Quick Pickled Jalapeños – Sliced and Refrigerated (with Canned Option)
Try these quick pickled jalapeños made with just four ingredients for a delicious way to spice up your food. Whether you prefer canned or refrigerator pickled jalapeños, this quick pickling recipe is both simple and flavorful. Take a few minutes (yes really!) to make sliced pickled jalapeños and you’ll preserve the season’s harvest while creating a better than store bought product.
Looking for more easy pickling recipes? Try my favorite garlic dill pickles, amazing spicy garlic pickled green beans, or these super fast pickled beets! And for a sweet-hot take on pickled jalapeños, check out my lower-sugar cowboy candy recipe (candied jalapeños)!
Sliced and pickled jalapeños are a staple around our house just like pickled dill cucumbers and pickled green beans.
My goal is to grow enough jalapeños each year to put up 10-12 pints of pickled jalapeños, one pint for each month, either with this traditional vinegar pickle or these wonderful fermented pickled jalapeños (I usually do both, using the fermented jalapeños in the first couple of months and then moving to the refrigerated jalapeños).
To be honest, though, Brian eats the most of these spicy pickled bites and he pretty much puts them on everything.
What to use pickled jalapeños for?
Some of ways to use pickled jalapeños include:
- Topping Mexican foods like taco salads, tacos, enchiladas.
- Adding to slices of pizza before eating.
- Topping burgers, like these pub-style burgers.
- Tossing into pasta salad.
- Adding to sandwiches like tomato, turkey and cheese.
- Garnishing any side dish that would benefit from a little zing, like this corn and pepper sauté.
Canning or Refrigeration?
I used to can these jalapeños in a water-bath canner like our pickled beans, but they were just too limp and mushy.
In an effort to get crisp pickled jalapeños like our favorite regular crisp pickles, I made them the same way, simply refrigerating the jars after pouring the warm pickling liquid over the jalapeños.
Guess what? The refrigerated jalapeños were WAY better than canned or even store-bought!
They stay crisp and fresh tasting in a way fully-canned pickles can’t. Brian loves these and is always so sad if we run out and we have to buy commercial brands.
And the fact that simply refrigerating them makes preserving these quick and easy is simply a welcome bonus – although, like, really welcomed!
So I always make refrigerator pickles with jalapeños now.
However, if you simply don’t have enough space to store jalapeños in the fridge, I am including water-bath canning instructions to be able to store at room temperature. Just be aware that the texture will suffer a bit with the time heating in the boiling water.
Recipe Video
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need only four ingredients (plus water) to make these delicious pickled jalapeños:
Ingredient Notes
- Jalapeños: Use what you have available – the recipe amount is just a guideline. Being able to make these jar-by-jar as you harvest or find jalapeños is one of the beauties of the refrigeration recipe!
- Vinegar: I prefer apple cider vinegar for both the added flavor and mildness, but regular white vinegar also works – and you may find you prefer it, so test it out!
- Salt: You can use either pure sea salt or canning salt.
- Garlic: If you choose the water bath canning method, you must only use the amount of garlic called for in the recipe. However, you can increase the garlic if refrigerating.
How To Make Quick Pickled Jalapeños
Here are a few helpful visual directions – the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Prep jalapeños. Wash and slice peppers. After you’ve put your gloves on (see tip), simply cut the tops off, slice the jalapeños, and fill the jars. Pack them as tight as you can (you can leave more room, but you’ll need more brine, then).
Step 2: Prepare brine & add to jars. Add vinegar, water, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the brine over the peppers in the jars – cover the peppers for refrigerating or leave 1/2″ headspace if canning.
TIP 1: I cannot emphasize enough the need for wearing gloves whenever cutting jalapeños – or any hot pepper. When I didn’t use gloves when cutting large amounts of hot peppers, my hands stung for full 2 days – so now I always wear gloves.
TIP 2: I leave all the membranes and seeds (commercial pickled peppers have them, too) because it’s easy and makes the peppers hotter (though they are toned down by the pickling anyway).
Step 3: Seal and preserve.
- If refrigerating, seal the jars with any lids (this is the only time you can reuse the lids – I save old lids to use for my refrigerated jars) and place in the refrigerator.
- If canning, use new lids and clean screw bands and process in a water bath canner (see recipe card for full canning instructions).
How long do pickled jalapeños last?
