Pickled Sweet Peppers are easy to make with sliced peppers, onion, vinegar, sugar, and simple spices. They’re sweet, tangy and crunchy. Sealed jars will last up to 18-months.
Pickled peppers are perfect for sandwiches, toppings for pizza, omelets, and charcuterie boards. It’s a great way to preserve peppers when you have an abundance of them! This is my MOST popular canning recipe!
This pickled peppers recipe is one of my most popular canning recipes! Sealed jars will last up to 18-months on pantry shelves.
We always grew a large vegetable garden and tried to preserve everything we could. Not only were those jars of Marinara Sauce, Raspberry Rhubarb Jam, Mixed Berry Jam, jellies, Bread and Butter Pickles, Refrigerator Dill Pickles and vegetables used for ourselves, often we used them to barter with other farmers.
Pickling peppers is a summer tradition in our household. Place them on top of your favorite ham and cheese sandwich or add to an omelet. You can even serve them with sharp cheddar cheese and crackers. Be sure and try Pickled Red Onions.
Why this recipe works
- Uses simple ingredients – Simple to find ingredients readily available at most grocery stores.
- Flavor – Creates a flavorful, crispy pickled pepper with only a few ingredients.
- Control the ingredients – Making homemade pickled peppers free of preservatives and any additives.
- Stock your pantry – Sealed with jars of homemade pickled peppers that will last up to 18-months.
- Surplus of peppers – The perfect home canning recipe for using a surplus of bell peppers or sweet peppers.
What you’ll need
- Bell peppers – We love a mix of vibrant colors of bell peppers, including green, red, yellow and orange. Cut them in half, remove the seeds and cut into slices.
- Apple cider & white vinegar – These two vinegars mixed together create the perfect flavor combination for the brine for pickling peppers.
- Sugar – Adds just the right amount of sweetness to this recipe.
- Garlic cloves – We save time by purchasing pre-peeled garlic cloves in the refrigerated area in the produce section. Smash each clove with a chef’s knife to maximize the flavor.
- Whole peppercorns, celery seed and mustard seeds – Adds a pop of spice to these peppers.
These pickled peppers are super simple to make and you’ll be enjoying them all year long. As quick as I can make them, they’ve been consumed because they’re so addicting!
Canning equipment we love
- Mason jars – Easily locate them at Tractor Supply stores, Walmart and small independent hardware stores.
- Water bath canner – This large enamelware pot with tools will last a life time of canning. Order it here! You will need to water bath pickles to make shelf stable.
- Jar lifter – This is my favorite Ball jar lifter. It’s heavy duty built and rubber helps grip the canning jars well. You’ll use this to place jars into the water bath canner and remove after they are done.
With very simple canning equipment you’ll be making, jams, jellies, pickles and these Pickled Sweet Peppers.
All you need is the same Ball Water Bath Canner that your grandmother probably used. The same equipment she used, still works just as good today. Ball canning jars have been updated. You can re-use jars, but the lids need to be replaced with each new use.
How to make Pickled Sweet Peppers
- Make the brine – In a large pot combine salt, cider and white vinegars, water, sugar, garlic and spices. Bring to a boil over medium to high heat.
- Sterilize canning jars – Sterilize canning jars (either pint or quart jars) in the dishwasher or in a 16-quart canning pot.
- Stuff jars with peppers – Place the sliced peppers and onions into the jars. Press down to compact and make sure you have plenty of peppers and onions in each jar, as they will rise up to the surface during the processing.
- Add hot brine – Use a ladle to pour the brine into the jars over peppers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles.
- Add seals and bands – Wipe rims clean with clean damp paper towel. Center the seal and apply the bands fingertip tight.
- Process in water bath – Place jars in water bath canner and process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
- Wait 3-4 weeks – For optimal flavor, let the jars of pickled peppers sit and flavors develop for a few weeks.
Ball Canning has a great guide for anyone just getting going with home canning. They also have a great cookbook. It’s really simple canning sweet peppers and the jars will last unopened for up to 18-months.
More Home Canning and Pickle Recipes
- Bread and Butter Pickles
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Mixed Berry Jam
- Raspberry Rhubarb Jam
- Barbecue Sauce
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Pickled Sweet Peppers
Ingredients
Pickled Sweet Peppers
- 1 tablespoon pickling or kosher salt
- 6 cups cider vinegar
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 8-10 cloves garlic smashed
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 4 ½ to 5 pounds red, green, and orange bell peppers sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 large onion halved and sliced thinly
Instructions
Pickled Sweet Peppers
- In a large pot, make the brine. Place the salt, cider and white vinegars, water, sugar, garlic, and spices in a large pan and bring to a boil over medium to high heat.
