Hot Pepper Relish
This very simple recipe for pickled pepper relish is great for grilling food, but also for preserving your abundant pepper harvest. Use this recipe method with any type of chili pepper.
This very simple recipe for pickled pepper relish is great for any type of food you can prepare on the grill. We’re talking steaks, chicken breasts, burgers, brats, even the good old hot dog.
It’s one of those wonder condiments that goes with so many dishes. Extra bonus – it is also a GREAT way to preserve your abundant pepper harvest.
Loaded with wonderful chili peppers, a bit of onion and garlic, it packs in the flavor.
Make Relish to Preserve Your Peppers
Seriously, if your garden is practically exploding with chili peppers like mine does every year, consider the humble relish. The vinegar not only makes the relish delicious and somewhat sweet, it acts as a preservative, letting you keep your peppers around longer so you can enjoy them.
You can realistically use this recipe on ANY type of chili pepper.
Just be sure to chop them up to consistent sizes and chunks. If you’re working with bell peppers and ghost peppers, for example, those two peppers have very different thickness of their pepper walls.
Bells are meatier and thicker, where ghost peppers are thinner. Chop them up accordingly so the bites are fairly consistent throughout.
Adjusting the Heat Factor
If you’re looking for a truly HOT pepper relish, absolutely consider some of the superhot chili peppers. You have your choice with Morugas, 7-Pots, scorpions, bhut jolokias, though you really don’t have to go THAT hot.
You can always use some in the upper range of the heat scale, like the wonderful habanero pepper, maybe red savinas, even on down to cayenne, red jalapenos, red serranos.
Notice a RED theme here?
Use Colorful Peppers for a Nice Looking Relish
I LOVE a colorful pepper relish recipe! Yellow and orange are always welcomed colors, as is green, but green isn’t quite as enticing as a brightly colored pepper relish.
But the choice is yours!! As mentioned, you can use this hot pepper relish recipe technique with ANY type of pepper, regardless of the color.
How Do You Use Chili Pepper Relish?
Use a good hot pepper relish as you would any other condiment. Top your burgers and brats right off the grill for a tangy flavor addition. Spoon it over grilled chicken or pork for an extra tasty component.
Serve it at the table with brunch to scoop over toasts. You can also swirl it into soups and stews to bring on the zest.
Enjoy! It’s time to make the relish!
Check Out These Other Popular Pepper Relish Recipes
- Quick Tomato-Pepper Relish
- Sweet Pepper Relish
- Chile-Cucumber Chow Chow
- Green Tomato Relish
- Green Tomato Chutney
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! — Mike H.
Hot Pepper Relish Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped hot chili peppers – You can use a mix of peppers if you’d like anywhere from mild bells to superhots like Morugas or Scorpions, though I like to keep the thickness of the peppers about the same so the overall consistency is even. Lean toward hotter peppers. For this, I used some sweet Italian peppers but included a couple ghost peppers.
- 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 small onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large pan and heat to medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a light boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer about 25-30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced and absorbed into the mixture.
- Add to a jar and allow to cool.
- Serve!
Notes
Nutrition
74 comments
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Love this recipe, so easy, used red sweet peppers a d a ghost pepper and Carolina reaper, great flavor. Tossed brussel sprouts with it a d baked in the oven, was amazing!
Great! Thanks, Laura! Got some heat there with the Reaper! You are a true chilihead.
Is this recipe suitable for canning?
Rick, yes, though check the acidity. A pH of 3.5 or lower is best for home canning with the water bath method. Or, you can pressure can.
I am going to be using red hot cherry peppers (I may add in some jalapeños) 1. Do you think that would be way too spicy using 2 pretty spicy types of peppers? And 2. Would you deseed and remove the ribs? Usually in hot pepper relish you see seeds…so maybe if I am supposed to deseed them, should I keep just a couple of the seeds in?
Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to make this tonight
Amy, you’d get a good level of heat, though it will likely tamp down a bit from the other ingredients. I’m not sure of your heat preference, though. If you’re concerned, you might use only one hot cherry and use sweet peppers for the remainder. You don’t have to remove the seeds and innards if you don’t want to. Some people prefer it. Coring them out will remove much of the heat. Enjoy!
It came out excellent. I removed the seeds from all my peppers.
I added 1 whole Sweet Onion.
5 cloves of Garlic
3 tsp. Mustard seed
3 Red Bell pepper
2 Jalapeño
6 Orange Thai Chiles (They start our yellow and turn orange at the end)
8 Red Thai Chiles Small
6 Large Red Thai Chilies
7 Red Torro Di Rossi
14 Maules Red Hot
1 tsp. Salt.
It has incredible flavor and not super hot.
Sounds excellent, Scott! I love it.
This is delicious! Used Italian long hots, jalepenos, and grape tomatoes from the garden.
