This post may contain affiliate links.
View our disclosure.
I’ve never really been a fan of hot peppers – I’m not big on spicy foods. But it turns out, I just hadn’t found the right way to use them yet, and now that I have, I can’t get my hands on enough of them.
I have four things that I’m going to show you how to make over the next week, and they all call for dried hot peppers, so today, I’m going to start by showing you how to dry peppers.
Let’s get started!
How to Dry Peppers
What You’ll Need:
Hot peppers (any variety will work)
A knife
A cutting board
A dehydrator (optional, but a big help. Scroll to the bottom of the post for instructions on drying without one)
Gloves
First things first … don’t skip the gloves. The Capsaicin that gives peppers their heat can irritate your skin. A thick pair of kitchen gloves is ideal, but if you don’t have any, doubling up on latex gloves will also work (that’s what I did). Believe me, I’ve made the mistake of handling hot peppers ungloved, and you don’t want to go there.
Some people dry peppers in their oven, but I don’t recommend doing it that way. As the peppers dry, the Capsaicin will get into the air, and it can become extremely irritating to your eyes, nose and lungs. To avoid all of that unpleasantness, I just take my dehydrator out on the porch, and dry them in that. It works like a charm, and it gives me an excuse to get outside for a little while.
What You Do:

Wash and dry your peppers, and cut off their stems. If you’re working with larger peppers, like jalapenos, cut them in half lengthwise. This will help the peppers to dry out faster. But, don’t scoop out the seeds – they’re what give the peppers their heat, so you want to dry them, too.