What To Do With Cayenne Peppers

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Cayenne peppers are among the most well known spicy chilies. They have a subtle, smoky flavor and are best known for adding a touch of heat to dishes. Cayennes are also very popular for home gardeners. But when the plants are loaded at the end of the season, what can you do with a big harvest of fresh cayenne peppers?

In this article, I’ll share what you can do with cayenne peppers. Some of these ideas will keep the peppers preserved, while others are focused on using them right away.

1. Make Cayenne Powder

Our preferred use for fresh cayennes is to dehydrate them and grind them into a powder. Homemade cayenne powder is much more flavorful than store bought. Plus, this method is easy, and preserves the peppers for a year or longer.

Steps:

• Slice peppers lengthwise and remove seeds
• Dehydrate at low temperature (140°F) for 24 hours or until crispy
• Cure dried peppers in a paper bag for 7-14 days at room temp (this helps equalize moisture content in the peppers and can improve flavor and the powder’s consistency)
• Grind in a spice grinder until powdered

2. Make Hot Sauce

Cayenne peppers are the primary ingredient in some of the world’s most popular hot sauces. Louisiana-style sauces, like Crystal or Frank’s Red Hot, use cayennes as a primary ingredient.

You can use your garden-fresh cayennes to make a similar homemade hot sauce, plus add your own personal touches. You can choose to ferment the chilies first, or just use them fresh.

Basic hot sauce recipe:

• Combine 2 parts cayennes (fresh or fermented mash) with 1 part vinegar
• Blend with fresh or roasted garlic and salt to taste
• Fermenting first adds depth of flavor and tanginess

3. Make Pickled Cayennes

Pickled cayenne peppers are actually delicious, especially when used in stir fries or fried rice. It is as easy as pickling any pepper, like jalapeños. With cayennes, I like to slice them into 1/2 inch pieces before pickling with a white vinegar brine.

Steps:

• Chop cayenne peppers into 1/2 inch pieces
• Pack peppers into a jar with 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic (optional)
• Boil 1 cup water and 1 cup white vinegar with 1 teaspoon of salt
• Pour hot brine over the peppers until submerged
• Cool to room temp, then store in the fridge for 3-6 months

4. Make Spicy Pepper Paste

If you like cooking Asian-inspired meals, you can use your cayennes to make a delicious chili paste. This simple creation adds a concentrated flavor and heat for stir fry

Steps:

• Mix cayennes with garlic, ginger, lime, and salt
• Use a food processor or mortar & pestle to mash ingredients into a thick paste
• Store in the fridge for up to 1 week
• Optional: For a deeper flavor, you can also ferment the paste. Mix in 2–3% salt by weight, cover with a fermentation lid, and let sit at room temperature for 1–2 weeks. Then add a splash of vinegar to finish. Learn more about fermentation here.

5. Make Cayenne-Infused Vinegar

This may seem like the same thing as pickling (and sort of is), but instead of using the peppers, you’re infusing the vinegar itself. You’ll need far fewer cayennes to infuse a larger batch of vinegar with flavor and heat.

I love using other culinary vinegars like apple cider or white wine vinegar to make spicy cayenne vinegars with unique flavors! Plus, they keep indefinitely, as long as they are acidic enough and kept sealed.

Method:

• Rough chop 1-2 cayenne peppers for every quart of vinegar you’d like to infuse
• Drop the chopped peppers into the vinegar and shake to combine
• Infuse at room temperature for 1-2 weeks
• Strain the vinegar

Tip: You can use dried cayenne peppers for this as well! Just drop the dried chilies into the vinegar and shake it to fully coat them. They should rehydrate and sink to the bottom in a few days.

6. Make Spicy Salt or Seasoning

While pure cayenne powder is amazing, you can also combine it with salt or other spices to make homemade seasonings. One of our go-to seasonings to make at home is this bold taco seasoning – YUM.

7. Freeze Them For Later

If all else fails, you can preserve the fresh flavor and bold heat of your cayennes by simply freezing them whole. This takes almost no time at all (just stuff them in a freezer bag and seal), and will keep the peppers for up to a year. For even better preservation of flavor, use a vacuum sealer.