How to Freeze Peppers

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If you want to enjoy your garden harvest all year long, then this guide on how to freeze peppers is a great resource for you.

Living a simple life is easier when you have a freezer full of food you grew organically.

One of my favorite things to grow in my garden is peppers.

There are so many varieties out there, you can literally fill a 20′ x 40′ garden with hundreds of plants all producing a different variety. On the other hand, how to freeze peppers can be a bit tricky, but I am going to show you my foolproof method you can use every time.

Even if you are not a fan of the spicy, peppers are something you should consider growing. I cannot tell you how many times I try a new recipe and it calls for diced peppers.

How nice would it be to have a stash in your freezer for times like these?

I have found that the more produce I have in my freezer, the less I spend on grocery produce in the off-season.

It is important to note that frozen peppers are not good to thaw and eat raw. Since peppers contain a large amount of water, freezing and thawing them gives a mushy consistency.

However, frozen peppers are great for just about any recipe, including omelets.

The trick when freezing produce is to figure out how to do it correctly. Peppers need to be seeded and diced before freezing. Also, peppers contain a lot of water, meaning if not frozen correctly, you will end up with a bag of ice rather than diced peppers.

How to Freeze Peppers

It is always good to remember that any time you are preserving food, be sure to preserve only fresh, blemish-free ingredients.

Step #1. Only Freeze the Freshest

Peppers can turn soft rather quickly, for this reason, it is important to pick them the day you plan to freeze them. One of the best parts of freezing your own produce is that you know for certain when everything is picked and that is why freezing produce from a grocery store is not recommended.

To keep all those wonderful vitamins and nutrients intact, you will want to freeze as soon as possible, preferably immediately after picking.

Step #2. Make sure to choose the best peppers

To ensure your peppers freeze well and stay fresh, only freeze your best produce. If you find a pepper with a blemish, I would not freeze it.

Instead, cut out the offending section of the pepper and dice. Put it into a container and store it in your refrigerator to use in your next meal.

Step #3. Wash, rinse, repeat

Gently wash your peppers being careful not to scrub them. You want your produce to be in the best shape possible, so wash gently so you do not bruise.

Let peppers sit to air dry on a towel right on your kitchen counter.

Step #4. Wear Protection

Even if you are only working with mild-flavored Bell peppers you must wear gloves when you freeze peppers.

I cannot tell you how many times I have frozen peppers without gloves thinking I would be just fine. And at the moment they were okay, however even after washing them several times throughout the day, my evening my hands would burn.

My advice is to wear gloves, even if you are barely touching them. Juices from even mild peppers can irritate your skin sometimes without you realizing it until later on.

Also, be sure to not touch or rub your eyes. I have done this (several times, actually), and the burn was instant and painful.

I like thin gloves like these. They work great and are pretty inexpensive. Or you can use kitchen gloves like these if you prefer. 

(Warning…some gloves have latex, like the kitchen gloves I link to here. Please make sure you are not allergic to latex before using.)

Step #5. Seed your peppers and core.

Cut your peppers to remove the seeds and inner membrane. I prefer to use my hands (don’t forget your gloves) for this step as I find it easier to pull the seeds and membrane out rather than slice it.

SLCG Pro Tip: If you are looking for hot and spicy peppers, leave the seeds in along with the membrane. the more you leave, the hotter they will be.

Step #6. Dice in equal sizes 

I learned a long time ago to make things as easy as possible when preserving foods, especially when freezing peppers. For that reason, I purchased a super cheap, yet dependable food dicer.

This dicer has saved so much time and ensures my dices are uniform in size. Why is that important? Because when cooking, the closer they are in size, the more uniformly they will cook.

I use the Vidalia Chop Wizard that I purchased many years ago. It still works great, is easy to clean, and can be used with just about any veggie.

Food Dicers I love:

• Inexpensive Food Dicer
• Food Chopper and Slicer
• Vidalia Chop Wizard

Step b#7. Par freeze

This is the tip that will keep ice off of your peppers.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place your peppers in a single layer. Put in your freezer until frozen for about 15-20 minutes.

Par freezing in a single layer will keep your peppers from freezing in a clump, and it will also keep the liquid from puddling up in the bag, forming chunks of ice.

Step #8. Put peppers into labeled freezer bags

Once your peppers are frozen, you can put them into freezer bags. I prefer to use one-quart bags. This sized bag is easier for our family and keeps the peppers fresh longer. The more you open a bag to remove what’s inside the more air you let in causing ice crystals to form on your delicate produce.

Small bags keep opening and closing to a minimum resulting in better peppers.

Step #9. Remove as much air as you can

This is another step that is important not to skip when freezing peppers. Having air in those bags can cause ice to form. Ice on peppers is bad. So we want to do as much as we can to prevent it.

Squeezing the air out before sealing the bag will work great, but take it one step further. Use a straw to suck the extra air out and get the best air-tight freeze.

Or you can purchase a vacuum sealer and freeze your produce with little air.

Step #10. Freeze  

Before you freeze, be sure to label and date the bags. This will ensure you are using up produce in a timely matter. Lay the bags flat on your freezer shelf or freeze them vertically in a freezer drawer. Whatever works best for the style of freezer you have.

If you already have produce in your freezer from last season, you will want to put your fresh produce behind to ensure you use up the older produce first.

Peppers frozen this way hold up well for up to a year in your freezer.

You can keep your frozen bags in plastic baskets in your freezer for easy organization. These baskets are my go-to tool for organizing my chest freezers.

Yes, they are recycling baskets and are NOT cheap, but again they are worth the money for me, and I just love them.

If your freezer is a mess, you can get tips on how to clean a freezer here.

I like to freeze varieties at different heat levels since some recipes like more spice than others.

What are the heat levels of peppers?

• Sweet pepper/mild heat – Bell Peppers
• Medium heat – Banana Peppers and Hungarian Wax Peppers
• High heat – Jalapeños, Chili, and Habanero peppers.

Remember when you freeze peppers to label things clearly.

There is nothing I love more than having fresh organic ingredients in my freezer and pantry to enjoy year-round. With just a little planning and prep work, you can fill your freezers with hot and spicy summer goodies.

And no, you do not need a garden to do this. A few planters on your patio or porch can also grow enough to freeze peppers for your family.

How to Grow Resources for Your Garden:

• How to Grow Chili Peppers
• How to Grow Bell Peppers
• How to Grow Peppers in Containers