Pickled chilies are a great addition to sandwiches, nachos, salads, tacos, and more! They're easy to make, no canning skills needed.
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I love pickles, y'all! Whether we're talking pickled carrots, pickled shallots, refrigerator pickles, pickled okra, pickled cabbage, or pickled radishes, no veggie is safe from me when there's a mason jar and some vinegar around! These pickled chilies are my newest pickling adventure, and they are so, so good.
You can use red chilies, green chilies, or a mix to make this recipe, which is based loosely on my quick pickled onions and jalapeños. I've changed the method a little bit to skip the stovetop and tweaked the spices, too.
Like my other pickle recipes, these are refrigerator pickles. They keep for around three weeks in the fridge and are not shelf stable. What they lose in shelf life, they make up for in ease. No boiling the brine or the jars, no need to worry about sterilizing equipment. Just mix, refrigerate, and you are good to go.
💖 Why You'll Love Pickled Chilies
- no-boil, super simple pickles
- spicy-sweet flavor is perfect for topping everything from chili to salads to tacos and more
- no canning skills needed!
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- chilies - Use hot red or green chilies or a mix! Slice them into about ¼" thick pieces.
- garlic - Adds a great flavor and umami. You can eat the pickled garlic, too!
- sugar and salt - Helps preserve the chilies and adds flavor. I've already reduced the sugar, so I wouldn't cut it down much more. If you want sweeter pickled chilies, you can add an extra tablespoon.
- whole spices - Coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns add so much flavor! You can omit any whole spices that you don't have. Your pickles will still be delicious!
- apple cider vinegar - The acidity from the vinegar preserves the pickles. You can use white vinegar instead, if needed.
- hot water - You want the water HOT! It helps dissolve the sugar and soften the chilies a bit.
🔪 How to Make Pickled Chilies
Add the garlic, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns to the bottom of a pint-size mason jar or any combination of jars in your kitchen that will hold around 2 cups total. Then, stuff the chilies into the jar.
Pour on the apple cider vinegar until the jar is halfway full. Make sure that your water is very hot, and pour enough water over the chilies to completely cover.
Close the lid, and shake the jar really well, until the sugar and salt dissolve. After shaking, you may find that there is room for more water. If so, go ahead and add more hot water to the jar, and shake again.
Set the jar on the counter to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, you can stick the jar into the fridge.
💡 Helpful Tips
- I can't stress enough that you want that water hot. It helps the sugar and salt dissolve.
- If you don't have one or two of the whole spices, you can omit them. I do not recommend using ground versions of these spices, because they won't dissolve well in the brine, and you don't want any of your pickles to have a gritty texture.
- Shake that jar really well to dissolve the sugar in the liquid.
🫙 Storage Directions
You can eat your pickled chilies as soon as they're cool enough to handle, but they're even better if you can wait about 24 hours, to give the chilies time to soak in that beautiful brine!
They will keep for up to three weeks in the fridge. DO NOT store in the pantry!
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
They are! Pickled chilies are about as hot as the chilies you started with. The sugar mellows the heat some but not a ton. You can add more sugar, if you want, but if you add a lot more, you may need to boil the vinegar and water with it to get it to dissolve.
I haven't met a chili yet that hasn't been great in a pickle. It really depends on the heat level you are going for. Choose milder chilies for milder results and hotter for a spicier pickle.
🍴 Recipes to Use Pickled Chilies
📖 Recipe
🌶️ Pickled Chilies
Equipment
- mason jar
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cups sliced chilies use red, green, or a mix!
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Add the garlic, sugar, salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns to the bottom of a pint-size mason jar or any combination of jars in your kitchen that will hold around 2 cups total. Then, stuff the chilies into the jar. Pour on the apple cider vinegar until the jar is half full of liquid.
- Make sure that your water is very hot, and pour enough water over the chilies to completely cover. Close the lid, and shake the jar really well, until the sugar and salt dissolve. After shaking, you will probably find that there is room for more water. If so, go ahead and add more hot water to the jar, and shake again.
- Set the jar on the counter to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, you can stick the jar into the fridge.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!