Learn how to freeze roasted peppers so you can keep them through the winter and enjoy them anytime you'd like.
Freezing Roasted Chili Peppers
Oftentimes when you plant a chili pepper garden, your peppers will explode in growth and produce a whole lot of them all at once. You can give some away, but realistically, you want to keep as many as you can so you can enjoy them throughout the year. Options abound, but freezing is a popular one.
However, once you take them out of the freezer, the flesh is typically softer and they aren't that great for roasting. Why not roast them before you freeze them? Yes, it is a great option for those who enjoy the flavor of roasted chili peppers.
This method works for any type of chili pepper, though peppers with thinner flesh will be more difficult to peel. That's OK. Just freeze them with their skins. The roasting process if pretty straightforward.
I have a lot of information you can review here - How to Roast Peppers - but in general, here are some instructions.
How to Freeze Roasted Peppers
First, decide on how you want to roast them.
You can roast them over an open flame, turning them often until the skins char and blacken. You can grill them, or you can bake or broil them. See my post on How to Roast Chili Peppers for different methods.
Here, I've decided to roast them in the oven.
Slice your peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the stems. Set them onto a baking, sheet skin sides up, and lightly coat them with oil. Below I have some jalapeno peppers and green Marconi peppers I just picked today. So many!
Set the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them for 20-25 minutes. Up the temp a bit to reduce cooking time, or broil them to reduce cooking time even more.
What you want is to char the skins, not burn the pepper flesh. Baking will probably give you the most even roast, though I do like the open flame method. Once they're nicely charred, remove them from the oven.
See how charred the skins are? Allow them to cool slightly.
Now, you can cover them with paper towels or move them into a plastic or paper bag. Seal it up. This will allow the heat to steam the peppers, loosening the skins, making them easier to peel off. Let them steam for 15-20 minutes.
Then, peel away the skins and discard them.
Place the roasted peppers and place them into sealable baggies, like so. You can freeze them whole, or chop them up before freezing to get more in the bag.
Remove as much as as possible and seal. Set them into the freezer.
How Long to Frozen Roasted Peppers Last?
Frozen roasted peppers will keep for up to 1 year. Check them for freezer burn before using.
While you're enjoying your fresh peppers from the garden, these gorgeous roasted chili peppers will be waiting for you in the winter.
They're perfect for so many dishes - soups, stews, sauces, one pot meals - all sorts of goodness.
Enjoy!
How to Freeze Roasted Chili Peppers
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet (for oven method)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chili Peppers (or as many as you'd like to preserve)
Instructions
- Roast the Chili Peppers. Slice your peppers in half lengthwise and remove the innards. Remove the stems. Set them onto a baking sheet, skin sides up.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Up the temp a bit to reduce cooking time, or broil them to reduce even more. If you do so, keep an eye on the peppers so they do not burn. What you want is to char the skins, not burn the pepper flesh.
- Remove from oven and cover them with paper towels or move them into a plastic or paper bag. Seal it up. This will allow the heat to steam the peppers, loosening the skins, making them easier to peel off. Let them steam 15-20 minutes.
- Peel off the skins and discard them.
- Slice the roasted peppers and place them into sealable freezer bags or containers. Remove as much air as possible and seal. Set them into the freezer. They will keep this way for up to a year.
Notes
- You can roast your chili peppers using your favorite roasting method. See my post on How to Roast Chili Peppers.
You can freeze the peppers as they are, or cut them up before freezing if you’d like to fit more into the bags.
mary says
this is confusing here-- first it says: "Just freeze them with their skins". later is says," Then, remove the skins and the innards if you haven't already done so..." before freezing. which is it? are they to be frozen whoe or siced?
i'm new to freezing wo don't get it here.
thanks
mary
Mike Hultquist says
Mary, follow these steps: 1. Roast the peppers until the skins bubble up and char. 2. Quickly cover them in a bowl to allow them to steam, which will loosen the skins. 3. Peel them and discard the skins. 4. Freeze the peppers. I clarified some of the text and added a How To card at the bottom of the post. See if this answers your questions.
Nancy says
Can't wait to do this. I have a food saver. Been freezing for a lot of years. I usually flash freeze then put in my bags and into the freezer.
Donnie McClellan says
We just bought a nice vacuum sealer. Have you ever tried freezing peppers whole and seal them? What is the reason you recommend the stems and seeds need to come out prior to freezIng?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Donnie, yes, you can freeze whole peppers, no problem. The stems will be coming off anyway, so I remove them and chop up the peppers to make more room. I can freeze a lot more that way and not fill up the freezer.
Jeffrey Eicher says
When freezing peppers, do you have to go the roasted route? Many years ago I placed them straight in a ziploc bag in the freezer.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jeffrey, absolutely not. You can just freeze them, no problem. I do this all the time. Here is a link to How to Freeze Chili Peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/freezing-chili-peppers/
Karen says
LOVE your site and all of the delicious information on it. My first crop of pepper madness is in the ground and on its way! I really like all of the stuffed pablano recipes, so I planted 12 pablano plants. My question is, do stuffed peppers freeze well? If so, would you freeze them completely cooked (like leftovers), or stuff and freeze before baking? Thanks for any advice. ????️????️????️
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Karen! Absolutely, stuffed peppers are great for freezing. It is best to cook them per the recipe, then freeze them. They can be reheated in the oven straight from frozen. I have a post on Freezing Stuffed Peppers that you can refer to. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/freezing-stuffed-peppers/
Mike from Chili Pepper Madness says
Bonnie, even though the peppers are soggy, you can still incorporate them into all sort of recipes, like soups, stews, sauces, hot sauces, pretty much anything that cooks them down.
Bonnie says
Great site!
Defrosted my freezer yesterday and was alarmed to find a whole batch of chilli peppers from last year's harvest, sealed n frost. Anything I can do with the soggy peppers today???