How To Pickle Peppers (Hot Water Bath Canning Method)
on Aug 31, 2017, Updated Oct 17, 2019
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A quick and easy guide on How To Pickle Peppers using the hot water bath canning method. Produces shelf-stable pickled peppers you can eat all winter long.
Here are a few posts with all the tips you need regarding peppers: Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers and How to save green peppers.
Pickled Peppers Recipe For Your Refrigerator
The garden is booming and I’m really excited about all things canning, pickling, and fermenting this year. I made this giant batch of pickled banana peppers and did twice this many pickled jalapeños this week (those are our all-time favorite). I’m also in the middle of my first try at crabapple jelly and I made a batch of super thick homemade Greek yogurt yesterday in the slow cooker. On top of that, I got a few more quarts of green beans canned. Preserving the harvest while it’s here is such a fun hobby.
I thought I’d share how to pickle peppers, which is a super simple recipe for you fellow garden growing, home canning, yogurt making friends. Peppers grow like weeds and when they are on, they are on. My tomatoes are oddly slow to turn red this year, so I have tons of peppers and no tomatoes to turn everything into salsa. That’s ok though, because pickled peppers are the best.
We eat pickled banana peppers with our favorite pizza, on veggie + hummus sandwiches, and when we make sandwiches using our favorite homemade sub bun recipe.
We eat the pickled jalapeños on everything Tex-Mex like our favorites slow cooker carnitas, black bean and sweet potato enchilada bake, and the best chicken tacos.
You won’t believe how easy these recipes are. Once you get the canning bug, you’ll never go back. This is a great place to start!
How To Pickle Peppers (Hot Water Bath Canning)
- Wash peppers and chop into rings (wear gloves to avoid heat of the peppers burning the skin).
- Pack sliced peppers into clean jars.
- Pour hot brine over peppers.
- Add two-piece canning lids.
- Process in a hot water bath.
I bet that you didn’t know it was quite that easy to use your garden peppers and pickle peppers that will keep on the shelf! When you break it down, that’s really all there is to it! A little chopping, packing the jar, adding a hot brine, and processing the jars in boiling water. I wanted to share my two favorite pickled pepper recipes with you today, too. One is for pickled banana peppers and one is for pickled jalapeños, both of which are processed via the hot water bath method to become shelf-stable (if you are looking for a pickled banana recipe that doesn’t need to be canned but is simply kept in the fridge instead, you can can find that recipe here.)
What should I wear when handling jalapeño peppers?
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face.
How long do pickled peppers last?
If properly stored, an unopened jar of pickled peppers will generally be good for about 2 years.
Does pickling peppers make them hotter?
Actually, the opposite is true. The pickling process will reduce the heat of the peppers a bit.
How to Pickle Jalapeño Peppers
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: about 9 pints 1x
Description
A quick and easy guide on how to pickle peppers using the hot water bath canning method. Produces shelf-stable pickled peppers you can eat all winter long.
Ingredients
- 6–8 pound jalapeños
- 5 cups vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup water
- 4 teaspoons canning or pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
Instructions
- Prepare the peppers by washing them.
- Remove the stem end. Slice the peppers into rings that are 1/4 to a 1/2 inch thick.
- Wash your pint canning jars and prepare the lids according the manufacturer’s directions.
- Pack the sliced peppers into the prepared jars.
- In a large pot, combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic.
- Ladle the hot liquid into the jars, leaving a 1/2 inch of head space at the top. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the liquid as needed.
- Wipe the rim of the jars clean and add the lid and ring.
- Process in a hot water bath. Here’s a great trusted resource on boiling water canners. Process for 10 minutes. If you are above 1,000 feet elevation, process for 15 minutes and above 6,000 feet elevation, process for 20 minutes.
Notes
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face.
Recipe from, tested, and approved by the National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can visit their post here if you have furthers questions.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Side
- Method: Canning
- Cuisine: American
Pickled Banana Pepper Recipe
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How To Pickle Banana Peppers
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: About 4 pints 1x
Description
A quick and easy guide on how to pickle peppers using the hot water bath canning method. Produces shelf-stable pickled peppers you can eat all winter long.
