Love the spicy hot pepper flakes seasoning that sits in that cute jar at your favorite Italian restaurant? Tastes great and is sure to kick up any dish a delicious notch. Save the cost of purchasing those TINY and EXPENSIVE jars at the grocery store. You can make your own easily.
Have fun with a quick and easy DIY cooking project. I use a variety of colors-red, yellow, green and orange peppers to create splashy colorful jars of spicy seasoning.
Why should I make my own spicy seasoning?
Store bought seasonings are often full of preservatives, artificial colors and flour. Clearly not gluten free and absolutely not clean eating!
For the gardeners out there or those who enjoy seasonal eating, hot peppers are easy to grow and cheap to purchase. This is a great way to preserve your peppers and enjoy them all year long.
Having control of the heat of your spice is really important. For those who like it hot, use super hot peppers. I personally use a mix of mild, moderate and very hot peppers so my seasoning is more middle of the road spicy.
Gift extraordinaire!! Cute little jars filled with colorful dried hot peppers are perfect for gift giving. Your hot spice loving friends will be thrilled with your efforts.
How to use hot pepper flakes
I use hot pepper flakes in Mexican dishes, Italian dishes, dips and ALWAYS on my pizza!
I use the seasoning in many of my recipes. Check out:
Be creative and have fun with this seasoning. You will discover some new favorites of your own!
How to make spicy hot pepper seasoning
Wash and dry the peppers.
Remove the stems and cut the peppers into rings or in half if small.
Place the peppers on dehydrator trays.
Set temperature at 135 degrees F. for 8-10 hours or until completely dry.
Put peppers in food processor and pulse until desired size of flakes.
Package in airtight containers to keep fresh.
Tips/Recipe Notes
- Yield is 1 cup of hot pepper flakes
- The dehydrator I use is an Excalibur. I love this dehydrator for its size and how well and evenly the heat is distributed. It takes approximately 8-10 hours in the dehydrator at 135 degrees.
- You can also make the hot pepper flakes in your oven. If your oven does not go down to 135 degrees you can leave the door partially open with a wooden spoon or dry for less time. Check the peppers often and turn to make sure they do not burn.
- I strongly recommend using gloves when working with hot peppers. The capsaicin in the peppers gives them their spicy hot flavor, but can cause a burning sensation if the peppers come in contact with your skin, especially the face and eyes.
- Store in airtight containers to make sure your seasoning remains crisp and crunchy. Shelf life is about one year before the the taste is compromised.
More homemade seasonings
Spicy Hot Pepper Flakes Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 lbs hot peppers cut in rings or in half if peppers are small
Instructions
- Wash and dry the peppers.
- Remove the stems and cut the peppers into rings or in half if small.
- Place the peppers on dehydrator trays.
- Set temperature at 135 degrees F. for 8-10 hours or until completely dry.
- Put peppers in food processor and pulse until desired size of flakes.
- Package in airtight containers to keep fresh.