I’m currently obsessed with these pickled peppers. They take just 20 minutes to prepare and then keep in the fridge for a month (honestly, I think you’ll finish the jar sooner!).
I’m sure these pickled peppers will taste better in almost every way. When I put together my dishes I’m always amazed at how well the perfect tips (from lemons and vinegar) can make them absolutely excellent from ok. Pickled peppers are my secret to adding crunches and the perfect tip for everything from taco recipes and sandwiches to my favorite salad recipes to homemade pizzas and more!
For the photo, I made a batch of sweet pickled peppers, but this recipe can be easily adapted to any kind of pepper (even the hottest ones). It really depends on what you’re looking for! Feel free to try different peppers and combinations of them to achieve the spice levels you love. Next, when you’re ready to pick a little more, try other quick pickles, such as pickled red onion, daily dill pickles, and these crisp pickled carrots!
Important ingredients
Peppers: I love pickled sweet peppers, but this recipe works with all sorts of peppers. It depends on what you’re looking for. For sweet peppers, we love to use mini peppers (like we were making these sweet pepper poppers). They are thinner than regular peppers and ultimately have a better texture. You can use 100% sweet peppers or mix hotter varieties, such as hotter options such as banana pepper, cherry pepper, jalapeño, serrano pepper, or Fresno pepper. Vinegar: Keeps the salty water of these peppers simple and has the usual distilled vinegar (5% acidity). It gives the pickles a clean, classic flavour and allows the sweetness of the peppers and garlic to pass through (and that’s inexpensive too!). Feel free to use rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar as a substitute if you wish. Salt and Sugar: These are essential for balancing salt water. Without salt or sugar, our salty water tastes strong like regular vinegar (we take this approach to most pickle recipes on inspired flavors). For salt, I use sea salt or acid salt (it’s best to avoid table salt here as additional iodine can interfere with the pickling process). For sugar, I use regular granulated sugar to suit my request. It can replace brown sugar and honey, but this can make the salt water look a little cloudy. Garlic and Spices: For classic flavors, we love to add sliced garlic to the jar (you can chopped it, but prepare for a slightly stronger garlic-like flavor with your salted water!). Secondly, for spices, keep it simple with allspice berries (yeah, enough) and the whole peppercorn. Optional Chili Pepper: When using 100% sweet pepper, I like to add some heat tips with small dried chili (chili del boll is perfect). This is an option and does not make the pickles spicy. They taste warmer than anything else. For more heat, increase to 2 or 3 or mix in fresh chili instead.
These pickled peppers get better over time. Bottle the peppers and pour in hot salted water. Next, once it is cooled to room temperature, transfer to the fridge. As they sit overnight they transform into incredibly crispy and tangy chili peppers, continuing to improve with each and every day. Because garlic has more time for salt water to infuse its flavor. I can’t wait for you to try them! And when you’re ready for an easier pickle, be sure to check out our bread and butter pickles or these colorful pickle beets!
Easy pickle pepper
Preparation
20 minutes
total
20 minutes
These crispy, quick pickled peppers are great for meat and cheese boards, added to sandwiches and wraps, and are great snacks that are scattered over cheese pizza or used in recipes that normally use peppers. They maintain the crunch but take on the bright flavor of the pickles and add a nice flavour to almost anything!
Note: Like other quick pickles (like our pickles carrots), these peppers are ready in the fridge after overnight, but they continue to improve by sitting in the salted water. They really brighten up around the third day!
Create one 1 quart jar, 8 servings
You will need it
1 pound mini sweet pepper
Two cloves garlic, finely sliced
Dried Chili Delborg, optional
16 oz (470ml) distilled vinegar, 5% acidity
1½4 teaspoons of fine sea salt or acid salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Allspice Berry
5 peppercorns
direction
1Prepare the peppers: cut the top from the peppers and scrape or scrape off the seeds and most of the white membrane. Slice into rings. Place the chili pepper rings in a clean 1-quart jar.
2Add the chili and garlic. Place sliced garlic and chili del boll (optional) around the peppers in the jar.
3Make salted vinegar: In a small pot, mix the vinegar, salt, sugar, allspice berries and pepper. Bring it to a stew and cook until the salt and sugar dissolve.
4Pour salted water into the jar. Pour salted vinegar over the peppers. Make sure the brine is completely covering all the peppers. Secure the lid to the jar until your fingers are “clean” (meaning it won’t crank tightly).
5Cooling and Refrigerating: Set the jar aside on the counter and let it cool completely to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, transfer the jar to the fridge. For the best flavor, refrigerate the picker overnight before enjoying it. If you can wait, they will get even better in 2-3 days! These quick pickled peppers are covered in the fridge for up to a month and covered in salted water.
Adam and Joan tips
Bottle: Use 1 quart wide mouse mason jar (32 oz or 946 ml). Pepper: We developed this recipe for sweet peppers (mini, colorful peppers are often sold in bags). The Chili Delbour adds a bit of heat, but use another 2-3 or replace some of the sweet peppers with hotter peppers, such as jalapeños, Fresno, or serrano peppers. Allspice Berries: These taste like a combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the spice aisle of grocery, we found that whole berries of all spices are less common, but we recommend purchasing a “pickles spice blend” instead. McCormick’s “Mixed Spicling Spices” includes allspice berries that I bought and chose from one berries for this recipe. It is also used to create a Sauerkraut. Canned food: These pickles are specially designed for fridges and are intended to be kept in the fridge at all times. However, if you have experience in canning, you can adapt to long-term shelf stability. This includes using sterilized jars, new lids and pressure cans. Nutrition facts shown below are estimates. Since it is difficult to calculate the amount of salt in the peppers, I included all the salt water in the calculations.
Nutrition per meal
Serving size
1/8 of a bottle (approx. 2 oz)
/
calorie
42
/
Total fat
0.2g
/
Saturated fat
0g
/
cholesterol
0mg
/
sodium
449.3mg
/
carbohydrates
7.1g
/
Dietary fiber
1.4g
/
Total sugar
5.6g
/
protein
0.7g
author:
We are Adam and Joan, who have been passionate about cooking and sharing trustworthy recipes since 2009. Our goal? To encourage you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh, flavorful meals with confidence.
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