If you've harvested green peppers due to frost or timing, don't worry, they can often continue to ripen off the plant under the right conditions.
It’s the end of chili pepper season, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve just harvested the last of your peppers before the frost sets in. A hard frost will destroy anything left on the plant, so sometimes you have no choice but to pick them early, even if they’re still green.
Now you’re staring at a bag full of unripe peppers and wondering: what do I do with these unripe peppers?
Yes, you can eat them green. They’re still perfectly edible, though the flavor is sharper and “greener” than when fully ripened. Some people like that raw bite, but many prefer the sweetness and depth that comes with color and maturity.
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to toss them. With a little patience, you can still ripen green peppers off the plant. Just remember, the very best way to maximize flavor and heat is to leave them on the plant as long as possible. When that’s no longer an option, you’ve got some simple tricks to finish the job indoors.
Warm, Sunny Location (Best Method). Place your peppers in a bright, warm spot, such as a sunny windowsill or sheltered outdoor table, at around 70°F (21°C) or higher.
They may begin to change color within a few days, though full ripening can take up to one to two weeks. Peppers ripen slower off the vine compared to tomatoes.
The Branch Method. If harvesting late-season, you can hang pepper-laden branches (roots removed) upside down in a warm indoor space. They’ll often continue to ripen, although taste and heat may differ slightly from vine-ripened fruit.
Room Temperature in a Bin or a Box. Place the peppers loosely in a bin or cardboard box in a room-temperature spot. Leave them undisturbed, check periodically, and expect ripening over about one to two weeks.
Skip the Paper Bag Trick. While placing fruit like tomatoes in a paper bag often helps ripen climacteric fruits via ethylene, peppers are non-climacteric. That means they do not ripen faster with ethylene exposure. This method is not effective for chili or bell peppers.
Don't Refrigerate Prematurely. Cold storage stops the ripening process. If your goal is to ripen the peppers, keep them warm. Only refrigerate once they’ve reached the color and firmness you want.
I'd love to hear your personal experience ripening peppers using the paper bag method.
Let me know what methods work best for you!
Enjoy your bountiful pepper harvest! Check out other methods for Preserving Chili Peppers.
Craig says
Why are all my poblanos turning chocolate brown instead of red? They are not rotting just brown and will not turn red. That said can I use them for anchos? Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Craig, some poblanos ripen to a brown color instead of red. Yes, you can dry them for anchos. Enjoy!
Craig says
Thank you very much. That’s a relief.
Troy Stallard says
I'm a year late with this answer. But your peppers are turning brown because that's the color you get when you mix red and green. My jalapenos do the same thing. As they continue to ripen, they'll eventually turn red.
Alan says
hi Mike,
great article as ever Ive just harvested my cayenne plant good yield about 1/3 red, 1/3 green and 1/3 in between. couple of kilo's.
to ripen them I'll try the windowsill and paperback method I was thinking of using an overripe banana as they are meant to cause other fruit to ripen, have you heard of that???
Mike Hultquist says
I have, and that can work as well, Alan. Good luck!
Allison Ramsay says
I picked our harvest of peppers green this year - cayennes, jalapenos, garden salsas and habaneros. The weatherman called for frost for the next four nights and with 100+ plants, we just needed to get them out of the ground. We'll dehydrate some but how long do we wait for a color change before we abandon them? our cayennes still look like green string beans.
Mike Hultquist says
Allison, only a few days, as they will start to soften and rot. You might try to find some other uses for those that stay green, like a verde sauce.
Nancy says
Thanks so much! I have a bunch of Caribbean Red Habaneros that are still green, I'll keep an eye on our first frost! Love reading your tips and recipes!
Mike H. says
Thank you, Nancy. Enjoy!
Rayford warren Latham says
I have 25 plants growing and would like to know what type fertilizer to use. I'm using plant food fertilizer mixed with epsom salt and later will lay them by with triple 13 granular fertilizer. Am i doing the right thing? Rayford Latham
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds like you're doing the right thing. Keep going, and enjoy the harvest!
Aileen says
Can you ripen them with an LED light indoors?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I've never tried this, but I don't believe so, Aileen. You might try grow lights, though.
Alex M. says
I would just like to confirm I have been able to ripen peppers under an LED grow light it should be no problem.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing!
Tom says
Are you talking about picked peppers or those still on a plant, indoors?
Lynn says
Hi Mike, love your site!
I pulled my peppers (cayenne, jalapeño, Anaheim, poblano, sweet banana, and bell in varying stages of ripeness) about a week ago due to frost in the forecast, and have been ripening them on tables in the dining room (part sun, about 70F). I made a big batch of salsa with the ones that ripened fastest (mostly cayenne, jalapeño, and banana).
Now, I have to go out of town for 10 days. What is the best way to slow the ripening of the remaining ones (mostly the thicker-walled Anaheim, poblano, and bells) don't rot while before I return? Would moving them to the garage (about 50F) help?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lynn. Cooler temps can help.
Michael says
Good morning Mike
All I do is put my peppers with my tomatoes on the table by the window and they both ripen up. At the end of the season I pick both at the breaker stage to encourage the others left on the plant to ripen. Works very well for me. But it's not a 100% you do lose a few.
Frank Buhrman says
Ripening green peppers is kind of a fun game. Cayenne types are the easiest, but jalapenos, serranos and others will do just fine, most of the time. However, I don't think it's a home run method for all. Habaneros tend to mold on the inside, as do others, and I've always heard that tabascos won't ripen at all after being picked - that's why the pickers in the old days got a "baton rouge" or red stick painted just the right color - if the pepper didn't match the stick, you didn't pick it. Tabascos tend to go bad almost immediately from bruising at the stem end. A cheap dehydrator or an afternoon in front of the oven will help with difficult varieties.
Ray says
Excellent timing, Mike. I just picked all the green fruit off of my Scorpion, and potted up the plant to overwinter. Didn't know what to do with the green stage peppers. Now, I have 2 options! Thanks for sharing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Enjoy, Ray!
Jim Burchette says
Just a note to say how much I enjoy your articles and blog. My pepper crop is robust with this cooler weather. I have dried ghost, habanero, savory, jalapeno, Poblano, and cow horn cayenne to grind for seasoning. Interestingly, this year I had a crop of Poblano peppers with quiet the kick! Many batches of fermented cayenne / tabasco and Aji mango / Aji pineapple pepper sauce. My first year with the yellow Aji's. A little trick I use when fermenting and aging the vinegar base pepper sauces, I char 6" long white oak sticks and place them in the jar of pepper mash and sauce. I feel this adds another depth of flavor. Keep on publishing, you are doing it right!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Jim! I greatly appreciate it!
Gary Finch says
Hi Mike - bad chilli season in the uk this year - no fear of frost yet and mine are in the greenhouse so will get a bit more protection - I have grown a Bengle Naga this year and it was very slow and still setting flowers- It has a few mature green fruit of a decent size, will they continue to build heat if i pick them to ripen on the windowsill?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gary, sorry to hear. The peppers probably won't continue to get hotter, but can at least turn color for you, but keep an eye on them.
Reed says
Had a friend give me a batch of jalapenos that still have quite a bit of ripening to do. I tasted a couple and they have no real taste and no heat what so ever, will they gain taste and heat as they ripen?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Reed, peppers can vary wildly in the amount of heat, even peppers of the same type. Jalapenos are no exception. I've had some that were super mild, and some that were, whoa! Where'd that heat come from? A lot has to do with growing conditions, strains, and stressors during growing. So many variables. They might gain some heat, but likely not.