Quick Pickled Peppers
Learn how to make spicy and sweet, gourmet jalapeño and bell pepper pickles! It's super easy and the pickles will keep in the refrigerator for months.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
If I had to characterize the past week in two words, they would be: pepper problems. These peppers gave me all sorts of trouble! I’d made quick-pickled peppers a couple of times already, but my locally grown jalapeños were way spicier than the others. Just one little nibble of raw sliced pepper made me feel like one of those silly, red-faced cartoon characters with steam shooting out of his ears.
Then, when I was rinsing the sliced peppers under running water in an attempt to cool down their spiciness, the pepper fumes made me cough-cough-cough-cough-cough. I used my shirt as a nose mask to get through it. So beware of pepper asphyxiation. (I know I sound dramatic right now, but I’m serious.) I’m still recommending them because none of my other batches gave me such trouble.
The final result, though, is totally irresistible. Fresh, spicy, with a light sweetness thanks to the bell pepper and honey, and a nice, crisp crunch. You’ll see in the photos that I made a control batch with plain distilled white vinegar and no bell peppers, but I so prefer the gourmet version with honey that I’m going to insist that you go with that one. (Follow this recipe for true pickled jalapeños with no added sweetener.)
Really, it was only a matter of time after pickling radishes that I turned to peppers. These peppers are fantastic on nachos, tacos, quesadillas and so much more.
Pickled Pepper Notes & Tips
I’ve always loved pickled jalapeños, but lately I’ve been frustrated by store-bought varieties that are sliced too thick (they overwhelm the other flavors) and taste way too salty (again, overwhelming the other flavors). Not to mention, many pickled jalapeños contain food coloring and preservatives in addition to vinegar, which I’d just as well avoid.
If you want to make sure your peppers aren’t crazy spicy, buy big ones so it’s easier to remove the seeds and membranes before slicing. That’s where the heat is concentrated. You might also want to avoid more mature peppers with striations on the sides, which are rumored to indicate hotter peppers. If you taste a little sliver of a few of your jalapeños and none are crazy hot, you probably don’t need to worry about getting crazy hot pickles.
All that said, pickling the peppers with vinegar, salt and a little bit of honey tones them down quite a bit! If you come across a bunch of jalapeños at the farmers’ market this weekend, you can bottle them up for later with this simple refrigerator pickles recipe.
Please let me know how your pickled jalapeños turn out in the comments! I hope you love them.
On a pickling kick? Don’t miss my quick-pickled onions, radishes, veggies and classic dill pickles! You’re also going to love my fresh jalapeño relish recipe, which is very similar to these peppers but even easier.
Watch How to Make Quick Pickled Peppers
Quick Pickled Peppers
Learn how to make homemade, spicy and sweet, gourmet jalapeño and bell pepper pickles! It’s super easy and the pickles will keep in the refrigerator for months.
Ingredients
- ½ pound jalapeños (choose larger jalapeños for less spicy pickles)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar of choice
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, prepare your peppers: Wear gloves to prevent your fingers from feeling burned. For less spicy pickles, use a paring knife to remove the jalapeño membranes and seeds before slicing (this is a lot of work, so I just pulled out the larger membranes from my sliced pickles). Slice the pickles thin with a mandoline or chef’s knife. If you’re still concerned about the spice level of the pickles, run the sliced jalapeños under running water in a colander to try to knock off any remaining seeds. (Beware, those pepper fumes made me cough.) Slice off the top of the bell pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. Chop the bell pepper.
- Combine the prepared peppers and smashed garlic in a 28-ounce (1.75 pints) or larger glass jar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey and salt. Bring the mixture close to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sweetener into the liquid. Remove from heat and carefully pour the liquid over the peppers. Use a butter knife to poke down the peppers so they all fit and there aren’t any hidden air pockets.
- Let the pickles cool to room temperature in the jar, then screw on a lid and refrigerate the pickles. Depending on how thinly you sliced the peppers, they could be ready to eat immediately or might need a couple of days in the refrigerator before they taste fully pickled (just sample one every now and then to find out!). They are best when relatively fresh, but keep well for at least a month.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my quick-pickled radishes.
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup, agave nectar or sugar for the honey.
Can I can it? No. This recipe is a “refrigerator pickle” recipe. It is not designed for canning in a water bath, and it has not been tested for canning safety. Please do not attempt! Follow a recipe specifically designed for canning instead.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Thank you for this recipe. It’s quick, low sodium and flavorful!
