4 ways to use up leftover chillies

Fresh chillies are amazing for adding bags of flavour, depth and heat to your favourite meals, but it’s easy to end up with surplus. Don’t just leave them to shrivel up at the back of the veg drawer – there are plenty of ways to use up those leftovers.

Bright and beautiful chillies are a great source of vitamin C, potassium and vitamin B6, and they’re also incredibly versatile. There are lots of ways to put them to good use, helping you waste less and save cash, all while creating tasty flavour bombs ready for future cooking.

If you’ve just got a little bit of chilli to preserve overnight, stand it, cut-side down, in some salt, and it will stay nice and fresh for a day. For one or more chillies, freeze them, pickle them, dry them out or transform them into a hot, spicy oil that’ll last you for ages, there’s so much you can do! 

Freeze

It couldn’t be easier to freeze fresh chillies. Simply pop your leftovers in a reusable freezer bag or plastic box and store in the top drawer of your freezer. When you fancy giving your dish an extra kick, finely grate the frozen chilli to create a beautifully tasty ‘dust’ that’s perfect for cooking and marinades, or for sprinkling over everything from pastas, salads and starters to antipasti, meat and fish. And if you don’t need all of it, just chuck the rest back in the freezer for future use!

Pickle

Leftover chillies can easily be sliced up and pickled to create jars of zingy goodness. The excess juice from jars of gherkins or dill pickles is perfect for this – instead of throwing it away, top up the jar with a little vinegar, stir in a couple of teaspoons of sea salt and pop in a load of sliced chillies. This will preserve them for a couple of months for use in all sorts of dishes – they make a fab addition to sandwiches, tacos, nachos and fajitas.

Oil

There are two types of chilli oil you can make, using either fresh or dried chillies. With fresh chillies, once you’ve got about 10 saved up in the freezer, place them in a snug-fitting pan and cover with 2cm of olive oil. Pop on a low heat and slowly simmer them for 1 hour, then allow to cool. Remove and discard the stalks and seeds, scrape the chillies into a clean jam jar, pour over the infused oil and fill to the top with more oil. This will give you a round, warm, sweet-tasting oil.

Dried chilli oil really couldn’t be simpler. Crumble up a mixture of dried chillies (see below) – flaked, ground or homemade – and heat them in a dry pan for 1 minute, then cover with olive oil and pour the whole thing into a bottle. Whenever you remember, just give the bottle a shake to ensure maximum flavour infusion. This will give you a simpler savoury oil that can be used in lots of different ways.

Dry

It’s always useful to have dried chillies on hand to throw into everything from pasta to pad Thai. Dry your whole leftover chillies in a warm place, such as near a radiator or in an airing cupboard – or, if it’s a really nice day, try them in natural sunlight on a dark tray to maximise heat. Once dry, whack them whole into a jar, then crumble or flake them as needed.

You can also save the seeds from your dried chillies in an envelope and have a go at growing your own! Sow the seeds indoors in February or March (at about 21ºC) to germinate, then grow them somewhere warm and light, such as a sunny windowsill or conservatory, potting them on as required. Feed them every 10 days with natural liquid fertiliser and mist them regularly with water.

Our favourite chilli recipes

Who doesn’t love beans on toast? Mix up this comfort food fave by making your own. With garlic, fresh rosemary and parsley, and as much chilli as you can handle, these creamy beans are sure to hit the spot. Dinner is served!

Super easy and on the table in just 15 minutes, these tacos combine smoky pork, hearty beans and a fresh avocado salad, all within a crunchy taco shell. Try subbing out the fresh chillies for your homemade pickled ones for a zingy, salty pop of flavour. Perfect for a quick fix.

Sesame and chilli are a match made in flavour heaven. Tahini delivers a big hit of sesame in Anna Jones’ super speedy cold noodles, brought to life with umami soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, and – you guessed it – plenty of chilli oil. Impress your friends and serve it with your homemade version. Yum!

Both dried and fresh chillies are utilised in this lovely slow-cooked chilli, perfect for feeding a hungry crowd. Pork and beef make up the ‘carne’, while kidney beans add a lovely extra pop of texture. It’s gorgeous served with rice, sour cream and plenty of fresh coriander.

Chilli is one of the heroes in this beautiful sea bass, which is cooked whole for a dinner to remember. The fish is stuffed with ginger, chilli and fresh herbs, then splashed with lime juice and soy. Fragrant and truly delicious.

Dried chillies are perfect for bringing instant warmth to loads of pasta dishes. This simple spaghetti from Jamie’s Naked Chef days teams them with anchovies and garlic to flavour the pasta, while pangrattato, aka delicious garlicky breadcrumbs, serve as a great alternative to Parmesan cheese, adding a lovely texture and crunch.

The Great Cookbook Challenge winner Dominique Woolf uses fresh chilli, ginger and a very special sauce to make her crispy tofu really sing. Embracing store cupboard ingredients for a seriously easy meal, this is a great veggie option that really packs in the flavour.

Got a glut of chillies to play with? This chilli jam recipe will be your new best friend. Spicy, sweet and tangy, it’s lovely with cheese, eggs and all sorts of meat dishes, and would make a lovely foodie gift for lucky friends.