Pickling, especially quick pickling, is a chef's secret. And a tried-and-true pastime for preserving the season's bounty. Pickled jalapeños are spicy, tart, and a beautiful garnish for a variety of Latin and Mexican dishes. And once you commit your pickling liquid ratio to memory, you can take chilis or any fresh vegetable to another level in no time at all.
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The Story
The art of the quick pickle is to take a leaf out of the professional chef's handbook. And truly, any method for pickling vegetables is simple. Especially if you don't plan to go the fermentation route. Or preserve your batches in the event of the apocalypse.
This easy technique is a quick way to salvage vegetables one day away from a sticky end in the trash bin. Whether whole or sliced jalapeños, cabbage, bell peppers, root vegetables, husbands, or even children (the last two are a joke, for the record).
Pickling whole chili peppers like jalapeños is perhaps the simplest of all. No cutting. Minimal slicing. Bring a few ingredients to a boil, pour over the chilis, and cool. Spicy, sour, sweet peppers coming right up for your cheesy, crunchy nachos supreme. Or just an antioxidant-loaded afternoon snack straight out of the jar.
Buying Jalapeños
Look for jalapeños that are deep, rich green, and unblemished. The stems may possess a bit of woody or brown blemishing, but no part of the pepper should have any black spots. This is a sign of bacterial rot.
Green jalapeños, the most common on store shelves, are actually underripe. And occasionally you can find ripe, bright red jalapeños from a local store or farmer's market. Classic green chilis offer an earthier, grassier more mild heat. Red jalapeños are riper, a bit sweeter (relatively speaking), but contain more of the compound capsaicin that gives chilis their heat.
Ingredients
The word simple can quickly become overused on the subject of pickling. But truly, outside your fresh harvest of vegetables, the ingredients you need to pickle jalapeños (or any vegetable), are basic.
- jalepeños (or your vegetable of choice)
- vinegar, either white, white wine, or even apple cider vinegar
- granulated sugar or honey
- pure salt (no anti-caking agents or sugar-added salts)
- whole spices, optional
- fresh, peeled garlic cloves, optional
On Vinegar
Choosing white vinegar for pickling will give you the most expected, classic flavor. Although chefs rarely use plain white vinegar when there are so many more exciting choices! For spicy chilis like jalapeños, white wine or apple cider vinegar add an interesting tang.
This pickling ingredient is one where the sky is the limit, and you can experiment until you find your favorite. Kinds of vinegar to avoid would be any that are aged, like balsamic or malt vinegar. The sugar content is too high in an aged vinegar to play nice in a brine.
On Choosing Salt
Any pure, unadulterated salt works for pickling. Kosher salt, sea salt, or any brand labeled as "pickling salt" will do. Types of salt to avoid include iodized or any table salt with anti-caking agents or sugar added. Yes, food processing companies even add the white death to table salt (insert eye roll).
Equipment
Unless you plan to can your pickled loot for long-term storage, you don't need fancy equipment. Just a pot and heat-proof jar or glass dish. Pint jars are easy to find and the common choice, but any jar will do. Just be sure to completely cover the jalapeños with the pickling liquid before you close up shop.
- medium pot
- colander or strainer
- measuring cups and spoons (or digital kitchen scale)
- pint jars, stainless steel bowl, or heat-proof food storage containers
The Ratios
At the most basic level, a traditional pickling liquid begins with equal parts water and vinegar. Sugar and salt amounts vary depending on your preferences.
A variation on this basic formula I learned working at Bouchon Bistro was 2:1:1, water: vinegar: sugar. This ratio gives you a mildly sour pickle that doesn't overwhelm you in any one direction. Another popular ratio is 3:2:1, water: vinegar: sugar. My favorite formula splits the difference between the above two classic versions.
Basic Pickling Liquid Ratio
1 part water + 1 part vinegar + ½ part sugar
It gives you a nice balance between sour and sweet. I prefer a half to a full teaspoon of kosher salt for every cup of total liquid. For a tangier liquid more like a brine, add a little more salt. For a sweeter version that leans towards bread-and-butter-style pickles, use up to one part sugar.
