Step by step instruction, and recipe that will show you how to can pickled peppers easily at home. No cooking required to make these peppers!
Pickled Peppers are among the easiest vegetables for canning! They are so great on so many different foods! They are perfect on sandwiches, in soups or stews for a little added kick, or for making hot sauces and salsas!
At the end of the season you end up with so many peppers! Even mid season, you can make a jar or two at a time and enjoy them all winter!
Growing Peppers
Last year was a great year for growing peppers in upstate NY. It was hot and dry which peppers are excessively fond of. The drier the year the hotter the pepper. This year is turning out to be the same so these peppers should be super hot too!
Want to learn more about growing your own peppers? If you love growing your own produce, these posts are packed full of information about how to get that big harvest by the end of the season! Don’t miss our How to Start a Garden Series!
The first section is Planning Your Garden. Second is Preparing the Garden Site.
The third is Choosing Plants and Planting Your Garden. The fourth is Garden Maintenance.
The last is Harvesting a Garden and Preserving the Harvest, this article has over 100 FREE recipes for preserving your harvest!
How to use these peppers
These pickled peppers can be used in so many ways. They are great in sandwiches, stews, soups. Add some to chili for an added kick. I put a small ramekin of them on charcuterie boards.
We love them on pizzas and they are great when added to salads for a spicy briny kick.
You can add them to tacos, burritos, fajitas and enchiladas. Mix them with tomatoes for a quick pico de gallo.
Here is the first major picking from this year above, that is why there are no red or orange peppers. Some peppers turn from yellow to orange to red with age. Generally the hotter peppers are the oldest, red peppers.
These are all Hungarian Wax Peppers and a couple green bell peppers.
The Hungarian Wax have a similar heat level to jalapeños but can even be hotter.
What you need
- apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- fresh or dried oregano
- garlic
How to make pickled peppers
So briefly, on to the technique. The first thing you want to do is to wash the peppers. Also wash and sterilize the jars and lids. Get the rest of your ingredients together.
- Remove one hot jar at a time, add peppers to the jar. Use a clean knife to arrange them so that you can squeeze as many in the jar as you can. (Save enough room to add the rest of the ingredients while still allowing for about 1/2″ headspace)
- Add either dried or fresh oregano, I have used both, (just add more like 4 teaspoons if using fresh oregano) and Kosher salt to jar.
- Then fill jar half way with cider vinegar and add a few crushed cloves of garlic.
- Fill up jar with boiling water, leaving the required headspace. (Some sources are using distilled water, others are boiling the water before adding it to the jar. I have done it both ways and find little to no difference in the shelf life or flavor of the finished product.)
Wipe rim with damp paper towel. Remove hot lid from water. Place on top of jar. Add band. Tighten fingertip tight.
You can also slice the peppers and follow the same procedure as above. They take up less shelf and refrigerator space. IMPORTANT NOTE: Wear Gloves!
How to store jars
I have been making these for decades and have never had any problem with the shelf life of these peppers. They last for at least 3 years. I usually keep them in the basement, which is cool and dry.
Recently, I have done some research on the fact that they are not pressure canned. I am not a food safety expert.
Many source are indicating that they should be refrigerated, if they aren’t pressure canned. So, this year, I kept a few jars in the refrigerator in the garage and a few in the basement, as usual.
I have to say that the ones that are stored in the refrigerator have retained more of their vibrant color as opposed to the ones that are in the basement.
They can also be pressure canned to ensure safety.
UPDATE: Since canning these peppers 2 years ago, I have been storing them in the refrigerator. They retain a better crispness and color in the refrigerator, so why not?
I opened a jar of the peppers that I canned for this post a few weeks ago, two years after canning them and they are still perfect!
Pro tips to ensure your success
-Important Note: Wear food grade gloves when slicing hot peppers!!
-Depending of the heat of the peppers that you are canning, these peppers can be very hot! Keep in mind that in hot, dry years, the peppers will be hotter. Perhaps not for the faint of heart!
-Rinsing sliced peppers can reduce a little bit of their heat level, but this is risky because it sprays small particles of capsaicin around in the air and can literally asphyxiate you! It is probably not worth the small bit of capsaicin that you will remove. In a dry year, the peppers will be hot!
-A better way to reduce the heat level of your peppers is to only pickle green jalapenos. Orange and red jalapenos are older and will be hotter. Peppers that develop ribs (beige to brown stripes on the skin are said to be older and hotter.)
-Also, scoop out and remove the ribs and seeds, much of the heat resides there. You can do this with a small melon baller or paring knife.
-Using a Canning tool kit can save you from potential burns.
-Do not reuse single use lids. They may not be safe.
-This recipe is for Cold Packed Peppers. They can also be processed in a water bath canning pot, but I find they get soggy.
-I have done lots of testing on the storage of these peppers and find they are best stored in refrigerator.
-Peppers are crispier when used within 6 months, or so.
-Many varieties of peppers can be canned. Jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, banana, Hungarian wax, red hot cherry, and many others.
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Other Delicious Pickling Recipes
- pickled onion
- candied jalepenos
- pickled garlic scapes
- pickled radishes
- Kosher pickles
- Crispy Sweet Pickles
- Homemade pickling spice
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Pickled Peppers
Ingredients
- 20 about hot peppers
- 2 c. cider vinegar
- water
- 2 tsp. oregano, dried
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2-3 small garlic cloves, crushed
Instructions
- Place Peppers in a clean, sterilized 1 qt. canning jar.
- Fill jar 1/2 way with vinegar.
- Add, spices and garlic. Quantities are NOT critical! Just eye it!
- Fill remainder of the jar with boiling water.
- Wipe edges of jars.
- Place sterilized lid on jar and screw on band, fingertip tight.
