Homemade pickled jalapenos are incredibly easy to make, you’ll never go back to buying them from the store. It’s spicy, and crunchy and has a touch of sweetness making it a perfect topping for nachos, tacos, quesadillas and so much more.
Pickling is a wonderful way of preserving fresh vegetable so it can be enjoyed all year long! Pickled vegetables like pickled onion or cowboy candy can be a wonderful condiment that can added as a topping for lot of dishes. It also makes it great for gifting purpose during the holidays.
Why you should make your own pickled jalapenos
When fresh jalapenos are available in abundance either from your garden or from the market, you must simply preserve them by pickling them. Pickling jalapenos at home is super simple and requires a few basic ingredients. Can it preserve it for longer and you have a firecracker topping all for almost all your dishes all winter long. I put these jalapeno pickled slices on everything including using it in recipes like white queso dip, roasted tomatillo salsa Verde.
Anything that is spicy is addictive for me, and when you have a crunchy, spicy, tangy mildly sweet taste, you would want to snack on these.
It only takes 10 minutes to make these! And you can refrigerate it and enjoy it as topping on so many dishes.
These jalapenos preserved in brine are so much better than buying a jar from the store. Homemade pickles are free from preservatives and artificial colors. They are all-natural, with the best flavors.
These pickled peppers will oomph up the flavor and taste of any dish like tacos, nachos, pizza, sandwiches, and hamburgers, top it on hotdogs, over dips, salads, and soups too.
And the best part is you’ll need very few readily available basic ingredients to make.
Have you tried Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon? It’s perfect with banh mi, grilled pork and noodles, com tom, noodles bowls, and more.
Ingredients
All ingredients’ exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.
- Jalapenos – Use the freshest jalapenos you can get. This pickling method can be used to pickle any type of hot pepper.
- White vinegar – I’m using white distilled vinegar. You may use any type of white vinegar like white wine vinegar too. I don’t recommend using apple cider vinegar as it will change the color of the jalapenos. If you don’t mind the color, then you can choose to use apple cider vinegar.
- Water – to make the brine. Do not add more water. It’s crucial to have acidity in the brine.
- Garlic – fresh garlic cloves. I prefer to crush it lightly so its flavors go into the brine. You can go nuts on the number of garlic cloves to add if you love garlic flavor and omit it completely if you don’t want the flavor of garlic in the pickle.
- Salt – canning salt or pickling salt is best to use as it has no additives. If you don’t have pickling salt, use pure flaky sea salt.
- Sugar – little sugar adds a touch of sweetness thus creating a balance of flavors. You can omit sugar.
How to pickle jalapenos
Always wear disposable gloves while working with hot peppers.
Make your own jalapeno pickles at home in 10 minutes and it’s ready to be used as topping in just 24 hours.
Use firm, fresh jalapenos for making pickles. Slice them even and discard the stem.
Peel garlic. Use it as it is or lightly crush it if you want flavors of garlic to incorporate well into the pickle.
Place sliced jalapenos and garlic cloves into a clean sterile mason jar, pint jar, or any clean glass jar which has tight lids.
Add white vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers, directly into the mason jars.
Allow it to cool to room temperature before you close the lid.
Cover tight with a lid and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to get the best possible texture.
Resist the urge to serve these pickles too early. Allowing it to marinate in the brine (refrigerator) helps the brine and seasoning to penetrate the jalapeno slices resulting in the best possible texture. A minimum of 24 to 48 hours of marinating time is crucial. It’s a waiting game!
It keeps well refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
Useful tips for pickling peppers
- Glove up. Be sure to wear disposable gloves when working with peppers especially if hot peppers bother your skin. The oil from jalapenos or any hot peppers will remain on your skin for a long time and it can hurt if it comes in contact with your face or eyes.
- Firm fresh jalapenos. Use firm fresh jalapenos for best results.
- Even slices. Make sure to slice all peppers into even thick slices.
- Do not adjust brine. It’s important to have the right amount of acidity in the brine for pickling. Do not dilute it by adding more water. Adding too much vinegar will turn the brine very zippy and it’s not pleasant to eat.
- Canning jars. It’s important to store pickles in clean, sterile canning jars or glass jars that have tight lids. If you plan to do the canning process, to store pickles for longer you must use canning jars only.
- Wait before you serve. Resist the urge to serve these pickles too early. Allowing it to marinate in the brine (refrigerator) helps the brine and seasoning to penetrate the jalapeno slices resulting in the best possible texture. A minimum of 24 to 48 hours of marinating time is crucial. It’s a waiting game!
Ways to serve pickled jalapenos
These pickled peppers will oomph up the flavor and taste of any dish like tacos, nachos, pizza, sandwiches, and hamburgers, top it on hotdogs, over dips, salads, and soups too.
Chop up the pickles and use them in salsa, white queso dip, or other dips and sauces. Beware of the tanginess from the pickles when adding to the dish. You may have to reduce the amount of lemon juice you add to the salsa accordingly.
More seasoning ideas
This recipe makes a simple brine to pickle the jalapenos. You can add more seasoning to the brine to enhance the flavor and taste of the pickled peppers. Here are some ingredient choices that you have to infuse different types of flavor into the brine.
- Bay leaves
- Black peppercorns
- Cumin seeds
- Mexican Oregano
Common questions
Not as spicy as the fresh jalapenos. The acidity in the pickling brine reduces the amount of capsaicin in the peppers making them slightly sweeter.
You can tame the heat by removing the seeds and membrane of the jalapenos by coring it before slicing, but this requires more processing time.
Yes, you can. You will have to prep the peppers differently. Using a fork pierce through the flesh of the peppers or using a paring knife slice them down the sides. The brine has to penetrate through the peppers to pickle it.
It keeps well refrigerated for 2 to 3 weeks. If you want them to last longer, you need to do a proper canning process to sterilize them. If the cans are sealed properly, pickled peppers can be stored for about a year before opening them.
No, pickled food should not be frozen as they don’t hold the texture when thawed.
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📋Quick Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 8-10 fresh jalapenos
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons granular white sugar
Instructions
- Always wear disposable gloves while working with hot peppers.Use firm, fresh jalapenos for making pickles. Slice them even and discard the stem.
- Peel garlic. Use it as it is or lightly crush it if you want flavors of garlic to incorporate well into the pickle.
- Place sliced jalapenos and garlic cloves into a clean sterile mason jar, pint jar, or any clean glass jar which has tight lids.
- Add white vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers, directly into the mason jars.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature before you close the lid.
- Cover tight with a lid and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to get the best possible texture.
- It keeps well refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Glove up. Be sure to wear disposable gloves when working with peppers especially if hot peppers bother your skin. The oil from jalapenos or any hot peppers will remain on your skin for a long time and it can hurt if it comes in contact with your face or eyes.
- Firm fresh jalapenos. Use firm fresh jalapenos for best results.
- Even slices. Make sure to slice all peppers into even thick slices.
- Do not adjust brine. It’s important to have the right amount of acidity in the brine for pickling. Do not dilute it by adding more water. Adding too much vinegar will turn the brine very zippy and it’s not pleasant to eat.
- Canning jars. It’s important to store pickles in clean, sterile canning jars or glass jars that have tight lids. If you plan to do the canning process, to store pickles for longer you must use canning jars only.
- Wait before you serve. Resist the urge to serve these pickles too early. Allowing it to marinate in the brine (refrigerator) helps the brine and seasoning to penetrate the jalapeno slices resulting in the best possible texture. A minimum of 24 to 48 hours of marinating time is crucial. It’s a waiting game!
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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