Ingredients
- 2½–3 pound yellow (banana) peppers
- 5 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 5 teaspoons canning salt
- 2 tablespoons celery seed
- 4 tablespoons mustard seed
Instructions
- Wash and rinse 4 pint canning jars. Prepare lids and bands according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Wash peppers well and remove the stem end. Slice into rings that are between 1/4 inch to a 1/2 inch thick.
- In a large pan, add the vinegar, water, and salt and heat to boiling.
- Place 1/2 tablespoon celery seed and 1 tablespoon mustard seed in the bottom of each clean jar. Fill with pepper rings.
- Cover the pepper ring with the boiling vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the liquid as needed.
- While the rims of the jars clean and adjust the canning lids.
- Process in a boiling water canner, as recommended (see notes).
- Let cool 12-24 hours and check the seals.
- Shake the jars to disperse the spices before using.
Notes
Process for 10 minutes. If you are above 1,000 feet elevation, process for 15 minutes and above 6,000 feet elevation, process for 20 minutes.
Recipe from, tested, and approved by the National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can visit their post here if you have furthers questions.
New to canning? Here’s a great overview on boiling water canning.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Side
- Method: Canning
- Cuisine: American
Other pepper recipes and canning recipes for you:
- Canned Tomato Salsa
- Cheesy Sausage and Pepper Stromboli
- How To Pickle Peppers (Hot Water Bath Canning Method)
- Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers
- Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers
- Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches
You’ll love eating on the veggies that you grew all winter long. I also love that I know exactly what is in them! No extra dyes, preservatives, or stuff you don’t really want or need in your diet. Long live simple whole food recipes that can be enjoyed when snow is on the ground.
If you didn’t know how to pickle peppers, now you do! How do you feel about canning recipes? Would you like to see more of them on Bless this Mess? I’d love to know!
Can you use quart jars? Would you still water bath boil 10 minutes?
I bet they would need 25 minutes for quarts!
Does the hot bath jalapenos recipe need to have sugar?
Nope, it won’t effect the stability of the end product, feel free to skip it.
This sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to try it. Do the banana peppers need to use cider vinegar vs regular? I noticed the jalapenos said regular.
This is the clearest outline I have read so far on canning pickles. A question, can I used this methodology if I only have 1 piece lids? I cannot get 2 piece lids where I live.
Yes, that’ll work great, but just read about how to process using those. You’ll want to make sure that you process 1 piece lids according to their directions.
I should have read the recipe more clearly – I put 2 TBSP and 4 TBSP of the spices into each pint instead of breaking it up. Are these going to be inedible? I was thinking to myself, wow this seems like a lot!
Oh man… I do think it’ll be fine. They might be zesty but since you aren’t directly eating the spices (they are just in the brine) I bet they’ll be fine. I really want to know how they turn out though, so curious!
Can you sub kosher salt?
Yep, it should work great!
I have a few questions. ? 4 pint jars? I tried this recipe for the orginal 2.5- 3lb banana peppers and I had way too much peppers left over. Also if I’m using the quart jars for the canning what pressure and time for those. Sorry for the questions I just want to be safe and my husband lives your recipe. ❤
You don’t need any pressure for these since you are putting them in a brine, just a hot water bath, and just add 15 minutes to the processing time for the bigger jars! Can’t wait until you try them!
Just a very quick question I definitely want to use your recipe and slice some of my banana peppers but I would also like to make a whole banana peppers with this recipe still work for that? I’ll add in A chili pepper or a jalapeño for the hotness in the whole, but would love pickled whole banana peppers .
When I do them hole I just poke a few slits in them with a knife so that they brine can get to the inside of the pepper!
This looks good! And you say you’re trying crabapple jelly for the first time? Once you try it, you’ll never want to Not make it! Nothing compares to the color and flavor, and is sooo good on toasted English muffins!
I am new too canning but don’t you mean “cool” for 24 hours rather than “cook”? (Mean typo).
Typo! It’s fixed!
These pickled peppers sound wonderful. I love canning vegetables from the garden too, it always tastes great in the dead of winter.