I decided to freeze some of the peppers this morning that I got from Mr. Produce Guy this week. I like to freeze them both sliced and diced {mostly because slicing and dicing rhymes, but also for the convenience, ha.}. They are awesome to have on hand in the winter, when you only need a bit for a recipe. I like having the option of pulling out only what I need for stir-fries, soups, and omelets.
Here’s the 411 on how to freeze them:
You’ll need:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Pot {for blanching}
- A bowl of ice water
- freezer bags
- cookie sheet
Directions:
- Start a pot of boiling water for blanching*
- Wash and dry your peppers.
- Slice them in half and de-seed them completely.
- Now cut them however you prefer {sliced, diced, etc.}.
- Place them in a pot of boiling water{2 minutes for slices, 1 minute for diced} and then plunge them into the ice water bath.
- Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and freeze them.
- Transfer frozen peppers to labeled and dated freezer bags. {They are best when used within 6 months, but they’ll keep longer.}
*If you are not going to cook the peppers, you can skip the blanching step, because they will lose their crispiness during blanching. I cook with mine, so I blanched them to preserve their color.
Want to know how to freeze just about anything? Check out my handy dandy how-to chart HERE.
The Complete Guide to Food Preservation
Melissa says
I love freezing peppers and using them in the winter. So much cheaper than buying them at the grocery store. However, I don’t blanch them. Just dice and freeze on a cookie sheet before putting in a freezer bag.
Em says
So pretty, in the bags!
I never thought of freezing them. I dehydrate me extras, and store them in a mason jar.
Em says
Haha, sorry about the typo. I was startled by the phone ringing.
I mostly use my peppers scrambled in eggs. I’ll use fresh ones while they’re available!
Brenda says
I’m curious about dehydrating them. I’ve never done it with veggies before but am running out of space in my freezer!
Do you rehydrate them when you use them? How long do they last dehydrated? Thanks for the idea!
Shannon says
I love having frozen peppers! I never blanch them, however, and they always retain their color!
jenn says
I never blanch them either and they’re always perfect when I defrost them. I love freezing bell peppers when they’re on sale though!
Samantha M. says
I don’t bother blanching them either. I just give them a wash and freeze them, they retain their colour and texture just fine. I’ve eaten them six months later with no noticeable difference from when first frozen. Like Jenn I stock up when they are on sale.
debi says
when I’ve had frozen peppers before the texture is soggy/mushy – yuck! So how do they retain their texture and crispness? I’ve avoided freezing them because I didn’t like the end result. Please advise.
Brenda says
debi,
Did you blanch yours? I’ve never done that. I just wash, thinly slice, dry them off and put them on a cookie sheet with wax paper. Once they’re frozen I toss them in a Ziploc. If you take the time to make sure they are really dry before you put them on a cookie sheet you won’t get as much ice build up on them which could be contributing to the soggy problem. Also, depending on how long you freeze them and/or how good your freezer works you still might get ice build up inside the bag. Usually when I plan to use them I take them out of the bag and wrap them up in a kitchen towel or paper towel to remove the excess moisture before cooking with them.
I’ve only used frozen peppers cooked in recipes, not raw. I have always just assumed they would be soggy and mushy to serve them that way.
Random Drawers says
Thankyou so much for this. I’ve got three peppers left that I don’t need currently and don’t want to waste. I used up one yesterday in such a lovely recipe costing $0.67 a serve.
Catherine Foster says
These are great ideas! One dumb question, though. If you put them wet on the cookie sheet and freeze them, won’t they free to the cookie sheet and be hard to get off? Do you put a layer of paper towels or wax paper between the peppers and the cookie sheet?
Brenda says
Catherine,
I find it very important to completely dry off the peppers before freezing them. I would think they would stick to the cookie sheet if you didn’t and it helps prevent frost build up on the peppers.
Jules says
I never blanch either. Just cut ’em up and throw into some freezer bags. I have found that wearing gloves is helpful to keep the stink off of my fingers after cutting a ton of them.
Tali says
Aside from freezing them in thin long slices for stir-fry and such I love to add them to onions when I make special eggs….I just dice them to little square pieces and stuff them in ice cube trays. When they are frozen I transfer my pepper-cubes into a large size ziplock bag.
Wynne says
I love to do this with hot peppers. We don’t eat many, so I plant one jalapeno and put the minced peppers in the freezer, taking a tablespoon for a recipe as needed all year.
Sarah says
When I harvest a bunch, I char them on the grill, remove the skins and seeds, then freeze them. Lots of flavor!
Mindy says
I just discovered your website today and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE all of it!!
However, I’m having a hard time connecting to your ‘how to freeze fruits and vegetables’ link! HELP!
Mavis Butterfield says
Fixed. Here is the link –> http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/how-to-freeze-fruits-and-vegetables-2/