How to Can Jalapenos
We love Jalapenos because they add so much flavor to food. Jalapenos can be very spicy, but by canning your own, you can control how spicy they are! Then you can get the good flavor of the pepper without burning your tongue off……..
You will need:
2 pound jalapenos
7 cups vinegar 5% (you can use cider vinegar if you want it to be a bit sweeter)
1 3/4 cups water
2 1/2 Tbsp canning salt (the reason you use canning salt is that it won’t cloud in your jars like regular salt)
3 Tbsp celery seed
6 Tbsp mustard seed
6 Pint Jars
Step #1:
Wash peppers well and slice into ¼” thick slices. This is where you control the spice. Make sure you wear gloves to do this step! The more seeds you remove, the less spicy it will be and vice versa. Once you get your Jalapenos sliced and seeded (you will lose seeds during the process as well) put them in a big bowl of ice water. Put them in the fridge and let them soak for a day.
Step #2:
After one day, take them out and rinse them good. You will lose more seeds during this step. 
Step #3:
Place 1 tablespoon mustard seed and 1½ teaspoons celery seed in the bottom of each clean, pint jar. Pack rinsed pepper rings into the jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Step #4:
Bring vinegar, water and canning salt to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, ladle over pepper rings in jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Make sure pepper rings are covered with the vinegar solution.
Step #5:
Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner for:
10 minutes (Altitude of 0 – 1,000 ft)15 minutes (Altitude of 1,000 – 6,000 ft)
20 minutes (Altitude above 6,000 ft)
Let cool, undisturbed, 12 to 24 hours and check to make sure the lid sealed. Done!
We put these on sandwiches, 7-layer bean dip, pizza, in burritos, quesadillas – you name it and we probably put these on it!
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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these sound fabulous! are these firm like the jalapenos you buy in the jars at the store?
thanks julie
Julie – Yes they are – that is why you soak them in ice water for so long – it crisps them up!
So do I submerge the jars completely in water up past the lids?
Yep!
Color me impressed. I had a great-great aunt who relnetcy passed away at the age of 96, whom I think you would’ve gotten along with famously. She was beyond DIY. At the age of 94, she was still repairing her roof. At the age of 95, she was still changing the oil in her car (I don’t even do that now). She quilted. She never, never, never went to the grocery instead she grew or raised everything herself (or bought/traded with neighbors), and canned, freezed, dried and otherwise preserved food and stored it in her cellar. She baked her own bread. She made meals to feed an army and would be offended if you didn’t eat it all. She was an all-around cool lady, and I’m glad that there others out there carrying on the traditional ways of food.
Unless I have overlooked it, you never say where tio apply the salt.
It is in Step #4:
Bring vinegar, water and canning salt to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, ladle over pepper rings in jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Make sure pepper rings are covered with the vinegar solution.
I can’t wait to try this recipe!!! How many plants do you think I would need to have enough to can a few jars? P.s…I love Fay’s Granny!!!! That’s the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up;)
You definitely would only need one plant to can just a few jars. I only had 4 plants and probably got at least 200 peppers! And Fay’s granny does sound amazing!
Does the soaking in water work for cucumbers also? I can’t keep my pickles crisp no matter what I try.
Thanks!!
Yes it definitely helps! I have made pickles before and soaked my cucumbers in ice water for up to 2 days and they are definitely much more crispy. Good luck!
What type of canner do you use (you mention a canner in step 5). Do you suggest using a pressure cooker? if so do you have any recommendations? I know nothing about canning vegetables, so any information will be helpful.
For canning jalapenos, you can just use a water bath because you are adding acid (vinegar) to your product. I pressure canner is for foods that do not have a high enough acid content ie: meat, green beans, squash, etc. If you think you are going to start canning a lot, then a pressure canner would probably be a good thing to purchase. If not, then you will be able to can most things in a water bath.
I always have so many Jalepenos left unused due to salsa ingredients not coming in at the same time. This I will try as I love Jalepenos on so many foods. Love the crisp crunch and heat.
Thanks for the posting.
John
What would the processing time be for quarts?
I have never done them in quarts – the reference that I use only gives information for pints. I would call your local extension service.
Natalie,
I have no idea what a local extension service is…..but I processed them for 25 min and they all sealed and seem perfect. Sadly, I didn’t wear my gloves during the canning process, thinking I wouldn’t really be touching the jalapenos. (I did touch them a little). And I ended up with severe Jalapeno burns that lasted 14 hours. It was terrible. Next time I will heed your caution and wear them constantly! Thanks for the recipe!
I need canning to dummies I have never canned before so could you explain a hot water bath. Thanks!
Do you have a good recipe for salsa? Processed in a hot water bath
Any help greatly appreciated
My mother and I can hot pepper relish every other year. We always wear two latex gloves on each hand but they still leak occasionally. In the event that you get an acid burn from the peppers, soak you hands in milk. It pulls out the heat.