You’re welcome. Thanks for he review!
Can I use this method for mini bell peppers? Since they are not hot, do I need to remove the seeds and membrane?
Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I haven’t tried it, but let me know if you try it!
We made these a couple of days ago and finally had the chance to eat them atop breakfast tacos as we sliced them a little bit on the thicker side. We grew Serrano peppers in the back yard so we used those instead of jalapenos and did not have any bell peppers on hand so we omitted those. We were excited to use the local honey we love so much instead of sugar. Our pickled peppers turned out SOOOO VERY DELICIOUS!!!!! They are just the perfect amount of heat with a sweet note tied into it. A delight for the tongue! This is our 2nd time using your recipes and we are hooked! Thank you so much for sharing. Smiles!!!
Smiles right back! Thank you, Kristie for sharing your experience. I love that you are hooked!
I know this recipe is nearly 4 years old and somehow I’ve never left a review, but I am always circling back to this one. This year was my first year with a garden, so I used it about 5x more than other years! Soo delicious on top of avocado toast, among many other things.
I’m so glad you circled back to write a review, Mary! Thanks for your comment, too.
I made a half batch.
It wasn’t NEARLY enough and was gone in a few days.
I cooked the garlic in the brine solution, next time I plan on adding raw garlic and in one jar,, some crushed red pepper.
Thanks for sharing, Ed!
Hello i tried your recipe is the brine supposed to be a little on the thick side, and i poured the brine with steam over the peppers is this normal and finally i took it off the stove when there were bubbles on the bottom of pot is thst also to normal
If I am growing peppers, and only harvest a few at a time, can I keep adding peppers to the jar as I pick them? Or do I have to add all of them at once?
Hi Heather! I love you are growing your own. You really want to have the liquid hot when you put them over the peppers. So, it works best to do it all at once.
Two weeks ago this was my first attempt at pickling & it turned out phenomenal. My wife has me doing a double batch now. Simple & easy & delicious. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Jeff! I’m excited you loved it.
Hi there. Would this work with seranno chillis? Here in malaysia it’s hard to get good quality jalapenos and I only know of one place and they’re usually just about past their use by and very expensive. It’s about $5 for 3.
It should! Let me know what you think if you try it.
Do you think this recipe would work if I grilled peppers first? I have tons of poblanos, shishitos and jalapeños in the garden.
I love heat so I didn’t remove seeds. Even tossed in a thickly-sliced Habanero pepper. Crunchy, delicious and addictive!! Putting them on, well, everything.
I bet it had some kick! Thanks for sharing, Andrea.
This is my first attempt at pickling Jalapeno peppers. I just poured the liquid recipe into the first jar, so it is cooling for a bit before I screw the lid on. I cut the peppers lengthwise and cleaned them out. I’ll let it sit in the fridge for a couple days before I taste one. I look forward to it! Thank you!!!
What did you think when you tried them, Charles?
Best recipe ever! These jalapeños made my pizza! I can hardly wait for more jalapeños to mature on my plants; I will be making the poppers next!
As for the next pizza, I will remember to wear hand protection when adding the slices. My left hand is suffering a little burn.
Thanks for sharing, Jessie!
Yummy, tried the recipe but instead jalopenos i used my own growed cayennes, it came out really good, i love the recipe because it is very simple; didnt need to buy any of the ingredients, gonna save it for further pickling! Thank you!
So easy. Can’t wait to try them.
Hi. Is using salt a must? Im very sensitive to sodium and am looking for lower sodium alternatives to the cans i buy at the store. Wanted to try this recipe without salt.
It helps the flavor and pickle process. But, you can decrease as needed. Let me know what you think!
This recipe looks great and I’m excited to try it! 2 questions, could I use other varieties of hot peppers ie banana or sriracha etc as Ive grown about 5 different varieties this year and they’re all doing well? And is this recipe suitable for canning long term in pint jars? Thanks!!
Hi Lisa! As for different types of peppers, I don’t see what not! Let me know what you think. As for canning, I’m not sure about that as I’m not an expert in canning. Sorry!
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for getting back to me. I grow about six different varieties of hot peppers in my garden so I went ahead and mixed them all together according to your recipe. They all seem to have sealed so we will see how they’ve turned out in about 2 weeks! Thank you so much.
You’re welcome!
