Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peppers Recipe

Aaron picked a peck of peppers to pickle. Deanna and Aaron pickled a peck of peppers that Aaron picked. The picked peppers that they pickled were perfect! Now I want to teach you how to make our favorite, quick-and-easy, refrigerator pickled peppers recipe. Yup, no canning required! Though, you could can them – if you desire. These pickled peppers are delectably tangy, just a tad sweet, and as spicy as you make them!

Truth be told, we grow banana peppers pretty much just to make this recipe! They’re excellent prepared other ways of course, but are exceptional when pickled – much like a classic pepperoncini! However, banana peppers aren’t the only type of pepper that you can use for this refrigerator pickled pepper recipe. Hot, mild, sweet, savory… use whatever variety of pepper your taste buds or garden dictate! (Find our top tips to grow your own peppers here)

We have pickled jalapeños, spicy corn de chevre peppers, and even sweet bell peppers in this same manner. Personally, we prefer to save our hot peppers for making homemade chili powder! See how we make chili powder in this easy tutorial.

Ready to get pickling? 

INGREDIENTS

Per quart jar, stuffed with peppers of your choice:

• Peppers of choice – the amount will vary, depending on pepper size
• 1 cup of filtered water
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• About a dozen peppercorns
• A few sprigs of fresh dill 
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 heaping tablespoon sea salt and sugar each
• A sprinkle of celery seed

We typically make several quart jars at once, or one large half-gallon jar, so we triple the recipe by combining 3 cups of vinegar, 3 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of salt and sugar each, and just under ½ teaspoon celery seed.

Optional: Grape, oak, black tea, or horseradish leaves. All of these leaves contain tannins that help the peppers stay more crisp. I highly suggest adding them if you choose to hot-bath can pickled peppers. The heat will cause them to soften much more than the refrigerator method!

Speaking of canning, if you intend to hot-bath can this pickled pepper recipe, increase the vinegar-to-water ratio than what is listed above. For food safety, adjust the recipe to be about 3 times the amount of vinegar to water. For example, 1.5 cups of vinegar and 1/2 cup of water, scaling both up as needed.

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Prepare Jars

In the bottom of each glass mason jar (or similar container), add a few sprigs of fresh, washed dill. Peel 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, crush them lightly with the wide side of a knife, and throw them in the jar as well. Finally, add a pinch of peppercorns. We add about a dozen per quart jar. If you are using grape or oak leaves, add one or two to the bottom of each jar now. We’ve done it both ways, and simply didn’t have any available to use this time!

Step 2: Create A Pickling Brine

On the stovetop, combine equal parts white vinegar and water in a pot. Next, add equal parts sugar and sea salt, plus a sprinkle of celery seed – following the amounts list above. Stir, and lightly heat the mixture until the salt and sugar has dissolved.

We don’t want to add the brine to the peppers when it is piping hot though! “Cooking” the peppers in boiling brine will make them soften. Therefore, allow the brine to cool a bit while you are preparing and packing the peppers in jars. Lukewarm is good.

Step 3: Prepare & Poke Peppers

You have probably noticed that we leave our peppers whole for this refrigerator pickled pepper recipe! We have found that this helps maintain crispness. It also reduces the preparation effort upfront. Later, we can either snack on the pickled peppers whole, or slice them into rings as desired! 

Wash your peppers. Keep the stems attached, but feel free to trim them down to a shorter length if they are extra lanky. Next, poke each pepper with a sharp knife in a couple of places. This allows the brine to adequately penetrate and engulf the peppers, seeping in through the small slits you’ve created. 

Step 4: Pack Peppers

Now pack those jars! Rather than simply tossing them in there all caddywhompus, I try to carefully and methodically place, pack, and tuck the peppers into the jars in a manner to fit as many as possible, leaving little spare room. Packing them tight also reduces their ability to float, and helps them stay submerged in the brine.

Hint: This pickling recipe can be used for a variety of peppers – and other veggies too! Feel free to add a few slices of onion, carrots, green beans, or other garden goodies to your jar too. When we are making pepperoncinis, we like to use mostly all banana peppers, but add at least one hot pepper into each jar for an extra kick! The flavors will meld a bit, so keep that in mind if you desire distinct flavors. For example, make one jar of mild peppers and one jar of hotter peppers, rather than two mixed. 

Step 5: Add the Pickling Brine

Once your brine is no longer hot, pour it over each jar stuffed with peppers – until it is completely full and all of the peppers are submerged. You will see the peppers begin to bubble as the brine seeps into the slits you created. After adding a lid, tap and wiggle the jars side to side to encourage that seeping. This will also help knock loose any air bubbles. 

If you have any leftover brine, keep it! It will take a couple days for the brine to completely penetrate and fill the peppers. As it does, the brine level in the jar will decrease and need to be topped off. If you do not have any brine leftover, no big deal! Simply top off the jars with plain white vinegar as needed. 

Feel your jars. If they’re still rather warm, allow them to sit out at room temperature to cool down for a couple of hours before refrigerating.

Step 6: Refrigerate

After the jars of peppers are fairly cool, add a lid to each jar. The acidic nature of pickles can make standard mason jar lids corrode with time, so we opt to use these BPA-free plastic wide mouth jar lids, or these stainless steel ones. 

Refrigerate the jars. As mentioned above, keep an eye on them for the first couple of days to monitor the brine level! If it drops below the peppers, top them off with more reserved brine or vinegar as needed. Now, allow them to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 to 3 weeks before enjoying. I mean, you can totally sneak an early taste of course! Just keep in mind that they will improve with time as the pickle flavor develops to reach its maximum, delicious potential! 

These easy refrigerator pickled peppers will stay good for up to 6 months in the refrigerator. 

Step 7: Enjoy!

I have always been a pickle-lover, and find myself snacking on these straight from the jar! Pickled peppers make a great addition to any hors d’oeuvre plate, with cheese and crackers, on pizza, and on sandwiches of course. Because the peppers will be filled with brine, keep that in mind as you plate or bite into them! To easily drain the peppers, you can simply cut (or bite) off the tip. 

How do you like to use your pickled peppers? 

I hope you enjoy these easy refrigerator pickled peppers as much as we do! Please feel free to ask questions or provide a review in the comments below, and spread the love by sharing this article. Pin it using the pin below!

If you know us, you might be surprised that we aren’t fermenting these peppers. Fermentation is our go-to preferred way to “pickle” most things, since it increases the nutritional value of the food! But through trial and error, we found that using a traditional vinegar pickling method is ideal for achieving that classic pepperoncini flavor we are after.

To learn more about making lacto-fermented pickles, check out these recipes:

• Fermented Dilly Radish Recipe
• Simple Fermented Carrot Pickles Recipe
• Pickled Fava Beans (Broad Beans) Recipe
• Probiotic-Packed Fermented Dilly Green Bean “Pickles”