If you’ve got an abundance of peppers this season, or you’ve just found a great deal on them, you’ll be happy to know peppers are one of the vegetables you can freeze raw, without blanching first.
I’ve been doing it for years, and I love being able to pull a bag of homegrown peppers from the freezer to toss a few in a quiche, casserole or stir fry without having to make a special trip to the store. It’s been a timesaver for us over the years, so I thought I’s pass along the tip.
How to Freeze Sweet Peppers
Select crisp, tender, green or brightly colored peppers. Wash and drain peppers.
Cut off the stems and remove the membrane and seeds. Freeze whole, in halves, strips or diced. Do not blanch the peppers.
Seal, label, date and freeze.
My friend Mrs. HB likes to vacuum seal her peppers with her Food Saver machine. I like to use quart sized zip type freezer bags when I freeze my peppers as I can just remove a few peppers from the bag at a time without the hassle of pulling out a Food Saver machine and resealing the bag.
If using freezer bags, always remove as much air as possible from the bag.
How to Freeze Hot Peppers
Select crisp, tender, green or brightly colored peppers. Wash and drain peppers. Hot peppers can be left whole for freezing.
If you plan to freeze sliced or diced hot peppers, wear rubber gloves while handling hot peppers to prevent your hands being burned. And for goodness sake, DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE while handling hot peppers {I did that once and it wasn’t pretty}.
Wash hands your thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes if choose not wear gloves.
Cut off the stems and remove the seeds. Freeze whole, in halves, strips or sliced. Do not blanch the peppers.
Seal, label, date and freeze.
As mentioned above, my friend Mrs. HB likes to vacuum seal her peppers with her Food Saver machine. I like to use quart sized zip type freezer bags when I freeze my peppers as I can just remove a few peppers from the bag at a time without the hassle of pulling out a Food Saver machine and resealing the bag.
If using freezer bags, always remove as much air as possible from the bag.
Keep calm and freeze on,
~Mavis
Want to learn a little more about peppers? Check out my post on 10 Fun Facts About Peppers.
Rosemary Calhoun says
I freeze peppers all the time! I also freeze onions the same way. It is so easy to just grab some when needed for a recipe. Plus, you don’t have to drag out the cutting board to cut them up every time you need some – it is already done!
Deborah R says
I like to put my sliced peppers in the freezer on a lined baking sheet just until frozen before bagging. It makes it easier to pull out just what I need later. Also, I only freeze slices but it’s easy enough to dice when using them after a couple of minutes on the cutting board.
Virginia says
Like Mrs. HB, I use a FoodSaver as well (bought it when they first came out — 20 years ago? — and it’s still going strong). I consider it an indispensable kitchen item, so much so that it stays on my counter full time. I use it daily and it would definitely be a hassle to pull out of a cabinet or pantry every time I needed it. Besides the obvious use to remove air from bags before freezing food, it’s great for resealing chip and cereal bags, and resealing blocks of cheese in airtight bags. You probably go through cheese so fast, Mavis, it doesn’t go bad, but it has saved me countless blocks of moldy cheese over the years. Thanks for all your tips, Mavis!
Kathy says
When I freeze peppers in zip lock bags like this (or anything for that matter), I use a straw to suck out as much air as possible. Zipper it closed 99% of the way, stick the straw in as far as it will go and just suck it out. Works wonders and is a LOT cheaper than using a machine to do it!
Yvonne says
Kathy,
I do the same thing! It works wonderfully at getting the air out quickly…
Sue says
First time ever, the dang army worms have devoted my peppers.
Hoping to get a least some, I check several times daily.
Wynne says
I do this too. I mince the jalapeños since a recipe usually only needs 1-2T. Last year I had so many jalapeños, I had to freeze some in cheese-stuffed form. It was a difficult problem to have. 🙂
Sharon says
Cheese stuffed? Please give more details. Thank you