Jalapeño lovers—this one’s for you. Jalapeños are my favorite pepper, and turning them into a powder is a total game changer.
This simple recipe uses only two ingredients and a dehydrator. The finished jalapeño salt is versatile: use it as a finishing seasoning or add it near the end of cooking. It’s fantastic on popcorn, potato chips, cocktails, and my favorite—salsa. The bright, fresh heat it adds to salsas is incredible.
Picking out jalapeños
Spice levels can vary from pepper to pepper. Generally, jalapeños are on the mild side, but occasionally you’ll run into a very hot one.
You can often judge heat by appearance. Younger peppers tend to be milder; their skins are smooth and bright green. Older peppers are usually a bit spicier and darker, and many display white or brownish striations (pictured below).
Helpful tips:
- Wear gloves when handling fresh jalapeños. The membrane and seeds hold most of the heat, so removing them can reduce spice—and you don’t want that oil on your hands near your eyes.
- Dehydrating jalapeños can produce strong fumes. If possible, run your dehydrator in a garage or a room you don’t frequent. If you tolerate spice well, leaving it on the kitchen counter may be fine, but be prepared for the smell.
- Do not inhale the finished powder closely. The concentrated fumes are powerful and can make you cough.
- If you need a dehydrator recommendation, look for a large, quiet model with multiple trays so you can dry a lot at once. The compactness of smaller units is convenient, but capacity matters if you make powder regularly.
Jalapeño Salt
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs fresh jalapeños
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
Instructions
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Wash and dry the jalapeños. Cut off the stems and quarter each pepper lengthwise.
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If you prefer milder salt, remove the seeds and membranes. A good balance is to remove seeds from about half the peppers and leave the others intact.
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Arrange the jalapeños on dehydrator trays in a single layer. Set the dehydrator to about 145°F (63°C). Drying time varies by machine and thickness, but expect roughly 10–14 hours—check periodically.
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Fully dried pieces should snap when bent. Any soft or fleshy pieces need more time; using partially dry pieces will introduce moisture and spoil the salt.
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Grind the dried jalapeños to a coarse powder in a blender or spice grinder. Stir in the kosher salt by hand for a chunkier texture, or pulse in the blender for a finer mix. Adjust the grind to suit your intended use.
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Store the jalapeño salt in a clean, completely dry container. Kept dry, it will maintain flavor for several months.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.
Additional Info
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