If you grow your own hot peppers, making homemade crushed red pepper flakes is a great way to preserve some of your harvest.
We grow cayenne peppers in our garden every year, mainly for our fermented cayenne pepper hot sauce. This year, I decided to take some of our extra cayenne peppers and turn them into homemade red pepper flakes.
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The process was surprisingly simple. All I needed was our dehydrator, a food processor, and a few hours of drying time.
What You’ll Need
- Fresh red cayenne peppers
- Food dehydrator
- Food processor or spice grinder
- Clean, dry, airtight spice jars or storage containers
- Gloves for handling hot peppers
How to Make Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Step 1: Prepare Your Cayenne Peppers
First, rinse the peppers thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris, then pat them as dry as possible.
Next, remove the stems and split each pepper in half lengthwise. This helps the peppers dry faster by exposing the inside to the warm air circulating through the dehydrator.
Step 2: Dehydrate the Peppers
Arrange the halved peppers in a single layer on your dehydrator trays, leaving some space between them for proper airflow.
I dehydrated my cayenne peppers at 145°F (63°C) for 8 hours, until they were completely dry and ready to turn into flakes.
Depending on the size of your peppers and your dehydrator, you might need more or less time.
The peppers should be completely brittle and snap easily when bent. If they’re still flexible or feel leathery, continue drying them.
Step 3: Crush the Dried Peppers
Once my peppers were fully dried, I transferred them into my food processor.
I pulsed the peppers until they broke down into small flakes, leaving some larger pieces and seeds in the mixture.
You can adjust the texture depending on your preference. A few quick pulses will produce coarse chili pepper flakes, while processing them longer will create a finer consistency.
Tip: Be careful when opening your food processor. Crushing hot peppers can release fine pepper dust into the air, which can irritate your eyes and lungs. Work in a well-ventilated area and avoid breathing in the dust.
Step 4: Store Your Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Once I finished crushing the peppers, I transferred my homemade red pepper flakes into clean, dry plastic spice jars that I’ve saved from store-bought spices. I then refill a smaller glass spice jar as needed for everyday use.
Store your crushed red pepper flakes in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to help preserve their flavour and heat.
For the best quality, try to use your homemade crushed red pepper flakes within 6–12 months.
How to Use Homemade Red Pepper Flakes
Homemade chili flakes are incredibly versatile. You can sprinkle them over pizza, add them to pasta sauces, mix them into soups, or use them to add some heat to your favourite recipes.
One thing I noticed right away was how much better these homemade red pepper flakes smell and taste compared to store-bought ones. They have a much fresher, stronger pepper aroma, and the flavour really stands out. Once you’ve made your own, it’s hard to go back to the store-bought version!
Because I used cayenne peppers, these flakes have quite a bit of heat, so a little can go a long way!
Making crushed red pepper flakes is an easy way to preserve extra cayenne peppers from the garden. If you find yourself with more hot peppers than you know what to do with, this is definitely worth trying!
