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Home » Recipes » Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)

Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)

by Mike Hultquist · Jun 14, 2024 · 189 Comments

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Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe

This Chicago-style giardiniera recipe is the ultimate condiment with fresh peppers and veggies in oil and seasonings, an absolute must for Italian beef sandwiches!

Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe

Hot Giardiniera (Chicago-Style)

Today we're bringing you a taste of Chicago, my spicy food loving friends, with a condiment that belongs in your recipe box favorites. It's called Chicago-Style Giardiniera, and I think you're going to love it.

Patty and I were both born and raised in the Chicago area, and Chicago is well-known for its selection of beef sandwiches.

If you're from Chicago or anywhere near there, you can't order a beef sandwich without giardiniera. It's a "must try", the perfect condiment for roast beef or any type of sandwich.

You can get mild giardiniera or hot giardiniera, and I always go for the "hot".

I personally love it piled onto a hot dog or over a crispy toasted sub sandwich, and enjoy it on my pizza. We had several beef joints to choose from, and giardiniera was always on the menu. It's a must have for me, so I make homemade giardiniera all the time.

Let's talk about how to make giardiniera, Chicago style, shall we? Hot giardiniera for me!

Chicago-Style Giardiniera Ingredients

  • Peppers. My recipe calls for 5 jalapeno peppers and 5 sport peppers or serrano peppers for more of a "hot giardiniera". If you'd prefer a "mild giardiniera", use 2-3 large green and/or red bell peppers instead.
  • Vegetables. Use 1 cup chopped cauliflower, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs and 1/2 to 1 cup of olives (from the jar), all thinly sliced or chopped.
  • Oil (and Vinegar, if desired). Use 1 cup of good quality olive oil and 1 cup of white wine vinegar. Some Chicago style giardiniera brands use only oil. If you prefer no vinegar, replace it with water or more oil.
  • Seasonings. I use lots of minced fresh garlic, dried oregano, celery seeds, crushed red pepper flakes and a touch of freshly ground black pepper.

How to Make Giardiniera (Chicago-Style) - The Recipe Method

Brine the Vegetables. To a large bowl, add peppers with cauliflower, peppers, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 12 hours, covered. I often brine for 24 hours.

Drain and rinse away the brine. Set aside.

Fresh chopped vegetables in a bowl for making Chicago Style Giardiniera

Make the Giardiniera. In a separate bowl, add garlic, oregano, celery seed and ground pepper to taste. Add oil and vinegar (or water, if using) and whisk to combine.

Add to your vegetable mixture.

Add in the chopped olives and mix well.

Jar and Refrigerate. Pack the vegetables into Mason jars, ensuring the vegetables are covered with your oil mixture. You can add extra olive oil if needed to cover the mixture.

Cover and refrigerate at least 2 days before using, to allow flavors to mingle with the pickled vegetables. A week is better!

Chicago Style Giardiniera in a jar

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • Vinegar. Many Chicago-style brands do not include vinegar in their recipes, and instead use only oil or oil with some water. Feel free to use either. Your giardiniera will last longer in the refrigerator with vinegar, however, as vinegar is a preservative. The choice is yours.
  • Other Ingredients. As the name indicates, you can use any garden fresh vegetables for this recipe. Others you might include are radishes, gherkins, olives and more.
  • How Long Does Giardiniera Last? Giardiniera will keep several weeks in the refrigerator, covered, due to the acidity of the vinegar. If you use only oil, use it within 2 weeks.
  • Preserving. Home canning is not recommended for recipes with oil. However, you can skip the oil and use a brine of vinegar and water. Then you can process the jars in a hot water bath of boiling water for longer keeping as long as the acidity is high enough. Shoot for 3.5 or lower pH.
  • Italian Vs. Chicago-Style Giardiniera. Chicago giardiniera or "hot giardiniera" is meant to be a condiment, with more of a focus on the peppers, where Italian Giardiniera serves larger cut vegetables and is meant to be an appetizer or antipasto.

Storage Information

Store your homemade Chicago-style giardiniera in the refrigerator in sealed containers. It should last you several weeks this way.