Yes we do! https://www.superhealthykids.com/blog-posts/canning-salsa.php
A hot water bath is basically a large pot you boil water in for canning. 🙂
This looks great! I’m trying your recipe tonight! I was wondering how long you have to leave these before you eat them? On another canning recipe for jalapenos, I read you needed to leave them for 6 weeks before eating. Thanks!
Some recipes say 6 weeks and that is to let the flavors ‘set’. You can eat them after 24 hours though and it will be just fine.
To water bath food you need a pot large enough to set your jars in with plenty of room above the jars for water to cover and not boil over. Have your water boiling hot, set your hot jars in the water and make sure the jars are covered. Set your timer. When the timer goes off take the jars out and they will seal.
Thanks so much for the explanation. How long do I set the timer for?
Just to check, these don’t taste vinegary like pickles? I don’t want to make just pickled jalapenos, but need a great way to store my bounty 🙂 Otherwise this sounds perfect and easy to do when I do make my pickles, I can throw these jars right into the water bath.
It depends on your altitude:
10 minutes (Altitude of 0 – 1,000 ft)
15 minutes (Altitude of 1,000 – 6,000 ft)
20 minutes (Altitude above 6,000 ft)
They don’t taste like pickles, but they definitely have a vinegar taste because that is what they are bottled in.
Ball canning makes a product called pickle crisp. That’s all I use when canning. Makes the crispest pickles! You just add it to the jars before canning.
Jamie I am canning cucumbers as we speak. I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime to make mine crunchy. You soak them in lime and water.. then rinse 3 times then soak in ice water for 3 hrs. Mine are soaking now and are super crisp!!
Natalie. Great recipe. I had a similar recipe and added 4 TBS of honey to the brine. They were spicy, slightly sweet andcrunchy. Have you tried anything similar with your recipe?
I haven’t but that sounds delicious!
You can also add a pinch of alum to each jar. This will help to keep them crunchy!
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. About how many would you think 2 lbs of jalapeños is? I have them from the garden and I do not have a kitchen scale.
It is about 40 jalapenos.
Could I use pickling vinegar (7%) instead? (All I have right now) and maybe use less of it and more water?
The tested recipe uses 5% vinegar and so I would stick with that. Good luck!
Do you have a recipe to do habanero peppers like the jalapeños
I don’t have a specific habanero pepper recipe, but this recipe should work for most hot peppers.
Alison, if you are planning on canning more, you can find a relatively cheap water bath canner in the $20+ range at Amazon, WalMart, etc. that is perfect for this process.
Will this same soaking process crisp up banana peppers as well?
Yes it does! I have actually canned banana peppers and it works great!
How long do the jalepanos last in the jars? A few months or a year. I do a lot of canning for Christmas gifts & I like to add a use by date. Thank you.
If you follow the recommended canning times for your altitude, they will last for 1 year.
to leave core/seeds/and skin on apple. Would it possibly be the seeds (i.e., peitcn?) that would have caused it to solidify instead of remaining like apple sauce/butter? I also used apple cider vinegar. Thank you –
Why do u need celery and mustard seed when canning jalapeños?
These ingredients just add some flavor. If you don’t have them you can try it without!
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I love your Aunt’s style. I wish I had know her.
I have 5 jalapeno plants this year and have gotten nearly 5 gallons of peppers so far and they are still loaded with small peppers and blooms.
Can I use this same recipe and process for making diced jalapeños?
Both my grandma’s and my mother canned I have been learning to do it so I thought I have so many jalapenos in my garden and I love peppers so what better way to save them. My mom has did pickles and they do tend to get a little soft so I will tell her about soaking them in ice water great idea I have my peppers soaking right now there is nothing better than opening a jar of something fresh in the winter thanks for the recipe
I use this recipe for whole jalepenos and sweet cherry peppers. The only thing I do differently is I ad one crushed clove of garlic in each jar.
It may change the acidity of the final product. I would check with your local extension service for that one 🙂
How long are they good for after they’ve been canned?
The technical shelf-life is 1 year, but I have had mine stay good much longer than that 🙂
Just double checking vinegar/water ratio. Last recipe I used called for equal amounts of water & vinegar. 7 cups of vinegar sounds like a lot for 6 pints.
Can I do without the celery seed or mustard seed I don’t like mustard seed or is there a reason other than flavor there put in there
Hi James, the recipe should still work fine without those spices.
I finally got all my jalapenos sliced up and rinsed then put them in the bowl of water in the fridge. I will not be able to finish them until approximately 32 hours later. Hoping that this will not ruin them. Just wanted to check if time spent in the refrigerator prior to preparing is a huge issue or not for next time.
How low and how much pressure if using pressure canner?
The pressure will depend on your altitude. I’ve never pressured jalapenos since there is enough vinegar in them that I just use my water bath.
Do you add the jars after the water boils?