After canning 30 jars of salsa i had some peppers left over and this recipe was just what i needed. I Like peppers on sandwiches, and thanks for the easy recipe.
Thank for your comment and review, Jeff!
Pickled polish sausage or the likes is something you should post a recipe for. Your pepper recipe is fantastic but it seems pickled sausage is a dying art,
I made these 5 months ago. Just found a jar in the back of my fridge that got hidden there. It’s sealed, because they were hot when I packed them, not because I processed them in a canner. How do i know if i need to trash them or could they still be good? I dont want to make my family sick….I need advice on this please.
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend it. Quick-pickled onions are best consumed within three days, but they keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. If you question it, then toss it!
I use this recipe for canning peppers in my garden, I use a variety of peppers. If peppers are coming in at different times can you do this as they come in and later mix and re-jar them so they’re all about the same mix of different peppers???? Cheers!
Hi Michael! This recipe is not designed for canning, and has not been verified for canning safety, so please don’t can it. If you’re making refrigerator pickles as designed, you could try that, but the peppers taste best when consumed within a couple of weeks. It might be more fun (and delicious) to have a perpetual rotation of different varieties in the fridge!
I don’t have a ton of equipment, so no Mason jars or anything similar. I do have glass food containers – could I use those? If not, do you have a recommended substitute container?
Sure, glass food containers will work! I would avoid using plastic if possible.
I like them. They taste fresh, not too salty, and the sweetness is nice. No comparoson to store bought. These are good plain.
Will the same brine work for cucumbers?
Thank you for sharing.
Hey Matt! I’m so glad to hear it. I think this brine would work well with cucumbers, but I haven’t tried. One key difference—since cucumbers are so delicate, I don’t think you’ll want to heat the brine (just mix the brine well, pour over sliced cucumbers, and refrigerate).
For cucumbers, I increased the salt a bit, used room temperature brine, and put in fridge 24 hours. They were a bit tangy. Will make again, but might add some other pickling spices.
The peppers are really good on cheese quesadillas.
I used this recipe and found them a little too sweet. I would cut the honey in half. Trying again tomorrow to make sure.
I have been making pickled peppers all summer thanks to this reciepe.I love spicy food so I was skeptical about adding the honey, but OMG that’s the best part of this recipe. Thanks Kate.
The most delicious pickled peppers ever!!! I used my home-grown Hungarian banana peppers. If I could rate them with SIX stars, I would!!! Wonderful!!! Thank you!
I’m glad you loved it, Ellen!
I have hot Portugal peppers growing in my garden (hotter than jalapeños); do you think they would work in this recipe?
Hi Dee! They should, but as you noted, maybe a little spicer. Let me know what you think!
I used a skinny potato peeler to scoop out the seeds from the peppers after I sliced off the tops, added sliced carrots and pearl onions and garlic as well as a lot of different mixed sweet an hot peppers. It was amazing. I eat them on top of cheese and crackers and just munch on them as well. Love the recipe, simple and easy. Also added peppercorns and mustard seeds.Will try the honey next time instead of sugar. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Just made these today. So delicious! 4 hours later and my wife and I were super surprised they turned out already. Thanks!!!
I have an abundance of jalapeños, but my bell peppers didn’t do as well this year, would this turn out well with just the jalapeños? Thank you!
Hi! I would suggest my relish recipe. Let me know what you think!
Thank you for this recipe! We have one plant that has been spewing out a bountiful harvest of little yellow eye watering firebombs. ( I don’t know what variety they are; they were innocently labelled “lemon drops” but they’re hotter than any jalapeño and we weren’t able to use them other than tossing a couple in soup or Chili). I set myself upwind outside at the picnic table, masked and gloved to prepare them, removing all the seeds and membranes. Two days later, I have pickles that are the perfect accompaniment to eggs or sandwiches. I might actually venture to leave a few seeds and membranes in my next batch
I’m so happy to hear that! I appreciate you taking the time to leave your feedback, Judy.
I am a professional chef and I love adding pickled hot peppers to recipes. Sometimes even a tablespoon of the pickling liquid to a soup or sauce can add sooo much flavor. I just picked a bunch of serrano, banana peppers and jalapeños from my garden. My son and I LOVE spicy things. So I pickled up all our peppers (and I did not seed them- oooo that’s gonna be a spicy meatball!!) I also added a half of a sliced red onion in. It makes the pickling liquid kind of pink. But, pickled hot peppers and onions on a chicken salad sandwich with arugula and sliced Granny Smith apples is amazing! Thank you Kate. Great recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. It makes the perfect tasting pickled peppers. We’ve made this quite a few times already using different kinds of peppers.
