This easy hot pepper relish recipe is a wonder condiment, great for preserving your abundant pepper harvest. Use this recipe method with any type of chili pepper.
Hot Pepper Relish Recipe
This very simple pickled pepper relish recipe 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 pepper 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.
Let's talk about how to make hot pepper relish, shall we?
Hot Pepper Relish Ingredients
- Chili Peppers. You can use a mix of peppers if you’d like anywhere from mild red bell pepper 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 for many batches. Today I've used serrano and jalapeno peppers, Fresno peppers and milder Anaheim peppers for body and flavor.
- Vinegar. I use white wine vinegar usually, though any good vinegar will do. Consider apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar.
- Sugar. For sweetness. Honey is a nice substitute.
- Other Ingredients. Onion, garlic, mustard seeds and salt. These all add body and flavor.
How to Make Hot Pepper Relish - the Recipe Method
Boil the Ingredients. Add all ingredients to a large pan - vinegar and sugar, chili peppers and onion, garlic, mustard seed, salt - and heat to medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil.
Simmer the Relish. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 25 to 30 minutes, or until liquid is reduced and absorbed into the mixture. It make take only 15 minutes to 20 minutes, so just keep an eye on it as the pepper mixture simmers.
Cool the Pepper Relish. Add to a jar and allow to cool.
Boom! Done! Easy enough, isn't it? Your delicious pepper relish is ready to enjoy. How are you going to use yours?
Recipe Tips and Notes
- 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 and red peppers are awesome, 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.
- Pepper Consistency. You can chop your peppers to make them chunkier if you prefer a chunkier relish, or use a food processor to process them finely. The choice is yours, but I find the best results when making all of the peppers a uniform consistency.
- Seeds or No Seeds? You can remove the seeds from your peppers if you wish, but it is not necessary. Contrary to some belief, chili pepper heat is not in the seeds, but in the whitish pithy interior of the peppers. So, if you prefer to reduce the heat, core out the pepper insides before using. The seeds are edible and fine to use, though some dislike their consistency.
Storage Information
Pepper relish will last months in the refrigerator properly sealed because of the acidity from the vinegar. This is a good recipe for water bath canning as well, if you'd like to store the hot pepper relish longer term in a pantry.
You can freeze pepper relish, though it can affect the consistency.
How Do You Use 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. People love it over cream cheese with crackers.
You can also swirl it into soups and stews to bring on the zest. I love sweet and spicy pepper relish anytime.
Enjoy! It's time to make the relish!
Check Out These Other Popular Pepper Relish Recipes
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!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/21/21 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 7/29/2015.
DAN says
I've been enjoying your site for a long time. I've made quite a few of your recipes and every one was a hit! My son-in-law,a culinary school grad, loves your recipes. We love spicy recipes. The hotter the better! I am 88 years old and live alone. I do all my cooking and love to cook and try new recipes. Please keep up the good work. I have made this relish dish several times and it is great.
Mike Hultquist says
Thank you SO MUCH, Dan! I greatly appreciate comments like this. I am always very happy to be helpful. I'm happy your son-in-law likes my recipes, too! Take care.
Pam says
Recipe appears to be just what I am looking for. I may use multi-colored Italian Long Hots. I wonder how this recipe would be with adding onions and maybe red sweet peppers. How. Long do the peppers last, and do refrigerate? If I don’t hear back, I will post after I make them.
Mike Hultquist says
I think you'll love it, Pam. Yes, you can add onions and any type of peppers you want. Works with any. It will last many months in the refrigerator. Enjoy!!
Aj says
based on all the reviews, I went ahead and made a double batch. big mistake on my part. I was looking for a more Hot hoagie spread this was just way too sweet for me even after reducing the amount of sugar added. The initial taste of the relish after cooling from the stove was good. aside from the extreme sweetness. going to give it a couple of weeks in the fridge to see if the other flavors mature.
By the way, the double batch called for one cup of sugar. I reduced it to 7 tenths of a cup and still way too sweet for me.
Mike Hultquist says
Aj, chili pepper relish is inherently sweet, so this probably isn't the recipe for you. You should probably look into sweetener alternatives, or make somethin other than a relish. Glad you enjoyed the overall flavor, though. Cheers.
Jordan says
Excited to try! Do you think a zero calorie sweetner would work the same? Idea as to how much I would need to use instead of regular sugar?
Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Jordan, sugar will help thicken it better but it will work with a powdered zero calorie sweetener, like Stevia. Let me know how it works out for you.
Sean says
made it once and it was so good today I'm doing 3x the recipe. if this goes well I'm going to 6x it next time.
I used 2 red bells and 3 habaneros for the single recipe.
this time I'm at 6 red bell, 8 habanero and 3 jalapeno.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! I like it! Thanks, Sean!
Kaylie says
I LOVE this recipe and so many others from your website. I have made hot relish and a sweeter relish with bell peppers. I have a lot of hatch chile peppers from the garden and was wondering if I could use them to make relish? Should I roast them beforehand? Would it still be safe to can if roasted?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kaylie! Yes, you can make pepper relish with any peppers. I love it with a mix. Yes, you can roast them, too, if you'd like first. Extra roasted flavor! For canning, be sure you have enough acidity, but yes, roasting doesn't affect the safety. Enjoy!
Robert Breeding says
Wow ...this was good right after it was made ...but, after 3 months (forgotten) in the refri ...AWESOME!!! Recommended! And, It's best if you let it rest awhile!
BobB
Mike H. says
Happy to hear you are enjoying it so much, Bob. Thanks!
BobB says
Excellent ...and even better after a few months in the refri!
Thanks for another winner Mike!
BobB
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, BobB!
greg henry says
i love it im gona make a lot more next year i put it on lot of stuff
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!!
Shayna says
Do you think that you could add olive oil to the mix and can the product?
Mike H. says
Shayna, adding olive oil for canning isn't recommended, as it can promote harmful bacteria growth and interfere with heat penetration. If you really enjoy the olive oil flavor, you could add it just before serving if desired.
Kim says
This recipe is incredibly good. I have been making it with whatever combo of regular and hot pepper varieties I have at the moment. My husband and I moved to Honolulu in January, and we have wonderful farmers markets with a lot of variety of peppers. I actually grow Thai Chili peppers on my Lanai as well as Hawaiian Chili Peppers. I make this about every 3-4 weeks, and use it on EVERYTHING. Thanks so much for your inspirational recipes.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Kim! Thank you for the review.
Judy says
made the hot pepper relish and it is delish. I have been searching for a good hot relish recipe for quite a while. this is the bomb.
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! Thanks so much, Judy!!