- Sterilize your jars in a 16-quart canning pot. Place the sliced peppers and onions into the jars. Press down to compact and make sure you have plenty of peppers and onions in each jar, as they will rise up to the surface during the processing.
- Using a wide-mouth funnel, ladle hot pickling brine over top of the peppers and onions, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rim with a clean, damp paper towel. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band until the fit is fingertip tight.
- Place the jars in a water bath and process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove from the water bath. Allow to cool completely on the counter for 24 hours. For best flavor, let stand for 3 to 4 weeks before enjoying. Store the jars in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
- Once opened, store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Cynthia says
Can I substitute some of the white sugar with brown sugar?
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Cynthia,
I would recommend making this recipe just as written, without any substitions.
Marsha says
REF: Pickled Sweet Peppers
Your recipe calls for processing pint jars for 15 minutes. What length of TIME would you recommend for processing 1/2 pints?
Thanks
Jessica Robinson says
We don’t recommend half pint jars because peppers are too big to fit into them. We use pints or even quarts, depending on the length of the peppers and how many you have. Same process time for both of those.
MacKenzie Sklyarov says
Is it doable to use just white vinegar? Not necessarily for taste but In case I don’t have ACV when I decide to make it.
Jessica Robinson says
I would definitely encourage you to buy apple cider vinegar and follow the exact recipe on this one. Apple cider vinegar makes the sweet and tangy taste in this recipe.
Dan says
can you put cherry tomatoes with the peppers
Jessica Robinson says
I have not tested this and I’m not 100% sure because cherry tomatoes by themselves would normally be pressure canned.
Connie says
I do cherry tomatoes by themselves but they are not good with a hot brine. I do a cold brine much like the one used here and then add herbs.
The stay great in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Cathy Delana says
Can the sugar amount be decreased by at least half? Seems to be a lot of sugar for peppers that are already sweet to start.
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Cathy,
We would highly suggest that you make the recipe before trying to adjust it. It is NOT a lot of sugar for a big batch of pickled peppers. Again, before adjusting any recipe, we highly recommend you actually making it as written first. This recipe has been well-tested and many love it the way it is.
Pj says
Can you use 1/2 pint jars for gifts?
Jessica Robinson says
Of course you can put into half pint jars.
PATTY says
Everyone loves these peppers. Good on subs, cheese steaks hamburgers, hotdogs, and salads worth it to make it.
Jessica Robinson says
Oh my goodness… you’re making me hungry. Yes, they are perfect and delicious on cheesesteaks, cheeseburgers and hotdogs!!
Terry Baker says
Thank you for the advice and suggestions. Looked at a lot of different pickle brine recipes and thought I would give yours a try. I’ve never made anything picked before but do make a lot of jams and just started making my on smoked and cured meats. I did make one small adjustment, added Maraschino Cherries to the jars and the juice to the brine. About 1/2 cup and reduced the sugar slightly. Won’t know how the finished product turns out for about 4 weeks but the brine is very tasty, and I have never liked vinegar, but am very excited about these peppers. Used fresnos and jalapenos. Thank you once again.
John says
The best one…if you want them to be crunchy, soak your peppers in pickling lime overnight.
Greg says
Do you have a recipe for canned meduim hot banana pepper rings? For those I would think less sugar and cut the celery seed. Not sure on the tumeric either. The rest of the ingredients sound about right.
Jessica Robinson says
We do not own or use an air fryer so can not suggest a fry time. However, you can try it out and see what works. Or read the air fryer manual and see what it suggests.
Jennifer Atkins says
can this be done in a pressure canner? thank you jennifer
Sarah Meas says
I made a mistake of using quart size jars I think I saw the top photo and it looked just like a quart, I was clearly wrong, I keep running out of brine and had to make more.. I guess that should have been my first clue. Is this ok in quart size jars I processed in a WB for 15 mins.
Jessica Robinson says
Completely fine to make quart jars. You would not increase the water bath time with quarts!
Sue says
I made these a few days ago and had about a quart of brine leftover which I refrigerated. Can I heat that up again to can more peppers?
Jessica Robinson says
Keep it refrigerated for up to 1 week. But reheat and pour over more peppers or even make a quick pickle with the brine. Store that jar in the fridge.
Mary says
Can I use pickling vinegar instead if the apple cider and white vinegar combo?
Jessica Robinson says
Mary,
Pickling vinegar is JUST white vinegar. I would highly suggest you follow the recipe ingredients as written to have them come out properly.
Grady says
Can you divide recipe in half for smaller amount of peppers?
Jessica Robinson says
You certainly could. But jars will last sealed for 18 months and they make a great gift. I can never keep them in stock as soon as I make them!