Drying Your Chillies – How to Preserve That Fiery Harvest

After months of nurturing your chilli plants, watering, feeding, and proudly showing off those first bright pods, harvest time finally arrives. The plants are loaded, the colours are stunning, and you’ve got more chillies than you could possibly eat fresh. It’s a wonderful problem to have… until you realise that even the most enthusiastic spice-lover can’t get through a kilo of fresh chillies in a week.

That’s where drying comes in. Drying chillies is the simplest, most satisfying way to preserve your harvest and make sure none of that glorious homegrown heat goes to waste. Whether you grow mild jalapeños or eye-watering habaneros, drying intensifies the flavour and locks in their fiery punch for use all year round.

Prepping for Drying

Give your chillies a quick rinse and pat them completely dry. This step’s crucial, moisture is the enemy of preservation. If you’re drying thick-skinned chillies, slice them in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder result (though let’s be honest, that’s half the fun gone!).

Methods for Drying Chillies

There are a few ways to dry your homegrown beauties, and which you choose depends on your patience level and available tools.

Air Drying

If you like to keep things simple, this method is as low-tech as it gets. Thread your chillies onto a needle and strong cotton or fishing line, leaving space between each one for air circulation. Hang the string somewhere warm, dry, and well-ventilated, like a sunny window or an airing cupboard.
This can take anywhere from one to three weeks depending on humidity, but it’s deeply satisfying watching your chillies slowly transform into wrinkled, ruby-red jewels.

Oven Drying

If you live somewhere damp (hello, British autumn), the oven method is your best bet. Lay your chillies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and pop them in the oven on the lowest setting, around 80°C, with the door slightly ajar to let the moisture escape.
Check them every 30 minutes and turn occasionally. Depending on size, they’ll take 4 – 8 hours. They’re done when they’re brittle and snap cleanly.

Dehydrator

If you have a food dehydrator, it’s the perfect tool for the job. Spread your chillies in a single layer and set to around 60–65°C. Leave them for 6–10 hours, or until completely dry. It’s fuss-free and reliable, ideal if you grow a lot of chillies each year.

Storing Your Dried Chillies

Once dry, allow them to cool fully before storing. Keep them whole in airtight jars or tins, somewhere cool and dark. Stored properly, they’ll keep their kick for up to a year (though I promise they won’t last that long once you start using them).

You can crumble them into flakes, blitz into powder, or soak in warm water to rehydrate for cooking. Dried chillies are perfect for soups, stews, marinades, and homemade chilli oil.

Drying your chillies is one of those deeply satisfying garden rituals, simple, thrifty, and a little bit magical. You start with vibrant fruits plucked fresh from the plant and end with jars of ruby-red spice that’ll brighten up your winter cooking.

It’s the perfect way to celebrate your harvest, waste nothing, and bring a little summer heat into the colder months.