- Store in the refrigerator. Can be stored for at least 1 year.
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Nutrition
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Originally published 3/10/2017 Updated 1/16/2021
Dannii
I love anything pickled, and these peppers look amazing. They would be great on a sandwich.
Beth Neels
They are the perfect addition to sammies. Thanks Dannii!
Chelan
Hello!
I am doing 4 oz jars of sliced pickled peppers and 1 quart of whole peppers and I don’t know how much salt to use per jar…can you help with that, I’m a stickler for measurements and havre a hard time with eyeballing it. Thank you!
Beth Neels
For the quart use about a tablespoon, for the 4 ounce use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon. Honestly, the measurements are not crucial to the success though, so don’t stress about it too much!
Cliff
I store them in the bottom of my tall cabinets then chill them a day before serving. Works every single time. Great and easy recipe!
Beth Neels
Oh, that’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip Cliff! Glad you like them!
R.Stewart Ullstrom
You don’t mention how you seal your jars?
Beth Neels
Hi, there Stewart. I have updated the recipe card. you need to wipe jar edge, sterilize the lids and place them on jar. Then, tightened the bands. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
Amanda
I have to say, grew up with grandma and dad who both had huge gardens. And a basement filled in canned food from those gardens. So delicious. But alot of work! This, and all of your recipes, are amazing! So good, yet so easy!!!!! My family owned a restaurant and im all about food. Ive never commented on websites. Im not tech savvy, im a cook. Haha! But you are fabulous! I had to let u kno! Thank u!!!!!!! Take care!
Binky
Wow! Amanda! I’m touched! I’m glad you enjoy BCC! I is a great joy for me to help folks cook and prepare foods easily! Thank you so much! Xoxo
Olivia Plummer
I LOVE your pickled pepper recipe!!! I made one quart because that was all I had left after following a different recipe. I kept them in the fridge and opened them the following week and I think I ate them all in 3 days! On salads and sandwiches. Yummm! My hot peppers produced again so I’m dedicating all the banana peppers to this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Binky
Oh, that’s GREAT to hear Olivia! I’m so happy you are enjoying them! (I try to let them sit more than a week! They will be better after a month! 😂 ) Of course, I need to do a lot and keep my son off them! Thank you so much for stopping by! You may like this Pepper Relish or Candied Jalapenos, as well! They are great with so many things, as well! Have a great weekend!
Vicmarie
I have seen other recipes that call for mustard seeds and celery seeds. You don’t use that in your recipe, what isn’t the reasoning for using these two ingredients in canning? I tried canning a batch of banana peppers and it called for sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and I wasn’t big on it!!! Thank you for your advice! I will be canning the rest of my peppers soon!
Binky
I use mustard seed and celery seeds for other things that I pickle. I don’t feel that the flavors are essential with hot peppers because they have so much flavor on their own. I prefer to have them as close to fresh as possible! I use celery seed and sugar in my Candied Jalapenos that makes them candied and sweet, though. That’s not what I’m looking for with the pickled peppers! I hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by!
Anna
Who knew pickling peppers was so easy!! Anything that can keep for 3 years is a total winner and a great way to use excess garden produce. Thanks for sharing this great post 🙂
Binky
It’s a lot of fun too! That you Anna!
Caroline
There’s a pizza place near us that does a sausage and pickled banana pepper pizza, and whenever we get it my husband always says we need to try making our own pickled peppers so I can see this recipe coming in handy!
Binky
Haha! Super easy to do Caroline! Let me know how you like them! Banana peppers work great with this recipe too! Thanks!
Michelle
I bet these are amazing. I love pickled peppers on salads, tacos, meats. So many ways to enjoy them. I think your photos are beautiful. So bright and cheery.
Binky
Thank you so much, Michelle! They are super versatile, aren’t they? I had a few comments on Instagram that asked what to do with them and I thought, what??
Patty
What a gorgeous picture Beth, it really makes me want to pickle peppers, you make it sound so easy. I’ll try your way and then use my pickled peppers to make your salsa!
Binky
Ha! There you go! I use pickled peppers to make salsas and other sauces when I am out of fresh ones! Thanks so much for your comment Patty!
Amanda
What a great way to preserve Summer veggies! Love the photos too.
Binky
Thanks so much Amanda! I really appreciate that!
rebecca
i love everything pickled. i’ll have to try this recipe with all my garden peppers
Binky
Oh, thank you Rebecca! I’m glad you enjoyed it! These really are easy and fun!!
Vicky
What a great way to preserve the freshness of the season. I loved pickled peppers on salads. Thanks for providing and easy method for canning!
Binky
Thank you Vicky! I hope it is useful to you!
Nancy | Flavorpalooza
Pickled Peppers! Yum! I need to do more pickling. And we just got a bunch of peppers in our CSA, so this recipe is perfect timing.
Binky
Glad to here that, Nancy! I’ve always wanted to do a CSA! I hope you enjoy them! Thanks!
Morgan Eisenberg
You got quite the harvest there! I love hot peppers. Gotta give this a try!
Binky
It is super easy! Definitely, give it a go! Thanks Morgan!
Jere Cassidy
I grew canning almost everything from our garden and I miss it. Great instructions and the peppers look stunning in the jars. Glad to read this post, it brought back good memories.
Binky
Oh, that’s so nice! I left canning for a while and I am glad we re-found each other. It really is fun!
Jamie
WOW! This looks so easy to make. Definitely going to make these pickled peppers!
Binky
They are really easy! You should definitely try these, they are so good!
Dannii
We have loads of chillis growing in our garden, and we are definitely going to pickle them.
Binky
They are so good aren’t they? Thanks for the comment Dannii!
Frederick
Thank you so much, I will be anxious to try the results of this recipe.
Binky
Thank you Frederick! Please let me know how you like them!