How to Dry Peppers in a Dehydrator: Your Step-By-Step Recipe Guide

Peppers are famous for their wide range of colors and exquisite spicy taste. The indigenous spice is popular across the globe because of its rich mineral content nutritious. If stored properly, the pepper is likely to stay safe and tasty for several years. Pepper is best if stored dry and ready to spice up your stew at any time you wish.

The use of a food dehydrator to dry peppers is gaining popularity. Drying pepper using a dehydrator is considered cost-effective and straightforward by most lovers of dried pepper. The steps are simple to follow. Likewise, the instructions are not much complicated.

Below is a clearly outlined procedure of how to dry peppers in a dehydrator.

Clean the Peppers

Use clean water to wash, re-wash, and rinse your peppers. Once the pepper is clean, shake off the excess water from the pepper. Clean the pepper properly because you don’t get another moment to do the cleaning.
Spread out your peppers on a cooling rack giving each pepper space to dry. The cooling rack provides the vegetable with enough surface area to dry out the excess water on the pepper.

Slice the Pepper into Sizeable Strips

Slice the thicker pepper into thin rings and thinner slices. Small peppers can be cut into two or dried wholly. The thin slices dry faster compared to thick pepper slices for they lose water more quickly.

Depending on your preferences, you may decide to keep or remove the seeds, stems, and pith. Seeds make the pepper hotter. Using a dehydrator, you have the chance to customize your final product.

It is advisable to keep your gloves on to prevent inflammation of your skin.

Transfer the Peppers to the Food Dehydrator

When the pepper is dry of any water on the surface, gently transfer the slices from the cooling rack to the food dehydrator. Arrange them well to allow for efficient heat transfer.

Organize your slices in a single layer on the available racks inside your dehydrator. Ensure that each slice is laid out independently on the racks without overlapping or touching other available pepper slices.

Set the Right Temperature

Re-check to confirm that the pepper slices and rings are laid out as instructed above. Close the lid of the dehydrator and set the recommended temperature for dehydrating the vegetable.

Most dehydrators work most effectively at the temperatures ranging between 120- 140º F. the recommended temperatures may depend on the dehydrator that you are using.

Opt for a dehydrator machine with a manual guiding you on how to dry peppers in a dehydrator

Check on the Dehydration Process

The vegetable takes some time to dehydrate. Most pepper varieties take approximately between 4- 12 hours to fully dry. To get the best quality of dried pepper, you need to be keen on the slices in your dehydrator.

After two hours, start checking on the pepper at intervals of one hour each. Check for the dried pepper and remove the food items one by one. Rotate the trays inside the dehydrator to allow them to dry evenly.

Please note that color change is not a clear indication that the pepper is dry. The best way to determine the dryness of a slice of pepper is the ‘squeeze test.’ The squeeze test involves squeezing the pepper to confirm the state. Dry pepper slices crack when squeezed.

Repeat the process until all the pepper slices in the dehydrator are dry enough to crack when you squeeze. Patience throughout the process delivers quality.

Store Your Dehydrated Peppers

After you dry the peppers, you may store the food items in the form of your choosing. Most pepper users prefer whole dried peppers while others opt for the dried pepper ground to powder.

Storing your dried chili should be your next thing on the list. Store your peppers away from moisture and direct sunlight to lengthen their life. A spice rack stored away in your cool kitchen drawers is sure to do the job.

Important Factors to Consider

As we have noted above, drying pepper using a dehydrator requires you to adhere to simple steps to get the best dry pepper results.
It is essential for you to note that your health and well-being is paramount. Use special gear like the gloves and gas masks to prevent inflammation of the skin and your nasal passage.

Learn the squeeze test to ascertain the difference between dried pepper and pepper that is not yet dry.

Once you get some additional training and experience added under your sleeve and you will be able to train others how to dry peppers in a dehydrator.

author avatar
Danny
Hey there, since 2016, my mission has been to provide you with the information and guides you need to make food dehydrating simple and fun. Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, my site offers helpful guides, reviews, and recipes to enhance your dehydrating experience. I take pride in only recommending products I believe in, ensuring my readers' trust. As an affiliate of various programs, including Amazon Associates, your support helps me continue providing quality content. Thanks for stopping by, and happy dehydrating!