This pickled jalapenos recipe makes the best crunchy, spicy pickled jalapenos with a touch of sweet, ready in only 10 minutes, so easy to make! Top your tacos, nachos and so much more!
Homemade Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
You won't believe how easy it is to make your own pickled jalapenos at home. I've been pickling chili peppers for years, and these really are so much better than any store bought pickled jalapeno peppers.
They're crispy and tangy, sweet and spicy, and I have to give fair warning. They're very addictive. I can't help myself from stealing a few straight out of the jar to munch on for a mildly spicy, tangy snack. they're just so good!
And, they only take about 10 minutes to make! It's outstanding for a slow cook like me who takes forever in the kitchen. Even I can whip together a quick batch of quick pickled jalapeños for all sorts of enjoyment.
Let's talk about how to make pickled jalapenos, shall we?
Pickled Jalapenos Ingredients
- Fresh Jalapeño Peppers. Your amount will vary depending on the size of the jalapenos.
- Vinegar. I'm using white vinegar, but you can use apple cider vinegar.
- Water. To dilute the vinegar, though you can use all vinegar.
- Garlic.
- Honey. Or use white sugar, for a touch of sweet. Optional, if desired.
- Salt. Pickling salt is good, or kosher salt.
- Pickling Spices. I'm using Beay Leaf, Mexican Oregano, and Black Peppercorns. You have many flavoring options.
How to Make Pickled Jalapenos - the Recipe Steps
Slice the Jalapenos. Slice your batch of jalapeño peppers into rings and discard the stems. Stuff the sliced jalapeños into a quart sized jar (or large glass jars, or use pint jars).
Make the Pickling Brine. Add white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), water, garlic cloves, honey or sugar, salt, bay leaf, black pepper and Mexican oregano (and other seasonings) to a pot. Bring to a boil.
Remove from Heat. Stir then remove the water-vinegar-sugar mixture from heat. Cool slightly, then remove the bay leaf. Pour the brine over the jalapenos into the mason jar.
I use these Ball Jars (affiliate link, my friends!). They can hold a lot of peppers! Bonus.
Refrigerate. Top the jalapenos with a jar cover and keep them in the fridge after they cool to room temperature. I like to let mine sit in the refrigerator a good week before enjoying them.
The brine and seasonings penetrate the jalapeno slices more deeply, resulting in greater flavor.
Boom! Done! Super easy, right?
FAQ About Pickled Jalapenos
Can I Pickle Whole Jalapenos?
Yes, to pickle whole jalapeno peppers, poke holes with a knife in several places to allow the vinegar brine to more fully penetrate the jalapenos when you pour the brine, then store them in a large jar.
You won't be able to fit as many jalapenos in a jar as sliced jalapeno peppers, but they will last as long.
What Do Pickled Jalapenos Taste Like?
Pickled jalapeños are tangy from the vinegar brine, slightly sweet from the (optional) addition of sugar or honey, and herbaceous from the Mexican oregano and bay leaf.
You can easily add other ingredients to flavor your pickled peppers. Other popular ingredients include cumin seeds, dried basil, mustard seeds, coriander, ginger, allspice, chili flakes and more.
You can also skip the sugar or honey if you prefer less sweet, or increase the amount for sweeter jalapenos.
See my post on Pickling Spices for Pickling Peppers.
The peppers also maintain their crunch factor for a long time. Some pickled peppers can go a bit soft. This is usually a result of boiling the jalapenos for too long, or from processing the jars for too long in a water bath.
The length of heat exposure is what causes them to go soft, so keep this in mind. Don't boil them for too long.
How Long Do Pickled Jalapenos Last?
Pickled jalapenos will last for several weeks in the refrigerator, easily up to 3 months or longer. Vinegar and salt act as a preservative, letting the pickled peppers keep for longer.
If you'd like to keep your pickled peppers for longer outside of the refrigerator, check out my post on How to Pickle Chili Peppers for information on how to can or jar pickled peppers with a boiling water bath.
Quick Note: This is not meant to be a long term preserving method for chili peppers. It is more of a quick pickle to store in the fridge, a short term preserving solution, allowing you to prolong the life of the peppers for many months, which is still a long time.
Enjoying Pickled Jalapenos
Aside from topping nachos and tacos with your peppers, try them out on pizzas, as burger toppings, piles onto grilled hot dogs, brats or sausages, and scattered onto sandwiches.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your pickled jalapeño recipe! Better than anything store bought.
Try My Other Popular Pickling Recipes and Similar
- Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots
- Refrigerator Pickled Peppers Recipe
- Pickled Chili Peppers – A Recipe
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Chile-Cucumber Chow Chow
- Sweet Chili Pepper Relish
- Hot Pepper Relish
- Green Tomato Relish
- Refrigerator Pickles (Hot Pickles)
- Cajun Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Carrots
- Pickled Okra
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this jalapeño 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.