The Method
The simplest approach to pickling is to bring the liquid ingredients to a boil, then pour the hot liquid over the jalapeños. You can briefly boil the chilis or cook them for a minute or two in your pickling liquid. But for jalapeños and more delicate vegetables like onions, this isn't entirely necessary. However, if you prefer milder heat levels, briefly boil sliced peppers before pickling.
For denser roots like carrots, blanching (briefly boiling) softens their texture. And helps more fibrous types absorb the flavors of the pickling liquid.
The Steps
Before you begin, rinse the jalapeños in cold water and pat them dry. Prepare your landing zone, whether pint jars, a glass dish, or a stainless steel mixing bowl. If you plan to slice or cut spicy peppers like jalapeños, it can be smart to wear disposable gloves.
If you don't have disposable gloves, take great care not to touch your face or eyes while cutting. And wash your hands and your cutting board thoroughly once you are done. The compound capsaicin lives mostly in the white pith of chilis. And even a small amount in your eye is extremely unpleasant (in full disclosure, I know this from personal experience).
- Cut or slice the jalapeños (or other vegetables) to your liking. Pepper slices that are about a quarter of an inch thick work well for quick pickling.
- For a milder pickled jalapeño, drop the peppers in a pot of boiling water for two minutes. Drain and place in your jars or bowl.
- If you plan to store the jalapeños or vegetables in jars, place as many whole jalapeños or slices as will snugly fit in each one. Add any peeled, whole garlic cloves or whole spices. Or place the jalapeños and seasonings in a heat-proof bowl.
- In a medium pot, bring the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt just to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Pour the warm pickling solution over the peppers and/or vegetables. Be sure all of the vegetables are submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil, or close the jars with the lid.
- Cool the pickled vegetables to room temperature. Then serve, or store them in the refrigerator. If you are canning your pickled loot, follow proper canning protocol to ensure your batches are safe for consumption and don't harbor clostridium botulinum bacteria that causes botulism. As part of my food safety training, I studied botulism in-depth. It's a terrifying disease that comes on quickly. And not worth the risk over a few jars of peppers.
Storage
The higher the ratio of vinegar to the other ingredients in your brine, the longer the pickled jalapeños will last in the refrigerator. On average I get about two weeks out of a quick pickled vegetable before the freshness wanes or mold shows up. Use your best judgment. And to store your pickles for the long term, follow proper canning protocol.
Diet Variations
Pickling vegetables is naturally a vegan and grain-free endeavor. And you can easily create a pickling liquid free from processed sugar to accommodate a paleo or ketogenic diet.
Paleo or GAPS Diet. For a sweet pickling liquid without processed sugar, simply swap in half the amount of honey. Honey is twice as sweet as sugar, so you need much less. While maple syrup, monk fruit, and coconut sugar are popular sweeteners in paleo recipes, they don't work great in pickle brine.
Keto. As is predictable, ditch the sugar in the pickling liquid. The flavor profile will be significantly different but will keep the fat burning. And stick with lower-carbohydrate vegetables like chilis, onions, shallots, and those in the cabbage family. Avoid sweeter root vegetables like carrots and parsnips.
Frequently Asked Questions
You certainly don't have to boil the vinegar or brine when pickling, but doing so offers tasty benefits. First, a warm pickling liquid will permeate the vegetables better. Especially if you also briefly boil the vegetables before combining. Warm ingredients speed up the pickling process, and you'll be enjoying tangy, sweet, crispy goodness sooner.
Second, boiling the brine ingredients allows the salt and sugar to dissolve nicely into the liquids. It also releases volatile oils from any herbs and spices. And this creates deeper flavors that would otherwise remain untapped.
If you are after immediate enjoyment of your pickled peppers, cool the warm peppers to room temperature first, then refrigerate. You can keep any pickled vegetable chilled for up to a month. At the first sign of any mold or bad smell, discard.
