You can save the taste of summer with home-canned Pickled Jalapeno Peppers. Do just a bit of work now and you can enjoy a little summer heat all winter long.
We’ve gotten a whole bunch of hot peppers with our farm share this summer. Much as I love a little chile heat in my food, there’re only so many peppers that I can use fresh.
Since I’ve already got a big bag in the freezer, it’s time to find another way to save the rest of the peppers. When you’ve got low-acid veggies like peppers, pickling is a great and safe way to preserve the harvest.
I think home-made Pickled Jalapeno Peppers are so much better than the canned peppers from the store. I flavor my pickles with a hint of garlic, oregano and cumin for a Mexican flavor profile. You can add whichever spices you like best, or none at all.
Scroll through the step-by-step photos to see how to pickle jalapeno peppers.
It’s a good idea to wear gloves when working with hot peppers.
Trim the stem off each pepper. You can use red or green jalapenos.
Slice the peppers, leaving the seeds in place.
Place oregano, cumin and garlic in each jar to flavor the peppers.
Pack the sliced peppers into the sterilized jars then pour in the hot bring. A canning funnel makes this much easier.
Pour hot brine over the peppers, leaving 1/2″ head space.
Canning your Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
- If you make a small batch of pickles and end up with just a jar or two they can be refrigerated and used right away.
- For a larger batch, like this recipe makes, I like to process the jars in a hot water bath so the pickles are shelf stable.
- Because peppers are a low-acid vegetable, you’ll need to pickle them to use a water bath. Without the acidic brine, you’d need to use a pressure canner.
- “Head space” is simply the term for a little room that you leave between the ingredients and the rim of the jar. This space is needed for the lid to seal properly.
- As long as you use proper canning jars and you process the jars in a hot water bath to make sure they’re sealed, these Pickled Jalapeno Peppers will keep for a year in the pantry.
- I’ve outlined the basic steps for water-bath canning in the recipe, but if you’ve never canned before I suggest you visit the Ball Canning Website to review the basics of home-canning
I love to add Pickled Jalapeno Peppers to tacos, nachos, chili and other Mexican and Tex Mex dishes, but they’re also great on a sandwich with cheese or peanut butter. The possibilities are endless.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please consider leaving a 5-star review.
Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 6 small sprigs oregano (or use dried oregano)
- 6 small cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 pounds jalapeno peppers (stems removed)
- 24 oz white vinegar (3 cups)
- 8 oz cider vinegar (1 cup)
- 24 oz water (3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Bring a very large pot of water to a full boil. Sterilize your canning jars and lids by boiling in the water for 10 minutes (or with the sterilize setting on your dishwasher).
- Use a jar lifter or tongs to remove the hot jars from the water. I like to line them up on a clean kitchen towel.
- Place an oregano sprig (or a pinch of dried oregano), a garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds in each sterilized jar. Slice the jalapenos and pack them into the jars.
- Combine 24 oz white vinegar, 8 oz cider vinegar, 24 oz water, 2 tablespoons kosher salt and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Immediately pour the brine over the peppers (a canning funnel in handy here), leaving ½" head space at the top of each jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rim of each jar. The rim needs to be clean for the lid to seal properly.
- Place the lids and screw tops on the jars. Bring the water in the pot back to a full boil. Use the tongs or jar lifter to lower the jars into the water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Cover the pot and bring back to a boil. Once the water comes back to a boil start your timer.
- Process the jars for 10 minutes. Use the jar lifter or tongs to remove the jars. Place them on a kitchen towel to cool. Do no retighten the screw tops or the lids may not seal. As the jars cool and the lids seal you’ll probably hear a little "pop". You should see the circle in the middle of the lid indented rather than popped up.
- Once the jars are completely cooled unscrew the tops and check that the lids are firmly sealed. If any lids don’t properly seal, refrigerate and eat those peppers first.
Equipment
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Notes
Nutrition
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Kym
Saturday 4th of February 2023
Eileen , thank you for this recipe, my family and friends love the result. I will be picking 10 bushes soon and we now have a family day making pickling the jalapeños, they are better than any store brought ones,
Kym Adelaide South Australia
Charles Strunk
Sunday 23rd of September 2018
Do you have a recipe for pickled jalapeños that doesn't contain sugar?
Olympia
Friday 4th of August 2023
@Charles Strunk, use Stevia .... hubby is diabetic and I use Stevia when I make pepper jelly .... works fine.
Eileen
Sunday 23rd of September 2018
Well, since there's only 2 tablespoons of sugar in the recipe you could leave it out without compromising the preserves. I like the slight sweetness with the heat. But you can leave it out if you prefer no added sugar.
Kyle
Wednesday 19th of October 2016
I have been doing a lot of canning with my jalapeno harvest this year, and I have a question. Where I live (Poland) it is next ti impossible to find 5% white vinegar. The only option is 10% white vinegar (I can get 5% apple, but sometimes I dont want to use purely apple vinegar). Does anyone know if I can use twice less vinegar if it is 10%?
Eileen Gray
Tuesday 8th of November 2016
Hi Kyle, Sorry for the delayed response to your question. I was on vacation when your comment posted and I just saw it.
The white vinegar I used for this recipe was 5% vinegar. I would say that if you're using 10% vinegar you could use half as much and replace the rest with more water. So instead of 3c white vinegar, 1c cider vinegar and 3c water you can use 1.5c white vinegar, 1c cider vinegar and 4.5 c water. Eileen
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Wednesday 5th of October 2016
I sadly don't have time for canning this year as we are moving and all my canning supplies are packed but I am definitely earmarking this for next year. Thanks for sharing at Celebrate with 8.
Eileen Gray
Thursday 6th of October 2016
Thanks, Wendy. Good luck with the move.