Can You Freeze Jalapenos?

Can you freeze jalapenos? Freezing jalapenos to have them year round sounds really great, especially if you’re into hot and spicy Mexican and Spanish dishes, homemade salsas and mini-stuff pepper appetizers.

How to Freeze Jalapenos?

Picking them fresh during harvesting season and preserving them with the freezing method is an excellent way to make sure you have them year-round to use in all kinds of dishes. Below is a step by step guide on how can you freeze jalapenos:

Freezing Fresh Jalapenos

The best way to freeze jalapenos is by harvesting them fresh during picking season. Start by rinsing them off with cool water, slicing the tops off of them and slicing them up into little round circles. After, you take the slices, pack them into freezer bags, and store them away in the freezer until you are ready to use them up. Frozen jalapenos stay fresh this way for up to 2 years.

However, they do change in texture but will retain their flavor. Their texture slightly softens when you freeze them. This means frozen jalapenos are only good for making salsas, adding flavor to casserole dishes, chilies, and soups. You can also add jalapenos on top of nachos or for burger toppings. If you love the fresh crisp texture of jalapenos, there is no sense in freezing them. Instead, it is best to use them up as they are.

Jalapenos
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Freezing Canned Jalapenos

If you open up a can of jalapenos and know you are not going to use them all, you can place the leftovers into freezer containers and freeze them for up to 3 months this way.

However, you must freeze them right after you open the can and not later on in order to prevent spoilage or contamination with bacteria. It is never wise to open a can of jalapenos, use some and store the rest in the refrigerator for a day or two and then decide to freeze the rest because this will just give you food poisoning when you go to eat them up.

Freezing Store-Bought Jalapenos

If there are freshly harvested jalapenos in your local grocery store or farm stand, you can grab a bunch and freeze them the same way you would freshly harvested jalapenos from a garden. However, you will want to wash them well to remove any pesticides, chemicals, and bacteria from them.

Freezing Bottled Jalapenos

If you have leftover jalapenos from a jar you just open you can pour the leftover jalapenos from the jar along with their liquid directly into a freezer container and freeze the peppers this way for up to 6 months. When you want to defrost them, simply place the container in the refrigerator and allow them to defrost for a day. After, you can use them for whatever dish you desire.

How to Defrost Frozen Jalapenos?

If you want to defrost your freshly-frozen jalapenos all you need to do is simply take a bag from the freezer and allow them to defrost in your refrigerator for about an hour or two. You can even place the bag of frozen peppers in a bowl of cool water for about 30 minutes to defrost.

However, if you are just using them to make baked nachos or tossing them into chilies and casserole dishes simply grab out what you need from the freezer and toss them on or into the dish frozen. The cooking process will make them tender and hot.

Canned and bottled jalapenos could be thawed the same way, just transfer the product from the freezer to the fridge. Leave the jalapenos to thaw for several hours to overnight. Once the jalapenos are thawed completely, they are ready to use.

Summary

With all that being said, again if you love fresh crisp jalapeno peppers as it is never wise to freeze them and always best too just enjoy them while they are in season.

Otherwise, harvest as much as you can while they are fresh in the summertime. Now that you know how can you freeze jalapenos, go ahead and preserve them using this method. This way, they can be enjoyed throughout the year in all kinds of tasteful dishes.