How to remove heat from Peppers (Guide w/ pics)

Toning down the heat from hot peppers (jalapenos, habanero, serrano, etc) is easy thing to do if you know the secrets. In this article I’ll show you my tried and true method to extract the heat from hot peppers. I’ve been doing this for years so that my family can eat and enjoy foods flavored without burning their mouths.

The way to remove heat from hot peppers is to dissolve the chemical that causes the ‘hotness’, Capsaicin. There are a few different chemicals that will dissolve the Capsaicin. Soaking pepper slices in alcohol, lemon juice, or lime juice will remove the heat. Although, the flavor could be slightly altered.

Now, if you would like to read my step by step process that I follow for making peppers less hot, read on.

Materials…..

Hot peppers (I’m using habanero) (I usually use 4-8)
Cutting board (large enough to contain all of them)
Paring knife
Spoon
Fork
Glass
Your favorite (cheap) 80 proof liquor (40% alcohol ABV)
- I generally use cheap whiskey – you’ll see why in a bit.
Timer
Latex Gloves and glasses
Whole milk, just in case

This article will be using habanero as the ‘test’ subject, but the overall process works with other peppers, as they all have the same hot-spicy-pain causing ingredient, capsaicin.

Also note

Since this entire process requires the peppers to soak in liquor, don’t feed any of this stuff to your kids. I shouldn’t have to write these lines…. So, let me repeat. Don’t feed these ‘toned down’ peppers to people under 21. Also, you can do this process to smoked or dried peppers, but it may not be as effective once a pepper has already been dehydrated.

Before you get started…

I would advise you to buy a jug of whole milk, and have it available. Trust me – it is always better to be prepared. I’ve never had any chili burns by carefully following this process, but hey – stuff happens sometimes.

If you taste test the habanero and it is too hot, or you accidentally get some on your hands or eyes and they burn – use milk. The milk will break down the capsaicin a bit, and sooth your mouth or hands. Water will just spread the capsaicin around.

Process to Remove Heat from Peppers

To begin, wash your peppers. I generally soak them in a bowl for a while so that any dirt softens. Then just rub them down in your fingers to remove any dirt. Pretty straight forward and simple.
Next, put on latex gloves. Do not skip this step. Getting the juice of the pepper on your hand will result in discomfort. Rubbing your eye with that hand will result in a whole lot of pain.
Did you put on the latex gloves? No? DO IT.
Now slice and butterfly the peppers with your paring knife. I generally cut the tops of, then carefully cut around the inside of the habanero to remove the seeds/rind. At this point, if you are a gardener, you can set aside the seeds from one of these to dry/store for planting next Spring.
Then, split the peppers in half, and possibly quarter them. The point here is that you need the pepper to lay flat on a cutting board for the next step.
Now, lay the pepper flesh flat on the board, with the inside facing up. You know take the spoon, and gently scrap the inside wall of the pepper. On the inside of the pepper, there are many small ‘blisters’ that contain capsaicin. You are basically ‘bursting’ these capsaicin blisters.
Now rinse the peppers first with olive oil, then in a sink, taking care to not splash the water outside of the sink. The oil does a great job at dislodging the capsaicin.
At this point we will do the ‘magic’. Place your now quartered, rinsed peppers into a glass that is large enough to hold them. Then, add your liquor to this glass so that all of the pepper is submerged. The capsaicin will be dissolved by the alcohol (Yay Science!), and over time the spice / heat level will drop more and more.
Now – set the timer. I generally set it for about 1 hour, as this removes much of the heat, and that seems to be the right amount for me. But – if you like it less hot, let it soak longer. It might serve you well to just remove one piece, cut a small part off and take a bite to see if you think it is still too spicy.
Once the pepper is tempered to a level you like, remove them from the glass with liquor. And set them on a plate, or in a bowl and use immediately or store until you are ready to cook, etc. I think after 3-4 hours the heat is completely gone. But I’ve never let them soak for more than an hour and a half.
- You can test the spice level throughout the soaking time. Just use a fork to pull one pepper slice out and taste it. But have some milk nearby if you think it might still be too hot!
Now, remove the peppers using a fork into a bowl. Then just rinse in cold water for a minute or two, and you should be done! Eat, or store for later use.

About that liquor……

So now you have peppers either on the stove, in salsa, or in the fridge – and that’s great! But you have a glass of whiskey that has just been soaking habaneros for a long time………what to do???

I keep the whiskey in an old beer bottle with a resealable top. And label it appropriately.

If you like spicy food, and enjoy the occasional drink (and are 21 years of age in the USA), then save that liquor! I save my liquor in a resealable beer bottle, and just keep it in my liquor cabinet. The liquor should last as long as 80 proof (40%abv) liquor lasts, which as far as I know is forever or until you drink it all.

So how do you drink Habanero Whiskey?

On the rocks, of course! Just kidding – I can’t see James Bond being able to handle this drink shaken or stirred – this would be more for a “Rambo” type action hero.

But every now and then I will take a taste on the weekend – but only a teeny tiny amount. I will take a shot glass and fill it about 1/4 of the way, so about 0.25 oz (7 ml). And oh my – does it kick! Although with this it isn’t the alcohol, but the spice! When I drink it I can actually feel it in my toes.

But here is the best part – the spice doesn’t linger too long in your mouth. Anyone who has tasted habanero peppers before will know that if you get some heat, it tends to stick around in your mouth for a long time. But I have found that the spice in the whiskey seems to go away very quick – almost as fast a stiff horseradish. For me, the liquor is a great bonus of this entire process!

How hot are habaneros?

Habaneros are one of the hottest naturally occurring peppers according to the Scoville Scale. Ranking near the top before the insane hybrids started showing up like the Carolina Reaper.

Some of my taste buds are in love with them, but the rest of me tends to react like I’ve drank a vile of acid! In this guide I will tell you how to remove the heat (nearly completely, depending on your taste), but still retaining the flavor. The process is more complex than just removing seeds But if you are planning on making a large batch of chili and want to change the flavor, then it isn’t too much trouble to prep these ahead of time.

I only spend probably 20 minutes of actual work doing this process. The bulk of the time is just waiting, during which I will find something else to do (but have my timer on my phone set!).

Alternatives to toning down peppers

If you have a surplus of peppers still, why not try making chipotles or smoking the peppers to preserve them? Then you can use them as an ingredient to soups, eggs, and any other food that benefits from a smoky flavor!