Whether you blanch or freeze peppers raw, they will be limp when thawed, making them work best in cooked dishes. I typically use them for fajitas and pizza toppings. I’ve found that blanching them before makes them mushy so I prefer to slice them into fajita strips and freeze them raw. Raw peppers don’t last as long in the freezer as blanched so if you are looking for more long-term storage you’ll want to blanch them. I typically use my peppers within a year and have not had an issue with them.
Prep Peppers
For larger peppers, like bell peppers, remove the stem, seeds, and ribs. Cut them into strips about 1/2 inch wide. You can also dice them. If you dice them I would pre-measure a serving size and flash freeze them for easier use.
For hot peppers, remove them stem and then cut into 1/4 inch rings. If you want to make them milder, remove the seeds and rings. If you are looking to make something like jalapeño poppers, cut them in half and remove seeds and ribs.
If you decide to blanch, steam blanch peppers for 2 minutes, tossing around the 1 minute mark. DO NOT USE AN ICE-BATH. Drain as much water as possible then spread warm peppers on a towel lined pan to cool.
Peppers pack best in freezer bags. For strips I just toss in gallon size bag and they are good to go. If you pre-dice, consider flash freezing in smaller quantities. I use a muffin tin and put a serving in each one. Once the pucks are frozen you pop them out and put them in a freezer bag to store.
