Wondering what to do with unripe green habanero peppers?
Yep, you can eat green habaneros! In fact, some people love them when they are green. Like with most peppers, Habaneros are still good when green! Full size but still not fully ripe green habaneros have a sharper spice and somewhat earthier/smokier/grassier flavor, and can be a little less hot – but don't worry they still pack a punch! Of course they have more fruity flavor when fully ripe, but sometimes you have to harvest them when they are still unripe and green due to weather or other circumstances – so don't let these delicious green gems go to waste!
It is not uncommon to use green Habaneros in salsas, hot sauces and sauces. In fact, there is even a regional salsa in the Yucatan Peninsula In Mexico that calls for green habaneros. If you've ever enjoyed green salsa at a restaurant that was extra hot and fruity, it could have had green habaneros in it!
Here are some ideas of what to do with your Green Habaneros:
- Make Green Hot Sauce, sauté green habaneros with garlic and white onion, then blend in a food processor, and then add vinegar to get a nice consistency. Add salt to taste! Find our hot sauce recipes and make your own unique blend!
- Make Fermented Green Hot Sauce: ferment your unripe habaneros with onion and garlic in a brine for a few weeks, blend and bottle! Fermented hot sauces are packed with umami flavor and are probiotic, too! Learn more about how to make Fermented Hot Sauce recipes »
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Make Green Salsa / Salsa Verde: Roast green habaneros, tomatillos and garlic then blend and add lime juice and cilantro for a killer salsa.
Try our Salsa Verde Recipe » - Add to Green Chile Stews, Burritos, Tacos, etc to boost flavor and heat!
- Pickle Green Habaneros for Extra Hot Pickled Peppers!
- Make Pico-de-Gallo with green Habaneros
With green habaneros, the choices are endless. Whatever you do, don't let your precious Habaneros go to waste just because they aren't fully ripe. Green Habaneros still pack great flavor and heat and can be used for a variety of spicy dishes.
We offer several varieties of Habanero Seeds – so be sure to grow them all, they are the best flavored of the hot pepper family, we think! They all typically start out green, and then ripen slowly towards the end of the summer. If you have to pick them early due to a looming frost, don't worry, sometimes they will continue to ripen on your counter, and, they are still deliciously hot when green!
Happy growing!
