Canning Hot Peppers

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Canning hot peppers is simple. Use this recipe and follow the tutorial to can any kind of hot pepper for long-term storage.


A couple years ago, I bought a pack of Jalapenos peppers. Honestly, I don’t like spicy food, so hot peppers were never my thing, but I do make a mean shakshuka that benefits from a couple of hot peppers and I also wanted to have enough to sell at the market cause people love Jalapenos. 

I planted the whole pack of seeds thinking I’d have plenty of peppers, and I did, but instead of Jalapenos I got a mix of many different hot peppers. Someone messed up that seed packet…

Canning Hot Peppers…

Canning hot peppers is simple. Use this recipe and follow the tutorial to can any kind of hot pepper for long-term storage.

I found myself with a few varieties of hot peppers that I couldn’t name and knew nothing about. They also didn’t sell too well at the market… I gave away some but I had so many. So I dried the thin ones and decided to can the rest of them.

Ingredients For Canning Hot Peppers….

Of course, you’ll need hot peppers. You can use this tutorial and recipe to can any kind of hot pepper you come across. You can also mix a few together in the same jar. In fact, you can use this recipe to can sweet peppers as well. If you only use hot peppers the result will be super spicy.

If you want to tone the spiciness down a little bit, you can mix some sweet peppers in there as well. You’ll need a total of 6 cups of peppers or about 1 pound of peppers. 

Aside from the hot peppers you’ll also need garlic, cause you know… Everything’s better with garlic. I used 3 cloves of garlic (one for each pint jar).

For the pickling liquid, you’ll need 3 cups of 5% vinegar (any kind will do just make sure that it’s 5% acidity. I used white vinegar), 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of kosher salt (or canning salt), and 2 tablespoons of sugar

Another ingredient that you might want to add is Ball Pickle Crisp. It’s completely optional, however some people like to add it to make sure their peppers stay more on the crispy side since they are going to soften a bit while in storage. If you choose to add the Pickle Crisp, add 1/8 teaspoon to each pint jar or 1/16 to each half-pint jar. 

This recipe will make 3 pint jars of canned hot peppers or 6 half pint jars. Feel free to double or triple it.

Tools For Canning Hot Peppers…

You don’t have to slice your hot peppers into rings as I did, you can slice them a different way and you can even can them whole if you’d like. If you choose to slice them, you’ll need a cutting board and a knife. To make the pickling liquid, you’ll need a small pot and a wooden spoon or a whisk for mixing.  

To can your hot peppers make sure that you have all the canning equipment that you’ll need. I like using pint jars for canning hot peppers but you can also use half-pint. You’ll need new lids but you can reuse the bands. You’ll need a ladle to fill the jars with jam, a paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before closing it, all of the canning utensils, and a water bath canner to process the jars in.

How to Can Hot Peppers…

A basket of hot peppers.

Step 1 – start by filling your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Set it on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Bring the water in the canner to a simmer (180 degrees F).

While the water in the canner is heating, wash the hot peppers well and slice them however you’d like (or leave them whole if you like and if they fit in the jar).

Slicing the hot peppers.

You can choose to leave the seeds or, if you’d like, remove them. The seeds add a lot of heat. For me, the peppers are already too hot so I removed the seeds.

Slicing the garlic.

Step 2 – peel the garlic cloves and half them or crush them so their juices can easily infuse the pickling liquid.

Packing the jars with peppers.

Step 3 – wash the jars, lids, and rings well with hot water and dish soap (Since we are going to process these jars in the canner for more than ten minutes there is no need to sanitize the jars). 

Pack the hot peppers into the jars and add one clove of garlic to each jar. Feel free to push the peppers in a bit and pack them tight in there but make sure to leave about an inch of headspace. If you chose to use Pickling Crisp, now is the time to add it to each jar. 

Making the pickling liquid.

Step 4 – to a small pot, add the vinegar, water, kosher salt, and sugar. Set the pot on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat.

Cleaning the rim of the jar.

Step 5 – ladle the hot pickling liquid over the hot peppers, make sure to leave 1/2 – 1 inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to remove bubbles by scraping it along the inside of the jar. Then, use a clean, damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar…

Closing the jars before processing.

Before centering the lid and closing the jar with the ring finger tight. Set the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower the rack into the simmering water. Cover the canner, turn the heat to high and bring the water in the canner to a boil. Process both half-pint and pint jars for 10 minutes. Remember to adjust processing time according to the table below if you live in altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation.

Altitude adjustment table.

Once processing time is over, turn the heat off and remove the lid from the canner. Let the jars stay in the water for 5 minutes. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Set them on a kitchen towel on the counter to cool completely, undisturbed, overnight.

Storing Canned Hot Peppers…

Canned hot peppers before storage.

Before you store your hot peppers, make sure that the jars have sealed by pressing on the center of each lid. If there is no movement there, the jar has sealed. If you find that you have a jar that didn’t seal, you can store it in the fridge to use first or you can try to process it again. 

Remove the bands from your jars (because they rust and stick), wipe the jars and store in the pantry or a kitchen cabinet for up to 18 months.

Serving Canned Hot Peppers…

Canned hot peppers can be used in so many ways. The easiest is to serve them as a side to a sandwich or add them to a sandwich. I think they will be a great addition to my pulled venison wrap, my homemade hamburger, or my bbq venison neck sandwich

They can also be added on top of chili if you want to spice things up a bit. I add them on top of my Southwest chicken chili or beef chili. They’ll also be a great addition to salads. You can add them to an egg salad and I think that they’ll be a great addition to this traditional red cabbage salad or a beetroot salad as well. 

