Pickled Peppers
Learn how to easily can pickled peppers. This method requires no processing, so it’s a perfect beginner’s recipe. Pro canners will want to make them because they are so good!
🍽️ Recipe Name: Pickled Peppers
⏰ Ready In: 10 minutes
⏳ Prep Time:10 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: No cooking required
👥 Serves: 20 peppers
🥕Main Ingredients: Hot peppers, vinegar, water, kosher salt, garlic cloves.
🍳 Special Equipment: Canning jars, measuring spoons, food-grade gloves.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Crisp, tangy, and easy to make with just a few ingredients.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
These pickled hot peppers are an easy way to preserve a big crop of peppers. I use Hungarian wax peppers most often, but jalapeños and other hot peppers work well too.
My aunt made peppers like these for years. She packed them in vinegar and kept the jars in a cold root cellar. The cold storage helped the peppers keep their color and crisp texture much better than a warm pantry.
This recipe uses a vinegar brine, but I recommend storing the finished peppers in the refrigerator unless you are following a tested canning recipe with the proper processing time.
For shelf-stable pickled peppers, use a tested water-bath canning recipe. Plain peppers that are not properly acidified require pressure canning.
These are especially good on sandwiches, burgers, pizza, salads, and anything that could use a little heat.
What Types of Peppers to Use
- Jalapeños
- Hungarian wax
- Banana peppers
- Ghost peppers
- Scotch Bonnet
- Serrano
- Hatch peppers
- Bell peppers
- Most hot and mild peppers will work well
If you have a large pepper harvest, you can also turn them into hot pepper relish for another easy preservation option. For a milder version, sweet pepper relish is another great way to stretch pepper season and use up extra peppers.
The above photo is the first major picking from this year, which is why there are no red or orange peppers. Some peppers turn from green to yellow to orange to red with age. Generally, the hottest peppers are the oldest red peppers.
These are all Hungarian Wax Peppers, along with a couple of green bell peppers.
The Hungarian Wax peppers have a heat level similar to jalapeños but can be even hotter.
What You Need
- Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar 5% acidity (you can also substitute white wine vinegar)
- Kosher salt: Use plain kosher or pickling salt.
- Fresh or dried oregano
- Garlic
- Optional: peppercorns, bay leaves
These jars help keep homemade food sealed and organized. Use them for canning, meal prep, or storing dry ingredients.
Use this for chopping vegetables, shredding cheese, and mixing dough. The large bowl helps with bigger recipes and weekly meal prep.
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
If you don’t already have these, this is where most people struggle.
- Quart jars – quarts are perfect for whole peppers; long peppers like Hungarian wax and banana peppers are easy to load into wide-mouth jars, tipped on their sides.
- Pint jars – the right size for storing sliced peppers.
- Food processor – saves a huge amount of prep time and helps keep the peppers evenly chopped.
- Sharp knife – clean cuts make prepping peppers faster and safer. A dull knife slips more easily and turns chopping into a slow, uneven process.
- Food Grade Gloves – hot pepper oils stick to your hands and are hard to wash off completely. Gloves help prevent painful burns when touching your face or eyes.
How to Make Pickled Peppers
So, briefly, let’s go on to the technique. The first thing you want to do is wash the peppers. Also, wash the jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Gather the rest of your ingredients and get everything ready before you start packing the jars.
Step One:
Remove one hot jar at a time and add whole or sliced peppers. Use a clean knife to arrange them so that you can squeeze as many in the jar as possible. (Save enough room to add the remaining ingredients while allowing for about ½-inch headspace.) Pro tip: Lay jars on their sides to make packing whole peppers a breeze.
Step Two:
Add dried or fresh oregano; we have used both. Add two tablespoons of fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, and the Kosher or canning salt to the jar.
Step Three:
Then, fill the jar halfway with cider vinegar (about a cup for pint jars or 2 cups for quart jars) and add a few crushed garlic cloves.
Step Four:
Fill the remainder of the jar with boiling water, preserving the ½-inch headspace.
Step Five:
You can slice the peppers, too; instead of leaving them whole, slice them and then add them to the jars.
** Wear food-safe gloves when slicing hot peppers. The oils from the peppers can stay on your hands for hours and may cause a painful burning sensation if you touch your eyes or skin.
Wipe the rim of each jar with a damp paper towel to help ensure a proper seal. Carefully place the hot lid on the jar, add the band, and tighten it just until fingertip tight.
Sliced peppers take up less shelf and refrigerator space. IMPORTANT NOTE: Wear Gloves!
Use pint jars for sliced peppers or small peppers. Use quart jars for whole peppers and large peppers.
Want to Can Pickled Peppers?
Pickled peppers can also be water-bath canned, but the vinegar ratio needs to be much higher than the refrigerator version used here. A tested hot-pepper canning recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation uses 5 parts 5% acidity vinegar to 1 part water.
For shelf-stable peppers, always follow a tested canning recipe with the recommended vinegar ratio and processing time.
