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Home » How to

Published: Jan 24, 2023 by Genevieve · This post may contain affiliate links.

How to Freeze Habanero Peppers

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Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.
Habaneros are shown on a light blue background with the words How to Freeze Habanero Peppers and the URL www.twocloveskitchen.com.

This article will teach you how to freeze habanero peppers, the aromatic, floral, bright orange hot peppers 100 times hotter than jalapeños. Keep reading to find out the best way to preserve your crop of precious peppers, plus some ideas to use them!

Bright orange habaneros are strewn across a light blue background.
Jump to:
  • What are Habanero Peppers?
  • Similar Types of Peppers
  • How to Freeze Habanero Peppers
  • Other Methods of Preserving Habanero Peppers
  • Storage and Reheating
  • How to Use
  • 💬 Comments

What are Habanero Peppers?

Spicy habanero peppers are small (¾ to 2 ½ inches long) and most commonly bright orange or red chili peppers. They can be found in other colors, such as yellow or purple. When they are unripe, they are green, and they change color as they mature.

Named the Guinness Book of World Records' hottest peppers in 1999, habaneros are extremely spicy. They have since been displaced by the Carolina Reaper.

Reaching 100,00 to 350,000 on the Scoville scale, habanero peppers are commonly used for hot sauce, salsa, and other spicy foods. A jalapeño, for reference, is rated 2,000 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale, and bell peppers are rated 0. 

A red chili pepper sits on a worn wooden cutting board beside a written list of the peppers on the Scoville scale.

Habaneros are primarily produced on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, and also grow in really hot climates, like those of Costa Rica, Belize, and parts of the United States.

The name "habanero" comes from the Cuban city La Habana, or Havana, as it is known in English-speaking countries. It was given this name because it was once a common trade product in Cuba.

Similar Types of Peppers

Scotch bonnets and habanero peppers are often confused because they are quite similar. They are, in fact, two varieties of the same species, but have different pod types--that is, the exterior fruit of the pepper, and not the internal white membrane or seeds.

Red, green, and orange scotch bonnet peppers sit in a wooden tray.

Because of this, the two peppers have a similar heat level, flavor, and thin, waxy skin, and can be used in similar applications.

If you are looking for other peppers similar in heat, but with a different flavor profile, try serrano peppers. It is far milder than a habanero pepper but spicier than jalapeños and commonly available at the grocery store.

How to Freeze Habanero Peppers

The shelf life of raw habanero peppers is, at max, about 2 weeks. If you have an abundance of fresh habanero peppers, freezing your peppers is the easiest way to preserve them.

Some suggest that you blanch your peppers prior to freezing them whole, but I see the best results when I freeze fresh habaneros.

Here are the 5 easy steps to follow:

Step One When freezing habaneros whole, it is a good idea to select only peppers of the best quality. Discard any peppers with brown spots, or signs of mold, damage, or rotting.

Step Two Remove the stems from your habaneros. You can pluck them directly off of the peppers using your fingers or a pair of tweezers. This will save space in your freezer bag to allow you to freeze more peppers at a time.

A closeup is shown on habanero peppers with their stems removed.

Step Three Clean them well under running water and be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel. You can wear gloves during this step to ensure you don't get any of the capsaicin on your hands and then accidentally on your face or in your eyes.

Washed habanero peppers sit in a silver strainer on a white marble counter.

Step Four Once you've prepared them for the freezer, place the individual peppers in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze.

Frozen habaneros sit on a gray sheet tray on a white marble counter.

Step Five After they are fully frozen, store habaneros in a Ziploc freezer bag or other freezer-safe bags and remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. You can do this with a vacuum sealer if you have one available.

Frozen habanero peppers are shown in a freezer-safe plastic bag.

I find that these are the easiest methods to remove air from a plastic bag.

Other Methods of Preserving Habanero Peppers

Try pickling habanero peppers. This recipe for pickled serrano peppers will translate well to pickled habaneros.

You can dry habanero peppers for use later as well. If you have one available, use a dehydrator. This is the easiest method.

