Love pickled jalapeños? Then you’re going to love this easy recipe for homemade pickled jalapeños! Pickling is a great way to preserve your homegrown jalapeño peppers and enjoy them all year long. This simple recipe will have you canning your spicy green harvest in no time!
You know you're in for something when your mom calls giggling. "I've got some garden goodness for you!"
Later that day, she dropped off 5 pounds of fresh jalapeños. FIVE POUNDS.
So I did my usual, I made dehydrated jalapeños, I made frozen jalapeños, and I STILL had a bowl full of hot peppers left.
Kevy walked by while I had the kitchen straight up destroyed and saw the pile of jalapeños that still needed to be preserved and the defeated look on my face. Thankfully, he's the brains of this operation and he reminded me that it's been a few years since I canned pickled jalapeño peppers.
This pickled jalapeños recipe is dedicated to the brains.
Jump to:
Tips + Tricks
No. 1 --> If you're new to the canning process, this is a great recipe to start with. It's quick, easy, and if you follow my simple steps you'll be set. It's one of the easiest canning recipes and it's the perfect way to use plenty of jalapeños!
No. 2 --> You're processing a lot of hot peppers, wear rubber gloves! I learned this the hard way the first time- after making a mega batch of spicy salsa. I had to sleep with my hand in milk because the capsaicin burned so bad!
No. 3 --> Finger-tight is such a vague term, here's how I tighten my jars: screw the bands on until the jar starts to turn on the counter, then back off about a 1/8th of a turn.
No. 4 --> Like with dill pickled carrots, you've gotta wait a couple of weeks to sample your picked peppers! The flavor will mellow and meld, and the outrageous tangy vinegar will settle down after 2-3 weeks.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Canning Safety
Sterilizing Jars:
Everyone and their dog has their own way of sterilizing jars, but make sure that you do it. National Center For Food Preservation has clear guidelines about sterilizing jars.
Processing Time:
| Elevation | Processing Time |
|---|---|
| 0-1,000 feet | 10 minutes |
| 1,001 - 3,000 feet | 15 minutes |
| 3,001 - 6,000 feet | 20 minutes |
** Processing time for pint-sized jars only
Key Ingredients
Jalapeños: Choose fresh, firm, ripe jalapeños without blemishes, holes, or mold. Any jalapeños with wrinkled or dark spots should be either discarded or have those bits cut out. This recipe also works well with banana peppers and other hot peppers!
Vinegar: Vinegar is used to increase the acidity of the vegetables. Higher acidity kills off microorganisms and aids in preserving the jalapeños, preventing spoilage.
Sugar: Reduces some of the sourness of the vinegar and saltiness of the pickling salt.
Pickling salt: Salt is added to this recipe for flavor as the vinegar brine takes care of acidifying the brine. If you don't have canning salt, you can replace it with coarse kosher salt.
How To Can Pickled Jalapeños
Prepare:
- Fill a large water bath canner with enough water level to cover the pint jars by at least an inch. Bring this water to a full boil.
- Meanwhile, sterilize your jars via your preferred method.
- Add vinegar, water, pickling salt, and granulated sugar to a large saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil.
Slice:
- Meanwhile, wash the jalapeños well, and slice them into even-sized rings. Use disposable gloves to prevent the capsaicin from burning your skin. I used my KitchenAid Exact Slice attachment for this job to make it quick and painless.
Can:
- Once the pickling liquid comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the jalapeño slices and crushed garlic cloves.
- Place a canning funnel on top of the jars and ladle the jalapeño rings and hot brine into the jars. Top off each clean jar with brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. If desired, run a canning spatula or clean chopstick along the edges of the jar to release the air bubbles.
- Wipe the lips of each jar before placing the lid and tightening the rings finger-tight.
- Use a jar lifter or canning tongs to transfer the hot jars to the hot water bath. Once the water bath returns to a full rolling boil, begin your timer.
- Process each jar for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and set on a heatproof surface to cool untouched for 24 hours at room temperature before removing rings, wiping down and storing for later use.
- Allow the jars of pickled pepper slices to rest for 2-3 weeks before opening them.
Batch + Storage Information
Batch:
This recipe as written gives three pint (500ml) jars. It can easily be halved, doubled, or tripled if required.
If you have extra jalapeños and brine that won't fit in your canning jars, quickly sterilize another jar, transfer the leftover sliced peppers and brine into that jar and store them in the fridge. You'll have quick refrigerator pickles - they'll keep for at least 2 weeks!
Storage:
Keep your canned jalapeños in a cool dark space, and use them within 12 months. Once opened, keep the jar in your fridge for up to a month.
