How to Roast Jalapenos

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: December 9, 2020

If you have a bumper crop of jalapeños or are just looking to try a new flavor, roast them. Tot add a slightly smoky flavor, roast the jalapeños over a hot grill. If you don't have a grill, you can roast the peppers directly over the gas burner on your stove. Or arrange the peppers on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with a little oil and roast them until they're soft and blackened. Once you've finished roasting the peppers on the grill, stove, or oven, steam and peel them. Enjoy your peppers or store them for later.

Ingredients

Jalapeños
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil (for oven method)

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:
Roasting Jalapeños on the Grill

1
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. Turn a gas grill on to medium-high. If you're using a charcoal grill, heat a chimney 1/2 to 3/4 full of briquettes until they're ashy and hot. Dump the hot coals onto the grate.
2
Rinse any dirt off of the jalapeños. Get out as many jalapeños as you'd like to roast. Rinse them with fresh water to remove any dirt or grit.

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3
Arrange the jalapeños on the hot grill. Place the rinsed jalapeños on the hot grill so there's a little space (about 1 inch or 2/5 cm) between them. Put the lid on the grill.
4
Roast the jalapeños on the grill for 5 minutes. Keep the lid on the grill while the jalapenños roast.
5
Turn and char the jalapeños for at least 5 more minutes. Remove the lid from the grill and use long tongs to turn the jalapeños over. Let the jalapeños keep roasting on the grill and turn them frequently so they blister and blacken on all sides. This should take another 5 to 10 minutes.
6
Remove the jalapeños. Once the jalapeños are soft and charred, use the long-handled tongs to transfer them from the grill to a plate. Finish the jalapeños by steaming and peeling them.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:
Roasting Jalapeños in the Oven

1
Preheat the oven and clean the jalapeños. Turn the oven on to 425 °F (218 °C) and get out a rimmed baking sheet. Rinse as many jalapeños as you want to roast and dry them on a kitchen towel.^{[1]
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2
Oil the jalapeños on the baking sheet. Spread the whole jalapeños on the baking sheet. Leave a little space (at least 1 inch or 2.5 cm) between each pepper. Drizzle the jalapeños with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil.^{[2]
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- You can use olive, vegetable, or avocado oil.
3
Roast the jalapeños for 7 to 8 minutes. Put the sheet in the preheated oven and roast the peppers until they begin to soften and turn a little dark on the bottom. This should take 7 to 8 minutes.^{[3]
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4
Turn and roast the jalapeños for 7 to 8 more minutes. Wear oven mitts and remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use tongs to turn each jalapeño over. Put the pan back in the oven and roast them for 7 to 8 more minutes. The jalapeños should become very soft, wrinkly, and dark.^{[4]
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5
Remove the jalapenos. Wear oven mitts to take the sheet pan out of the oven. Finish the peppers by steaming and peeling them.^{[5]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:
Roasting Jalapeños on a Gas Stove

1
Turn on the stove and prepare a jalapeño. Turn the gas stove burner on to medium. Take 1 jalapeno and push it onto the end of a long skewer or fork.^{[6]
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2
Hold the jalapeño above the flame for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Hold the skewer so the jalapeño is 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) above the flame on the burner. Your hands shouldn't be near the flame. Keep the pepper in place until it begins to char and blacken. This should take 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.^{[7]
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- To protect your hand even further, consider wearing an oven mitt while you hold the skewer.
3
Turn and roast the other side for 1 to 1 1/2 more minutes. Turn the skewer over so you can roast the other side of the jalapeño pepper. Let it roast until it's charred and blackened as well. This should take another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Repeat this process with as many jalapeños as you'd like to roast. Turn off the burner before you steam and peel the peppers.^{[8]
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- Roast the jalapeños one at a time so you have more control over charring them.
- Avoid lowering the jalapeño down into the flame or it could catch on fire.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:
Steaming and Peeling the Roasted Jalapenos

1
Set a bowl over the roasted jalapenos. Once you've removed the roasted jalapenos from the grill, oven, or stove, place them on a cutting board or flat surface. Take a large bowl and turn it upside down over the jalapenos.^{[9]
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- The bowl should completely trap the steam that the jalapenos release.
2
Steam the jalapenos for 15 minutes. Leave the bowl over the peppers for 15 minutes so the steam can loosen the skin from the peppers. You can steam them for an extra 5 to 10 minutes, if the skins don't seem loose enough.^{[10]
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- If you don't have a bowl that's large enough to cover the peppers on the cutting board, put them into a paper bag and close it tightly.
3
Cut off the stems and peel the jalapenos. Put on a pair of latex or vinyl gloves and remove the bowl from the peppers. Take a small knife and trim away the stem from each pepper. Rub the skins gently with your gloved fingers so the skins peel off. Discard the skins.^{[11]
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4
Remove the seeds from the peppers. Slice each jalapeno in half lengthwise. Use the tips of your fingers to gently rub against the center of the pepper so the seeds come out. Scoop the seeds out and discard them. You can use, store, or serve the roasted jalapenos.^{[12]
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- To store the roasted jalapenos, freeze the peppers in layers with waxed paper in between them. You can freeze them for about 3 months.
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