If you do not, first wash and dry them thoroughly.

Slice the peppers into thin slices or into quarters. Place the pepper slices and/or cut peppers on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 140°F for about 4 hours.

Once the peppers are completely dry, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before storing them in an airtight container or bag until ready to use.

Storage and Reheating

As with most produce, frozen hot peppers will last a long time. But we've all had that one bag of frozen veggies forgotten in the recesses of the freezer that became completely freezer-burned even though the bag was sealed.

I recommend you freeze peppers for up to a year before use.

There are 3 methods for using frozen habanero peppers:

  1. Defrost in Refrigerator When you plan to use the peppers, thaw the whole peppers in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. Defrost at Room Temp Leave the frozen peppers on a plate at room temperature until they have defrosted. There will be moisture present from the thawing, so be sure to pat them dry before using.
  3. Straight from the Freezer If you plan on using them straight from the freezer, I recommend cooking the habaneros. Simply add the peppers directly to the dish without thawing.

I do not recommend you refreeze habaneros, so just defrost as many peppers as you're planning to need at any given time. 

Remember that habaneros may have lost a bit of their kick during the freezing and thawing process. You can add an additional pepper to boost the heat if this is the case.

How to Use

Use in sauces and dips:

You can make a fiery habanero sauce, like this Pineapple Habanero Sauce. It's a bright, tangy, spicy homemade hot sauce I use on everything from grilled meats to eggs to salads.

A bowl of pineapple habanero salsa sits on a rustic wooden cutting board surrounded by limes, cilantro, and a red linen.

Try them in a salsa, like this Pineapple Habanero Salsa. The fresh peppers mellow when roasted with sweet pineapple, onions, and garlic, creating a perfect balance of sweet and heat!

Use in a cooked meal:

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Mango Habanero Hot Sauce

Coconut Rice and Beans

Vegan Efro Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Glenda says

    January 25, 2023 at 12:36 pm

    This is great. Thanks for the pepper freezing tips! I ended up using it for jalapenos because that's what I had extra of. It worked perfectly! We are definitely manual air removing people, so I appreciated the link to easy hacks.

    Reply
    • Genevieve says

      January 27, 2023 at 2:41 pm

      Great to hear you were able to use this for your jalapenos, too! Love that you used the tips. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Traci says

    January 26, 2023 at 5:20 am

    Thank you so much for these great tips! I often buy more than I need and they end up going to waste. Excited to be able to freeze and use them later!

    Reply
    • Genevieve says

      January 27, 2023 at 2:40 pm

      Totally understand. Recipes will call for 1 or 2 peppers and you're stuck with 10 more, haha. Glad this is helpful!

      Reply
  3. Gina says

    January 26, 2023 at 6:10 am

    I made a habanero salsa a few weeks ago and had more than I needed. I never got around to using them and ended up throwing them out. If only I had seen this first! Now I know for next time 🙂

    Reply
    • Genevieve says

      January 27, 2023 at 2:40 pm

      Yay, no more wasted peppers!

      Reply
  4. Lara says

    January 26, 2023 at 6:23 am

    Thank you so much for these tips! Just put my extras in the freezer. I always over estimate the amount I need since they're so hot.

    Reply
    • Genevieve says

      January 27, 2023 at 2:39 pm

      Haha, me too! They are pretty fiery. Thanks Lara!

      Reply
  5. Anastasha says

    January 26, 2023 at 6:54 am

    Thank you for these tips! I have a small family and small items like peppers go bad fast so knowing how to freeze peppers will help us not waste so much food and save on money!

    Reply
    • Genevieve says

      January 27, 2023 at 2:38 pm

      I'm so glad this was helpful, Anastasha.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Gen! Welcome to Two Cloves Kitchen. I am a certified professional cook, lifelong recipe creator, writer, editor, and food lover. I use my culinary knowledge to teach you how to utilize your ingredients and equipment to their fullest potential, turning ordinary meals into something exciting with bold, fresh, innovative ideas and flavors.

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