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Very nice! Relishes can last for months because of the vinegar content. Keep it sealed and refrigerated. Enjoy!!
This is a beautiful relish. I used greens, reds, yellows, oranges. There’s 6 different kinds in mine! Can’t wait to try. Well, I can’t wait for my husband to try it!
Great, Susan!
First time ever making relish with haberneros from garden. I snipped a bit for a taste of the heat and wow… they were hot!! I misjudged how many peppers I needed for 3 cups. I ended up with 8 cups of green & red peppers, along with 3/4 c of the kickers. I tripled the recipe. Followed it exactly except I used mustard powder, couldn’t find mustard seed. The only thing I did wrong was put the lid on during simmer, so I had quite a bit of juice after 25 minutes. I thicken the mixture with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. All set.
Thank you for posting this easy recipe. Looking forward the plentiful peppers!
Thanks, Debra! Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this just like the directions, but added a habenero, and 1 tsp salt. I want to make more with a little less sugar and a lil more salt. Will try to add some of this to Velveeta / Rotel cheese dip, and some brawts. It taste good right out the pot.
Thanks, Bruce!
I had to make a couple minor substitutions to make this with what I had at home, so I used apple cider vinegar and substituted turmeric for the mustard. I had lots of miscellaneous hot and less hot peppers in the garden and I threw them all in the food processor together with some seeds. This is so good. I will make it many more times! And I was so happy to use so much of my bountiful pepper harvest!
Thanks, Jessica!
This is my 2nd year attempting the hot pepper relish and its so good! Question…what does the mustard seed add to it? Also, i was thinking of adding a little fruit to kinda change it up a bit. Any suggestions?
Jennifer, mustard seeds do add a flavor element, but you can definitely add other ingredients, such as fruit, to your preference. Let me know how it turns out for you.
You had me at “A VERY SIMPLE RECIPE”! My husband planted so many hot peppers, and he is the only one who eats them, but I just can’t waste them. I followed your recipe using hot peppers and then I used bell peppers for a sweet relish. My husband loves it. This year he’s planting even more peppers because his friends also love this relish. So easy. So good. So grateful you added this recipe online. Looks like I’ll be making lots more relish this year. Thank you!
Excellent! So happy to hear! Thanks, Virginia. I’m very happy you’ve enjoyed the relish. Take care.
Is it 3 cups of peppers before or after dicing?
Oroku, it is after chopping. 3 cups chopped peppers. Let me know how it turns out for you.
I forgot to rate the recipe in my comment.
Just made it and yummmm – I can use this a dozen ways!! Thanks for inspiring me to use that cup of little Thai peppers lingering in the fridge. Not supposed to have sugar so I added one TBS of Mirin instead. (sweet Japanese rice wine vinegar). Also reduced the onion by half but added 1/2 red pepper. It’s one hot, sour and slightly sweet little bomb.
Outstanding, Emma! I appreciate the comments. And the rating below! Thanks!
Just tasted some I made earlier so delicious I used a mixture of scotch bonnet. habanero ,and hot finger chillies . It was so easy to make .
Jow would you recommend storing .
Thanks, Sarah. Glad you enjoyed it. I usually just keep mine in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should last a good few weeks that way because of the vinegar content.
Do you leave the seeds in?
Sue, I usually do, but you can remove them if you’d like. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Loved the recipe, very simple to follow. I used a mix of habanero and Thai hot chilli peppers which were a dark green, I also added some fresh lemon juice for more acid and a carrot for some more color, came out awesome.
Thanks, Ken! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe we love it! The only thing I added was a quarter cup of lemon juice. FANTASTICO!
Excellent, Jim! Nice touch with the lemon juice! Enjoy!!!
Love this! My dad is a pepper guy, and I… am not. However, I made this (a milder version) for some cheesesteaks and it was so good! I decided my dad would love it so he gave me a gallon bag of jalapenos to use. He LOVED it. Now… I have been given 2-3 gallons of varying garden peppers to make. Thank you for the simple and delicious recipe.
Excellent, T! Super happy your Dad loves it! Great news! I appreciate your letting me know about it.
Is this a tested recipe for canning?
Mary, if you’d like to can this, check the pH first. It is best to be 3.5 or below for home canning. If it is not, add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to lower the pH, then proceed with canning. Or use a pressure canner. Let me know how it goes.
I am looking for a recipe to can pimento peppers . the only one I could find was in litres & grams etc.
Marshall, I don’t have an exact recipe for that. The closest I have is this one for banana peppers. Same process applies. I hope it helps or gives some direction: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/pickled-banana-peppers/.
All you need to do is google metric conversion rates,problem solved.