How To Use Pickled Jalapeños
Pickled jalapeños are great for adding an acidic heat to your recipes. I love adding them to a number of things:
- air fryer nachos or tacos
- cornbread
- pizza topping
- smoked queso
- chili topping
- top homemade burgers or hot dogs
- cheese boards
- jalapeno and cheddar sourdough
More Great Canning Recipes
Recommended Equipment
Water Bath Canner: I have and LOVE an ALL-AMERICAN CANNER. Yes, it's a pressure canner, but it works for water bath canning too! The 925 model is a beast, she can handle whatever I toss her way! If you're new to canning and not sure you'll love it, there are some really reasonably priced WATER BATH CANNERS out there too.
Mason Jars: MASON JARS are an investment, but they'll last you for years and years with proper care and maintenance. I have some Improved GEM jars that are so old, you wouldn't believe me if I told you they've been through 5 generations of canners and still work great!
📖 Printable Recipe
Pickled Jalapeños
Do you love pickled jalapeños? If so, then you’re going to love this easy recipe for homemade Pickled Jalapeño Peppers. They're perfect for topping burgers and hot dogs, adding a kick to sandwiches and tacos, or just snacking on right out of the jar! These tasty little guys are also great as an appetizer with cream cheese and crackers.
Ingredients
- 2.5 - 3 lbs fresh jalapeno peppers
- 6 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup pickling salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
- Fill a large water bath canner with enough water to cover the pint jars by at least an inch. Bring this water to a boil. Sterilize your canning jars.
- Meanwhile, wash the jalapeños well, and slice into even sized rings. Use disposable gloves to prevent the capsaicin from burning your skin.
- Add 6 cups of vinegar, 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup pickling salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a large saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil.
- Once the brine comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the chopped jalapeños and 4 cloves of crushed garlic.
- Ladle the jalapeños into the sterilized jars. Top off each jar with brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace in each jar.
- Wipe the lips of each jar before placing the lid and tightening the rings finger-tight.
- Use a jar lifter to transfer the hot jars to the boiling water bath.
- Process each jar for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and set on a heatproof surface to cool untouched for 24 hours before removing rings, wiping down and storing for later use.
- Allow the jars of pickled jalapeños to rest for 2-3 weeks before opening them.
Notes
Sterilizing Jars:
Everyone and their dog has their own way of sterilizing jars, but make sure that you do it. National Centre For Food Preservation has CLEAR GUIDELINES about sterilizing jars.
Processing Time:
Elevation / Processing Time
0-1,000 feet / 10 minutes
1,001 - 3,000 feet / 15 minutes
3,001 - 6,000 feet / 20 minutes
** Processing time for pint sized jars only
Batch:
This recipe as written gives three pint (500ml) jars. It can easily be halved, doubled, or tripled if required.
If you have extra jalapeños and brine that won't fit in your canning jars, quickly sterilize a another jar, transfer the leftovers into that jar and store them in the fridge. You'll have quick picked jalapeños - they'll keep for at least 2 weeks.
Storage:
Keep your canned jalapeños in a cool dark space, and use them within 12 months. Once opened, keep the jar in your fridge for up to a month.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
60Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 24Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
Pin this pickled jalapeños recipe!
Al
Monday 31st of October 2022
I used the dish washer to sterilize and clean my jars and lids…while the white vinegar smell is admittedly strong, I didn’t wheeze…
Maureen
Thursday 22nd of September 2022
A few things: First, maybe you could specify WHY it is important to dump the sliced peppers into the boiling brine before putting them into jars: so dingbats like me don't think they'll just skip that step and fill jars with raw jalapenos and pour the brine on top, then water bath them. End result is that you get a lot of empty space at the bottom of the jar, because the peppers soften up as they cook and take up less room in the jar. Secondly, a warning that a brine with this much white vinegar left me gasping for fresh air as I cooked and ladled. In 25 years of making pickles, I've never had apple cider vinegar do that to me. Would these taste as good with apple cider vinegar? And last, I doubled the recipe and had enough brine for six QUARTS of peppers, with a quart of brine leftover. It will take weeks to find out how successful I've been, but these are my thoughts the day after making them. :)
Ally
Saturday 24th of September 2022
No dingbats here, Maureen, just people learning <3 I will definitely add it to the post, but the reason the peppers floated up in your jars was that you essentially raw packed them, vs hot pack. By adding the peppers to the hot brine for a few seconds, we're allowing the cell walls to burst and release some of the trapped air within the pepper itself - this helps to keep them suspended in the brine and avoids floating. Though after a bit they'll likely sink down. That might have also explained the extra brine, as the air comes out of the peppers, the brine is able to permeate those spaces. I have never found vinegar to make me wheeze too much during pickle making, but I definitely feel like I have the black lung when I deal with HOT capcasin. OH my gosh, even rinsing a cutting board used for hot peppers in hot water sends me into a coughing fit. I haven't tried these with apple cider vinegar, the science behind it should work, but the ACV does have a different flavor that may or may not be desireable to you for your pickled jalapenos - that said, I'd be tempted to try a half batch, just to see!