Pickled Jalapeños

This Pickled Jalapeño recipe is a fast and easy condiment that you will love having in your refrigerator.

small mason jar filled with pickled jalapeños, yellow green in color and packed in liquid - 3

My youngest and I are totally obsessed with Pickled Jalapeños. In fact, we go through so many jars because we love them on our tacos that much. She and I are often fighting for the last one at the bottom of the jar.

I’m so pumped to have this pickled jalapeño recipe for you (and her and I!) so that we can all have pickled jalapeños whenever our hearts desire.

The recipe was simple, easy to follow, and quick. Thanks for all of the work and ideas you share!

Pickled Jalapeño Ingredients

One of the best things about this recipe, besides how quickly it comes together, is how few ingredients you need. In addition to water, you need five ingredients.

Jalapeños: You want to use fresh jalapeños. This is a great recipe to use with garden jalapeños!
Vinegar: We are using basic white vinegar for this recipe.
Salt: You can certainly skip the salt, but I like the bit of flavor it adds to the recipe and how it helps balance the spice.
Sugar: The sugar balances the spice and acid in this recipe without making it sweet.
Garlic: This is great for a little added flavor to the recipe.

That’s it! So easy to make this family favorite.

overhead of a cutting board full of sliced jalapeños - 4

How to Pickle Jalapeños

These quick pickled jalapeños are perfect because how fast they are to make. This is just a brief overview of the recipe. For the full recipe with the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Start by slicing your jalapeños. I like to cut them relatively thin and it can be helpful to use rubber gloves when you do this like in our Jalapeño Poppers .
Make the brine for pickling. In a medium stock pot combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and the garlic cloves.
Bring the brine to a roaring boil. Add the jalapeños, making sure they are covered by the water.
Let the jalapeños rest. Turn off the heat and cover for 15 minutes. Transfer them to a container and store for up to one month.

Jalapeño Artichoke Dip

Storing Pickled Jalapeños

To be on the safe side, I would only keep these in the refrigerator for a month. While many resources suggest they will last longer, there are many factors that can shorten the time that they last – such as the purity of the vinegar.

When it comes to any homemade ingredients, always play it safe, and rely on your sense of taste and smell. If they smell off sooner than a month, discard them.

Spiciness

These are fairly spicy when eaten right after making them. If you would like to reduce the spice, I would recommend removing all of the seeds and ribbing before you slice them. The easiest way to do this is to slice the pepper in half and use a spoon to scrape out the insides. Then slice them into half moons.

You can reduce the spiciness further by using 2 tablespoons of sugar instead of one. Additionally, the longer they sit in the refrigerator the less spicy they become.

I don’t have enough experience with canning to give instructions on that. I always refer people here .

As mentioned above these are fairly spicy. The longer they sit the less spicy they become. See the section above for further tips how to reduce the spiciness.

Quick pickled Jalapeños last for a month in the refrigerator.

How to Use Pickled Jalapeños

I often use Pickled Jalapeños as an ingredient in recipes, not just as a condiment. Though these are absolutely fantastic on top of my Chicken Tacos . Here are some of my favorites:

Taco Pinwheels
Quesadilla Sauce
Loaded Jalapeno Popper Beer Bread
Black Bean Dip

If you make this recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment letting me know.

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Ingredients

5 medium to large jalapeños sliced (should equal about 3 cups sliced; read above for how to reduce spiciness of pickled jalapeños )
1 cup white vinegar (236.58 ml)
1 cup water (236.58 ml)
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon granulated sugar less if you want your jalapeños more spicy
2 teaspoons kosher salt (you may want to use less salt if using table salt)

Instructions

Prepare the jalapeños by washing them and slicing them. Discard the tops. 5 medium to large jalapeños
Bring the water, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar to a roaring boil. 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Recipe Video

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