How to Dehydrate Jalapeño Peppers

ByMissy Rakes
I got a dehydrator for Christmas last year and it’s basically been running non-stop all summer long. I’ve dehydrated most of my tomatoes this year because it’s so much easier than canning and takes up way less space.
Anyways, I found Jalapeños on sale at Aldi for .99/lb so I bought 5 pounds which ended up filling my dehydrator to the brim.
 
The process of dehydrating is simple: put just enough heat and air on the food that it won’t cook, but will remove the moisture. Since dehydrated food isn’t cooked it retains most of the nutrients.
 
Dehydrated vegetables should be hard and crunchy whereas fruit should be leathery. Anyways, here we go!
 
How to Dehydrate Jalapeño Peppers
 
You will need:
Peppers
Cutting Board 
Knife
Strainer
Gloves
Dehydrator
 
1. Put on gloves 
(trust me you don’t want to handle this many peppers without
 them unless you enjoy being in pain)
2. Rinse and dry peppers
3. Remove stem end and slice pepper in half lengthwise
4. Remove seeds and pith 
(you can leave this part in if you like things to be spicy)
 
5. Arrange on clean dehydrator trays
6. Set dehydrator on fruit & veggie setting (135-145 F)
7. Let dehydrator run until peppers are hard and crunchy
(My dehydrator took 48 hours but I think something is wrong with it because most instructions say it should only take 8-12 hrs??)
8. Store dehydrated peppers in an airtight container. I use a mason jar. You can also store in the freezer. If you see any condensation in your storage container your peppers are not dehydrated enough therefore will not store safely. 
My five pounds of fresh peppers fit into one quart mason jar once dehydrated. At this point you could grind them into a powder, but I plan on using them chopped in recipes. 
 
To rehydrate cover with water (hot will work faster) until soft.
 
What’s your experience with dehydrating food? 
Do you have any tips? I’d love to know!
 
Be sure and follow my Canning & Preserving board on Pinterest for similar recipes!
 
