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.
Sliced pickled jalapenos are a staple around our house just like pickled cucumbers and pickled beans. I try to grow enough jalapenos each year to put up 10-12 pints, about one pint for each month. To be honest, though, it’s mainly Brian who eats these and he pretty much puts them on everything. Some of these include:
- Mexican foods like taco salads, tacos, enchiladas
- Pizza
- Burgers
- Pasta salad
- Sandwiches like tomato, turkey and cheese
- Any side dish that could benefit from a little zing
I used to can these in a water-bath canner like our pickled beans, but they were just too limp. So 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? They were WAY better than store-bought! They are crisp and fresh tasting in a way fully-canned pickles aren’t. Brian loves these and is always so sad if we run out and we have to buy commercial brands.
Oh, and the fact that only refrigerating them makes preserving these quick and easy is simply a welcome bonus – although, like, really welcomed!
Make Quick Sliced Pickled Jalapeños
I cannot emphasize enough the need for wearing gloves whenever cutting jalapeños – or any hot pepper. While I’ve never rubbed my eyes like I’ve heard about (thankfully – ouch!) when I didn’t use gloves, my hands stung for full 2 days so now I always wear gloves.
So, after you’ve put your gloves on, 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).
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).
Then it’s easy as 1-2-3:
- pack in jars
- pour boiling brine over
- seal and refrigerate
Done! Which pretty much makes these pickles one of my favorite things to put up – I get to feel productive, we use up our organic produce, Brian gets his beloved jalapenos, and I can quickly move on to something else!
Quick & Easy Sliced Pickled Jalapenos
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 6 to 7 clean, warm pint canning jars with sliced jalapeños and 4 garlic clove halves (2 cloves for each jar), leaving about 3/4-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.
- Use a ladle to pour the vinegar mixture over the peppers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace if canning- headspace doesn't matter for refrigeration, just cover the jalapeños with the liquid.**
- Wipe rims and attach two piece lids (if refrigerating, you can reuse old lids, but always use new lids when water-bath canning).
- Label and refrigerate.***
- To Can:
- To seal these in a water-bath canner to store on the shelf (though they won't be as crisp): process the jars for 10 minutes, turn off canner and remove lid but leave jars in for 5 minutes more before transferring them to a towel-lined surface. Let cool without disturbing for 12-24 hours before checking seals, labeling and storing in a cool, dark place.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Easy Preserving Recipes You May Like:
Crisp and Easy Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
Honey Sweetened Jalapeño Jelly-Jam
Garlic Spiced Canned Pickled Beans
Norma says
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!
Jami says
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. 🙂
Norma says
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!
Jami says
Yes, I have used it for dressing, but hadn’t thought of it for beans – thanks for that idea!
Nick says
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.
Jami says
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!
Kathy A says
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 ?
Jami says
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!
Sharon says
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
Jami says
No, I wouldn’t ever put dill in pickled jalapeños, Sharon. 🙂
Linda D says
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!
Jami says
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. 🙂
Jackie says
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!
Jami says
Oh, wow, thank you SO much, Jackie! That means the world to me. 🙂
kathy says
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??
Jami says
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.
Judy says
I also had to use twice the amount of liquid and the recipe only gave me 5 jars even with the extra amount.
Jess says
Jami I looked at your pickled cucumber recipe. If I don’t have dill heads, how much dill seasoning would you recommend ?
Jami says
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. 🙂
Karen Faivre says
How long do these last in the refrigerator? I love pickled jalapenos and look forward to making my own CRISP ones!
Jami says
We make enough for a whole year until the next season, Karen, and they are good ’til we use ’em up!
Bacon says
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
Mindy says
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. 🙂
Lynn says
I so need to try these. My husband and kids love them, but I have never made my own.
Mary Ann says
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!
Soccy says
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!
Jackie says
Great idea! And makes a pretty jar too!
Jane says
Could I have the recipe for pickled carrots and jalapenos? Would I cook the carrots a bit first?
Thanks, Jane