The 13 Best Ways to Utilize Chili Peppers

In this post, you will learn what to do with chili peppers! For many chili growers, it’s the end of the season! And I don’t know about you, but I’ve been rather successful growing my peppers indoors!

This year I got so many chili fruits, ranging from mild to super hot. Don’t misunderstand me, It’s not like I think that getting a lot of peppers is a bad thing. We are growing chili peppers because we want to have a lot of nice chilies, right?!

Yes, the season is over; for many, it ended one month or two ago. It is soon over for me, but I keep picking one or two peppers from a few of my plants.

Some gardeners cultivate peppers indoors and outdoors and end up with more than a dozen or two ripening pods, especially if they are using a good soil mix (see my soil mix recipe, for instance).  It may be Poblanos, Jalapeños, Habaneros, or Carolina Reapers.

Table of Contents

• What to Do with Hot Peppers
• 1. Pickled chilies
• 2. Dry your peppers
• 3. Chili powder
  • A basic pepper powder recipe:
• 4. Freeze your chili fruits
• 5. Make a hot sauce!
• 6. Create a chili jam
• 7. Fresh salsa
• 8. Cooked salsa
• 9. Guacamole
• 10. Chili poppers
• 11. Make a delicious chili!
• 12. Heat your freezing feet during the winter.
• 13. Pain-relieving cream.
• Conclusion

What to Do with Hot Peppers

Maybe you were like me, more successful than you anticipated, and you can’t help wondering…

Thus, this section explores what you can do with your hot peppers! See the recent post specifically about what to do with extra hot peppers.

1. Pickled chilies

One of the first things I like to do with hot peppers is to pickle them! It’s very easy to pickle vegetables, and chilies are no exception. A pickled jalapeño on your tacos adds a bit of extra hotness to it. I typically slice a bunch of chilies 1-2 cm thick and soak them in salted water (i.e., brine). Add whatever spices you like.

For example, I’ve used coriander seeds and garlic. Ensure you put the seeds and garlic in the bottom of the jar!

2. Dry your peppers

Now, the second thing on the list of what to do with hot peppers is to dry them! Now, one awesome thing with dried peppers is that they will still be flavorful! Furthermore, they can be stored for a long time, and it’s not hard to dry.

I typically take a needle and thread, pull it through the pods, and hang it in the window. You can also use your oven to dry the pods. Finally, you can use a food dehydrator (see here, for an overview).

3. Chili powder

In this section, you will learn what we can do with dried chili peppers.

This is, of course, connected with drying your chilies. After you have dried your peppers, you can make chili powder. Everything you need is probably right in your pantry!

You can use it in your favorite chili, a delicious meatloaf, and pasta dishes. In fact, you can use it to warm your feet now when the winter is coming (see number 13).

A basic pepper powder recipe:

1. Remove the stem, cut your chilies in halves, and remove all seeds. Wear gloves if you are using hot peppers!
2. Toast the dried pods in the oven (170 C) until they smell toasted and are pliable. Make sure you turn them in once in a while.
3. Throw your peppers in a spice grinder or a blender. Mix until you have a powder.
4. Please put it in a glass jar and use it in your dishes later.

4. Freeze your chili fruits

One thing you can do with your peppers is freeze them for later use. In fact, freezing your fruits is a very good way to store them. The peppers can be put in the freezer whole or cut in half. I have sometimes minced the peppers, too.

Will freezing the pods kill the flavor? In my experience, they are almost as good as fresh. But, of course, nothing beats eating fresh chili. For more long-term storage options, check out this guide on how to preserve hot peppers for tips on freezing, drying, and pickling!

5. Make a hot sauce!

Who doesn’t enjoy a hot sauce?! I love adding Tabasco sauce or Sriracha to many of my meals. There are many ways to cook up a hot sauce! I like fermented stuff—a lot! So, I have experimented with fermenting a mash of peppers, garlic, onion, and spices.

I used a banana in my latest hot sauce. It’s still fermenting, so we’ll see how it tastes!

See my Carolina Reaper Banana Sauce for some inspiration!

