5 Easy Way to Make Dried Peppers

There are many methods you can use for dried or dehydrated peppers. We walk you through each technique, step by step.

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If you have ever had a garden or planted peppers, you know that at the end of the season, you usually end up with a bazillion peppers. Although we love our Pickled Peppers, Hot Pepper Relish and Candied Jalapenos, there are only so many canned peppers that one family can eat throughout the year, even when you consider giving a bunch of them as gifts. That’s why drying them is such a useful option.

Drying the peppers opens up new opportunities for using peppers throughout the year.

What Types of Chiles to Dry

Many types of peppers will dry well. Therefore, you can use any pepper that you grow or pick up at the farmer’s market. This is only a partial list. The hotter the fresh pepper is, the hotter the dried chile pepper will be.

Did you know that when fresh chile peppers are dried, their names change?

• Chilacas– Dried chilacas are called pasilla. Mexican cuisine uses them widely. They are a bit spicier than poblanos but still mild.
• Marasol– Once dried, marasol chiles are referred to as guajillos. This pepper has a fruity flavor that has a bit of kick. Mexican cooking uses this pepper extensively. Use it for chili powder mixes, dried pepper flakes or rehydrate it and use it for sauces, soups, stews and chilies.
• Poblanos – Anchos are the dried version of poblano peppers. They are probably the most used peppers in Mexican cuisine. They are a mild pepper with not too much spicy heat. Use them for chili powders with a mixture of other peppers. Rehydrate them for soups, stew, chilies or traditional Mexican enchilada sauce.
• Chiles de árbol – These peppers are usually picked when they ripen and turn red.
• Jalapeños – These can be dried either green or red. Once dried, the jalapeno is called chipotle. It is a medium-hot pepper with a fairly large heat range, from medium-hot to hot. Cooks traditionally smoke red chipotle before drying. This way, they develop a whole new flavor dimension to these peppers. Cooks use them in powders for chipotle seasoning or to make hot pepper flakes. They can also be used to make chipotle in adobo sauce. Jalapenos are by far the most popular pepper in the United States.
• Cayenne peppers are the most common type used for hot pepper flakes. Most Italian restaurants serve them as a condiment or spice to add a bit of kick to your favorite dishes. Cayenne ranks as a hot pepper on the Scoville scale, between 30,000–50,000 units.
• Habanero – If you want a really spicy chili powder, or hot pepper flakes, use the habanero or one of the other very hot varieties that have even surpassed it in heat. The habanero has a Scoville index scale of 100,000- 300,000 units.
• Bell peppers or sweet peppers – as we mentioned above, any pepper can be dehydrated and reused in soups, stews, sauces and more. If you like the flavor of peppers but not the heat, use a sweet pepper like sweet banana or bell peppers.

How to Use the Dry Peppers

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A great way to utilize the excess of peppers that you have is to dry or dehydrate them. You can store them for years, really, if you vacuum pack them. Then you can rehydrate them for this delicious Homemade Enchilada Sauce, it is incredible.

Another wonderful use for dehydrated peppers is Chili Powders and red pepper flakes.

Other uses for dried peppers include hot sauces, salsas, chili pastes, or soups and stews. Chiles are essential for Mexican dishes, like Mole or Enchiladas.

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The next thing we love about drying peppers is that it offers a hands-off method of preservation. This is especially useful in September or October, when we have the end-of-the-season picking. We have so many things that need to be preserved at the same time.

Drying a huge batch of peppers gives me the time to experiment with different preservation methods, such as making enchilada sauce, canning the peppers, or freezing roasted peppers when time is short.

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How to Make Dried Peppers

For All of the Methods

• Rinse and dry off peppers. Cut out any bad spots or obvious blemishes.
• Cut peppers in half to speed up drying time. Slice them to dry them even faster. You can remove seeds or leave them in.

In Your Commercial Dehydrator

1. Place them on the dehydrator racks and load them into the dehydrator.
2. Set time. Set the temperature to 135°F.
3. Times for drying peppers should be 8-15 hours, depending on the size of the peppers and whether you cut or slice them. Depending on temperature and size, whole peppers take 8–10 hours to dry.

