Not only is it easier to make homemade pickled jalapenos than you'd think, the results far surpass anything store-bought. With a few simple ingredients and a couple of mason jars, you can easily make this recipe any time. Keep a jar of these in your fridge to put in quesadillas, top nachos, fill tacos, and so much more!
Canning preserves and pickles is becoming all the rage with DIY activities to make more homemade fresh foods. There are so many items that benefit from pickling, but jalapeños are my favorite!
These pickled jalapeños are so incredibly easy to prepare, I can't imagine ever buying them in the store again. The flavor is also above and beyond anything I have tasted on bar nachos.
The spice level really depends on the jalapeño peppers themselves. I have gotten super spicy batches, and some slightly milder ones.
Over the years I have made countless jars of these spicy, versatile homemade pickled jalapenos. I vow to never purchase them since they are so straightforward to make myself.
How to pickle jalapeños
This recipe is so simple! If you blink, you might miss it. First, wash and thinly slice 1 pound of jalapeño peppers, discarding the stems.
You may want to wear gloves, especially if you're not used to dealing with chile peppers. Touching your face or eyes after touching hot chiles is VERY painful, and needs to be avoided. This is where gloves can help.
Now, make the pickling liquid. Add water, distilled white vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, and a couple of peeled garlic cloves to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Once the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat. Add your sliced jalapeños, pressing occasionally to submerge them in the liquid. Let them steep for 10 to 15 minutes in the hot brine, mixing once or twice to ensure all the jalepeño slices spend time submerged.
They will begin to change color from bright green to a muted olive green. It's ok if some slices are still a little regular green. They will continue to pickle in the jar.
If you already have pint-size Mason jars, you're halfway there. You can store them in other containers in your fridge, but glass jars are always best, and this is what I recommend. I also prefer plastic lids in place of metal, since I don't process my pickles. I simply store them in the fridge, and the plastic avoids rusting.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer your homemade pickled jalapenos into each of 2 pint-sized jars, or 1 larger quart-sized jar. Pack them into the jars if you must.
Then strain the remaining pickling liquid from the saucepan through a small fine-mesh strainer into each of the jars to cover all the sliced chiles with brine. Using a strainer will help you avoid some of the excess seeds getting into your jars.
Allow the jars to cool to room temperature, then cover with lids and refrigerate. I always recommend chilling the jars overnight before enjoying any of the pickles. They will still be very spicy that first day, but the pickling will continue as they chill into the next day.
These homemade quick pickled jalapenos will last for months in the refrigerator.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
I don't go through the official process of canning them, and instead opt to refrigerate my jars.
If you want to process them to make them shelf-stable (like you would with other pickles or jams), you certainly can do that by boiling the sealed sterilized jars for 10 to 15 minutes and following the usual steps (the Ball site is a great resource as is the USDA site).
If you can them, you may want to add a pinch of pickle crisp granules to keep the pickles from softening too much.
Use your homemade pickled jalapenos in these recipes
- Bacon Jalapeño Popper Quiche
- Pepito (Mexican Steak Sandwich)
- Build Your Own Nacho Bar
- Pescado a la Veracruzana (Veracruz-Style Fish)
- Homemade Chile con Queso
- Duck Carnitas Nachos
- Ground Beef Tacos
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Homemade Pickled Jalapeños
Ingredients
- 1 pound jalapeños, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine the garlic, water, vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Heat to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once at a boil, add the sliced jalapeños pressing them so they are submerged. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally stirring and pressing the jalapeños into the brine.
- Transfer the jalapeños to 2 pint-size jars or 1 quart-size jar. Ladle the brine over top until the jar is full (doing this over a small strainer will remove the bulk of the excess seeds). Let cool at room temperature before securing a lid and popping them into the fridge.
- (Alternatively to can them: when the mixture is still hot, process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 to 15 minutes; make sure the jars were sterilized first and use best canning practices to ensure food safety; the USDA also has good resources on canning).
Notes
- If you already have pint-size Mason jars, you're halfway there. I also prefer plastic lids in place of metal, since I don't process my pickles. I simply store them in the fridge, and the plastic avoids rusting.
- I always recommend chilling the jars overnight before enjoying any of the pickles. They will still be very spicy that first day, but the pickling will continue as they chill into the next day.
- These homemade pickled jalapenos will last for months in the refrigerator.
- Adapted from Simply Scratch
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Julie
My hubby loves these. He raves about them everytime he eats them and tells his friends and family.
Molly
If these aren’t in your fridge you’re missing out! Delicious!
Jessica
I followed your recipe step by step and they are delicious! My husband can’t stop eating them! Definitely will make these again!
Pam Collier
These are so easy to make and are way better than the ones you get in the store. Tip make a lot because all your family and friends are going to want some. This has been added to my personal favorites!
RiCkI
How long is shelf life if not put into refrigerator supposed to be with this recipe?
Victoria
If you process them in boiling water for canning, they should be shelf stable for about a year, but I have never kept them for that long. I would suggest checking with the USDA suggestions and also the Ball website for best practices related to canning to ensure you follow their recommendations for canning (not sure if you are a frequent canner or not) for food safety.
Dawn
Made these and they are delicious!!! Way way better than store bought.
Eddie
Is your peppers soft when you make them? I’m trying to make them firmer but haven’t been successful so far. I’ve also tried using Alum but prefer to stay way from chemicals.
Victoria
Hi Eddie,
My pickled peppers are softer than fresh peppers, but I wouldn't really use the word "soft" to describe them. They are kind of a medium texture and still have a bit of a bite to them, similar to the texture of store-bought pickled jalapeno peppers.
Jean
Hi Eddie
Instead of alum try pickle crisp. This works for me. Just a pinch for 1/2 pints, 1/4 tsp for pints, and 1/2 tsp for quarts. This might do the trick.
Good luck!
Carl
Great recipe and taste great however I have a problem where the peppers are just floating and wont settle to the bottom of the jar. Have I done something wrong? Thanks
Victoria
Hi Carl,
If your jalapeno slices are floating in the jar, then either your jar is too large or you're not filling it enough. You should be packing the slices into the jars and gently pressing down in order to get them all to fit. I usually use a slotted spoon to transfer the jalapenos into the jar first, packing them down gently as I go, and then pour the brine over the top, which will fill in all around the jalapenos. A couple slices on top may float a tiny bit in the brine but that's ok. I hope this helps!
Annie
Thank you for the recipe ! I just tried it for the first time, cannot wait to taste them!
Alyssa
Great easy recipe!
Jana Hunt
These were very easy to make and so good! It is already time to make another batch!
Brian Johnson
Fantastic recipe. Easy to make and delicious result. I keep it in a Tupperware pickle container instead of a mason jar and it works just fine.
Cindy
Super fast process! A great option for an overflow of jalapeños in my garden.
Charlotte King
These are the best. So easy and loved by all.
Victoria
Thanks, Charlotte! I completely agree 😉 I always have at least 1 jar of them in my fridge at all times!
Christina
Has anyone left out the sugar? I’m curious to know why so much sugar when store bought ones don’t have ant sugar. Personal preference or something to do with preserving?
Victoria
The sugar balances out the sourness of the vinegar and saltiness of the salt. I have never tried this recipe without the sugar so I cannot say how the flavor would compare if you left it out, but I imagine the flavor would be a bit more sharp.
Cindy
I make them without sugar. We love acidic flavors in my house and don’t like everything to be sweet.
Missi Canoy
Great recipe!! Easy too!!