Learn how to dehydrate your chili peppers with a dehydrator and grind them into homemade chili powders. Here is the recipe method, from the author of "The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook".
How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers and Make Chili Powders
Dehydrating your chili pepper harvest is an excellent way to preserve your peppers. You can easily crush them or grind them into powders for use all year long. The method is very simple with a dehydrator.
Check out the video below.
What can you do with your dried chili peppers?
Grind them up to make your own chili powder, which is like cayenne powder, or keep them whole and use them as you might use a sun dried tomato.
They can be rehydrated with hot water and go great with many chili pepper recipes.
How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers to Make Chili Powders and Seasonings - The Recipe Method
First, wash and dry your chili peppers. Choose only fresh peppers. If they show any signs of rotting, throw them away.
Next, wearing gloves, remove the stems and slice the thicker peppers into rings and thinner peppers in half. Leave them whole if you prefer, but they will take much longer to dehydrate. The gloves are important when working with peppers because the oils from the peppers can burn your skin, and the pain can linger.
Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.
Place the peppers on the trays of the dehydrator. Spread them out evenly so the heat can distribute properly.
Turn on the dehydrator at 135-140 degrees F, or whatever setting your dehydrator recommends.
NOTE: I like to place my dehydrator in the garage because it will release fumes over time and you will notice the odor. Let the dehydrator sit anywhere from 5 hours to overnight.
It will very likely take longer than 5 hours, but much depends on the thickness of the pepper walls and how many peppers you're working with.
I personally turn mine on when I go to bed and check it in the morning. The peppers are usually dried by morning, but if not, just leave them in longer until they are dried.
Once they are dried, remove and grind them into a powder using a spice grinder. Some people have a separate coffee grinder dedicated to grinding peppers.
Strain out the powder and process the larger chunks until only chili powder remains.
Safety Advice
When working with hotter peppers, including superhots, it is important to wear gloves when handling the peppers both in raw and dried forms. The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations. See above.
Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.
Also, the powders are quite fine and may get into the air if you are not working in a well ventilated room, so you may want to wear a mask and goggles. Superhot chili peppers, truly, are called superhots for a reason.
Storing Chili Powders and Other Fresh Seasonings
Store the chili powder in baggies or containers, or use as you wish. Keep it in a dark place, like your pantry, for freshness.
How Much Chili Powder Comes from Fresh Peppers?
1 pound of fresh chili peppers will yield about 4 ounces dried pods. Ground down, it should yield 3/4 cup chili powder.
These are the products that I use to dehydrate chili peppers and make blends, and I personally recommend them. They are affiliate links - just an FYI. If you use them, let me know if you have any questions and I can help. Email me anytime.
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking and dehydrating, I hope you'll check out my cookbook!
- The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
If you enjoy dehydrating chili peppers and other foods, I hope you will check out my cookbook, "The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook". It is filled with recipes, information and techniques for making not only homemade chili powders and other spice blends, but recipes for making jerky, fruit and hot sauce leathers, healthy snacks, entire meals and so much more.
Recommended Product
- COSORI Food Dehydrator (Great Dehydrator!) (Paid Link)
- Buy a Food Dehydrator (Amazon Affiliate link, my friends!)
- Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A - For Dehydrating peppers and other foods.
- Magic Bullet MBR-1701 17-Piece Express Mixing Set - For Grinding down the peppers for powders.
Try Some of My Seasonings/Powders Made from Dehydrated Peppers
- Homemade Ghost Pepper Powder
- Homemade Cayenne Powder
- Homemade Ancho Chili Powder
- Roasted Red Jalapeno Powder
- Citrus Lemon-Lime Salt
- Homemade Chili Powder
- Homemade Spicy Chili Powder
- Steak Seasoning Mix
- Homemade Rib Rub
- Homemade Cajun Seasoning
- How to Make Chili Flakes
- Make Your Own Spicy Salt Blends
- Making Seasonings From Strained Hot Sauce Pulp
- How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powders
Other Resources
- How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers - A shorter video with a longer discussion on drying chili peppers in general.