It is normal for some types of oil to congeal in the cold. Simply bring the jar to room temperature and it will thin out again.

Best Giardiniera Peppers

Sport peppers are the traditional chili pepper that make Chicago-style giardiniera "hot". Home cooks can skip the hot peppers and use only bell peppers for the popular "mild" version.

I make homemade giardiniera frequently, though you typically need to make a larger batch, so plan accordingly. I call for jalapeno peppers in this recipe, as well as serrano peppers. 

And if you REALLY want to kick this up a notch, go for the habanero pepper, or be like Mike and add in some superhots. 

Yeah, baby. Bring on the heat! I know you want to, you crazy chilihead, you. I love hot giardiniera.

This is certainly Chicago at its finest, though, and won't blow your taste buds with heat. You'll get a nice kick and plenty of flavor. Enjoy!

Serving Chicago-Style Giardiniera

Chicago mild or hot giardiniera is a must for Italian beef sandwiches or roast beef, though you can serve it over any type of sandwich, hot dogs, sausages or brats, pretty much any type of sandwich or on anything off of the grill. We love it on our pizza. It truly is a wonder condiment.

I also love it mixed in with lots of olives to make this amazing muffaletta sandwich. So good!

It is best served at room temperature, as the oils can congeal from refrigeration as you store it.

Patty's Perspective

It is amazing how versatile this recipe can be. You don't only have to use it for sandwiches, especially a good beef sandwich. We made some flatbread pizzas with it, and even tossed it over grilled salmon. Think of it as a vegetable sauce. Think outside the box!

Check Out Some of My Other Popular Condiment Recipes

  • Italian Giardiniera
  • Pickled Red Onions
  • Pickled Banana Peppers
  • Refrigerator Pickles
  • How to Make Homemade Mustard - the Basics
  • Homemade Garlic-Chili Sauce
  • Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
  • Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Try it On Some of These Popular Recipes

  • Pepper and Egg Sandwich
  • Chicago-Style Hot Dog
  • Sausage and Peppers
  • Muffaletta Sandwich
A big spoonful of Chicago Style Giardiniera

If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe
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Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)

This Chicago-style giardiniera recipe is the ultimate condiment with fresh peppers and veggies in oil and seasonings, an absolute must for Italian beef sandwiches!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: chili peppers, condiment, recipe, spicy
Prep Time: 2 days days 12 hours hours
Total Time: 2 days days 12 hours hours
Calories: 20kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 24
Tap or hover to scale
4.97 from 59 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cauliflower florets chopped (about 1/4 head of cauliflower)
  • 5 jalapeno peppers diced (use bell peppers for mild giardiniera
  • 5 serrano peppers diced (or use sport peppers - optional, for hot giardiniera)
  • 1 medium carrot diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 cup olive oil (extra virgin is best, though you can use vegetable oil)
  • 1 cup vinegar (or use water, like many Chicago giardiniera brands - see the Recipe Notes)
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
  • Ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup green olives chopped

Instructions

  • To a large bowl, add peppers with cauliflower, peppers, carrots and celery. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and refrigerate at least 12 hours, covered. I often brine for 24 hours.
  • Drain and rinse away the brine. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, add garlic, oregano, celery seed, crushed red pepper flakes and ground pepper to taste. Add oil and vinegar (or water) and whisk to combine.
  • Add to your vegetable mixture.
  • Add chopped olives and mix well.
  • Place it all into jars, ensuring the vegetables are covered with your oil mixture.
  • Refrigerate at least 2 days before using, to allow flavors to mingle. A week is better! Should last you 2-3 weeks.

