Yes, it is very easy to freeze hot peppers. You do not need to blanch the peppers before freezing them. What I do is cut off the stems, chop them up in my food processor, and then put the peppers into an ice cube tray. Once the peppers have been frozen, I then place them into a freezer bag.

Gary

Wow, that is easy! Thanks...now if I can just remember where I put those ice cube trays....... :)

Beverly

I use an easier method. Pop them whole and dry into a freezer bag- no blanching or other preparation- and into the freezer. That way you can remove as many as you need and leave the rest frozen.
Easiest to chop when still partially frozen.

john

I do the same as John. Works like a charm.

Chris

I do the same as John. I pop them whole into a gallon freeze container and remove them as needed. Chopping them up would reduce the volume a little but expose the pepper to oxidation. I prefer to just drop them into the freezer. Nothing could be easier.

Thanks, all of you! I had thought about just popping them into the freezer, whole, but wanted to know if it would be okay. I've got cayenne, serano, jalapeno, and Tobasco all coming in and don't want to lose them.

Again, thanks!
Beverly

You might want to cut them in half for at leat two reasons.

1) If you want to save the seeds for next years planting.

2) Some peppers, especially Habs, have the tendency to contain what some folks call "Nasties", which generally is the seed pod rotting. The pepper looks perfectly fine on the outside, so don't be fooled!

Good luck and enjoy your peppers

Rd

Will the hot peppers retain their "hotness" after a couple of months in the freezer?

I am planning on making some hot sauce with my diferent peppers but I want to collect a lot of them before starting.

Is there any other way to store hot peppers for sauce?(vinegar,etc..)

Enrique

I fully concur regarding freezing whole but want to underscore RdÂs advice. Cut the tops of any habs youÂre freezing. DonÂt ask how I know LOL.

Personally, I donÂt find they loose heat, even after 10 months.

I freeze my extras using a vacuum sealer (2-4 per pouch). I find they keep better and donÂt get freezer burn.

Bill

Does freezing keep more of the heat in the pepper vs. drying?

I have a bunch of bhut jolokias coming in, and want to preserve some. I am trying to determine if I should be freezing or drying them. They are rather thin skinned...

I don't know about freezing keeping anymore heat than drying. I kind of doubt it. They seem to keep all the heat after thawing. The only down side is they end up a little soft.

I personally prefer to dry them. I feel they are more versatile. That's not to say I don't have a few ziplocs in the freezer, but if I don't use them fresh then they usually end up in the drying box.

Next year I will be growing far more peppers (like 5 or 6 times more). Going to have to build a larger drying box and even then a bunch will still probably end up in the freezer.

Hot sauce anyone? =)

-HabBob

So you think that they stay as hot from drying? I was actually planning on drying most of them, but I got worried that it would make the bhuts lose too much of their potency.

My family always tells me that freezing hot peppers actually intensifies the heat. Not sure how true this is though

I roast my peppers (mostly habs) just enough to blister the skins, and let cool and put in plastic bags and then a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn. When needed I take out my chili put under running water peel off skin/seeds, and continue to make my salsa. Chilies do not loose flavor or hottness and taste fresh. Get lots of complements on my salsa. Good luck. still have habs in freezer from last year that I grew! Peeling off the skin helps to digest.