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.
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 as long as it is 5% acidity. Consider apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar. Do not use homemade vinegar or low-acid varieties, as the exact acidity is what keeps the relish safe from spoilage.
- 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
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, trinidad scorpion peppers, 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 peppers, 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. Hot pepper relish is great for water bath canning as well, if you'd like to store the hot pepper relish longer term in a pantry. I've included a pepper relish recipe for canning below the recipe card developed on the USDA tested ratio.
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!
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 71.
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
How to Can Hot Pepper Relish for the Pantry
The quick version above is a refrigerator relish. It keeps for weeks in the fridge thanks to the vinegar, no canning gear needed. But if your garden is producing peppers faster than you can eat them, water bath canning is ideal for longer term pantry storage.
NOTE: For shelf-stable jars, use the recipe below, not the quick refrigerator version above. That one was developed for flavor and for the fridge, where refrigeration keeps it safe. A jar sitting on a pantry shelf has no such backup, so the vinegar has to do the safety work, and that means the pepper-to-vinegar ratio matters as much as the taste.
The recipe below is developed on the USDA tested ratio, so it is safe for the pantry. Two important rules:
- Keep the total ground peppers at 10 cups. Use any peppers, from super mild to superhot and any mix in between.
- Do not change the vinegar, sugar, salt, or mustard amounts, and use vinegar that is 5% acidity.
Canned Hot Pepper Relish (Water Bath)
Ingredients:
- 5 cups ground sweet or mild peppers (bell, Anaheim, or a mix), with their juices, about 3 to 4 pounds before grinding
- 5 cups ground hot chilies (jalapeno, serrano, Fresno, with a habanero or two if you want real heat), with their juices, about 3 to 4 pounds before grinding
- 1 1/2 cups ground onion (about 3 medium yellow onions), with juices
- 2 1/2 cups distilled white or apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons pickling salt
- 4 teaspoons mustard seed
Instructions:
- Prep your canner and jars. Fill a water bath canner, set the rack, and bring it up to a simmer. Wash 6 pint jars (or half pints) and keep them hot until you fill them. Prep new lids and bands per the manufacturer.
- Glove up and grind. Wear gloves and keep your hands away from your face while you work with hot peppers. Wash and stem the peppers, seed the sweet peppers, and coarsely grind the peppers and peeled onion (a food processor on pulse or a grinder attachment both work).
- Measure into the pot. Measure 5 cups ground sweet peppers, 5 cups ground hot peppers, and 1 1/2 cups ground onion, all with their juices, into a large stockpot. Add the vinegar, sugar, pickling salt, and mustard seed.
- Boil, then simmer. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a low boil and cook 30 minutes, stirring often so it does not scorch.
- Fill the jars. Ladle the hot relish into your hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Run a bubble tool around the inside, recheck the headspace, and wipe the rims with a clean damp paper towel. Set the lids and tighten the bands fingertip tight.
- Process in the water bath canner for the time in the chart below for your altitude. Start timing once the water is at a full rolling boil.
- Cool and check. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out and set them on a towel. Leave them undisturbed 12 to 24 hours, then check that every lid sealed. Sealed jars keep up to a year in a cool, dark pantry. Refrigerate any jar that did not seal and use it first.
Altitude chart (this recipe, boiling water canner, pints or half pints):
| Your elevation | Processing time |
| 0 to 1,000 ft | 10 minutes |
| 1,001 to 6,000 ft | 15 minutes |
| Above 6,000 ft | 20 minutes |
Makes 6 pint jars.
Canning safely: this recipe follows a USDA tested ratio. For full water bath canning guidance and safety background, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/30/26 to include new information, including canning information. It was originally published on 7/29/2015.
Rick says
Is this recipe suitable for canning?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Amy says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Scott Crook says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds excellent, Scott! I love it.
Tom May says
This is delicious! Used Italian long hots, jalepenos, and grape tomatoes from the garden.
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice! Relishes can last for months because of the vinegar content. Keep it sealed and refrigerated. Enjoy!!
Susan Longley says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Susan!
Debra Cartier says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Debra! Glad you enjoyed it!
Bruce Alan Morris says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Bruce!
Jessica S says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jessica!
Jennifer Kirwan says
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?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Virginia MILANO says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! So happy to hear! Thanks, Virginia. I'm very happy you've enjoyed the relish. Take care.
Oroku Saki says
Is it 3 cups of peppers before or after dicing?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Oroku, it is after chopping. 3 cups chopped peppers. Let me know how it turns out for you.
emma says
I forgot to rate the recipe in my comment.
emma says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding, Emma! I appreciate the comments. And the rating below! Thanks!