Video

Notes

Makes about 1.5 quarts.
Vinegar. Many Chicago-style giardiniera brands do not include vinegar in their recipes, and instead use only oil or oil with some water. Feel free to use either. Your giardiniera will last longer in the refrigerator with vinegar, however, as vinegar is a preservative. The choice is yours.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 20kcal   Carbohydrates: 1g   Protein: 1g   Fat: 1g   Saturated Fat: 1g   Sodium: 2413mg   Potassium: 50mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 1g   Vitamin A: 595IU   Vitamin C: 6mg   Calcium: 12mg   Iron: 1mg
Chicago Style Giardiniera Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/14/24 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 5/3/15.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Joe Wagner says

    May 30, 2025 at 4:26 pm

    This is my first giardiniera. Not just making, but eating. Hey, back off! I'm only 73. Haven't tried steamed stonefish yet, either.
    Anyway, while I have nothing to compare this to, I really like it. I used a mix of bell, jalapeno, and serrano peppers, since I was concerned about the heat level. Plus something labelled succinctly and sooo helpfully as "long red pepper". Truth in advertising, there.
    I used vinegar, and can't really envision this without it.
    Many thanks for the recipe,
    Joe

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      May 31, 2025 at 12:01 am

      Glad you enjoyed it, Joe! I love to hear it. A Chicago classic for sure.

      Reply
  2. Becca says

    May 19, 2025 at 12:20 am

    5 stars
    I used this to make the thousand island dressing and it was very good! Then I used it on cold cut sandwiches, toasted cheeses, turkey & beef burgers, scrambled eggs… all soooo good! I can’t get enough of this actually, and will continue to make it. Ty so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      May 19, 2025 at 3:34 am

      You are very welcome, Becca. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. John Studd!! says

    February 28, 2025 at 2:53 am

    5 stars
    My introduction to hot giardinara was in a tiny, tiny hot dog joint in Rapid City South Dakota named "Dogsters" The Chicago dogs were superlative and the owner served me a hot dog one day topped with hot oily giardinara and I was hooked and began eating this hot oily mix by itself and I began making my own as a topping for eggs and pizzas. I need to get back into it!!

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      February 28, 2025 at 6:11 am

      Sounds like a plan to me, John! =)

      Reply
      • Kathleen Y Strainis says

        March 03, 2025 at 9:00 am

        5 stars
        I can't wait to try this! Pizza

        Reply
        • Mike Hultquist says

          March 03, 2025 at 9:01 am

          Perfect for pizza! Enjoy, Kathleen!

          Reply
  4. Nia says

    February 05, 2025 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    Looking forward to trying this recipe. I’m originally from Chicago, but have been in the South for almost 2 decades. Since I avoid seed oils, and haven’t found any made without them, I’ve resorted to making my own giardiniera. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 05, 2025 at 3:33 pm

      I hope you enjoy it, Nia. One thing to keep in mind is -- if you prefer more or less oil, you can easily adapt with more or less vinegar (or water) to get it just how you like it. I appreciate it!!

      Reply
  5. VI says

    January 18, 2025 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    Been looking for a giardinera like that Italian grocery's on Grand in Chicago, this is the best I've tried.
    Agnostic as to salt -just sprinkle and hand mix until it feels coated, like all pickles. Water to cover.
    The herbs, to taste, are more important.
    Great website great resource!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      January 18, 2025 at 3:29 pm

      Excellent! Thanks, VI! Glad you like it! This is always in my fridge. I love it!!!

      Reply
  6. Karen says

    January 10, 2025 at 2:33 pm

    5 stars
    i love this and so does my family. I always have some in the fridge. We add whatever peppers we have on hand and it always turns out great. Thank you for this awesome recipe.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      January 10, 2025 at 2:36 pm

      Glad to help, Karen! I know, I need this on hand at all times.

      Reply
  7. Kartik Gada says

    January 03, 2025 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    Since a lot of the nutrients are in the brine, I think a better approach is :

    i) Use less salt.
    ii) Use little to no water (maybe a tablespoon)
    iii) Stir it well.

    Stirring reduces the amount of salt, AND the amount of water you need, so you don't have to discard anything that is full of nutrients.

    Remember to use vegetables like Leeks, Poblano Peppers, Parsnips, etc. All of those are valid.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      January 05, 2025 at 9:49 am

      You can do this, Kartik, but it's a very short brine and you won't lose anything. But go for it.

      Reply
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