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Have you ever wanted to grow your ingredients? Recently, my husband and I started growing Korean peppers, aka ‘gochu’ (고추), to produce our own gochugaru and gochujang! Growing your produce is so rewarding! Therefore, I wanted to share how to make homemade gochugaru as well. It is super easy! Soon, if you grow your peppers, you can have a year’s supply of gochugaru as well!

What Is Gochugaru?

Gochugaru, also known as Korean red pepper flakes or Korean red pepper powder, is a type of ground spice used as a base of much of Korean cuisine. This Korean spice has a unique and complex spicy, slightly sweet, and smoky flavor profile.

The word ‘gochugaru’ (고춧가루) derives from ‘gochu’ (고추) meaning ‘chili pepper’ and ‘garu’ (가루) meaning ‘powder.’ This vibrant ingredient helps give many Korean dishes their famous red coloring as well as their flavor. Gochugaru is used to make dishes such as kimchi, gochujang, and more!

In this article, I will teach you how to dehydrate Korean peppers to make gochugaru!

Gochugaru Ingredient List:

Below, I list the ingredients used to make this recipe. I also linked any informative articles on my site connected to these ingredients:

Korean Peppers aka Gochu (Learn about this ingredient here)

Gochugaru (Korean Pepper Powder) Tips & Tricks:

Here, I list some helpful tips & tricks to help you make this gochugaru at home. If you have any questions, comment below or email me at [email protected]! I hope these tips help you make homemade Korean Pepper Powder!

To make Korean pepper powder, you need to use ‘Hong-Gochu’ (홍고추). In English, these are known as ‘red Korean chili peppers’. These peppers are also known as Korean red or Korean long red peppers. Long and slim, these red peppers are a bit spicier than the green (underripe) peppers picked from the same plant.
You can either dehydrate peppers in a dehydrator or your oven. For both, set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F.
Before dehydrating the peppers, I recommend removing the seeds. I find it easier to remove the seeds before dehydrating, as the pepper is not stiff and crumbly.
Wear gloves when removing the seeds. Peppers can be hot. The oils from the peppers will get onto your hands, making them burn. You can hurt other parts of your body, such as your eyes, if you touch them with oil-covered hands. Better safe than sorry!
I recommend dehydrating peppers for 8-14 hours. They can even take longer if it is incredibly humid outside.
You can grind the dehydrated peppers two ways:
- Finely Ground (Red Pepper Powder): You can use finely ground Korean red pepper powder to make gochujang, a type of fermented red pepper paste.
- Coarsely Ground (Red Pepper Flakes): You use this version to make soups, stews, stir-fried dishes, and more!
Store your homemade gochugaru in an airtight container. I then place my gochugaru in the refrigerator with a dehumidifying packet! If stored correctly, your pepper powder can last all year!

Gochugaru (Korean Pepper Powder) Frequently Asked Questions:

Now that we learned about some tips & tricks, I want to answer some questions you may have about this recipe! If I do not answer your question, feel free to leave a comment in the section below or email me at [email protected].

Does This Recipe Contain Major Allergens? (Gluten, Soy, Etc.)

Before listing all of the major allergens, I want to state that all of my recipes are naturally gluten-free. On this blog, I only use and recommend gluten-free ingredients and brands. That being said, I list gluten as a potential allergen when necessary– this is because many Korean ingredients (such as soy sauce, gochujang, and doenjang) contain gluten unless you specifically buy gluten-free versions. Not only is this true for gluten, but it is true for other major allergens as well. As such, I always list allergy substitutions in the next section of my post.

This recipe does not contain 9 of the 9 major allergens. It does not contain:

Peanuts
Tree Nuts
Eggs
Fish
Crustacean Shellfish
Sesame
Soybeans
Milk (Dairy)
Wheat (Gluten)
Eggs

This recipe contains 0 of the 9 major allergens.

Is This Recipe Vegetarian or Vegan?

Excitingly, because Korean pepper powder only contains pepper, it is naturally vegetarian and vegan!

Where Can I Buy the Ingredients for This Recipe?

For this recipe, if you do not want to grow your peppers, you can find red Korean peppers sold at your local Korean grocery store (such as H-Mart).

Furthermore, if you do not want to make pepper powder from scratch, you can buy pre-made gochugaru online or at your Asian store.

Korean pepper powder (gochugaru) in a bowl. The bowl sits next to whole Korean red peppers.

Where to Buy Korean Ingredients Online?

Nowadays, there are many online options to choose from when ordering Korean food online. These websites are not limited to, but include:

Amazon
H-mart
Hanpoom
Wooltari
Seoul Mills

I Hope You Enjoyed Learning How to Make Korean Gochugaru From Scratch!

In the end, I hope you enjoyed learning how to make Korean gochugaru from scratch. If so, let me know in the comment section!

If you would like to read more about cooking, you can find recipes as well as further Korean ingredient articles on my blog. I listed some of our favorite Carving A Journey recipes below! For reference, many recipes are influenced by my family’s blended Korean and Southern heritage.

Further Carving A Journey Recipes:

If you have any questions or comments, email me at [email protected]. And, finally, I would love to hear from you through our social media as well! You can follow me at @carvingajourney on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or, if you would like more articles like these, you can subscribe to the blog by joining the mailing list. Once again, let me know if you try making Korean pepper powder. Thank you so much for stopping by!