Hi! Can i replace the jalapenos with cayenne peppers? The’re quite big, probably not that spicy.
Thanks!
Hi Amy! You can try it. Let me know what you think.
Made this twice, once with home-grown cayenne peppers and another with green chilies. They only lasted a day each from my husband and son nibling lol! If youre hesitating to make it, go ahead!
(I didnt have enough liquid to fill my jar- I just alternated water and vinegar until filled- turned out great!)
Curious why you say not to can this recipe? What is the fear? You can can these if you follow the proper directions. Screw the lid on hand tight. Place in pot, cover with water about half an inch over the top of jar, turn on heat, and once the water begins to actually boil set the timer for ten minutes. Remove and let sit until cool. Check tightness again and you’re done.
Hi, I’m not a canning expert and this wasn’t designed that way. If you have a canning method, great!
I was looking for a recipe for pickled jalapeños that were fresh like Qdoba’s. Qdoba’s jalapeños are garbage compared to these!! I don’t keep jalapeños around often because a jar is kind of expensive and they are never that spicy and often mushy. These are insanely perfect and they cost pennies to make!! Cookie and Kate has transformed my life and I cannot say enough good things about these recipes!
I’m happy you liked these, Jan!
I feel like I am a little late to this particular party, but I have a question. When I pickle the peppers and put them in fridge, later, the wax from the peppers/hot liquids combo seems to have floated off the the delicious pickles and is now scumming up the brine. So, the question, is there a way to prevent this? De-wax the peppers? I know the wax isn’t harmful, it’s just gross.
Hi Cassie, I have never encountered that. You must have got some waxy peppers. Maybe try to run hot water over the peppers next time when you wash them or buy a different pepper. Sorry to not be of more help!
Kate, can I invert the recipe and use more sweet peppers & one jalopeno? Thanks
Sure, you can change the ratios if you like.
I had a bunch of different kinds of peppers, and since I like it hot, I decided to use all of them and their seeds. Hope this works out for me! I also used sugar instead of honey because I’m out right now!
Hi I am excited to try your recipe. I like your style and ideas ie focusing on delish and healthy
I am wondering if I can make this recipe with the loads of small
cayenne peppers. Hoping to make them not too spicy
Hi Jean, they are a spicy pepper. You can remove seeds. They will still have kick to them.
I only use Thai hot as hell chillies for pickling as I had no idea there r 2 versions of jalapeños. One is blend & not hot at all & other must be hot. I bought one from the store (pickled) & kept chewing on it as if I was eating olives. I really didn’t know jalapeños were spicy & non spicy so I started making my own
Honey is not Vegan because of the bee?
Good recipe. I just threw everything into the pot and slammed on the lid. Turned off the burner. Also I like to include a variety of fresh peppers and onions.
I found the recipe and my husband made two jars with honey. They went fast. This time around I will make them. These pickles are soooo good! We put them pretty much in everything. Thanks Kate .
I used this pickled pepper recipe ťo pickle five different kinds of hot peppers in a gallon jar. Rather than cutting small slices I sliced the peppers in half lengthwise. I tripled the recipe to get the volume of brine I needed. The peppers came out perfectly delicious! That was 1.5 weeks ago. They are gone! Everyone loved them! I picked more peppers this morning and will be making another gallon today. This recipe is now my favorite go to for peppers. It’s easy to make and tastes better than store bought. Thank you Cookie & Kate!
Can I do this in smaller jars? Like multiple mason jars?
Sure!
Made these peppers twice did not use jalapeños, used Italian long hot peppers. Peppers came out excellent hot. Depending on your taste for hot peppers.
Thank you for the recipe! I am going to pick some fresh cubanelles, and Hungarian wax peppers and make some!!
Your pickled jalepeno recipe is amazing! Specially with the honey! Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Rita! I appreciate your review.
Just tried this recipe. I used small red skinny peppers from our garden, carrots and red onions. I had enough for 4 – 1 quart ball jars. My question is how long should the jars last in the fridge? Im guessing months since they are in vinegar. Thoughts?
Hi, They are best when relatively fresh, but keep well for at least a month.
Hi!my favourite pickle is pepper pickle.
And…I am so thank front you.
From now on i’ll can make for myself.