John Myers
By drying chili peppers, you can preserve them. A simple method is to hang them by the stems in a dry, warm, well-ventilated place. Just make sure that the individual pods do not touch each other. This is how you prevent rotting. After that, you need patience – around three weeks for thin-fleshed chilies and up to four weeks for thick-fleshed varieties. It is much faster if you dry chilies in the dehydrator: This works at 50 degrees in about eight to ten hours, with thicker varieties again taking longer. Once ready, you naturally want to use the pods to add flavor and spice to a wide variety of dishes. So browse our chili recipes for a little inspiration.
Drying chili peppers: Instructions for the oven
In addition to air and dehydrator, the oven is also suitable for drying chili peppers. Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place peppers and chilies on it. Halve larger specimens lengthwise. If you don’t want the chilies to be too hot after drying, remove the white in the middle and the seeds. Of course, they shouldn’t burn. The temperature is therefore important for drying chilies in the oven. 40 to 60 degrees with circulating air is sufficient. In addition, leave the door open a crack with the help of a wooden cooking spoon. This allows moisture to escape. When about six hours have passed, turn the oven up to 70 to 80 degrees and keep checking your chili peppers. If they crumble, they’re done drying.
Save and use dried chilies
To keep dried chili peppers as long as possible, store them in the dark on the one hand and airtight and dry on the other. This will prevent them from coming into contact with moisture, which could lead to a loss of flavor and spiciness. Dark spots serve as an indication that moisture is attacking the chili peppers and they are no longer good. If stored correctly, they will keep for several years. If you would like to use the pods in one piece and unfold their full aroma, roast them briefly in the pan and then rehydrate them in water for around 30 minutes. You can also process dried chillies into powder or flakes that you can add directly to sauces, stews, pasta or marinades – or try our recipe for beef jerky.
