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!
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.
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!
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.
Try it on my Easy Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sandwich recipe, which we love.
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!
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 60.
Check Out Some of My Other Popular Condiment Recipes
Try it On Some of These Popular Recipes
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.
Homemade Chicago-Style Giardiniera Recipe (Hot Giardiniera)
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
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 6/14/24 to include new information, photos and video. It was originally published on 5/3/15.
Kozmo says
Love this stuff. Made my second batch. I stayed away from serranos thinking they would make it too hot, though I like heat. I'll include them in next batch.
I forgot it brining in the fridge for a week. Couldn't get salt adequately rinsed our so final mix is salty.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you like it, Kozmo. I appreciate it.
Satish Chadha says
I lived in Chicago west side myself, I really miss this, they use to put on Italian beef combo with Italian sausage , they don't have that in maryland area , there was a Greek place in Woodbridge area , guy would put on Giro sandwhices, tasted great.
I make it using olive oil and vinegar, last lot longer, thanks for the recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Satish. I know, when you grow up with a dish like this, you really miss it. Glad to help!
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had homemade chicago-style giardiniera before perfect for snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Ramya. =)
Brenda says
I can't wait to try this!
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Brenda!
Craig says
Mike, we used your recipe at an Italian Beef party we threw back in January for a couple of friends' engagement. It was a hit with our friends, and I have been making it ever since to keep on hand. Just fantastic!
Mike Hultquist says
I love to hear it, Craig! Awesome! I make this REGULARLY. Patty can't go without it. Thanks for sharing!
Harald Wilke says
I, too, am from Chicago, and I have enjoyed Chicago-style Giardinera since I was a young boy. I am looking forward to trying out this recipe.
Some thoughts: Commercially prepared Chicago-style Giardinera uses Soybean (Vegetable) Oil as opposed to Olive Oil. I suspect that’s because Olive Oil gets cloudy when refrigerated, and Soybean Oil does not.
I have tried to figure out what exactly Sport Peppers are. You see them in Giardinera. You see them on Chicago-style hot dogs and you never see them in jars or in the produce section. Are they just Serrano Peppers?
Mike Hultquist says
Harald, yes, olive oil will congeal more in the fridge, though I prefer the flavor. You can definitely use vegetable oil to preference. I have a post about Sport Peppers here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/sport-peppers/
Lindsay says
Is it weird to add onions to the vegetable mix?
Mike Hultquist says
Not at all! Feel free to change things up, Lindsay. Enjoy!
Dana says
I'm so excited to find this recipe! I grew up in the Chicago area and now live in NC and just can't find ghiardiniera anywhere! I'm really looking forward to making, but I like the hot version and I'm wondering- can you just throw it all in the food processor?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! Glad you found it, Dana. I also grew up in the Chicago area and now live in NC. YEP, you can process it in a processor as much as you want. Enjoy!
STEPHEN A GROSS says
FYI: This recipe overall is pretty good. The only thing is that it's wayyy too much salt. I rinsed the veggies very thoroughly and it's still way too salty. My recommendation is cut it in half (from half to quarter cup).
Mike Hultquist says
I never had an issue with this after making this many times over the years, but definitely make a note for yourself next time. Thanks for sharing.
Josh says
We made this last weekend. We doubled the recipe. I only had one cup of white wine vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar for the second cup. It turned out amazing! The apple cider vinegar gave it a little zing as well. It made 2 quart jars and 1 pint jar. Needless to say, Tuesday we ate the pint jar by itself, with crackers and Italian bread and wow, just wow! The 2 quart jars are resting in the fridge marrying flavors. I can’t wait to open a jar. We did use olive oil and vinegar and will continue that way as we plan on making this over and over! Wish I could share a pic. Thanks for the great recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent, Josh! Glad you enjoyed it! It really is a staple here in our kitchen. Cheers!
Glenn says
You said that you can preserve it by omitting the oil and using a vinegar brine only. Do you thing preserving pints then adding some olive oil to jar when you open them would work?
Mike Hultquist says
Glenn, yes, I think adding oil later will give you good enough flavor. I'd love to hear what you think if you try it.
Bill Hastings says
Mike, I usually make 6-8 qts of this Giardiniera. I preserve it using a hot pickling process with 50% vinegar/water and then add a dash of ascorbic acid to help keep the ph down. I only add the oil when I open the jars, prior to eating. It keeps well in the sealed jars for at least a year. (If it doesn't all get eaten before then!)
Mike Hultquist says
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Bill! Great tip.
Marc Haveling Reynolds says
What is a dash?
Mike H. says
Marc, it generally means a very small amount. Usually less than a pinch.
Kelly says
I made this as a trial. I grow a lot of peppers and this spring I will include some Italian peppers and hot peppers. Look forward to marking this from my garden peppers
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kelly. This is a staple in our kitchen. We love it! Thanks for sharing!
Mon says
Hello,
I know this might be a silly question but have you tried this recipe with only carrots as the vegetable? Whenever I have always had this in the past I always just eat the carrots. Let me know what you think or if you have a recipe for just a carrot one 🙂
Mike H. says
Hi, Mon. You can absolutely make a simplified version using carrots as the vegetable, but it won't be the traditional Chicago-Style Giardiniera anymore =)
J2SCATERING says
I just made some with just carrots, jalapeños and celery. My faves
Mike H. says
Great, enjoy!