6. Create a chili jam

I love a good jam together with delicious cheese! When I got 50-60 Jamaican Bell (Bishop’s Crown) peppers and wondered what to do with all of them, I realized something. They were quite mild and had a nice taste, so why don’t you make a tomato chili jam?! Said and done, my vegetarian tomato chili jam was a success when I brought it to my job.

7. Fresh salsa

I rarely say no to a delicious Mexican dish, especially a good fish taco served with fresh salsa.

There’s something about the fresh ingredients in uncooked salsa that makes my taste buds explode. Sometimes, I also grow tomatoes, and using your homegrown chilies and tomatoes is never wrong. 

Here are two recipes for you:

• Pico de Gallo
• 4 Minute Restaurant Salsa

8. Cooked salsa

I do prefer a freshly made salsa but if you have a lot of chilies and/or tomatoes, you may want to be able to enjoy a good salsa all year round.

This makes canning your salsa a great way to preserve your chilies and have quality salsa during the winter.

Here are two recipes for you:

• Canned salsa
• Canned Tomato Salsa

9. Guacamole

Fish tacos with salsa AND guacamole?! I’d never say no to that, either. Buy two fresh organic avocados and one lime, and use your homegrown tomatoes and cilantro (or buy organic). Remove the skins of two tomatoes, chop them finely, and mash them with the avocado.

Add lime juice, a pinch of cilantro, cumin, olive oil, and salt. Don’t forget to use one or two of your nice peppers. It all depends on how hot you want your guacamole. Yummy! If you are lazy, like me sometimes, you can put everything together in a blender and mix it!

Here are some guacamole recipes for your inspiration:

• Guacamole
• Chunky Guacamole recipe

10. Chili poppers

This is an excellent way to answer the question about what to do with hot peppers. Why? Well, because I love cheese. And I love peppers. One of the most delightful and easy ways to use chilies is to make chili poppers! Buy your favorite cheeses like Parmesan and cream cheese.

If you use hard cheese, grate it and mix it with cream cheese, minced garlic, and bread crumbs.

Cut your peppers in half and fill them with cheese. Preheat the oven to 190 C (of course) and bake for 20-25 minutes. Delicious!

• What to Do with Too Many Jalapeños: 10 Easy Ideas to Make

11. Make a delicious chili!

I think that Mexican food is delightful! This may be very obvious for many of you guys. Dried, frozen, or fresh, your peppers are a great addition to a hot chili stew.

I typically grow Poblanos and dry them. A chili is a great way to use your dried chilies: soak them in water for some time before cooking.

This recipe, for example, uses dried chilies. It would be best to try my delicious vegan chili recipe using a fresh Habanero pepper. Flavor, depth, and heat! Yummy! If you’re looking for crazy and fun things to do with Habanero peppers, see a more recent post.

I have tried 11 different uses for chili peppers. The following two bonus uses are fascinating, but I have not yet tried them. For more ideas, learn how to cook chili peppers.

12. Heat your freezing feet during the winter.

I have read about a quite weird use for chili peppers: Use your homemade powder to warm your feet in the cold winter. Put the powder in your socks, and it’s supposed to do the trick. I have yet to try this out, but I sure will. It will soon be cold where I am!

13. Pain-relieving cream.

I have read much about the potential health benefits of eating chili peppers. The chemical that makes peppers hot, capsaicin, can relieve pain. Among many other things, of course, but that is a different story (or blog post).

To make a capsaicin cream, you only need a tablespoon of homemade chili powder and five tablespoons of coconut oil. Blend the oil and cayenne into a cream.

This cream should be massaged into the areas where you’re experiencing pain. If you made it, just be sure to wash your hands afterward. You don’t want to get hot pepper into your nose or eyes! It hurts, trust me!

Conclusion

That was the 13 best ways to use your chili peppers! If you are using scorching peppers, make sure you use plastic gloves. I made that mistake once when chopping up Apocalypse Scorpion Chocolate pods, and I will never forget to wear gloves again…

If you’re looking for even more ways to enjoy your harvest, check out this list of hot pepper recipes for some spicy ideas.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite uses of all the beautiful and flavorful chilies you grow?! Leave a comment below!