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These homemade pickled jalapeños are tangy, slightly sweet, and perfectly spicy! They’re ready in just 35 minutes and are the perfect condiment for tacos, nachos, burgers, enchiladas, and more!
Pickled jalapeños are a staple in my Mexican kitchen. They’re one of those condiments (along with my Mexican pickled onions) that’s always in my fridge.
Even though I usually have a store-bought jar stockpiled in my pantry just in case, I much prefer making my own from scratch. Not only are they so quick and easy to prepare, but homemade tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the store!
While you can make these pickled jalapeños with only peppers, I love adding carrots, onions, and garlic as well as other seasonings like oregano to add tons of flavor to the brine. It’s just so much better than plain!
What Are Quick Pickled Jalapeños?
Pickled jalapeños are jalapeño peppers that are preserved in a vinegar-based brine, often along with spices like garlic, sugar, salt, and oregano, and sometimes include the addition of other vegetables like carrots and onions, especially in Mexican cuisine.
These pickled peppers are often served as a condiment on tacos, nachos, burgers, and so much more.
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil: Used to saute the vegetables and helps build that signature Mexican pickled jalapeño (aka escabeche) flavor.
- Jalapeños: You’ll need 8 large jalapeños for this recipe. See the Recipe Tips section below for how to adjust the spice level to your liking.
- Carrots, onions, garlic cloves: These extra vegetables add flavor and texture. You can leave them out or add more different veggies like cauliflower or even green beans. The carrots and onions are definitely more Mexican escabeche-style.
- Distilled white vinegar: The main pickling ingredient. I recommend using distilled white vinegar over other vinegars for its neutral taste and pure tanginess.
- Water: A bit of water is mixed with vinegar to help balance the acidity.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, sugar, peppercorns, oregano, and bay leaves all add flavor to the brine.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Pickled Jalapeños
Sauté the jalapeños, carrots, onions, and garlic in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat in some olive oil for 10 minutes.
Add the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, black peppercorns, oregano, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. This is when all flavors really start to meld together and your kitchen start to smell amazing!
Transfer the vegetables to a glass mason jar or two. Cover them with the cooking liquid and let them sit on the counter to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month or eaten immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh produce. Fresh jalapeños, carrots, and onions make all the difference in flavor and texture.
- Glass jars are best. Avoid plastic containers, as the acidity of the vinegar can react with plastic. I really like these glass mason jars.
- Don’t have whole black peppercorns? You can omit them, and the flavor won’t be drastically affected.
- Increase the shelf life. This recipe uses a quick pickling method that will keep your jalapeños fresh in the fridge for up to 1 month. To increase shelf life, use proper canning techniques so they can last you year-round.
How to Adjust the Spice Level
The best part about making pickled jalapeños at home is being able to make them just the way you like them. Here are some tips on how to adjust the spice level:
- For hot – slice the jalapeños into rounds and use them as is.
- For medium – slice the jalapeños into rounds and discard the seeds.
- For mild – slice the jalapenos into rounds and discard the seeds and veins.
Variations and Additions
- Add herbs. Toss in a few sprigs of fresh cilantro or thyme for an herbal twist.
- Use different peppers. Try serrano peppers for a spicier kick or banana peppers for a milder option.
- Add more vegetables. Cauliflower and green beans would also be great in this!
- Make it a little sweeter. Add an extra tablespoon of sugar for a sweeter brine.
Ways to Use Pickled Jalapeños
Pickled jalapeños make great toppings and pair well with almost any meal (at least in my book).. A few of my favorite ways to enjoy them are on:
- Tacos: Top carnitas, barbacoa, or flank steak tacos for a tangy crunch.
- Nachos: Scatter them over loaded sheet pan nachos for extra tang. This is probably my favorite way to eat them!
- Sandwiches and burgers: Add them onto a torta de milanesa, torta ahogada, classic Mexican torta for a flavorful kick.
- Quesadillas: Serve on the side or tuck them into a cheese quesadilla, black bean quesadillas, or in sheet pan quesadillas.
- Marinades and dressings: I love pickled jalapeños so much, I even use them to make my jalapeño ranch and in the best chicken marinade ever!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe for quick pickled jalapeños lasts 1 month in the fridge.
Absolutely! Adding extra vegetables like carrots and onions add extra flavor and texture. Cauliflower is also a popular addition.
