Pickled Jalapeños: How to Pickle Jalapeños for Canning

Pickled jalapeños are fresh jalapeño peppers preserved in an acidic solution known as a pickle brine. Pickled jalapeño recipes usually include water, vinegar, and sugar, but they vary in complexity. For a basic brine, you can use Yotam Ottolenghi’s quick pickled chilies recipe, which involves dissolving sugar and salt in apple cider vinegar. Alternatively, try adding spices and aromatics: Black peppercorns and bay leaves are popular, but Chef Thomas Keller’s homemade pickle recipe incorporates mustard seeds and thyme sprigs into a white wine vinegar base.

Most brines recipes call for canning salt, sea salt, or kosher salt, which adds flavor and helps preserve the pickles. Placing jalapeños in an acidic, salty solution discourages bacteria growth, but it won’t make the peppers last forever. You’ll need to store them in the refrigerator, or learn how to can food to make pickled jalapeños shelf-stable, like the store-bought options.

Pickled peppers bring dynamic heat and acidity to various dishes across cuisines. Here are some popular ways to use pickled jalapeños:

1. 1. Pizza: Pickled jalapeño rings, along with pickled banana peppers, are popular pizza toppings, thanks to their versatility. Pair peppers with diced pineapple and pepperoni to complete a sweet-tangy-spicy trifecta or liven up a sausage-and-cheese pie.
2. 2. Roasted eggplant salad: Chef Yotam Ottolenghi adds complexity and heat to this vegan dish with mild, red, pickled chilies. Spicy jalapeños are an easy swap in Ottolenghi’s roasted eggplant salad.
3. 3. Sauces and salsas: Pickled jalapeños are a great substitute for fresh jalapeños in all kinds of sauces and salsas. Use pickled options if you don’t have fresh jalapeños on hand or want to add tanginess to a standard homemade pico de gallo. They would be great in Gabriela Cámara’s salsa verde cruda recipe, too.
4. 4. Sandwiches: Chop up pickled jalapeños with other pickled vegetables—like onions, cauliflower, and carrots—to make a spicy condiment for sandwiches. Or, roughly chop pickled jalapeños and combine them with grilled scallions for a quick and flavorful relish on a grilled cheese or burger.
5. 5. Tacos: Sliced jalapeños are a classic topping for Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or a plate of nachos. Pickling the peppers adds a tangy burst of vinegar that balances richer elements like braised meats, beans, cheese, and crema.

Quick-pickled jalapeños, also known as refrigerator pickles, are fast and easy to make but are not shelf-stable. Store the peppers in the refrigerator, where they will last for up to three weeks. The longer they marinate in the brine, the more flavorful they will become.

1. 1. Clean the peppers. Find fresh jalapeños with firm, crisp flesh, and wash one to two pounds of the peppers. Put on a pair of gloves, and trim away the stems.
2. 2. Slice the peppers. It’s okay to pickle smaller peppers whole, but slice larger peppers lengthwise into halves or crosswise into coins so they will fit into the jars. (Here’s how to cut a jalapeño safely.) Pack the peppers loosely into clean glass pint jars, like Mason jars.
3. 3. Make the pickling liquid. Combine two cups of water and two cups of distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Season the liquid with two tablespoons of kosher salt and a tablespoon of sugar (or a little less, if you prefer), and stir to dissolve. Bring the vinegar mixture to a boil, remove it from the heat and let the liquid cool slightly.
4. 4. Add seasonings. Use whichever spices or aromatics you prefer: whole garlic cloves or spices like black peppercorns, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sprigs of oregano, or bay leaves. Add the seasonings to the jars with the peppers.
5. 5. Fill the jars. Add the pickling liquid to the jars, leaving an inch or so at the top but fully submerging the peppers.
6. 6. Seal and chill. Let the jars cool to room temperature before sealing and storing them in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before opening. Enjoy the peppers within two to three weeks.

Canning jalapeños involves processing the pickles in a hot water bath to give them a long shelf life at room temperature. For water-bath canning, you’ll need wide-mouth canning jars, two-piece metal jar lids (flat metal discs and rings), measuring cups, a canning funnel, a jar lifter, a large stockpot, and a wire rack that can fit in your stockpot.

1. 1. Sanitize the glass jars. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (the pot should be large enough so that at least one inch of water will cover the tops of your jars). Place the empty jars in a water bath canner, and lower them into the boiling water for one minute to sanitize them. When boiling your jars, avoid letting them touch the bottom of the pot as the high heat could break them. Place a wire rack at the bottom of the pot to elevate the jars. Let the jars air-dry on a clean towel or a recently sanitized countertop, but refrain from drying them.
2. 2. Clean the peppers. Find fresh jalapeños with firm, crisp flesh, and wash one to two pounds of the peppers. Wear gloves while you trim away the stems.
3. 3. Slice the peppers. You can pickle smaller peppers whole, but slice larger ones lengthwise into halves or crosswise into coins so they will fit into the jars. Pack the peppers loosely into clean glass pint jars, like Mason jars.
4. 4. Make the pickling liquid. Follow the pickle brine recipe of your choice, mixing the vinegar, water, salt, and any other spices or seasonings in a small saucepan.
5. 5. Carefully fill the jars. Divide the sliced peppers among the jars, then use a ladle and a funnel to top them with the pickling liquid. Leave a one-inch headspace at the top of the jar to allow for liquid expansion during processing. Use a chopstick to pop any air bubbles. Tightly secure the lid on each jar.
6. 6. Process the cans in boiling water. Bring the same pot of water back to a boil and submerge the glass jars in the boiling water. Process the jars for 10 minutes.
7. 7. Store the pickled peppers at room temperature. After 10 minutes, use jar-lifter tongs to remove the jars from the boiling water. Dry off the jars.
8. 8. Check the seals. Gently press down in the center of each jar lid with a fingertip. If the lid presses down and snaps back, it is not vacuum-sealed. Remove the ring and lid and clean the rim of the jar. Place a new lid on the jar and redo the process until you get a vacuum seal.
9. 9. Store your jars. Remove the lid rings before storage, as leaving the rings on the jars could cause rust or mold to form on the jar. Store canned jalapeños in a cool, dry spot for up to one year.

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