How To Preserve Green Chillies

If you have an abundance of green chillies, there are various methods that you can use to preserve them. This stops your chillies from going to waste, and you can use them all throughout the year, even when it’s too cold to grow them.

Green chillies can be preserved by drying them in the oven or by dehydrating them in a food dehydrator. You could also salt your chillies or even pickle them. Additionally, you can freeze them.

Here are the easy steps to preserving your green chillies.

Table of Contents

Drying Green Chillies In The Oven

For this method, you want to select the lowest temperature that is available for your oven. Here’s what to do.

Wash the chillies and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Line a flat baking tray with some parchment paper.
Lay the whole chillies out onto the tray in a single layer. Make sure they’re not touching each other.
Put the tray into the oven and set the lowest possible temperature, and leave them in there until they’re dry. You might have to leave the oven door slightly open so that the chillies don’t cook instead of dry.
You’ll know that they’re dry enough when they’ve shriveled up a little and are darker in color.
Let the chillies cool completely, and then put them into an airtight jar or container.
Keep your dried chillies in a cool, dark spot such as your pantry or store cupboard.

Drying Green Chillies In A Food Dehydrator

This method is extremely effective but may take a few hours depending on the model of dehydrator you have, the size of the chillies, and how much humidity is in the air. Here’s what to do:

Give your chillies a wash, and then dry them using a paper towel.
Place the chillies onto your dehydrator trays in a single layer. Make sure you leave a little space between each one.
Set the temperature of your dehydrator to 135 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius).
Keep an eye on your chillies and remove them as soon as they’re dry.
Let the chillies cool down completely and put them into an airtight jar or container.
Store this in your pantry or store cupboard.

Salting Your Green Chillies To Preserve Them

Using salt is an ancient method of preservation and can work really well with chillies. Here’s what you need to do:

Wash your chillies and dry them completely with a paper towel.
Cut the top off each chilli and then chop them up roughly. There’s no need to remove the seeds.
Mix the green chillies that you’ve chopped up with 1 ounce (30g) of normal cooking salt. This should be enough to preserve around 9 ounces (250g) of fresh green chillies.
Put your salted chillies into a sterilized jar. A mason jar works well for this.
Put another layer of normal cooking on top of the chillies and seal up the jar.
Store your salted chillies in a cool spot that is dry for around 2 weeks.
After the two weeks are up, pop your salted chillies into the refrigerator for storage.

Pickle Your Green Chillies To Preserve Them

Pickling is another preservation method that has been used for centuries. This method is ideal for green chillies and will allow you to store your chillies for quite a long time. Pickled chillies are delicious and can be served in a number of different ways.

Here’s what you need to do.

Gather Your Ingredients

9 ounces (250 grams) of green chillies
¾ cup of water
¾ cup of white vinegar
½ teaspoon of sugar
½ tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of peppercorns
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

Method

Wash the green chillies and pat them dry.
Using a pin, pierce the skin of each chilli in a few spots sparingly.
Put the water into a saucepan and place it on the stove to heat.
Add the remaining ingredients to the water as it’s heating.
Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar but do not allow the mixture to boil.
Put the chillies into a sterilized glass jar and pour over the brine liquid.
Seal the jar and store it in a cool spot that is dry.

Keep an eye on the liquid in the jar and top it up if necessary after around a week or so.

How To Freeze Your Green Chillies

Freezing your chillies will allow you to store them for many months. Here’s what to do:

Wash your chillies, dry them and remove the stems.
Put the whole chillies onto a plate or a baking tray and cover with cling wrap.
Place the tray into the freezer until the chillies are frozen.
Once frozen, remove the chillies from the tray and pack them into a freezer bag to store in the freezer for use later.