Do you have a cherry pepper hoagie spread recipe ? I don’t want anything sweet. I just want the peppers and vinegar
Emily, not exactly that, but you CAN use this exact recipe and omit the sugar. No sweet needed if you prefer. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Any tips on the ratio’s of peppers? ( Like 1 ghost, 2 habanero,…)
I want to make a super hot relish, and a milder version.
Thanks a lot in advance. This site is super!
Rob, it really would depend on your heat tolerance. You could use all ghost peppers, but that might be too hot for some. If you’re not sure and don’t want to make it TOO hot, go with a single ghost pepper (or hotter) and balance it out with milder peppers. If you eat superhots all the time, no worries. Go for it! I hope this helps. Let me know how the relish turns out. Enjoy!
Thank you for the recipe.
My family really enjoyed it.
I used a variety of peppers – some hot, some mild. It has a great taste and was easy to make.
Thanks, Cindy. It’s perfect with a good variety of peppers. I love it! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the inspiration – I made some changes, and used “wildfire” chili which I had way too much of (just basic green/red chili):
-First, I caramelized the onion – the onion needs some time for the sweetness to come out. I used some red onion and white onion, and I cooked it with the yellow mustard seeds in a small amount of good olive oil.
-Then, I added the rough chopped chili to the caramelized onion, along with a touch of salt. Again, the chili needs some time for the sugars to really come out of it, and the flavour to develop. I added some Manuka honey (which I had lying around) and some brown sugar.
-Once the chili was soft, I added lemon zest, and a couple of low acid tomatoes – I let these cook down
-Once the whole mixture is looking nice and soft and caramelized, I added the vinegar, along with the juice of a lemon.
-I let all this slowly simmer and reduce, and then jarred it!
Cheers 🙂
Sounds wonderful, Xander! Nice elaboration!
Can this relish be frozen?
James, yes, you can freeze relish. Vacuum sealing is best, but any freezer container will do. Let me know how it turns out for you. Freezing may affect the texture a bit, but it will be still good.
Was wondering what shelf life is in fridge?
Kathy, relish is pretty acidic from the vinegar, so should easily last a few months.
Wickles Hot Pepper Relish is Right Good … Ain’t Got Nothing on This … Used extra 1/4 cup of all Splenda for Sugar to make it Low Carb All Splenda, Extra 25 minutes of simmer
Thanks, Cleveland. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I have a question. while this is hot in the pan… can I can it ? with a 10 or 15 minute hot bath ?
Tonia, yes, you can process this hot pepper relish. Check the acidity, however. It should be 4.0 or below for home jarring. Otherwise you should use a pressure canner.
How long will this recipe hold for before it goes off.
Sean, the vinegar acts as a preservative, so if you keep it sealed and in the fridge, it will last several weeks or longer.
How much relish does it make?
REPLY: Carol, this will yield about 4 cups. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I have peppers coming out my ears! Came online looking for a recipe similar to “Tuong Ot Toi VietNam Chili Garlic Sauce” and found this one. Looks awesome! Any suggestions for canning this recipe?
REPLY: Heather, that’s great. Check out the preserving section on our site. I hope this helps! — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
if storing would i add oil
REPLY: Mark, no, the acidity should be low enough for processing. No real need to add in oil. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Thanks for this. We grow padrón peppers, and if you go on vacation and leave them on the plant they get very hot. But they make a delicious relish with this recipe. Seed them first and the relish is not too hot,but hot enough. I cut the recipe in thirds to try it out and used maybe 1 1/2t salt. Thanks again. It’s tailor made for a spread with beef, like a chimichurri.
can you freeze it?
REPLY: Parker, yes, you can, though I think it would get pretty soft once thawed. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Holy moly this is good. I used a combination of habenaro,red thai chill hot purple and long red sweet. Had to cook it much longer than 30 minutes but I think it was because I used medium onion.
Divine, thank you, have been looking for a recipe like this for ages, I think I caramelised the sugar too much but it’s still amazing|
This was absolutely delicious. I also added some thawed frozen mango pieces to help sweeten and flavor the relish. I did reduce the sugar as a result. Thanks for the recipe.
Oh this would be perfect with so many dishes! Love it!! Thanks so much for linking up with Fabulous Foodie Fridays! Have a great weekend xx
If stored in a sealed container in the fridge, this can easily last a month or longer, because of the vinegar, though if you preserve it via proper canning or jarring methods, with a waterbath and sterilized jars that are sealed, it can last as long as any canned goods.
Looks great. How would you suggest perserving to carry through the winter? Bought a similar item from American Spoon, their “Chili Jam”, great taste, but $13 for a small 8 ounce jar! Joe, [email protected]
Joe, you can swirl it into soups, stews or chilis for some extra flavor. So many ways!
Hi there…could I just ask how long this sauce will need if jarred properly ?
Regards
Dave
David, if you did a hot water bath and jarred it, it would last a good year or longer. Once it is opened, though, a couple months in the fridge, covered.