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Pickled JalapeƱos Recipe – Cookie and Kate


Pickled JalapeƱos Recipe – Cookie and Kate

I consider myself a pickle connoisseur, and I dare say that these pickled jalapeƱos are the best. These pickled jalapeƱos are fresh and lightly crisp, with the perfect level of heat. Theyā€™re so much better than their store-bought counterparts, which have been sitting on the shelf for who knows how long.

To make this recipe, youā€™ll need fresh jalapeƱos, vinegar, water, an optional garlic clove, and salt. Thatā€™s itā€”the rest of the magic is due to the method.

how to prepare jalapenos

These pickles will taste fully pickled after a four-hour rest in the refrigerator, so make them earlier in the day or the night before you need them. They retain their lovely flavor for about one month in the refrigerator.

These pickled jalapeƱos offer the perfect spicy pop to my meals! I hope you love them as much as I do.

sliced jalapenos

How to Make the Best Pickled JalapeƱos

This recipe required a research deep dive on jalapeƱo spice levels and five attempts to get just right. These pickled jalapeƱos, like my famous dill pickles, are refrigerator pickles. They benefit from room temperatureā€”not hotā€”brine and a rest in the refrigerator. Thanks to the cool temperature, they better retain their crisp texture, vibrant green color, and fresh flavor.Ā 

Like my other pickle recipes, the brine is made from equal parts vinegar and water. It always tastes just rightā€”bold and puckery but not overwhelmingly pungent. I love the refrigerator pickling method because it spares my kitchen from the stink of hot vinegar!

I wanted to make pickled jalapeƱos that were spicy but not overwhelmingly so, like store-bought pickled jalapeƱos. Most other homemade pickled jalapeƱo pepper recipes, including my original recipe for pickled peppers, call for sweetener to tame the heat.

Store-bought jalapeƱo pickles are typically unsweetened, however, and I thought surely I could find a way to avoid it. Youā€™ll find all my heat-taming tricks in the section below, and the recipe at the bottom of the post.

Watch How to Make Pickled JalapeƱos

pickled jalapenos recipe

Pepper Selection Tips

The ideal jalapeƱos offer plenty of bold pepper flavor without being so hot that you cry actual tears. Choosing peppers that meet this criteria is not an exact science, but Iā€™ve found some guidelines that will help steer you toward the right peppers for this recipe.

Choose larger jalapenos.

Capsaicin is the compound in chili peppers that yields their signature burning sensation. Capsaicin is the most concentrated in the seeds and membranes of the peppers. Larger peppers have relatively more flesh, so theyā€™re a better bet.

Choose smooth, shiny green jalapenos.

In other words, avoid peppers with white stripes, which could indicate that the pepper is older and encountered more environmental stressors that potentially increased its spice level. Peppers with reddish spots are wild cardsā€”they were on the vine long enough that they are becoming mild in the red spots but may still be spicy elsewhere.

How to Mellow the Spice Level

Even when you choose your peppers carefully, they may taste hotter than you want your pickled jalapeƱos to be. The pickling process helps a bit and distributes the spice more evenly amongst the peppers that share a jar, but we can do even better.

Remove the seeds and membranes.

To maintain the signature pepper ring shape found in store-bought pickled jalapeƱos, use a grapefruit spoon or other small spoon to release the membranes where they attach to the inside of the pepper. Gently scoop or tap until the membranes and seeds fall out of the pepper. Then, slice your peppers into thin rounds.Ā 

Soak the sliced jalapenos in cool water for 30 minutes.

This is optional, but I generally find it necessary. Sample a few tiny bites of your peppers first. If theyā€™re much too spicy, soak the sliced jalapenos in a bowl filled with cool water. Soaking removes a bit of the pepper flavor but significantly reduces the heat level, so itā€™s worth it if it makes your jalapeƱos more palatable. In my tests, soaking was more effective than rinsing the peppers under running water and maintained more of their flavor.

pickled jalapenos

How to Serve Pickled JalapeƱos

Pickled jalapeƱos offer a welcome punch of spicy pepper flavor to many meals. You can roughly chop them before serving to distribute the spice more evenly.

Try them on Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes like tacos, burritos, black bean bowls and fajita veggie bowls. Enjoy pickled jalapeƱos on egg-based dishes like Fresh Huevos Rancheros or any combination of scrambled or fried eggs and tortilla chips.

Sprinkle pickled jalapeƱos over pizzas, like this Barbecue Pineapple, JalapeƱo and Feta Pizza or improvised tortilla pizzas.

Use these fresh pickled peppers in any salad recipe that calls for fresh jalapeƱos, like myĀ Garden-Fresh Corn Salad. They would add a briny punch to my favorite guacamole.

More Homemade JalapeƱo Condiments

Please let me know how your pickled jalapeƱos turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

pickled jalapenos in jar

Print

Pickled JalapeƱos

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes (plus 4 hour chill time)
  • Yield: 1 pint 1x
  • Category: Condiment
  • Method: Refrigerator
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Vegan

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

Learn how to make the best pickled jalapeƱos with this recipe! Enjoy pickled jalapeƱos that are fresh, crisp and spicyā€”but not too spicy. Recipe yields about 1 pint.


Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fresh jalapeƱos (about 5 large or 1 Ā¾ cup slicedā€”choose larger jalapeƱos for less spicy pickles)
  • Ā½ cup distilled white vinegar
  • Ā½ cup water
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed (optional)
  • Ā½ teaspoon fine salt

Instructions

  1. First, prepare your peppers: You may want to wear gloves to protect your fingers from feeling burned. Slice off the stem ends of each jalapeƱo. For less spicy pickles, use a grapefruit spoon or small spoon to release the membranes where they attach to the inside of the pepper. Gently scoop or tap until the membranes and seeds fall out of the pepper, then discard those pieces. Slice the jalapeƱos into thin rounds with a mandoline or chefā€™s knife.Ā 
  2. To test the spice level of your jalapeƱos, sample tiny bites from several peppers. If theyā€™re much too spicy, place the sliced jalapenos into a bowl and fill it with cool water. Let the jalapenos soak for 30 minutes, then drain them well. (You could even sample again at this point and soak for another 30 minutes if theyā€™re still terribly spicy.)
  3. Pour the vinegar, water, garlic (if using), and salt into a medium-sized glass jar. Stir to combine. Add the jalapenos to the jar, securely fasten the lid, and give the jar a gentle shake. It may seem like you donā€™t have enough liquid, but the jalapenos sink over time.Ā 
  4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours for fully pickled peppers. If you think of it during that time, give the peppers another gentle shimmy to help distribute them into the liquid. Pickled jalapeƱos will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.Ā 

Notes

Quicker pickles: Warm the vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan until it comes to a simmer. Pour it over the peppers, tuck in the smashed garlic (if using), and let the mixture come to room temperature, about 30 minutes. At that point, the peppers should taste pretty well pickled. Refrigerate for later.

ā–ø Nutrition Information

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistā€™s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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