- Preserving Chili Peppers
- The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook - by Michael Hultquist
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers to Make Chili Powder - Recipe Method
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh chili pepper pods
Instructions
- Wash and dry your chili peppers. Choose only fresh peppers. If they show any signs of rotting, throw them away.
- Wearing gloves, remove the stems and slice the thicker peppers into rings and thinner peppers in half. Leave them whole if you prefer, but they will take much longer to dehydrate. SEE NOTES.
- Place the peppers on the trays of the dehydrator. Spread them out evenly so the heat can distribute properly.
- Turn on the dehydrator at 135-140 degrees F, or whatever setting your dehydrator recommends.
- Once they are dried, remove and grind them with a spice grinder until they are a fine powder. Store the powders in baggies or containers, or use as you wish. Keep them in a dark place, like your pantry, for freshness.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This post was updated on 8/28/18 to include new photos and recipe card. Originally posted on 4/14/14.
Jeremy Becker says
I have an older dehydrator and and my ghost peppers are getting a little soft After A-day and a 1/2 of being in there. Is that normal for The peppers to get a little soft but left before all the moisture is pulled out out?
Mike Hultquist says
Jeremy, yes, the peppers soften up until they are completely dried. Your older dehydrator may not be able to keep proper temp, which risks rotting with that length of time. You might invest in a new one.
Bruce says
For me it depends on the humidity. Many times they will get softer, but not always.
JR! says
is there a way to dehydrate without using a dehydrator? Can I put them on a cookie sheet on the BBQ on low or something instead?
Mike Hultquist says
You can use the oven or bbq, but don't go too high of temp or the peppers will burn. No direct heat. Keep the door cracked if you need to with a fan running. Dehydrator is by far the most reliable way.
TonyG says
I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for handling LARGE quantities of peppers - specifically, any tricks to getting rid of the stems? I have literally thousands and it's very time consuming to destem them one by one! So far the most efficient way I've found is to dry them, then snap it off when putting into the grinder.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's a lot of peppers. I try to make big batch stuff, like jams and chili pastes, that I can freeze. I also dehydrate a LOT of peppers for using as flakes and powders. With thousands of peppers, you might consider selling a product at fairs and such, or giving some away. I don't know of any faster way to get rid of the stems, other than practice. If you learn a new way, please share!
Wondo says
Have you tried a clean, sharp pair of garden hand clippers or snips? They spring open ready for the next cut whereas scissors don't and knives are slow. I don't grow thousands of peppers but often trim herbs and things from stems with garden snips. I put whatever in a bowl and snip. Hold the stem, snip it, let pepper fall into bowl and toss the stem. On a nice sunny day outside it becomes a meditative process AND clean-up is minimal as unwanted bits go back into the earth. Perhaps they even help repel unwanted critters such as the neighbour's cat.
🙂
Bullets are great little machines! I finally learned to let it sit a bit to let the spice dust settle before opening. Cheers.
Clifford Hart says
Hi Mike, Have just made my first & second batches of Datil pepper sauce, following the recipe you put on your site. Have a question: I love the sweetness and fruitiness of the Datil peppers but when I made my sauce, I'm not able to detect neither the sweetness nor the fruitiness and really miss those characteristics. Any suggestions? Am wondering if there's another preservation method that would 'preserve' the missing flavors.
Before I forget, THANK YOU for helping me identify my peppers. Had no idea what they were for most of the several years I have grown them. I freeze most of my crop which does preserve the flavors but they're certainly not as easy or convenient to use as a hot sauce or powder.
Thanks again,
Cliff Hart
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad to help, Cliff. You can freeze the peppers next time to preserve that natural sweetness, or process the peppers then freeze it for later use. Probably the best way to keep the unadulterated flavors.
Dave says
Thanks for all the info Mike, I am rather new to the game for hot sauces and powders. I am going to be trying the "CAROLINA REAPER HOT SAUCE RECIPE" and you mentioned that if you strain it, then you could dehydrate the pulp. How would you recommend spreading out the pulp in the dehydrator?
Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, just use a spoon to spread out the thick pulp onto dehydrator sheets, then dehydrate. Works great! Enjoy!
Bob Connor says
Might want to note: Dehydrator Drying Sheets, NOT "dryer sheets" like Snuggle unless you're looking for that "Springtime Fresh Smell"
Mike Hultquist says
You are correct, Bob! Updated!
Chris Hall says
This has been life changing for me, it has allowed me to customize the heat level of my food so I can enjoy it to the fullest while my kids can still eat theirs.
I've been making habanero powder, Thai chili powder, ancho powder, jalapeno powder, etc.
Some of my favorite everyday uses are mixing with ketchup or barbecue sauce, adding to nacho cheese, heating up a medium salsa, adding to soup, and so much more.
I wondered if anyone has tips for removing seeds quickly from Thai Chili peppers - I've left in the seeds and taken them out, it is a lot prettier with the seeds out, but it takes me a lot longer than seeding habaneros
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Chris. Yes, once you get to making your own powders, it's a whole new world. Yeah, the smaller pods are definitely harder for removing the seeds. I often slice thinner peppers in half lengthwise, then dry them. When dried, I can sort of knock the seeds out far more easily. Let me know if you try it. Glad to be helpful!
Donnie McClellan says
Loving your website and getting ready to make some sauces and dry mixes. Question, I see conflicting info out there on grinding dried peppers. I have, cayenne, serrano, salsa, jalapeno, anaheim, pablano and habanero all dehydrated and ready to grind. Whats your take on leaving seeds in or not? I opened a poblano and the seeds had a mold looking material on one of them so I was kind of scared to grind them without checking. I'm assuming the smaller peppers will grind with seeds in but not sure what to do with the larger ones. Any advices will be appreciated!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks! Donnie, some people find the seeds bitter when ground, but some people love them. Also, they can affect the resulting color, adding tiny white flecks in the otherwise vibrant color of the powder. I usually remove them, but you can keep them if you'd like to. It's not a big deal if you miss some. However, if they are moldy, I would closely inspect the rest of the pod for any growth. That's not good.
nikita says
Just discovered your site- love it! One question please- when chilis are only going to be used for grinding into powder, should I remove the skins? Or is there heat and/or flavor in the skins too? Thx!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nikita. I do not peel the peppers. You'll get good flavor and nutrients from the skins. Let me know how it goes!
Daniel says
Hi Michael, love your site. Question for you. I dehydrated some cayenne's and ground them up in a coffee grinder, but one of the peppers was slightly green and wasn't all the way dry. It made my cayenne powder slightly gummy and not fully dry.
Can I just put the powder in a ramekin and put it back in the dehydrator? Or what would you recommend?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Daniel, yes, you can dehydrate the powder until it fully dried.
Erick D. Felt says
I'm new, how would dry peppers with your stove or smoker?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Erick, check out this page on dehydrating peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/dehydrating-peppers/
Marilyn Appezzato says
What a wonderful website! Thank you! My question is about Ancho chili powder. I bought a bag of Ancho dried peppers, cut them open, removed the seeds and stems, then roasted them over low heat in a cast iron skillet for about 3 minutes. Could these dried Anchos have been roasted in an air fryer? What temp and how long?
Love your website!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Marilyn. Yes, you can toast dried pods in the air fryer and even in a toaster oven. You don't need long, only a few minutes, to loosen up the oils. Not sure about temp with an air fryer, but 350 degrees F is good.
Lee says
How can I store my Datils until I have enough to dehydrate or make sauce? My first harvest today yielded only four small peppers.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lee, you can keep them in your vegetable crisper usually for a week or two, but if you think you need to keep them longer, you can either dehydrate them on their own, or freeze them until they are ready for dehydrating or sauce making. If you freeze them, thaw them before drying or making sauce. Let me know they turn out for you.
Chris says
Great site!
Do you know if an air fryer or the Nuwave infrared oven can be used to dehydrate or dry hot peppers?
Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Chris. I have not tried this, but suspect it could work! Curious.