Pickled Jalapeños are delicious on their own, but they are also a delicious spicy and crunchy topping for almost ANYTHING including tacos, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more!

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INGREDIENTS + INSPIRATION

Pickled Jalapeños are one of my favourite toppings that I always have in my fridge. They’re great to add in sandwiches, on top of nachos or you can just eat them straight out of the jar if you love spicy food! They’re a great way to preserve your jalapeños, too, if you happen to grow them at home or bought a lot of them at once, as they’ll stay good in the fridge for up to a month or more.

All you need to make your own Pickled Jalapeños are five simple ingredients that you already have in your kitchen:

fresh jalapeños + water + vinegar + salt + sugar = spicy pickle heaven

HOW TO MAKE QUICK PICKLED JALAPEÑOS

hands placing sliced jalapenos into a jar

pouring hot liquid into jar of jalapeños

Making your own Pickled Jalapeños is literally as easy as 1-2-3! Pickling is comprised of just two easy components: your fresh ingredients, which in this case is our fresh jalapeño peppers and the brine which is made up of water, vinegar, salt and sugar, and any additional whole spices and herbs you may want to add for extra flavour. The brine is what’s going to preserve your produce and all give it that tangy, pickly flavour that we all know and love.

You’ll need about 6-9 large jalapeños as well as a quart-sized (32 oz.) glass jar. Plastic will NOT do as we will be pouring boiling hot liquid inside it. You’ll be using equal parts filtered water and distilled white vinegar, about 1 and a quarter cup each. You could also use apple cider vinegar as well if that’s what you have. The flavour will be slightly different but still delicious. Lastly, measure out 1.5 tsp sea salt (or kosher salt) and 2 tsp sugar (either plain white or coconut sugar works fine).

In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, salt and sugar and mix. Place on the stove and bring to a boil, ensuring the salt and sugar dissolves completely.
While the brine comes to a boil, slice your jalapeños into coins and stuff them into the glass jar.
Pour the boiling hot brine over the jalapeños in the jar and let sit until cool. Seal with the lid, place in the fridge for at least 4 hours and enjoy!

OPTIONAL MIX-INS

close-up shot of spoon full of whole spices

You can add additional whole pickling spices and crushed garlic cloves if you want to, but it’s not absolutely required for your Pickled Jalapeños to still be delicious. I whipped up a pickling spice blend in a jar with what I had on hand, but here’s what I recommend (use any of these whole spices if you have them):

black peppercorns
coriander seeds
mustard seeds
whole cloves

red chilli flakes
cinnamon bark
crushed bay leaves
dill weed

SPICE, SPICE, BABY

If you’ve never tried making Pickled Jalapeños, I promise they’re not going to last long in your fridge once you try them! These will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 months, but note that they are the crunchiest within the first week. I can pretty much guarantee though that you’re going to be putting them on everything

If you’ve made it this far into the blog post, you really are an exceptional human! Tried and loved this recipe? I’d be eternally grateful if you left a star-rating and review below!

If you’re looking for more summer BBQ recipes, you might want to check out my Quick Pickled Red Onions, Asian-Inspired Tofu Salad Rolls, or Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for dessert!

Lastly, if you made this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVeganKitchen and use hashtag #SteamyVeganKitchen! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up!