Should You Freeze Whole Jalapeños?

Freezing jalapeños whole requires very little prep and saves your hands — and later, your eyes — from pepper juice. But is freezing your peppers that way even a good idea? It depends.

The biggest issue with freezing jalapeños whole is that they will be softer once they thaw out, making it harder to remove the seeds, which, unless you're looking to increase your spice tolerance, is a good idea if you can't handle the heat. But if that's not a concern, jalapeños are usually pretty small, so they freeze really well when left intact, and freezing them whole can prevent issues with oxidation (aka enzymatic browning). So ultimately, whether or not you freeze your peppers whole depends mostly on whether you want to do the prep work now or later. 

That lets you use your favorite fast hack to minimize seeds while slicing jalapeños (wearing gloves, of course) so all you have to do is toss them in a pan later. Meanwhile, if the peppers are frozen whole, you have to wait for them to thaw first. That doesn't take too long, but every minute counts when you're trying to get dinner on the table. So it might be helpful to slice some and keep others whole so you have both ready to go when you need them.

Even if you're freezing jalapeños whole, you should always wash them beforehand and relegate any that feel soft or limp or show signs of decay to either the slice pile or the waste basket.  If you have time, you can blanch whole jalapeños before freezing, which can help preserve their quality, though some sources say the benefit of blanching peppers is minimal. Place dry jalapeños in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them for a few hours. That prevents them from clumping together when you store them in a zip-close freezer bag. Just remove as much air from the bag as possible to avoid signs of freezer burn. Once frozen, you should use them within six months for the best quality.

If you want to turn your jalapeños into flavor bombs, you can roast them before freezing. Frozen roasted jalapeños add bold flavor to any dish, and because they're precooked, they make dinner even easier.