Crushed peppers or ground up powders are a wonderful way to serve dehydrated peppers. The dried peppers are commonly added into recipes or seasoning blends, dehydrating chili peppers in an oven makes it easy to preserve the flavor for later use.
Not only extending shelf life, but removing moisture concentrates flavor and heat that is perfect for making delicious sauces, soups, stews, and cooked vegetables.
Not knowing whether peppers are dried enough can result in a problem with mold. To prevent this from happening, oven dehydrating is an effective method to keep peppers crisp and dry.
How do you dehydrate peppers in the oven? To dehydrate peppers in the oven, first wash the peppers in cool water and pat dry with paper towel. Ensure no moisture is left behind as this will delay the drying process.
Remove the stem and seeds, slice into ¼” to ⅓” thick strips or dice depending on personal preference.
Cover the tray with parchment paper and spread the peppers on the lined sheet pan. Ensure the pieces are not overlapping and equally spaced apart.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 65 degrees Celsius and leave the oven door open 2 inches to allow the air circulate and moisture to escape.
Dry the peppers for 10 to 12 hours or until they are completely dehydrated and brittle.
There are many ways to dry peppers including sun, dehydrator, and toaster oven. A regular oven makes it easy to dehydrate without too much complications.
Answered below are frequently asked questions about the best way to dehydrate peppers in the oven. This guide shares proper oven temperatures and timing to prevent from messing up peppers while dehydrating.
Can peppers be dried in the oven?
Yes, peppers can be dried in the oven. In fact, drying is the best preserving method for peppers to store as flakes or powder form for use in any recipe.
There are several ways to dry peppers, however dehydrating in the oven is a convenient technique that does not require investing in a dehydrator.
It is important to follow the temperature and preparation to shorten the drying time and produce a crisp result. Whether red or green peppers, they both work the same in the oven.
Can you dehydrate red peppers in the oven?
Yes, you can dehydrate red peppers in the oven. It creates naturally concentrated rich and delicious food as opposed to buying dried pepper from the market.
Ensure when purchasing fresh red peppers that there are no soft spots.
Cut into smaller pieces to dry quickly and spread the prepared red peppers on a baking sheet.
Dehydrate at 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 65 degree Celsius, and leave the oven door slightly open to allow moisture to escape.
Check the peppers every 30 minutes and rotate for even heating. Remove any peppers that are dried completely and brittle to prevent burning.
Some red peppers tend to be extremely spicy, so open the kitchen windows and doors to ventilate the spicy air.
What temperature do you dehydrate peppers in the oven?
Typically, dehydrating peppers works best between 125 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit or 51 and 57 degree Celsius. If a higher temperature is used, the peppers will start to cook instead of dry.
If the oven doesn’t have a fan or convection mode, then a slightly higher temperature may be needed to compensate for the door being slightly open.
The temperature setting may also vary due to types of peppers and preparation style. For instance, tough-skinned peppers like long green chiles or New Mexico chiles require roasting before dehydrating to remove the skins.
This type of peppers require 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit or 205 to 230 degrees Celsius to roast, and then dehydrate temperature range from 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 to 65 degrees Celsius.
How long does it take to dry out peppers in the oven?
Drying out peppers in the oven may take slightly longer than using a standard dehydrator.
When the oven set at 150 degree Fahrenheit or 65 degrees Celsius, it takes about 1 to 2 hours depending on the type and thickness of the peppers.
Thinly slicing the peppers will speed up the dehydrating process, but be careful to constantly check the doneness because they can easily burn.
Tips to dehydrate peppers in the oven
Preserving fresh peppers to use as spice blends or various recipes makes dehydrating peppers an essential key to tasty meal prep. Not only flavorful, it adds significant vitamins and minerals for a healthy diet.
Most pepper varieties dehydrate very well, but chili peppers and long sweet peppers dry exceptionally well due having a thinner flesh.
Without proper caution, dehydrating peppers can turn into disaster including mold and moisture build up inside the food storage containers.
Here are useful tips to dehydrate peppers in the oven:
- Preheat the oven at 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 65 degree Celsius.
- Select ripe peppers that are firm to the touch.
- Wash, dry and slice or dice the peppers based on intended use.
- To increase the flavor and brighten the color, blanch the peppers into boiling water for a minute and shock in an ice bath to halt the cooking process prior to dehydrating.
- Avoid overcrowding the peppers on the baking tray to allow airflow to dry.
- Leave the oven door open 2 inches to let moisture escape.
- Rotate the peppers every 30 minutes to get even heat on all sides.
- Cool to room temperature before storing dried peppers in an airtight jar, use within a year.
Dehydrating peppers in Oven: Conclusion
Oven dehydrating peppers requires certain preparation and techniques to quicken the drying process and prevent burning or overcooking.
Prepare peppers by washing with cold water. Discard stem and seeds first, and then chop into smaller sized pieces depending on later use such as in flakes or powder.
To brighten the color and lock in flavor, quickly blanch in boiling water and shock in an ice bath. Lightly pat the peppers dry with a paper towel to remove any residual water content.
Spread the peppers on the rack and evenly distribute without overlapping.
Preheat the oven to 150 degree Fahrenheit or 65 degree Celsius. Leave the oven door open to let the moisture escape and speed up the drying process.
Rotate the peppers every 30 minutes and periodically check the dryness. Remove any peppers that are completely dry or brittle to prevent burning.
Completely cool to room temp, then store dehydrated peppers in an airtight jar.
Oven is useful appliance when it come to dehydration food, especially red, green, and yellow peppers. It helps to preserve peppers to extend shelf life and increase nutritional benefits.