Refrigerated: While you will read in some places that refrigerated pickled jalapeños last only a few months in the fridge, we have eaten jars up to 18 months old and while the color was not as vibrant, the jalapeños still tasted great. So definitely a year, maybe more!
Canned: Canned products will be safe on the shelf about 18 months, however you may notice the quality of these pickles decline after 6-8 months.
Pickled Jalapeño Questions
Surprisingly, they are! Jalapenos have fiber and a good amount of vitamins C and A and potassium. To add probiotic benefits, simply ferment your jalapenos instead!
You can eat them after 24 hours, but they get better the longer they sit in the brine.
Pickled jalapeños are still spicy, but they are definitely less hot than fresh, since the vinegar tones down the spiciness. They are also more consistent in the spice level versus fresh which can vary a lot from jalapeño to jalapeño.
These pickles are pretty much one of my favorite things to preserve – I get to feel productive in just minutes, we use up our organic produce, Brian gets his beloved jalapeños, and I can quickly move on to something else!
“These are so good! I love the flavor–the mix of the peppers, garlic and vinegar/water mix was perfect–and love the texture!” -Norma
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Quick Pickled Jalapeños – Sliced and Refrigerated (with Canned Option)
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- mason jars and lids (if refrigerating you can use any recycled jar and lid)
- water bath canner optional
Ingredients
- 2½ to 3 pounds jalapeños
- 14 garlic cloves
- 4 cups cider vinegar*
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
Instructions
- Wash jalapeños, cut off stem tops and then slice into 1/4″ rings. Cut each garlic clove in half.
- Fill each of 5 to 7 clean, warm pint canning jars with sliced jalapeños and 4 garlic clove halves (2 cloves for each jar), leaving 1 to 3/4-inch to 1-inch of headspace.
- In a large saucepan heat the vinegar, water and salt to boiling and then reduce to a simmer while pouring into jars.
To Refrigerate:
- Use a ladle to pour the vinegar mixture over the peppers, leaving 1/2 to 1/4-inch headspace – headspace doesn't matter for refrigeration, just cover the jalapeños with the liquid.**
- Wipe rims and attach lids. TIP: When refrigerating, you can reuse any old lids, (but always use new lids when water-bath canning).
- Label and refrigerate.***
Canning Instructions:
- To seal these in a water-bath canner to store on the shelf (though they won't be as crisp): Fill jars, one at a time, with 1/2-inch headspace and attach lids. Place in raised rack of simmering canner.
- Lower rack and process the jars for 10 minutes, turn off canner and remove lid and leave jars in for 5 minutes more.
- Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface. Let cool without disturbing for 12-24 hours before checking seals, labeling and storing in a cool, dark place. Stores for 12-18 months.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Preserving Recipes To Try:
- Crisp and Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
- Honey Sweetened Jalapeño Jelly-Jam
- Garlic Spiced Canned Pickled Beans
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2013.
Can I make these in quart jars and would there be any changes? Also, since I am not canning, could I use the one piece lids to refrigerate?
Thanks, Jami
Pam
Yes, you can make these in any sized glass jars you have (one year when jars were in short supply I had to use a wire-and-bail-lid storage jar!).
Right – since you aren’t canning you can use any lid before adding to the fridge.
Hi, Jami–
I made the refrigerator version of these jalapenos and waited (with difficulty!) for the flavors to meld for 30 days before trying. These are so good! I love the flavor–the mix of the peppers, garlic and vinegar/water mix was perfect–and love the texture! My only problem is that I made only one jar with the last of my peppers and have no more coming out of the garden this season! Will have to make them with store bought peppers until next summer. You’re right–these are so much better than store bought jarred pickled jalapenos and so easy too!
I’m so glad you liked these, Norma! I’ve got some huge jars in the fridge from this year’s harvest to see us through. 🙂
I broke down and purchased some jalapenos just so I could always have some of these–they are so good! That new batch will be ready in two days (waiting anxiously!).
BTW–the juice is really good on any type of beans! Bet it would also be good in a salad dressing too. Great stuff!
Yes, I have used it for dressing, but hadn’t thought of it for beans – thanks for that idea!
I made this once… very good.
However, I dropped your recipe after seeing your “get AOC’s newsletter” note.
I dropped your recipe and wanted to say don’t mix recipes with your politics.
I doubt you’ll allow this to post.
Oh my gosh, Nick, I’m laughing so hard – “AOC” stands for An Oregon Cottage, which I’ve used for more than 10 years. A couple people said I need to change it, but I’m so NOT into politics that I didn’t think it would matter.
