Canning Jalapeño Peppers (quick, canned, jar-by-jar)

Do you love pickled jalapeño peppers? This easy recipe for canning jalapeño peppers is perfect for first-time or experienced canners. With this jar-by-jar recipe, you can easily alter the recipe for as many pounds of peppers as you have. This jalapeño recipe gives directions for refrigerating your canned pickled jalapeños or water bath canning jalapeños; it’s up to you which direction you choose to go!

My garden harvest was a little so-so this summer, which is partially because we were gone for three straight weeks. My sweet dad did everything in his power to battle the tenacious raccoon and voracious hornworm caterpillars, but there was not a lot he could do for the extreme temperatures. Our sprinkler system is automatic, but had we been here, we might have increased the watering during July’s heatwave.

All that to say, while our late summer tomato and cucumber harvest hasn’t been much to crow about, our jalapeños, bell peppers, and eggplant have really tried to fill in the gap. 

Why You’ll Love These Canned Jalapeños

• Flavor: They strike the perfect balance between heat, tang, and a hint of sweetness (if sugar is added), enhancing any dish.
• Versatility: Beyond being a great topping for nachos and tacos, these pickled jalapeños can be added to sandwiches, salads, and even mixed into dips for an extra kick.
• Preserve Your Jalapeño Pepper Bounty: Jalapeños are often a very prolific garden producer. This is a great way to preserve that bounty.
• Customization: The recipe allows for easy adjustments. You can tweak the levels of sweetness, the variety of spices, and even the heat to suit your taste preferences.
• Shelf Stability: When properly canned, these jalapeños can last for at least a year, ensuring you have a delicious condiment ready at all times.
• Can Refrigerate Instead of Can: If canning isn’t your jam 😉, you can just refrigerate your pickled jalapeño peppers.
• Satisfaction: The process of learning how to can jalapeños and other produce offers a rewarding sense of accomplishment, plus it’s a great way to make use of a bountiful harvest.

Ingredients for Pickled Jalapeño Peppers

Fresh jalapeños: Always look for fresh, firm, and brightly colored jalapeños without any blemishes or soft spots. The thickness of the slices will affect the heat and crunchiness of the final product; 1/8″ is a good middle ground.

White distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or a combination of the two: The vinegar’s acidity (minimum of 5%) is crucial for pickling. You can use either distilled white vinegar for a more neutral flavor or apple cider vinegar for a slightly sweet, fruity undertone. You can also mix both for a balanced taste.

Water: This dilutes the vinegar and makes the pickling liquid less harsh.

Sugar: This is optional. The sugar will help balance out the acidity of the vinegar. If you prefer a less sweet pickle, you can decrease the amount.

Pickling or Kosher salt: Salt helps pull moisture from the jalapeños and aids in preservation.

Whole black peppercorns: Adds a slightly spicy, aromatic note to the pickles.

Whole cumin seeds: Gives a warm, earthy flavor.

Mustard seeds (optional): Adds a tangy, slightly bitter depth of flavor. Leave it out if you’re not a fan of mustard flavor.

Bay leaf adds a subtle layer of flavor; some people find it slightly floral, others somewhat bitter.

Whole garlic clove: The garlic infuses into the vinegar, providing a slight sharpness and depth of flavor.

How to Can Jalapeños, Jar-by-Jar

My most recent pepper haul was shy of 1 pound, so I augmented with a few from our local grocery store to make 1 pound of hot peppers. The beauty of this recipe for Pickled Jalapeño Peppers is that it easily lets me alter the recipe for as many pounds of fresh jalapeños as I have, similar to my Jar-By-Jar Dill Refrigerator Pickles.

If you choose the refrigerator route for your canned pickled jalapeños, you don’t need much more than fresh jalapeños, garlic cloves, vinegar, spices, and pint jars.

In a nutshell, here are the canning recipe steps.

1. Prepare Your Peppers: Wearing gloves, slice jalapeños into 1/8″ rounds. Discard stems.
2. Sterilize Jars: Clean your jars and lids. Sterilize jars in simmering water or a dishwasher.
3. Make the Brine: Combine vinegar, water, and sugar (if using) in a saucepan. Heat until nearly boiling.
4. Spice the Jars: To each jar, add salt, peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds (if using), a bay leaf, and a garlic clove.
5. Pack the Jars: Fill jars with jalapeño slices, leaving 1/2″ headspace.
6. Add the Brine: Pour hot brine over jalapeños, maintaining the headspace. Remove air bubbles with a bubble remover tool or chopstick.
7. Clean and Seal: Wipe jar rims with vinegar-dampened paper towels. Apply lids and rings until fingertip tight.
8. For Refrigerated Pickles: Let jars cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 days before eating. They will keep for several months.
9. For Water Bath Canning: Process in a boiling water canner with jars covered by 2″ of water. Boil for 12 minutes (adjust for elevation), then let sit in the canner for 5 minutes post-processing. Cool jars on a rack for 24 hours. Check seals; refrigerate any unsealed jars.

If you are water bath canning, ensure that your pint jars are mason jars, and you need the lids and rings to go with them. On top of that, you will need a pot deep enough to cover the jars by at least 2″. Some equipment will surely make your canning experience more enjoyable, and luckily, it’s inexpensive.

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Questions About Canning Jalapeño Peppers

How Should You Use Your Pickled Jalapeño Peppers?

This recipe produces pint jars of pickled jalapeño peppers, which are barely sweet, perfectly spicy, and delightfully HOT! Not that I consider myself a hot stuff weenie, but these pickled jalapeños are just a little too hot for me to eat right out of the jar. My son, however, is another story. Rob has no concept of the Scoville scale of pepper hotness and has no problem with popping one or two in his mouth. It comes as no surprise that his favorite stocking stuffers are different varieties of hot sauce. And his endorsement of these canned jalapenos carries A LOT of weight, so you know they’re good!

So, once you have your Little Slices of Hot as Hellfire, AKA canned pickled jalapeños, what will you do with them?

I like mine on my nachos, either traditional nachos or pulled pork. But they’re also good on tacos (I use them in my chile-braised short-rib tacos), Tex Mex rice bowls, white chili, and other sandwiches. I regularly toss them in my southwestern or Mexican salads. They are de rigueur for all of your Mexican dishes. 

Looking for More Jalapeño Recipes?

I’ve got’em!

• Jalapeño Wine Jelly is not only great to include on your next charcuterie, but oh man…you need to try it on bacon! And then there is this Jalapeno Cheese Spread! It is a twist on pimento cheese and is made regularly in our home.
• For a twist on a traditional margarita, make sure to give our Jalapeño Margarita recipe a spin!
• Nab some red jalapeños, Anaheim, or Sonoran peppers for this red pepper jelly.
• Alternatively, if you’re into some truly wonderous pickling experiences, pop on over and try our Spiced Pickled Cranberries or these tangy Pickled Blueberries! Enjoy!

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