Learn how to preserve peppers with 6 simple methods , including dehydrating, canning, pickling, fermenting, and freezing.
Peppers picked at the peak of the late summer garden are some of the most delicious tasting vegetables you’ll ever have.
Nothing beats the sweetness and floral notes of a freshly picked, expertly grown pepper.
I absolutely love growing peppers and recommend growing them in all types of gardens, especially low-maintenance vegetable gardens.
This year has been my biggest pepper harvest so far.
But what to do with so many peppers?
I’ve been working to get them all preserved for winter and spring.
It’s now the beginning of September and we’re starting to get a little chill in the air here in the Midwest.
I’ll admit, I’m feeling the pressure of getting as much of the garden put up as I can before first frost.
Luckily, it’s not my first rodeo. Based on what we’ve eaten and enjoyed in the past, I’ve narrowed down my pepper preservation methods and products down to a few.
And that’s what I’m sharing with you today.
Why Preserve Peppers
- Enjoy peppers out of season
- Reduce food waste
- Save money by making your own pepper products
- To enjoy peppers in a variety of different ways
- It’s too simple not to try!
6 Ways to Preserve an Abundant Pepper Harvest
Here’s what I’m doing to preserve my pepper harvest.
1. Dehydrating Peppers
Drying peppers in a dehydrator (or freeze dryer if you have one) is a great way to preserve peppers. Dehydrated peppers last a long time in the pantry and have a concentrated flavor that’s unbeatable.
To dehydrate peppers,
- Wash and dry peppers.
- Remove stems and cut peppers into strips.
- Dehydrate at about 55° C until the pepper strips snap easily.
- Store dried peppers in a tightly sealed glass jar.
From there, you can leave the peppers as-is and just throw them into soups or sauces when needed. Or you can give them a quick whir in a spice grinder or processor and turn them into pepper flakes or pepper powder.
Get full, detailed instructions in this post as well as suggested ways to use dehydrated peppers.
2. Canning Peppers
Canned peppers are shelf-stable and won’t take up room in the refrigerator or freezer.
Plus, there are a plethora of delicious ways to can peppers from hot sauce, to salsas, to relishes, and more.
Choose your favorite safe pepper canning recipe and go to town.
There are plenty of great water-bath canning recipes as well as pressure canning recipes for peppers.
Some of my favorite home-canning recipes using peppers are:
- Peach Habañero hot sauce (made this for the first time this year with Sugar Rush Peach Habañeros! so good!)
- Ball Chili Sauce
- Spicy Jalapeño Salsa
- Candied Jalapeño Relish
3. Quick Pickling Peppers
Making quick pickled peppers (sometimes called fridge pickles) is another fantastic way to preserve peppers.
This year, I canned and quick pickled little Biquinho peppers.
Quick pickling is very easy to do and doesn’t require any special equipment.
- Simply make a brine with half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of water.
- Add a teaspoon of salt and a Tablespoon of sugar. Stir together.
- Fill a glass jar with clean, freshly harvested peppers (hot or sweet) and pour the brine in.
- Wait at least three hours for peppers to marinate before eating.
- Keep the pickled peppers refrigerated.
Put these on a charcuterie board or use to top a yummy roast beef sandwich.
For extra pickled goodness, pair these pickled peppers with my favorite pickled red onions!
4. Making Hot Pepper-Infused Vinegar
This method of preserving peppers is a little more unique but incredibly flavorful.
Infusing vinegar with hot peppers creates a spicy, tangy condiment that livens up just about any dish.
You may know it as Southern pepper vinegar, or if you’re Filipino, sinamak.
Hot pepper-infused vinegar is just like quick pickling, but even easier.
- Clean and dry freshly harvested hot peppers. (Chili, cayenne, Thai, habañero, etc.)
- Fill a glass jar about half full of whole hot peppers.
- Pour your choice of vinegar over the peppers.
- Allow to infuse on the countertop for at least 3 days before using.
Hot pepper vinegar lasts months in the fridge and just gets better and better over time.
You can add herbs to it and other vegetables, too.
My favorite type of hot pepper vinegar to make is a Filipino-style version which includes hot chilis, black peppercorns, and a good amount of garlic.
Mostly, I dip barbecued meat or pork rinds (chicharon) in it. Sometimes I’ll combine it with soy sauce, chopped tomatoes, and onions, to make a little side relish for myself.
Don’t knock it ’til you try it!
5. Fermenting Peppers
Fermented peppers take a few weeks to make, but the results are tangy, gut-healthy, and complex.
Fermenting is a natural preservation process where lactic acid bacteria transform the sugars in vegetables and fruits into lactic acid.
Typically, peppers are submerged in a salt and water brine for several weeks at room temperature.
After fermenting, they can be eaten as-is or blended into a hot sauce or salsa.
Fermented peppers need to be refrigerated to stop the fermenting process once the right flavor is achieved.
6. Freezing Peppers
My absolute favorite way to preserve peppers, though, is to simply freeze them.
Peppers don’t need to be blanched, so it’s just a matter of washing, de-stemming, de-seeding, and cutting them up.
Then they can be pulled out for sauteeing, stir-frying, soups, or however you want to cook them.
The one thing you’ll want to do before freezing them, however, is get all the air out before sealing the bag.
I’m using a Food Saver vacuum sealer for the first time to pack my homegrown bell peppers. This gets the job done very efficiently.
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, do what I used to do and use a straw to suck the air out of the bag before sealing it.
It’s not perfect, but it works!
Which Method Is Best?
Deciding which method of preserving peppers is best depends on what you’ll be using the peppers for and how much time or effort you’re willing to spend on it.
I made a chart of all the methods discussed in this post so you can compare them.
Oftentimes, the best method for me is the simplest and most versatile!
| Method | Shelf Life | Best For | Special Equipment | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dehydrating | 1+ years | Seasonings, powders, soups | Dehydrator or oven | Intermediate |
| Canning | 12–18 months | Sauces, salsas, pickles, jams | Water bath canner or pressure canner | Expert |
| Quick Pickling | 2-3 months (fridge) | Pickles, condiments | N/A | Beginner |
| Infusing in Vinegar | 2-3 months (shelf); 1 year (fridge) | Condiments, marinades | N/A | Beginner |
| Fermenting | 6-12 months (fridge) | Hot sauce, pickles, salsa | Fermenting lids and weights | Expert |
| Freezing | 1 year (freezer) | Soups, stir-fries | Vacuum sealer (optional) | Beginner |
Enjoy Your Pepper Harvest All Year Long
Variety (and preserved peppers!) is the spice of life.
It’s pretty thrilling to have peppers preserved in so many different forms. From just one gardening season, I’ve managed to preserve pepper flakes, hot sauce, salsa, relish, pickles, and frozen peppers.
Not to mention, we’ve been eating as many sweet peppers out of the garden as we want!
There’s something for everyone.
Whether you like spicy hot sauces, tangy pickled peppers, or easy-to-use frozen sweet peppers, there’s no single “best” way to preserve peppers.
The best method is the one you’ll actually use and that makes it easy for you to enjoy your harvest long after summer is over.
Preserving peppers is a simple, satisfying way to stretch your harvest.
And if you’re looking for other ways to preserve the garden, you might enjoy making this vibrant chive-blossom vinegar or these ideas for what to do with green onion tops.
I hope this post has sparked some ideas of what to do with your pepper harvest.
Try one of these pepper preservation methods this weekend and let me know how it works out for you!
Not ready for this project yet? You can also save this pepper preservation pin to your Pinterest board for future reference.