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38 Comments

  2. I have dehydrated green chiles and jalapenos before, but usually chop them into somewhat smaller pieces, which, I think, made for less time in the dehydrator. I bought an Excalibur dehydrator a year ago, which I love. It has different temperature settings for fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. It still takes me longer to dehydrate anything than what is suggested--and I live in a dry climate. Your dehydrator is probably fine. I just go by the texture at this point.
    Reply
  3. I think that the dry time was more because you halved or quartered the pepper instead of slicing in small rings. I have dehydrated jalapeños, serranos and habaneros. I would recommend to dehydrate outside or in garage because the air gets very spicy! I ground some up for powder and left some in pieces. This in a food storage can help make bland wheat/beans/rice taste better.
    Reply
  4. Try fewer peppers in your dehydrator next time. I think it was just too much volume that constricted air flow that made it take longer to dry.
    Reply
  5. My husband bought a bunch of ghost peppers (he likes things hot) I was thinking about dehydrating them. Has anyone done ghost peppers? I am afraid everything I dehdrate afterwards will be spicy
    Reply
  6. I've been looking all over your blog and am quite impressed by all the info you offer! I had to chuckle about the post on freezing celery, the prices you had down were $1.29 and .69! I can only wish for those prices here in Canada, last time I looked, celery was $4.29!! With food prices going no where but up, especially this year, I'm wanting to dehydrate food for our family of 6 and treats for our critters. I've been looking at reviews for different dehydrators and was wondering what brand you use? It sounds like yours has stood up to the test quite well.
    Reply
    1. Wow, that's rough! I have a Nesco Professional Dehydrator. I know the top of the line brand for dehydrators is an Excalibur. I've also heard good things about the Cabela's brand dehydrator. I don't have any problems with mine though.
      Reply
      1. I have the Cabela's pro dehydrator. I love it. cost us around $250 & is worth every penny. To me it is the top of the line I like it better then the Excalibur more room easy to use. Love it.
        Reply
      2. I have been using a Nesco (or previous American Harvester) for the last 35 years. The original one just died 2 years ago after making hundreds of dried jerky, fruits and veggies. I have several of them and they dry in record time. I love my dehydrators.
        Reply
    2. Val Jamison, Nashville Arkansas, Oct. 15, 2019 @ 3::38 PM I have a: 1856 RedHeaD Computer controlled food dehydrator Model: CFD-2006 I have used it for vegetables fruits, meat products and, for certain candies, such as 'fruit leather', as per (25 pg.) instruction book. It works wonderfully, is simple to operate, and I love it. Phone: US 1-855-878-4110 --- Canada 1-877-895-9995 Good eating!!!
      Reply
  7. Ha ha ha... where was this post when I had tons of hot peppers coming out of my garden?? I never thought of dehydrating them!
    Reply
    1. I dehydrate almost everything. I also make powder out of tomatoes,Bell pepper's,hot pepers of all kinds. I even dehydrate pumkin and make a powder out of it. It makes great pie.
      Reply
      1. Can Jalapeno peppers be Dehydrated whole? So they can be Stuffed with cheese? Or should I Put them on a thread and dry in the sun"? Thank you
        Reply
  8. I dehydrate almost everything. I also make powder out of tomatoes,Bell pepper's,hot pepers of all kinds. I even dehydrate pumkin and make a powder out of it. It makes great pie. Try smoking your tomatoes and pepers before dehydrating them.
    Reply
  9. Those are thick walled, large pieces. I wouldn't have expected them to be crunchy hard in 12 hours. If the dehydrator is placed in an area with poor (stagnant) air circulation around it, or high humidity, that will slow down the process.
    Reply
  11. No where in this post do I see you caution your readers that this needs to be done outside or in the garage. Ask me how I know! I put mine on the counter in the kitchen and wound up with a fire department type vent fan at the front door with all the windows open to vent the house! ( Son was a fireman) Ranch type house so it spread everywhere. Eyes and lungs very irritated and burning.
    Reply
    1. Wow - That must have been awful! I dehydrate hot peppers from my garden all the time (cayenne, texas hot, bird's eye, habenero, thai chilies, and others) and I've never had that happen. I've never thought of dehydrating jalapenos, but I'm about to give it a try.
      Reply
  13. My Nesco dehydrator did NOT fully dehydrate my jalapeños in 12 hours. The humidity in the garage where I did it really makes it take longer. I will attempt a new batch and set it for 48hours and see if that helps!
    Reply
  14. There is probably nothing wrong with your dehydrator. I have read several recipes for smoked jalapenos dehydrated and they all show 24 to 48 hours to get completely dry.
    Reply
    1. Mine did not dry after 24hrs so I just put them in the freezer thinking something was wrong. So thanks for this information. If I try them again, I will try the 48hrs. It's been quite humid here as well.
      Reply
  15. I am going to do some jalapeños since I had hundreds in my garden this year, but have never done tomatoes(and I have been canning because I have so many this year)how do you store them afterwords? do they have to be refrigerated?
    Reply
    1. You can store them in the pantry in a jar or bag, but if you notice any condensation then they aren't all the way dried and will need to be stored in the fridge.
      Reply
  16. Just a word of warning to dehydrated hot pepper newbies--put the dehydrator near an open window or someplace with great ventilation. The scent from my first batch of habaneros years ago drove my kids and myself out for the day since we lived in a small trailer and I had my Excalibur (going on 15 years old and still kicking!) in my kitchen. HUGE mistake. But well worth it--homemade hot pepper powder beats the pants off of store-bought and is much cheaper. I still have some of that habanero powder from 15 years ago and is still tasty and uber-spicy! :)
    Reply
  17. I suggest not to dehydrate peppers in the house!....they’ll make your eyes burn! I have to put the dehydrator I. The garage when I dehydrate peppers.
    Reply
  19. I have read a lot on Dehydrating peppers and nowhere does it say to blanch the pepper first accept in the manual for the dehydrator. Are you blanching the peppers first? Is this step necessary or not.
    Reply
  20. My son eats with ranch dressing. I dehydrated pods of okra with old bay seasoning! They were so good and crunchy.
    Reply
  21. I thought my dehydrator was broken too when I dehydrated jalapenos. They took a solid 48 hours and I still had a few pepper that were soft. I sliced into quarters. I only had the dehydrator at 130F so next time I am going to boost it to 145F. These peppers are nice and crunchy and addicting. I munch on them by themselves just to get my hot pepper fix. Love Love Love!
    Reply
  22. Looking at this in 2022 and thinking 0.99/lb - Whoa! My local price is $1 each jalapeno. That is why I grow a whole raised bed of just jalapenos. It takes a lot to support pickling, cowboy candy and immediate consumption. Thanks for sharing. I am trying the dehydrator on my 4 pounds I gathered this week.
    Reply
  23. Use a Grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds and membrane. It is perfect for this and safer than using a knife. I have. Always just hung them whole, (Posado) It changes the flavor a little and makes them hotter. I will try this method. Thank you for posting this.
    Reply

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