How to Dehydrate Peppers

Learn how to dehydrate scotch bonnet peppers with or without a dehydrator to make flakes or powder for all of your culinary needs.

Dehydrating peppers is one of my favour ways to preserve peppers. I always have some scotch bonnet peppers floating around the kitchen in excess.

Aside from freezing, canning, pickling or making some hot sauce with them, nothing beats dehydrating them.

This is also a great idea for people who like to harvest scotch bonnet peppers and want to preserve them.

I don't harvest any type of peppers but I do like to buy them in large quantities. Scotch bonnets are available all year around but tend to be at there peak during the summer time.

While I was out on a grocery trip, I visited my local Caribbean grocer who was selling an abundance of scotch bonnet for dirt cheap.

I couldn't resist the urge to buy a few pounds of peppers to show you guys how to dehydrate them and ground them into flakes and powder.

What does the dehydrating process involve?

The dehydrating process typically involves warm/hot air being supplied to the peppers in order to remove the moisture. 

The source of heat used to extract the moisture is low i.e a fan/gas oven, dry oven air or a dehydrator machine over a course of several hours/days.

Dehydrating doesn't compromise the taste or flavour, instead it retains that same level spiciness and taste.

Some even say that dried peppers are hotter then fresh ones, but the verdict is still out on that one.

You can dehydrate any pepper that you can think of but this post will focus on a pepper which is loved in the Caribbean and West Africa.

In essence what I am doing here is showing you how to make scotch bonnet pepper pepper or flakes using fresh peppers.

Why dehydrate peppers?

As mentioned before, the main reason why people dehydrate peppers is to preserve them for storage. 

This can be for a short term or long term basis, it retains them and not allows them to go to waste. As preservation is key here therefore this can be seen as a cost effective method.

Some people also dehydrate peppers for variety, it might be to pulverize the peppers and sprinkle it onto food.

You can also dehydrate the peppers, store them and rehydrate them again for use in soup/stews to add that spicy touch.

Dehydrating peppers - 3 ways

I went ahead and tested 3 methods so that everyone can at least give this ago.

I'm very much a dehydrator machine type of girl because once you set the temperature and time, the rest is history. 

I do appreciate that not everyone owns a dehydrator and in these economic times, not everyone wants to shell out on one so that's why I tested it 3 ways - air fryer, dehydrator and the oven.

The end result is the same for each method but the length of time to get there will vary anything from 4 hours to 12 hours.

Also, slicing the peppers in half helps to hasten the process as this yields much better air circulation to the inside and outside of the peppers but must be handled with caution.

Dehydrator method

• Wash and thoroughly dry the scotch bonnet peppers.
• Wearing gloves, slice off the stems then slice the peppers into halves and quarters depending on the size of your peppers.
• Before arranging the peppers onto the dehydrator tray, make sure you are working in a well ventilated area, as hot peppers will give off heat which may make you cough and sneeze!!

• Start arranging the peppers, skin side up onto the dehydrator trays, making sure not to overcrowd.
• Set your unit to dehydrate the peppers @ 70/C158F for 12-24 hours.
• Once dried, remove the peppers from the dehydrator and transfer them into a coffee grinder (if you want to wear gloves, mask and/or gloves as a safety precaution then do so).
• In a well ventilated area, ground the peppers (in batches) into a coarse consistency to make flakes or completely fine to make powder.
• Allow the spice grinder to rest for about 1-2 minutes before carefully removing the lid.
• Store the flakes/powder in a labelled jar and use accordingly.

Oven method

• Preheat the oven to 80c/175f.
• Wash and thoroughly dry the scotch bonnet peppers.
• Wearing gloves, slice off the stems then slice the peppers into halves and quarters depending on the size of your peppers.
• Place the peppers on a wired rack, leaving enough space and not overcrowding (you may need to use 2-3 wired racks.
• Place the Racks in the oven and leave the oven door slightly open to allow the heat to escape.
• Dehydrate the peppers for upto 12 hours.
• Once dried, remove the peppers from the dehydrator and transfer them into a coffee grinder (if you want to wear gloves, mask and/or gloves as a safety precaution then do so).
• In a well ventilated area, ground the peppers (in batches) into a coarse consistency to make flakes or completely ground to make powder.
• Allow the spice grinder to rest for about 1-2 minutes before carefully removing the lid.
• Store the flakes/powder in a labelled jar and use accordingly.

Air fryer (dehydration method)

• Preheat the air fryer.
• Wash and thoroughly dry the scotch bonnet peppers.
• Wearing gloves, slice off the stems then slice the peppers into halves (you can leave the very small peppers whole for this method).
• Depending on the style of your air fryer basket, you may need to line it with parchment paper first.
• Carefully place the peppers in the basket, skin side up (you may need to do this in batches) being careful not to overcrowd
• Set the temperature to 80c/176f until the peppers have completely dried, the time will vary from 4-6 hours.
• Once dried, remove the peppers from the basket and transfer them into a coffee grinder (if you want to wear gloves, mask and/or gloves as a safety precaution then do so).
• In a well ventilated area, ground the peppers (in batches) into a coarse consistency to make flakes or completely ground to make powder.
• Allow the spice grinder to rest for about 1-2 minutes before carefully removing the lid.
• Store the flakes/powder in a labelled jar and use accordingly.

Storage

Let's talk about storage, the most important aspect once the peppers have been milled according to preference.

You can store the dried flakes/powder in a secure bag such as a ziplock bag or a spice/mason jar.

I prefer to keep my spices in a spice jar as they are more portable and handy when I need to use them.

To lock in that freshness, store the spice away from direct sunlight and preferably in a cool, dry place i.e a cupboard or a pantry for optimal freshness.

Notes and tips

• You can purchase scotch bonnet peppers from any neighbourhood/market place which are frequented by African/Caribbean people.
• The pepper should last when stored correctly for several months.
• The recipe makes about 8-16oz/250ml/500ml mason jar depending on if you make 1-2lb of powder.
• Use the dehydration time as a guide, the time will vary depending on the size of peppers, which method you use and so fourth, it may take longer or quicker than the stated time.
• If sliced pepper should have direct contact with your skin i.e hands, immediately wash that area with soap or water.
• Large quantities of scotch bonnet can be potent especially being ground. Don't be at close range when handling the peppers and work in a well ventilated area.
• It is recommended that you wear gloves/mask.
• If you don't plan on using a lot of pepper flakes/powder then keep the peppers in their whole state (although it will take much longer to dehydrate).
• To get the best price, don't buy from a conventional supermarket, most supermarkets do not sell scotch bonnet in abundance and their prices are too expensive for only a handful of peppers.
• When buying, inspect the health of the peppers first, they should be pulp, not shriveled with no signs of rotting or mold. 

Other condiments and spice blends to try

• Cajun Seasoning
• Mango Pineapple Hot Sauce
• Caribbean Curry Sauce
• Cock Soup Mix
• Homemade Browning Sauce
• Green Seasoning
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

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