How to Store Jalapeño Peppers: 5 Methods for Fresh Jalapeños

Jalapeño peppers are spicy chile peppers that are green or red and register between 3,500 and 8,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale (a scale that measures the heat of peppers). A jalapeño is spicier than a bell pepper but less spicy than a serrano pepper.

Mexican cuisine uses jalapeños heavily and in numerous ways, including in tacos, soups, nachos, and fresh salsas. In other types of cuisine, jalapeños are popular appetizers, such as a dish of jalapeño poppers or jalapeño peppers with a cheddar cheese or cream cheese filling and a breadcrumb coating.

You can store jalapeños at room temperature for a few days, but longer periods require a different storage method. Always wear gloves when handling hot peppers like jalapeños, as the capsaicin in the skin and flesh will irritate your eyes and skin. Here are a handful of ways to store fresh jalapeños for both short-term and long-term storage:

1. 1. Can the jalapeños. Wash the jalapeños in cold water, then let them air-dry. Then cook the jalapeños in boiling water for about three minutes before packing them into a sanitized pint-size or quart-size glass jar. Leave a couple of inches of headspace from the top of the jar. Fill the jars with the cooking liquid, leaving that headspace. Put the lids on the jars and boil the jars (called processing) in the boiling water for about thirty minutes. Store canned jalapeños in a cool, dark, dry place for up to two years unopened.
2. 2. Freeze the jalapeños. To prevent freezer burn, flash-freeze the peppers by laying them out—whole or sliced—in a single layer on a baking sheet and then adding them to your freezer. Another option is to blanch the jalapeños (submerge them in boiling water for thirty seconds, then plunge them into ice water) before you freeze them. Leave the jalapeño peppers in the freezer for one hour, then immediately transfer them to a resealable freezer bag. Frozen jalapeño peppers will last indefinitely in freezer bags, but the quality diminishes after about ten or eleven months. To thaw frozen jalapeños, remove the desired amount from the bag and leave the rest frozen.
3. 3. Dehydrate the jalapeños. You can dehydrate jalapeños in a food dehydrator or an oven set to a low heat. For either method, slice the jalapeños into coins or cut them in half lengthwise. Place the cut jalapeños on the dehydrator rack and set your food dehydrator to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow them to dry for about 10 hours (jalapeño coins will take less time). For the oven method, preheat the oven to the lowest possible setting—usually about 150–170 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry the jalapeños in the oven for about six to twelve hours, depending on the size of the jalapeño pieces. They will last for at least one year in airtight containers.
4. 4. Pickle the jalapeños. Pickling peppers is an age-old way of transforming and storing fresh peppers. Pickling preserves sliced jalapeños, giving them a much longer shelf life than other storage methods. Make a simple pickle brine with vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, then pour this over the sliced jalapeños in a glass jar, then seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep the pickled peppers in the refrigerator. For long-term storage, process the jars in a boiling water bath for about twenty minutes. Pickled jalapeños will last in a cool, dark, dry place for up to two years unopened.
5. 5. Refrigerate the jalapeños. Whole jalapeños will last in the refrigerator for about one week. Place whole jalapeños in a paper bag and store them in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. To store sliced or diced jalapeños in the refrigerator, keep them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. If the jalapeños become mushy, wrinkly, or moldy, throw them away.

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