Cayenne peppers are an easy pepper to grow, even for us northern gardeners; they are prolific, grow on the smaller side, and are generally disease and pest free.

AND they are incredibly easy to preserve, which lends itself to an easy and inexpensive way to stock up your spice cabinet with homegrown, organic red pepper flakes.

Here I go into how to air-dry cayenne peppers two ways, and then how to crush them safely into red pepper flakes.

Let’s Dive In…

How to Dehydrate Cayenne Peppers

Air drying is the safest way to dehydrate spicy peppers, because you avoid those spicy components of the pepper being released into the air. Breathing spicy pepper air can cause serious injury if not careful, especially if you are prone to asthma, or other chronic lung diseases, so in this post I will go into how to air dry them.

Air drying very simple, and hands off (a welcomed treat during the peak of preserving season in the summer, if I say so myself).

The only part you need to plan for is that this method does take more time compared to using a dehydrator machine. But what’s the rush anyway.

You want to harvest your cayenne peppers when they have turned red on the plant; taking them off the plant too early can lead to bitter and underdeveloped taste in the red pepper flakes.

Once harvested, you can do 2 things:

String them up
Let them sit on newspaper

Dehydrating peppers on a string

To string them up you will need some thread (regular sewing machine thread works well), a needle, a bead or button, and a hook (a curtain clip works well here).

Cut at least 2 or 3 feet of string, thread your needle, and tie a large knot at the end.

You can use a bead or a button at the knot to make sure the weight of the peppers doesn’t fall through.

Keep your needle on the string throughout the season to make things easier.

Once peppers are harvested, simply push the needle towards the top of the pepper, right underneath the stem.

Hang in a spot where there is adequate air flow. In front of a window that often open, or near a gentle ceiling fan works well.

Be sure to wash your hands afterwards! Getting spicy pepper juice in your nose and eyes is not fun!

Peppers are done dehydrating when dry and brittle.

Dehydrating peppers on newspaper

If you have to room, this is by far the easiest way to dehydrate cayenne peppers.

Simply lay newspaper down on spare cookie sheets, boards, or tables, in an area that isn’t disturbed often but gets decent air flow.

Place harvested peppers in a single layer on the newspapers for a few weeks; don’t overcrowd the newspaper.

Your peppers will simply dehydrate themselves right on the newspaper and are done when dry and brittle.

How to Crush Cayenne Peppers into Flakes | Plastic Bag Method

Once the cayenne peppers are dehydrated, crushing them is easy enough in a plastic bag.

You will need:

Gloves (disposable sandwich bags work well as makeshift gloves, by the way)
A gallon plastic bag
Rolling pin (optional, but this helps)
Mason jar to store them in

Using your gloves, take the stems off the peppers. Discard or compost.

Place the peppers in the gallon plastic bag. Using a rolling pin or your hands, break apart the peppers until they resemble small flakes.

Carefully pour the flakes into your jar. Breathing these flakes in is not good, so go slow.

Enjoy!

If you want cayenne pepper powder: you will need to blend the flakes together until they are a powder. Be careful to not have powder flakes poof out of the blender and wash your blender well afterwards.

You can also make flakes or a powder in a mortar and pestle.

Pro Garden Tip: after they are crushed, be sure to save some seeds for the next season! Simply pull a few out and place in a dry envelope. Seeds will be ready to go as-is.

That’s It!

Making your own red pepper flakes is so easy, especially compared to other types of preserving.

And with the prices of groceries, you can grow your own red pepper flakes for mere pennies, and ensure the peppers are organic and free of the unknowns.

Your red pepper flakes should last months if stored in a dry cupboard. Making sure they are completely dried before crushing helps them last longer.

Check out other plants you can grow for your Homegrown Spice Cabinet here.

Enjoy!

-Chelsea, The Cottage Vegetable

The Cottage Vegetable website is an AI FREE zone! Everything is written and photographed by myself, Chelsea.