Did you end up with an over abundance of jalapeño chili peppers this year? Preserve that harvest into shelf-stable jars of pickled jalapeño slices. They taste hot and spicy with a vinegary kick.
In this canning recipe, sliced jalapeño peppers are packed into jars, covered with a simple garlic infused vinegar pickling brine, and processed in a water bath canner for shelf stable jars. Pickled jalapeños come in handy to add spice to nachos, sandwiches, and salads.
Tips for Canning Pickled Jalapeños
Pickling peppers is pretty straightforward, but here are some tips to make the best quality pickled jalapeños:
Use freshly harvested jalapeños
As with all pickled produce, harvesting and preserving within a day or so will give you a higher quality product. Choose freshly harvested jalapeños with firm flesh and bruise free skins. Skip peppers that have cracks, soft spots, or are shriveled. Trim and freeze these instead.
This recipe is for green jalapeño peppers, but you can use red, or even swap out the type of hot peppers as long as the amount of peppers stays the same.
Wear gloves
Hot pepper juices can burn. Wear rubber gloves when handling chile peppers and avoid touching your skin and eyes.
Use commercial vinegar with 5% acidity
The level of acidity when canning pickles is as important for safety, flavor, and texture. Use commercial vinegar with 5% acidity.
- White vinegar is clear vinegar made by distilling corn and rye. It tastes more sour and acidic than apple cider vinegar, but this may be just what you love about pickles. Choose an organic brand to avoid genetically modified corn.
- Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples. It has a fruity tart flavor that blends well with vegetables. The color is amber brown and may darken your pickles slightly, but the flavor is worth it.
Steps for Canning Pickled Jalapeño Rings
Canning pickled jalapeños is an easy way to preserve them. Simply, fill your jars with sliced jalapeños, cover them with a garlic flavored vinegar pickling brine, and process in a water bath canner.
When canning, it is important to use a recipe that has been scientifically tested. This is a tested safe canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, “Hot Peppers.” It has been adjusted for a smaller batch of 5 half-pint jars. The proportions of ingredients remain the same for safe canning.
If you are new to canning, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the general steps for making and canning pickled jalapeño slices:
Step 1: Gather your canning gear
- Water bath canner and canning rack
- 5 half-pint canning jars
- Canning lids and bands
- Canning tools: lid lifter, jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
- Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large prep bowl, small pot, kitchen towels, knife, and a cutting board.
Step 2: Prepare the canning equipment
Wash your canning jars, lids, and equipment in warm, soapy water and rinse well.
Place the jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, and fill the jars and canner with enough water to cover jars. Bring the canner to a boil over high heat, and then boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
Warm your lids in a small pot of water over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm.
Step 3: Prepare the jalapeños
Wash the peppers well under clean running water and air dry on a kitchen towel.
While wearing gloves, remove the stems and cut the peppers into 1-inch slices or rings. Set aside.
Step 4: Make the pickling liquid
Combine the vinegar, water, and garlic in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic.
Step 5: Can the peppers
Use a pair of tongs or wear gloves and add the jalapeño slices to the warm jars. Ladle hot pickling liquid over the peppers, and process in a water bath canner.
Let the jars cool, test the seals, label and date the jars, and store the canned jalapeños in a cool, dark location.
- 1 1/2 pounds jalapeño peppers
- 3 cups white vinegar or apple cider vinegar 5%
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
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Wash the jars and lids well in warm, soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Check the rims for nicks and cracks.
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Place the jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, and fill the jars and canner with enough water to cover jars. Bring the canner to a boil over high heat, and then boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
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Warm your lids in a small pot of water over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm.
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Rinse the chiles well under clean running water and air dry on a kitchen towel.
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Slip on a pair of gloves to prevent burns, remove the stems, and cut the peppers into 1-inch slices or rings. Set aside.
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Add the vinegar, water, and garlic to a large saucepot. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic. Keep warm.
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Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Remove the warm jars from canner using the jar lifter. Drain the water back into the canner and line up the jars on the towel.
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Use the canning funnel and fill the jars with the jalapeño slices.
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Ladle hot pickling liquid over the peppers and maintain a 1/4-inch headspace.
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Run the bubble popper through the jars to release air bubbles.
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Use the magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.
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Use the jar lifter to place the jars back into water bath canner leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is 1-inch over the tops of the jars. If adding water, use the hot water from your small pot.
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Cover the canning pot and bring it to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once the pot boils, process half-pints for 10 minutes at attitude of 1,000 feet or less. (Adjustments must be made for altitudes greater than 1,000 ft.)
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When processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow the canner to cool down for 5-minutes.
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Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use a jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Allow the jars to cool in place for 12 hours. You should hear the satisfactory "ping" of the jar lids sealing as the jars cool.
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After 12 hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid failed to seal, refrigerate the jar.
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Remove the screw on bands and rinse the jars. Label, date, and store in a cool, dark location. Refrigerate once jar is opened. Use home canned jars within a year. Makes about 5 half-pint jars of picked jalapeños.
- This is a tested safe canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving "Hot Peppers." It has been adjusted for 5 half-pint jars. Altering the recipe may make it unsafe for canning.
- All times are at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. Adjustments must be made for altitudes greater than 1,000 ft.
You May Also Like:
- How to Can Diced Green Chiles
- 3 Ways to Preserve Peppers
- Zesty Tomato Salsa Canning Recipe
- Marinated Roasted Red Peppers Canning Recipe
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