Preserving the Harvest

How To Freeze Sweet Peppers

How to Freeze Sweet Peppers - Including 3 Different Methods of Blanching for Small to Large Batches... The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

How to Blanch and Freeze Sweet Peppers

Freeze sweet peppers to preserve them for winter. Whether you grow an abundance of peppers or find a deal on them at the farmers market, you can put the extras in your freezer for later.

For the longest storage, blanch your sweet peppers. If you will use them up in 2 or 3 months, you don’t even have to blanch! Super easy. 🙂

Freezing Sweet Peppers

How to Freeze Your Sweet Peppers for Best Results

  • Choose crisp, fresh sweet peppers and wash thoroughly.
  • Cut peppers in half and remove stem and seeds.
  • You may freeze pepper halves raw, or blanch for 3 minutes.
  • If desired, slice peppers into strips or rings, or chop. Freeze these raw, or blanch for 2 minutes.
  • Cool blanched peppers quickly by plunging into cold water or lay on a baking sheet and place in the freezer.
  • Pack peppers into freezer bags and remove as much air as possible, or place in vacuum sealer bags, vacuum seal and freeze.
  • Peppers frozen raw will have a crisp texture and should be used within 2 to 3 months.
  • Blanched peppers are best for cooking and will last up to 1 year in the freezer.

3 Methods for Blanching Sweet Peppers

I’ve used 3 different methods of blanching my garden goodies for freezing and I like each method for different situations.

If I’m in a Hurry or I Have Only a Small Batch to Freeze…

I blanch them in the microwave in small batches of 4 pepper halves or about 3 to 4 cups of sliced peppers:
Microwave in a pyrex dish for about 3 minutes. Remove from the microwave and check. If the color of peppers has changed and they feel soft, they are ready to chill, package, and freeze. If they still feel crispy, microwave for another minute and check again.

Blanching pepper strips by steaming them over boiling water.

If I Have a Medium-Sized Batch of Peppers to Blanch…

I blanch them by steaming the peppers over boiling water:
Bring a pot of water to boiling. Place a colander or vegetable steamer over the boiling water. Add 4 to 6 pepper halves or 3 to 4 cups of sliced or chopped peppers to the steamer and cover with a lid. Blanch for 3 minutes for pepper halves or 2 minutes for sliced or chopped peppers.

If I Have a Large Batch of Peppers to Blanch…

I blanch them in a pot of boiling water:
Bring a large pot (an 8 to 10-quart size works well) of water to boiling. Add 8 or so pepper halves or 6 cups of sliced peppers to the boiling water. (This method doesn’t work as well with chopped peppers because it can be difficult to remove them from the water quickly.) Blanch for 3 minutes for pepper halves and 2 minutes for pepper slices. Remove from water and chill.

An Easy Way to Put Up Your Pepper Harvest

Freezing is one of the easiest methods of preserving your sweet peppers. If you have a large harvest of peppers freezing is also one of the fastest ways to process them. Use a very large pot and process your sweet peppers in halves to make the work go quickly.

If freezer space is at a premium then pickle, dehydrate, or can your peppers.

How Do You Preserve Your Peppers?

I hope you found these instructions helpful and you successfully preserve lots of peppers!

Did you learn something new about freezing sweet peppers?

What is your favorite way to put up extra peppers? Tell us in the comments!

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How to Freeze Sweet Peppers - Including 3 Different Methods of Blanching for Small to Large Batches... The Self Sufficient HomeAcre

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