These are just a few ideas for you. There are a million more ways to use canned hot peppers!


I love having a simple and basic recipe to turn to and this one is just that. If you ever find yourself with lots of hot peppers you can pretty quickly preserve them this way. I also love that I can mix up whatever peppers that I have, not just hot peppers. 

Home-canned peppers are also a really nice homemade gift for the holidays. Depending on what peppers you use, the jars can be colorful and pretty. Add a nice ribbon and a nice label and you have yourself a great homemade gift!

More Pepper Preserving Recipes…

If you’d like to check a couple more ways to preserve peppers, make sure to read my how to can peppers post. There, I used the roasting technique and described another one. I also love roasting poblano peppers and canning them. Another favorite is cowboy candy. Check out how to make cowboy candy which is basically candied jalapenos. It’s spicy and sweet and delicious.

During the growing season, I also like to use some of my peppers to make a red pepper paste. It’s a delicious spread and freezes very well (I use the rest of my red peppers to make these delicious Mediterranean stuffed peppers). And if I have too many jalapenos, I ferment some of them.

And last but not least, my favorite way of preserving peppers in vinegar and salt. This is a super simple way to preserve peppers (and other vegetables) without a canner or any sort of processing. My mother showed me how to do this when she was here for a visit and it’s definitely a recipe that you should have on hand!

From other bloggers – Gabriela from The Bossy Kitchen preserves hot peppers in just vinegar. If you like the taste of vinegar this is a simple recipe to check out.

Canning Hot Peppers

Canning Hot Peppers

Yield: 3 pints
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Processing Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Canning hot peppers is simple. Use this recipe and follow the tutorial to can any kind of hot pepper for long-term storage.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of hot peppers, sliced (check notes)
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved or crushed
  • 3 cups 5% acidity vinegar (any kind, I use white)
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt (or canning salt)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Ball Pickling Crisp (optional)

Instructions

  1. Start by filling your water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch. Set it on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Bring the water in the canner to a simmer (180 degrees F).
  2. Wash the jars, lids, and rings well with hot water and dish soap (Since we are going to process these jars in the canner for more than ten minutes, there is no need to sanitize the jars). 
  3. Pack the hot peppers into the jars and add one clove of garlic to each jar. Feel free to push the peppers in a bit and pack them tight in there but make sure to leave about an inch of headspace. If you chose to use Pickling Crisp, now is the time to add it to each jar. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon to each pint jar or 1/16 of a teaspoon to each half-pint jar. 
  4. To a small pot, add the vinegar, water, kosher salt, and sugar. Set the pot on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat. 
  5. Ladle the hot pickling liquid over the hot peppers, make sure to leave 1/2 - 1 inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to remove bubbles by scraping it along the inside of the jar. Then, use a clean, damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jar before centering the lid and closing the jar with the ring finger tight. 
  6. Set the jars on the rack of the water bath canner and lower into the simmering water. Cover the canner, turn the heat to high and bring the water in the canner to a boil. Process both half pint and pint jars for 10 minutes. Remember to adjust processing time according to the table below if you live in altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation.
  7. Once processing time is over, turn the heat off and remove the lid from the canner. Let the jars stay in the hot water for 5 minutes. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Set them on a kitchen towel on the counter to cool completely, undisturbed, overnight.
  8. Before you store your hot peppers, make sure that the jars have sealed by pressing on the center of each lid. If there is no movement there, the jar has sealed. If you find that you have a jar that didn’t seal, you can store it in the fridge to use first or you can try to process it again. 
  9. Remove the bands from your jars (because they rust and stick), wipe the jars and store in the pantry or a kitchen cabinet for up to 18 months.

Notes

Peppers to use - you can mix a few kinds of hot peppers together in the same jar. In fact, you can use this recipe to can sweet peppers as well. If you only use hot peppers the result will be super spicy. If you want to tone the spiciness down a little bit, you can mix some sweet peppers in there as well.

Slice the peppers however you’d like (or leave them whole if you like and if they fit in the jar). You can choose to leave the seeds or, if you’d like, remove them. The seeds add a lot of heat. For me, the peppers are already too hot so I remove the seeds. 

Processing time - remember to adjust the processing time if you live in altitudes above 1,000 feet in elevation according to the table below…

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1 pint
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4317mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 6gSugar: 24gProtein: 6g

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15 thoughts on “Canning Hot Peppers”

    1. Mmmm… I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it before. The thing is, freezing changes the consistency for the vegetable. I am guessing that the peppers will fall apart if you try to can them after they were frozen.

  1. Kimberly Richburg

    I just canned my peppers using your recipe. Thanks so much for the help. I use to can when I was younger but had forgotten some things & your recipe made it so easy. I am now starting to can again since I am retired. Loving it.

  2. Hello, my name is Diana, my email is dijela42@yahoo.com. my mom used to can hot peppers (cayenne), but I never got her recipe, and she passed away many years ago. So I was so happy to find you!! ??????? I have so many peppers and I wanted to know how to preserve them. And now I know thanks to “Lady Lee Home!!!”

  3. Thank you for featuring my recipe of hot peppers in vinegar on your website and for the credit. I really appreciate it. I also liked your post. There are so many ways to preserve peppers and all good!

    1. Oh yeah! The possibilities are endless. I don’t use vinegar much but liked your recipe. Thanks for stopping by!

  4. This recipe does not have water in the list of ingredients but is listed in the instructions. What is the amount of water needed?

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