Pickled Jalapenos Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 jalapeno peppers sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon honey or use sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
Instructions
- First, slice your batch of jalapeno peppers into rings and discard the stems. Stuff the jalapeno slices into a quart sized jar (Ball jar or Mason jar).
- Next, add the vinegar, water, honey, garlic, bay leaf, salt, Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, and salt to a pot. Bring the brine mixture to a quick boil.
- Give it a quick stir, then remove the brine from heat. Cool slightly.
- Pour the brine into the jar over the jalapeno peppers. Secure with a lid and let come to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/26/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 5/10/19.
BlueBoomer says
Okay, so I had a pretty good pile of jalapeños and banana peppers from the garden, so I decided to try this. Good news: These are absolutely awesome! Bad news: I'm never going to be able to tolerate store-bought peppers again. I opened the first jar, and before I could stop myself, half of them were gone. Absolutely awesome!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome. I know, I can't remember last time I bought these from the store. I pickle just about everything now. SO good.
Nhoc Semus says
Hello! I am growing jalapeño for the first I stumbled on this recipe and I want to make it already. with store bought peppers ! I don't think I can wait for my peppers.
I have a question , do you use canning lids for the jars or plastic lids?
I am very excited to try these because I love hot chilli
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Hello! Yes, you can make this with store bought peppers. I use canning lids, but you can use plastic if doing a simple refrigerator version. If you want to water bath it, use canning lids. Enjoy!
Brandon says
Great recipe so quick an easy. Even my wife eats them and she doesn’t like hot eatables
Mike Hultquist says
Very nice! Thanks, Brandon!
Natalie says
I am so excited to make these! However, I have what may seem to be a stupid question...When do I screw the lid on, right after I pour the brine over the jalapeños while still hot/warm, or do I let them cool completely? Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Natalie, put on the lid while still very warm. I only let it cool a little bit as not to burn my hands. Enjoy!
David says
Thanks for the tip, Mike. So that bucket of peppers turned out to be 2.25 gallons (or 9 quarts). Once I knew that much it was easy to do the math on the ingredients. Got them all jarred up and gave them a hot water bath and they turned out great! This is a delicious recipe and glad it was available for my first attempt at these. This is now a staple for me and from now on I will only ever buy them in the store after I've run out of homemade. In the meantime, several of the twentysomething odd-sized jars I used will make great Christmas gifts for friends and family.
I am so glad that Chilipeppermadness.com is the only place I need to go for answers to all of my pepper preservation questions and plenty of awesome recipes.
Take care!
David
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, David! I greatly appreciate it! Glad you found me as a resource. =)
David says
Mike,
I have a bucket of jalapenos that I rescued before our first freeze here. How would you reccomend upping the proportions of this recipe to accommodate larger volumes? I'm hoping not to have to count all my peppers and divide by 6. xD
Thanks for the help!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
David, you can multiply the ingredients equally to make larger batches. Good luck with the pickling! Enjoy!
Kimberly says
So your recipe sounds great for the batch I have ready. I also fermented some jalapenos previously, & they are currently in my fridge. I like the pickled flavor better. Could I drain the liquid from my fermented peppers and fill the jar with your pickling brine to get the benefits of both?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Kimberly. I've never tried to combine the different brines, but I don't see any issue with it.
Alan says
I made 10 jars today. I use 100% cider vinegar, bit of sugar and salt, and coriander seeds heated in the vinegar. I leave the jalapeno slices raw, add a garlic clove and slice of lemon to each sterilised jar (washed then dried at 140 degrees for 20 mins). They retain a delicious crunch and last years.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Wonderful! Sounds great, Alan.
Nate says
Excellent! Tried onions and mashrooms and it was delicious.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome!
Debbie Cooper says
Hi Mike. I just used your recipe to do my first ever pickled jalapeños. I grew my own peppers this summer and have far more than I thought I could use and then I found your site. I followed your recipe exactly but also added some onion as I love pickled onion. My husband and I had them today on our burgers and they were wonderful. I can't wait to try more of your recipes with all my peppers! Thank you for all the great recipes!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, Debbie! Super happy to be helpful. Good luck with your harvest!
Kevin Moser says
We grow Jalapeños every year, and have tried many recipes. This one is the BEST.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks!!
Renee Reilly lLackey says
Hey, I am about to use your recipe to pickle my jalapeños. They are sliced and ready to go. Oddly, today I am also canning fig preserves, busy weekend in the kitchen~ Would you recommend I can these in the Ball jars as well, since I am canning anyway? Thanks so much❤️
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Renee. You can can them, though there isn't much acidity. Go for it is pressure canning, but if water bathing, you may need to add in acid. They don't really last very long, though. Enjoy!
jamie parisi says
Used this recipe last year great!! What is the best way to keep the jalapenos crunchy when
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, Jamie!