Quick pickling is the cooking method used in this recipe where the jalapeños and vegetables are simmered for a short amount of time and stored in a jar in the fridge. Canning jalapeños requires a slightly different technique with specific equipment, but will greatly increase the shelf life and can be stored at room temperature.
Yes, but it will add a slightly fruity flavor to the brine.
Storage
Pickled jalapeños can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.
I don’t recommend freezing them as it can affect the texture and flavor of the vegetables.
If you want to store them even longer, consider canning them using proper canning techniques. Here’s a great post on how to can pickled jalapeños.
More Homemade Condiments
Did you make this pickled jalapeño recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! I love hearing about your experience, and it also helps others!
Pickled Jalapeños
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 large jalapeño peppers, stemmed and sliced into rounds
- 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeños, carrots, onion, and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, mix together, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the vegetables to a container or jar. Pour the cooking liquid on top of the vegetables to cover them completely, and let them sit on the counter to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Use fresh produce. Fresh jalapeños, carrots, and onions make all the difference in flavor and texture.
- Glass jars are best. Avoid plastic containers, as the acidity of the vinegar can react with plastic. I really like these glass mason jars.
- Don’t have whole black peppercorns? You can omit them, and the flavor won’t be drastically affected.
- Increase the shelf life. This recipe uses a quick pickling method that will keep your jalapeños fresh in the fridge for up to 1 month. To increase shelf life, use proper canning techniques so they can last you year-round.
- Adjust the spice level. You can adjust the spice level of your pickled jalapeños by removing or leaving in the ribs and seeds. For a mild spice, remove them, and for an extra spicy kick, leave them in.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in August 2018 and was updated in January 2025 with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
These are so good! Can they be frozen?
Hi Dennis! Technically they can, but I don’t know if they would taste very good after they’re defrosted. Pickled jalapeños can last awhile, up to a month, in the fridge if that helps!
Super easy to follow. I didn’t add as many jalapeños but did add cumin as someone suggested.
WHAT. A. YUMMY. RESULT!!
Thank you!
Hi Paula! Thank you so much! When I make these, the carrots are my favorite.
I want to make these for my husband. He loves pickled peppers. I’m from NC, and my mom’s family always had a jar of Texas Pete pickled tabasco peppers in the fridge and would drizzle the vinegar brine on slow cooked turnip greens and collards. I bet these peppers would also be awesome on greens. My husband has picked up the habit.
We used to live in Chicago, which has a lot of great Mexican restaurants. One made pickled carrots and served them on every table with tortilla chips and salsa. I’ve made them and really love them. The recipe that restaurant used had cumin in it which really made the carrots special.
Now that different colored carrots are more available, the different colors like purple and white would make a jar of pickled peppers and carrots look so pretty.
I have made the pickled jalapeños with carrots and onions! So. Darn. Good!! I took them into work and then a coworker liked them so much she has made them for her family. I shared them with some doctors I work with and they also loved them. I am getting ready to make more and may add some habenero to a jar as one of the doctors REALLY likes hot!! Thank you for sharing!!
BEST Jalapeno recipe EVER! A friend of mine made these for us and I had to ask her for the exact same recipe she used. Our families FAVORITE. we add them to almost everything. Thanks for sharing with us.
Why the sugar and can the sugar be omitted??
Just for a touch of sweetness to round out the peppers. You can omit it if you’d like, but the small amount of sugar really gives these that taqueria flavor.
These are delicious!! Will definitely make again.
To store these cook as directed but put in hot sterile jars seal. I put up just the peppers and have not problems.
Thanks for the tip, Helen!
How long do they last that way. I wanted to make this for Christmas gifts, but I want them to last longer than a month. I’m new to these kinds of recipes…learning curve here. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been meaning to try this for so long. It sounds so easy. I have a couple of potentially dumb questions though. Can you do this with any peppers (i.e. Serranos or Poblanos). Also, what would I do differently for longer term storage like typical canning?
Yes, you can use this recipe for any peppers! In regards to longer storage, I’m not quite sure. I’ve never properly canned anything before. Here’s a great resource from my friend Cassie that you might find helpful – https://wholefully.com/canning-101/.
How long do these need to sit before munching on the little devils
Hello Hunter! We suggest waiting until it reaches room temperature before enjoying!
I have some Hot Banana Peppers that are good roasted. Should I roast them first, or after. They taste green when eaten raw. TIA.
I would roast them first and then eat them by themselves or use them in a recipe.