Dehydrating frozen jalapenos – it worked! This was my first attempt at dehydrating jalapenos that had been previously frozen. I was needing to free up some extra freezer space from previous garden hauls, and it worked better than I had anticipated. It was a little skeptical at first, but they didn’t turn out mushy, and now I have the extra space and some dried jalapenos that are pretty versatile.
I have dehydrated other things before, but never anything that has been frozen. They sliced really well, and after about 11 hours, I sealed them in a mason jar ready to use!
What you will need to dehydrate jalapenos
Dehydrator – I have read and seen people that use their oven to complete this process, but we have small children, so this works best for us. There are numerous options on Amazon, or you might even try your local thrift store. A good question to answer before you make this purchase is “how often are you going to dehydrate?” If you are going to make this purchase, ensure that you are in it for a long period of time.
Dehydrating Frozen Jalapenos
This is how I was able to dehydrate previously frozen jalapenos from the garden. With a dehydrator, it was super simple, and now we have a flavorful spice that we can use is almost any dish. The good part about utilizing this process, is that it will keep for a long time.
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Equipment
- 1 Dehydrator We have a Cosori 5-tray, are more than pleased with it.
- Parchment paper Several sheets depending on the tiers in your dehydrator.
- Cheese Cloth
- 1 Strainer Make sure it's big enough to hold all of the peppers.
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Good sharp knife.
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Jalapenos
Instructions
- Take the three pounds of jalapenos and give them a good rinse in the strainer. This helps to wash off excess ice.
- Transfer the peppers into a large bowl.
- Slice each of the peppers in thin slices. (I left the seeds in) Place the top and the tips in the small bowl. You can keep them if you would like, however, I just discarded them.
- Keep in mind that the thinner your slices are the less time it takes to dehydrate.
- Transfer the sliced peppers to the cheese cloth, and ring out all of the excess moisture.
- I did about 10 hours in the dehydrator at 130 degrees, and about every two hours I would take them out move them around and separate some of the larger chunks. I found that when they clump together there is a sure sign of moisture.
- After ten hours, I took them out and spread the trays across the kitchen table and left them there overnight. In the morning, I spread them out and gave them another spin in the dehydrator for about an hour at the same setting, Then I slid them into a small mason jar and vacuumed sealed for jalapeno powder later on.
Video
Tips and Procedure
- We have never before tried to dehydrate anything that was previously frozen from our freezer. For years now we have grown vegetables in our own garden, but for this we were looking to free up some freezer space to make room for this year’s harvest.
- Something to keep in mind: If you choose to invest in a dehydrator, many of the items that you use can be dehydrated to make more room in your freezer.
- Do some research to find out what will work best in order to fit your needs.
- We use jalapenos in many dinners that we make, so DO NOT dehydrate anything that you will not use.
- Dehydrated jalapenos are versatile and can be used as a seasoning or ground down to make numerous spices or even jalapeno salt.
- If you go further in dehydrating, consider investing in a good herb grinder. This will open the door to creating multiple spices that you can add to many different dishes.
- Look at dehydrating fruits and vegetables, or any combination of spices that will work for you and your family.
- Lastly, consider dehydrating as a way to store food and/or spices that no longer need to take up space in your freezer.
Ingredients
3 lbs. Jalapenos (Ours were frozen).
Directions to dehydrate frozen jalapenos
- Take the three pounds of jalapenos and give them a good rinse in cold water, and then into the strainer. This helps to wash off excess ice.
- Transfer the peppers into a large bowl.
- Slice each of the peppers in thin slices. (I left the seeds in) Place the top and the tips in the small bowl. You can keep them if you would like, however, I just discarded them.
- Keep in mind that the thinner your slices are, the less time it takes to dehydrate. Transfer the sliced peppers to the cheese cloth and ring out all of the excess moisture.
- Once you have removed all of the moisture possible, place the rings on a sheet of parchment paper or use a food processor to create small chunks. Spread the rings and/or the chunks out across the paper with plenty of space in between.
- I did about 10 hours in the dehydrator at 130 degrees, and about every two hours I would take them out move them around and separate some of the larger chunks. I found that when they clump together there is a sure sign of moisture.
- After ten hours, I took them out and spread the trays across the kitchen table and left them there overnight. In the morning, I spread them out and gave them another spin in the dehydrator for about an hour at the same setting, Then I slid them into a small mason jar and vacuumed sealed for jalapeno powder later on.
- Dehydrated jalapenos and/or powder are very versatile in many dishes.
- Make sure that when you start the process of dehydrating the jalapenos you have a well vented workspace. You may even want to get latex gloves and complete the process outside or in a garage. I completed this process in the kitchen and left the patio door open. You might even consider cracking a window. This is true even more so when you grind them down.
Extras to Consider
- Dehydrating extras in your freezer is a great way to free up more space, providing you have a working pantry and extended places to store it.
- Again, if this is something that you are in for the long haul for, consider a good dehydrator, vacuum sealer, and an extensive array of different sized mason jars.
- Dehydrating can be intimidating in the beginning, but it comes with practice. Start with something small and build from there.
- I started with a basic bag of mixed vegetables, and then gradually worked my way out. I spent serval weeks before that reading, watching videos, and researching on what the process is and how to proceed. There are endless about of resources to use to the best of your advantage.
- I will definitely branch out and try more and more options.
We would love to know if you have any additional tips, tricks, or even if you have tried this method. Please leave us a comment, feedback, or give it a rating! It’s much appreciated.