If you choose to properly can and store your pickled jalapeños according to safety guidelines, the jalapeños will last for up to a year on the shelf. Once you open a jar, be sure to keep it refrigerated.
The real answer is any vegetables that you enjoy! On a basic level, vegetables that take nicely to the tart flavors of a pickling liquid or brine are sturdier vegetables with either a natural sweetness, spiciness, or pungent characteristics. Think root vegetables, chilis, or alliums like onions, garlic, and shallots.
Edible Epilogue
True pickled vegetables of any kind are fermented and take days, if not weeks, to reach their prime. This method of quick pickling can be done in less than 30 minutes. It might not give you that fermented dill feeling, but will surely spice up your next meal. Especially biting into a whole pickled jalapeño. From a tray full of nachos.
Sweet, salty, spicy, and loaded with crunch. There's a reason the best chefs add pickled everything to their dishes. The best part about pickling at home is you can control the sweet-sour ratio by adjusting the sugar content up or down. So go ahead and cheat so you can crunch right in.
📖 Recipe
Quick Pickled Jalapeños Recipe
More of a method than a recipe, this way of pickling is perfect when you want to spice up your meal in a pinch! And what's great is the chilis or any quick-pickled vegetables will become more nuanced and delicious as the days pass.
This formula gives you a pickling liquid that has a nice balance of sweet and sour. For less or more of either, simply adjust the sugar amount.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 pickled whole jalapeños 1x
Ingredients
- 4-8 whole jalapeños
- 2-6 peeled garlic cloves, optional
- 2 tablespoons each whole mustard seed, whole fennel seed, peppercorns, or allspice berries, optional
- 1½ cups of water
- 1½ cups of white, white wine, rice, or apple cider vinegar
- 1½ cups of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
Instructions
- Cut or slice the jalapeños (or other vegetables) to your liking. Pepper slices that are about a quarter of an inch thick work well for quick pickling.
- For a milder pickled jalapeño, boil the peppers for two minutes. Drain and place in your jars or bowl.
- If you plan to store the jalapeños or vegetables in jars, place as many whole jalapeños or slices as will snugly fit in each one. Three to four average-size whole jalapeños should fit in one pint-size mason jar. If you are slicing your chilis, you may need fewer jars. Or you can place the jalapeños in a heat-proof bowl.
- Evenly distribute any peeled, whole garlic cloves or whole spices to the jars or add them to the bowl.
- In a medium pot, bring the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt just to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Pour the warm pickling solution into the jars or in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or screw the lids onto the jars.
- Cool the pickled vegetables to room temperature. Then serve, or store them in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.
Notes
On Jars
You can use any heat-proof jar or container you have on hand if you are not planning to preserve the pickled vegetables. Or more simply for pickles being served the same day, use a mixing bowl as your marinating vessel.
On Slicing
Pickling whole chilis is a simple and quick way to add flavor. But when pickling whole jalapeños, the chilis need a few days soaking in the liquid to soften and deepen in flavor. For a batch of pickled jalapeños that is ready to enjoy the same day, slice your peppers into thin strips or rounds.
On Serving & Storing
The pickled jalapeños can be served within a few hours (once cooled), but if you let them linger in the refrigerator they'll get tastier with time. If you plan to preserve your pickled jalapeños, be sure to follow proper canning protocol to ensure your batches are safe for consumption and don't harbor clostridium botulinum bacteria that causes botulism. As part of my food safety training, I studied botulism in-depth. It's a terrifying disease that comes on quickly. And a few jars of pickles are not worth the risk.
On Nutrition Information
The Nutrition Information below is based on the recipe as written, using 12 whole jalapeños. It also assumes you are consuming one-twelfth of the pickling liquid with each pepper. So unless you drink the brine, you will consume less sugar and salt than is listed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Recipes
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pickled jalapeño
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 38.5 g
- Sodium: 470.7 mg
- Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.6 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: how to quick pickle vegetables, pickling recipe, pickling liquid ratio
Brian
These are amazing! Nachos, sandwiches, salads - we made a large batch with sliced jalapeños and they last forever. The flavor is amazing!