How to Serve Pickled Peppers
- Sandwiches and burgers – add a few slices for extra crunch, heat, and acidity that perk up a boring sandwich.
- Soups, stews, and chili – stir them into soups or chili for a spicy, tangy kick that brightens heavier dishes.
- Chili cheese dogs – these are especially good on chili cheese dogs because the tangy bite cuts through all the rich chili and melted cheese.
- Air fryer hot dogs – keep a jar in the fridge for easy hot dog toppings during quick lunches, cookouts, or game-day snacks.
- Ground beef tacos – chopped pickled peppers add crunch and brightness to tacos and help balance rich meat, sour cream, and cheese.
- Pizza – scatter them over homemade or frozen pizza before baking for a spicy, briny bite in every slice.
- Salads – slice them into green salads, pasta salads, or grain bowls for extra flavor and texture.
- Charcuterie boards – serve them in a small ramekin alongside meats, cheeses, crackers, and olives for a sharp, tangy contrast.
How to Store Jars
My aunt traditionally kept these in a cold root cellar, and I did the same for years. After comparing storage methods, though, I now keep them refrigerated. They stay crisper and retain their color much better.
Pro Tips to Ensure Your Success
-Important Note: Wear food-grade gloves when slicing hot peppers!!
-Depending on the heat of the peppers that you are canning, these peppers can be very hot! Remember that the peppers will be hotter in hot, dry years. Perhaps not for the faint of heart.
-I don’t recommend rinsing sliced hot peppers to reduce the heat. The water can spray capsaicin into the air and cause intense coughing and eye or throat irritation.
-A better way to reduce the heat level of your peppers is to pickle green jalapenos only. Orange and red jalapeños 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.
-Do not reuse single-use lids. They may not be safe.
This recipe is for cold-packed refrigerator peppers. For shelf-stable water-bath canning, use a tested pickled-pepper recipe formulated specifically for canning.
-We have done lots of testing on the storage of these peppers and found they are best stored in the refrigerator.
-Peppers are crispiest when used within six months or so.
-Many varieties of peppers can be canned. Jalapenos, serranos, habaneros, banana, Hungarian wax, red hot cherry, and many others.
Frequently Asked Questions
The refrigerated peppers are best if eaten within 3 months, but are still tasty for at least 6 months.
Use 5% acidity apple cider vinegar.
The best method we’ve found is to quick-pickle them and store them in the refrigerator. They stay crisper.
Yes, whole peppers are great for sandwiches or chopped into salads, chili, stew and more.
At first the peppers get hotter, but if they’re stored more than 6 months, they can lose a bit of heat, color, and crispness.
Other Delicious Pickles
- Pickled onion
- Candied jalapeños
- Pickled garlic scapes
- Pickled radishes
- Kosher pickles
- Crispy Sweet Pickles
- Homemade pickling spice
- Pickled green tomatoes
Pickled Peppers
Ingredients
- 20 about hot peppers
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- water
- 2 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2-3 small garlic cloves, crushed
Instructions
- Wash the peppers. Warm the lids in hot water.20 about hot peppers
- Place them in a clean 1 quart canning jar. IF you tip the jar on it's side, it's easier to load whole peppers.
- Fill the jar half-way with vinegar, about 2 cups.2 cups cider vinegar
- Add the spices and garlic.1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2-3 small garlic cloves, crushed, 2 teaspoon oregano, dried
- Fill the remainder of the jar with boiling water.water
- Wipe the edges of the jars clean with damp paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Place a warm lid on the jar and screw on the band, fingertip tight.
- Store in the refrigerator. They have the best flavor and crunch for about 3 months.
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Nutrition
Originally published March 10, 2017. Updated August 12, 2026.
How soon are they ready to eat after refrigerating?
I usually just wait a couple of days. You can technically eat them right away but they are better if they sit for a bit. Thanks for trying the recipe Nadine!
Hi Beth,
I just finished pickling jalapeños, hot yellow banana peppers, onions and I sliced into strips and it was SO easy to do!! I prepped veggies the night before and just had to wash, sterilize jars and lids. I learned awhile ago after washing jars to sterilize them in a 270 degree oven and take out one at a time. DID NOT do hot water bath as them are mushy. I also used dried oregano, dried fresh dill and pickling spices and alternated the herbs. I used rubber gloves to mix all the veggie strips in a large, clear glass bowl and stuffed the mixture into the sterilized. I wanted to add a phot but it didn’t show how I can do that.
Many thanks again for another GREAT recipe!
Susan
Your welcome Susan. Yes I find they get soggy if they are water bathed. I refrigerate for long periods and they are still good.
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!
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!
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!
You don’t mention how you seal your jars?
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!
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!
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
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!
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!
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!
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!
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 🙂
It’s a lot of fun too! That you Anna!
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!
Haha! Super easy to do Caroline! Let me know how you like them! Banana peppers work great with this recipe too! Thanks!
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.
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??