Guess it does. 🙂
Hope you still use the recipe!
These 2 comments had me chuckling. I too cringe every time I see AOC, but I realize it’s your way to shorten things up. Couldn’t you just suggest people “subscribe to our newsletter ” and simply supply the link? Too funny, really
Sigh. I am trying to get rid of the acronym, Pam, but I’ve literally been using it for 13 years so it’s EVERYWHERE on the site!
You just never know, do you? Lol.
Jami
I made these last year and they are so good and easy to make. However I now have to use very little salt due to medical condition. Can I use no salt or 1/2 the amount in the recipe ?
Yes, though the flavor and texture will be different. I haven’t lowered the amount, but I found this article that explains some options: https://www.wellpreserved.ca/fundamentals-fermenting-low-salt-fermenting/
That also talks about options like rinsing vegetables, too.
Hope that helps!
Just found this recipe and have read the comments, one said dill but no dill listed anywhere?? Hmm to dill or not to dill lol
No, I wouldn’t ever put dill in pickled jalapeños, Sharon. 🙂
Jami, my niece and I canned six pints yesterday, but had to make a second batch of the pickling liquid. Did your instruction #2 mean to say, “fill 7 HALF-pint jars” rather than “pint jars?” When you look at the recipe, the liquid would be no more than 4 cups, which in hindsight seems far too little, even if we had squeezed in twice the quantity of jalapeno slices. 7 pint jars equals 14 cups, so just how many cups of jalapeno slices would you estimate we’d get after cutting up 2-1/2 to 3 pounds of peppers? Enough to SOLIDLY pack the jars with the slices? Admittedly, we didn’t weigh the peppers, just started slicing them and loading up the jars, but we ran out of the pickling liquid after just 3 pints!
I do run out of liquid when I’m not packing the pepper rings as tight, Linda, so I do think that matters. This is the recipe I’ve used for years and many times the amount of liquid is spot-on, but sometimes not, depending on the amount of peppers. I find this is true with a lot of pickling recipes, so I’ll make a note on the recipe to adjust as you need. 🙂
An Oregon Cottage is one if my favorite blogs of ALL TIME! Thank you for all you do!
Can’t wait to try these. My meal isn’t complete without jalapeños!
Oh, wow, thank you SO much, Jackie! That means the world to me. 🙂
I had to use 2 batches of liquid to fill my 7 jars. How long do you wait until you eat them? And do you put them in the refrigerator immediately or let them cool??
I put them in the fridge pretty soon after, Kathy – maybe within 30 minutes. And we find they are pickled in about a month. If I don’t pack the jalapeños as tight, I need to use more liquid, too.
I also had to use twice the amount of liquid and the recipe only gave me 5 jars even with the extra amount.
Jami I looked at your pickled cucumber recipe. If I don’t have dill heads, how much dill seasoning would you recommend ?
If I don’t have dill heads, Jess, I use dried dill seed, about 1 tablespoon – but you can use more or less, depending on the dilliness you want for your pickles. 🙂
How long do these last in the refrigerator? I love pickled jalapenos and look forward to making my own CRISP ones!
We make enough for a whole year until the next season, Karen, and they are good ’til we use ’em up!
This looks delicious and simple to do. I sadly didn’t grow any jalepenos this summer as our local nursery didn’t have any starter plants. Next year I am going to get some seed and start indoors because I can’t go another season without this pepper.
I think your recipe would fit in with my new blog series: Grow it! Cook it! Eat it! Live it! I would love it if you would link up: https://liveintheyard.blogspot.ca/2013/09/grow-it-cook-it-eat-it-live-it_21.html
Oh yummy!!!! We didn’t get enough off of our plants this year (we’ve been eating them as they come), but I’m gonna do this with grocery store peppers. Sounds delicious! All these ideas you’re giving me for Christmas exchange gifts is awesome. 🙂
I so need to try these. My husband and kids love them, but I have never made my own.
I have actually never grown jalapenos, but my husband and I love them on lots of things, just like your husband. This looks like such a fast, easy pickling method… and jalapenos are plentiful here right now… Thanks!
Try pickling them along with baby carrots. Delicious! My hubby eats the peppers and I eat the not so hot carrots. It’s a win-win!
Great idea! And makes a pretty jar too!
Could I have the recipe for pickled carrots and jalapenos? Would I cook the carrots a bit first?
Thanks, Jane