Learn how to roast jalapeno peppers in your home kitchen and store them in the freezer. You can use them in soups and chilies throughout the year.
Jalapeno peppers are a surprisingly easy crop to grow in my Atlanta area garden. I think it’s the combination of hot days, high humidity, and the plants’ ability to withstand occasional droughty spells in our area.
I’ve grown jalapenos for about 10 years and I can’t think of any notable pests or diseases. Unlike bell peppers that tend to get blossom end rot, jalapeno plants seem to be resilient. Amazingly, the hornworms that chomp on my tomatoes avoid my pepper plants. Maybe they don’t like spice?
For this reason, I tend to have more jalapenos than I can eat in one sitting. My solution for a bounty of jalapenos is to roast then freeze the peppers. When I need a hit of heat in my cooking (for beef chili or pork stew), I reach into the freezer and pull out the frozen roasted jalapenos. I break off a portion, use in my recipe, then return the packet to the freezer.
Here’s a no-recipe recipe for roasting jalapeno peppers. You can also use this recipe for any peppers from your garden or farmers market.
How to Roast Jalapeno Peppers
- Begin with a quantity of peppers. Split them in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with cooking oil. I used olive oil, you can use vegetable or canola oil, if you’d like. I sprinkle a bit of kosher salt over all, but you can omit the salt, if you’d rather save salting for your final recipe.
2. Roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Total oven time depends on your desired level of roastiness, quantity of peppers and your oven. I like the peppers to be soft and not too brown.
3. Place roasted jalapeno peppers in a plastic freezer container and place in freezer. Pull out desired portions when you’re making stews and chilies.
Join the Conversation
How do you use jalapeno peppers in your kitchen? Do you freezer the harvest? Let me know in the comments below.
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