily. Have fun!
Bridgit says
Hey, thanks for all the info, you’re truly an expert! Quick question: recent move to AZ and found that any veggies left on the countertop ripen really quickly. I have a bunch a jalapeños and Serranos that have been there no more than 2 weeks and are quite dry and wrinkly. Is it safe to continue the drying process in the oven? Or string them up outside (it’s so darn hot)? Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bridgit, as long as there is no rot or fuzzy growth, they should be okay to continue drying. Make sure there is no rot on the insides.
Benson says
I crushed my Rocoto pepper a bit using a blender. I then dried them (which took a day). Once dry, I used a grinder and ground them to powder (which is what I love). Was my quick method in any way leading to loss of "hotness" or I should I have naturally dried them without crushing?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Benson, no, that is a good method for drying them. Crushing them doesn't affect the heat. Enjoy the powder!
Benson says
Thank you Mike for you reply.
Do we have some chilies that are meant to be eaten raw and not powder?
Reason I asking this is, I have seen some peppers that are very hot when taken raw (like you can't finish one fruit in a single meal session) but when ground, it's kinda not that hot.
I have tried Habanero before and it was extremely hot even after grinding it to powder.
Or, could I be feeling that "less heat" because I have been used to "Hotter" chilies; chillies with a very high SHU?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Benson, any peppers can be eaten raw, really, but definitely change in flavor profile after being dried and ground. The hotter the pepper, the hotter the powder will be. You can reduce some of that overall heat by coring out the pepper innards first, then drying them. Most of the heat is within the pepper innards. This isn't as effective with superhots, though, as the capsaicin (this makes peppers hot) reaches into the pepper skins.
Lyn says
I have a large harvest of red birds eye chilies.
I have tried stringing them up whole but half have rotted.
I have dried herbs in the microwave before. Have you tried chilies in the microwave or air fryer?
Also do you have any hot sauce recipes for birds eyes?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lyn, people have dried peppers in the air fryer on low heat, and in the microwave, though you need to be careful not to cook them.
Kenya says
My grandmother dehydrated a few chili peppers in the sun in her windowsill. I'm not sure about the duration-I'm guessing a 2 to 4 months. The peppers did their change of color from red to orange then green. After that, they started to rot and they would be completely covered in mold. My grandmother would simply wash the peppers with water periodically to clean them. The peppers looked to be tossed to trash. After this process, the peppers were completely dried/dehydrated. (I understand the sun played the important role in this process. And, my grandmother's tending.) She cooked them with a stew of fish. It was sooo good! I want to know how to dehydrate foods NATURALLY. The indigenous way, like my grandmother did.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Kenya. That is wonderful. Many people today still dry their peppers on rooftops and in the open air. Refer to the section on the page for Open Air Drying. That is more how your grandmother did it. The only issue with that, though, is the environment has to be right - very dry. If there is too much moisture in the air, the peppers can rot. Let me know how it goes for you. If you control the moisture and get lots of direct sun, you should be good.
Lisset says
Hi,I've hung muy chillies on a string
But after a couple of days there Turing allí soft & floppy like tinned tomatoes..Is this normal..?
I live un Iquitos Perú,the Amazon basin..Is there too much humidity here?
They are covered by a Roof so the rains not getting to them
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Lisset. Yes, sounds like there may be too much moisture in the air. Keep an eye on them for signs of rot and moldy growth. If there is too much humidity, they will not dry but can rot. If there is enough dry heat, they will dry out and become pliable but not soft and floppy. Let me know how it goes.
Sonny says
Hello. I have started growing my own peppers using a 400w light grow system and my question is I will purchase a dehydrator shortly but when ready to pic I will have an abundant amount of fruit can I dry them like you mentioned for jalapenos?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Sonny. Absolutely. You can dry any peppers with the same method. Good luck with your harvest. Let me know how it turns out for you. Happy to help and answer any questions.
Anna Smith says
Hi. , I'm wondering if it's OK to dry peppers hanging in an airing cupboard, will they dry OK with no light? It will be very warm and dry. Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Anna, yes, you can do so but it is important that the air be very dry. If there is any moisture, it can rot the peppers. Keep a close eye on them and check them regularly.
Tom Ruff says
I air dried some ancho peppers and on the inside there is a white, furry growth. I assume these are bad, and how can I avoid this from happening?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Tom, yes, it sounds like they are bad. What can happen with drying in the open air is if the air isn't dry enough, you can get infection and rot. It is safer to dry peppers with a dehydrator in the future. Let me know how it goes.
Claire says
I've grown chillies for the first time. Can I use an air fryer to dry them out??
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Claire, I've never actually tried this. You CAN with an oven at low enough temperatures so they don't burn. If you can get the temps down to 100 to 135 degrees and have a constant air flow, I THINK it would work. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Shirley Hardy says
I have strung jalapeno peppers in a window 4 weeks ago and the larger ones still aren't dry.. This is my 1st try. It seems that some of them have released a liquid and are sticky on the outside leathery and shiny on the outside but still feel plump on the inside. it is okay for me to slice them in half and air dry them the rest of the way. Thank you for your advice.
Shirley Hardy
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Shirley, yes, you can slice them open to help them dry. Watch out for any weird growth, contamination or rot, though, if you're drying them in the open air. Let me know how it goes for you.
Alice says
My housemate harvested my peppers last week while I was out of town to avoid the frosts (thank you!), but now that I'm home I find she's left them in bags on the counter. They're about two weeks of the plant and the jalapenos look great but the Portugals, Cayennes and Chilis are looking a bit shriveled and soft, though there are no definite signs of rot. I never grew enough to dry before and that was the plan (string drying) but i don't know if what they're doing is part of the drying process or just the first stage of rot. I guess my question is more or less: what should a pepper feel/look like after two weeks of air (ish) drying? Thank you for your help!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Alice, drying peppers in the air requires direct sunlight and dry air in order to sap the moisture from them. They may start to soften, but really it is just the moisture leaving the pods. The resulting peppers will be a bit pliant yet may be brittle, and you should detect no moisture from them. Keep an eye on them, and if you see signs of rotting, you should discard them. It should take a couple weeks or so total. I hope this helps.