In the Oven

1. Set oven to it’s lowest setting, usually between 150°F and 175°F.
2. Cut peppers in half to speed up drying time. You can remove seeds or leave them in.
3. Place peppers on racks that are placed over a baking sheet to improve air circulation around them. Leave the oven door cracked (place a wooden spoon in the door to keep it open. This will also increase airflow.
4. Whole peppers can take 8-10 hours, depending on the temperature and size of peppers.
5. Check often.

On Your Grill

1. Start the grill on one side only on very low heat. Spread peppers out directly on the grill grates on the opposite side of the heat. (Indirect grilling)
2. Prop the grill open with a wooden spoon.
3. Dry for 6-10 hours, depending on the size of the peppers, whether they are halved, and the heat setting. Check them often.

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In Your Air Fryer

1. In your air fryer, set heat to the lowest setting, mine is warm, less than 250°F.
2. Place peppers on air fryer basket and air fry in 5-10 minute intervals.
3. Depending on the size of the peppers and the lowest temperature setting of your brand of air fryer they can take 20-40 minutes to fully dehydrate.
4. Check often. If they are not quite dry after 40 minutes, dehydrate for 5 minutes at a time until dry.

Air Drying

Air drying them will work if you live in a very dry climate, think California or Arizona, you can dry them outside, in a sunny location, but protect them from any chance of rain or dew at night. They can take as little as a week to dry in a dry climate.

If you live in a more humid climate, keep them in a dry spot. Another option is to string them up indoors where air circulates.

Prepare them as in step one above. Use a needle and strong thread to pierce each stem, then string the peppers until the thread is complete. Hang them on a metal hanger to dry. Continue until you’ve used up all of the thread or all of the peppers, and hang them. We find a metal hanger is great to hang them on.

They should take about 3-6 weeks to fully dehydrate.

For all Drying Methods:

1. Peppers crack when bent once they are fully dry.
2. Let peppers cool once dried, then place them in a quart mason jar.”
3. Lastly, see the section below to condition the peppers.

How to Store Dried Chiles

Once chiles are dry, you can store them whole in glass canning jars. Vacuum packing works very well after peppers are conditioned. Don’t vacuum-pack fruits that haven’t been conditioned.

You can also freeze the dried peppers to preserve freshness.

If you’d like, place them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or food processor to grind them into chile powders and flakes.

Pro Tips for Your Success

• Slice in half lengthwise or in slices width-wise to speed up the drying process.
• Always wear food-safe gloves when slicing peppers.
• Drying should be done at the lowest temperature you can manage for a longer period of time. Otherwise, the peppers will cook the peppers rather than dry them.
• For each method, place peppers in a single layer.
• Condition peppers before storing to prevent mold.

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So, that is how easy it is to make dried peppers. With so many uses and the ease of the process, there is no reason not to dry your peppers for easy food storage. It can also save you lots of money on commercial spice blends.

Want to Grow Your Own Produce?

Due to my horticulture background, readers frequently ask for help with vegetable gardening. If that’s something you’re curious about, check out my How to Start a Garden series:

• Planning Your Garden
• Preparing the Garden Site
• Choosing Plants + Planting
• Garden Maintenance
• Harvesting + Preserving the Harvest – includes over 100 free recipes

Helpful Tools

• Vevor Food Dehydrator
• gas grill / smoker
• Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer

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Stocking your pantry with homemade dried peppers means you’ll always have flavor ready for powders, sauces, and stews without relying on store-bought blends.

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

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Originally published December 27, 2018. Update August 30, 2025.

• Recipe Name: Dried Peppers
• Type: Preservation, Ingredient
• Main Ingredients: Fresh peppers of any variety
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 6–36 hours, depending on method
• Total Time: 1 day to 6 weeks
• Yield: Varies by the number of peppers dried
• Special Equipment: Dehydrator, grill, or air fryer
• Great For: Homemade chili powders, enchilada sauce, long-term food storage