Easy Pickled Banana Peppers are super simple to make and so tasty! Vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, sugar and peppers are all you need!
AN EASY AND DELICIOUS RECIPE!
My garden finally started producing veggies. I don't know what was going on but all of my plants were so slow to produce. My only problem now is I feel like all the vegetables are coming in at one time. Like my banana peppers...
WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE BANANA PEPPERS?
One minute there weren't any there and it seems like by the time I turned around, there were a ton of them. This was my first year growing banana peppers. I had no idea that they would produce so well. So I figured it would be a good idea if I pickled a bunch of them. I use banana peppers, not just in sandwiches, but in a whole bunch of other recipes (see recipes at the end of this post.)
I wanted a simple recipe and came up with one using ingredients I already had in my pantry. I think this gave the peppers great flavor but it won't overwhelm the taste in other dishes that I decide to use them in.
ARE BANANA PEPPERS A HOT PEPPER?
Banana peppers aren't hot at all but pickling them gives them a whole other level of flavor. You can even use these as a substitute for peperoncini in many recipes. I am really pleased with how these turned out. This recipe will make two pints. But obviously, you can double or triple the recipe for more.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- white vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- white sugar
- mustard seeds
- celery seeds
- banana peppers
HOW TO MAKE EASY PICKLED BANANA PEPPERS:
- Bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed to a rolling boil.
- Pour brine over peppers to within ½" of the top.
- Wipe off the rim and put lid and ring on.
- Store in the fridge.
- Leave for 1 week or longer to let peppers marinate (if you can wait that long to dig in.)
TIPS FOR PICKLING BANANA PEPPERS:
- You can also follow proper canning procedures and then process them in a water bath canner if you prefer. Follow the USDA guidelines for proper sterilization and timing. Be sure to verify that the lids have completely sealed down if storing on the shelf. Make sure your banana peppers are fresh and have been rinsed well.
- Keeping the seeds of the banana pepper in or not is personal preference. I usually get most of the seeds out but there are always a few that stay in there and it doesn't affect taste at all. I don't fuss too much over that.
- Updated to add: Since I keep getting questions about substituting mustard seed with ground mustard I thought I would answer it here. Ground mustard can be substituted for mustard seed. HOWEVER, it will make your pickling brine pretty cloudy and it will not be the same flavor profile as using mustard seed. Please keep that in mind. For best results, purchase a small bottle of mustard seed.
Easy Pickled Banana Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 pound banana peppers, tops removed then sliced into rings (see notes below)
Instructions
- Bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed to a rolling boil.
- Pour brine over peppers to within ½" of the top.
- Wipe off the rim and put lid and ring on.
- Leave for 1 week or longer to let peppers marinate (if you can wait that long!)
- You can also follow proper canning procedures and then process them in a water bath canner if you prefer. Follow the USDA guidelines for proper sterilization and timing. Be sure to verify that the lids have completely sealed down if storing on the shelf.
Notes
- If you aren't sterilizing the jars, keep them refrigerated. They will last up to 3 months in the fridge.
- Ground mustard can be substituted for mustard seed. HOWEVER, it will make your pickling brine pretty cloudy and it will not be the same flavor profile as using mustard seed. Please keep that in mind. For best results, purchase a small bottle of mustard seed.
- Keeping the seeds in or not is personal preference. I usually get most of the seeds out but there are always a few that stay in there and it doesn't affect taste at all. I don't fuss too much over that.
- This recipe makes 2 pints.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Colleen Willisch
Excellent and so easy! I used sweet banana peppers and then I tried jalapeño peppers. They are both delicious!
lyn
excellent taste.
Andrea McAvoy
One question - why no salt? I made the brine ad per the recipe but I’ve never before seen pickles without any salt. Great use of my abondanza of banana peppers.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Simple answer, it’s just not needed. 🙂
Carol jacker
Can you double the brine?
Amanda
If I have more peppers can I just keep adding to the same liquid or do I need to make fresh?
Suzy
Wondering if recipe can be doubled as is or do we need to modify?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
If you're doubling the amount of peppers you're using then you can certainly double this recipe to make sure you have enough for all your peppers. 🙂
Lisa
This recipe is so good! I used it and made several pints so far. I will forever use this recipe
Shirley
Loving your recipe here, so simple. Love banana peppers.
A note you say your garden took longer time to produce. Were you in one of those dreadful high heat waves for a bit. I was, my garden is about 5-6 weeks behind normal.
Found out this is because the plants do not grow, produce flowers or set in high heat. their focus is on staying alive. plus not so many pollinators around in the high heat.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yes! It really stalled everything. I've had a couple of growing years like that. It gets hotter and hotter every year and it is really starting to affect normal growing times sadly.
Dawn Gilbert
I don't like banana peppers at all, but our school grew a ton of them, so I looked up your recipe. My colleagues LOVED them! I'm working on a third batch right now, and they are so easy to make. Thanks for such an economical and delicious way to use banana peppers!
Michael
This turned out to be an awesome recipe. Definitely better than any store brand banana peppers I have ever bought. I used the banana pepper from my garden and put them on pizza, delicious!
One issue, I saved some extra broth and at the bottom it looks like there was some sort of mold? Looks like a tumbleweed floating on the bottom. Is this mold? Why did this happen? They have only been in my fridge for a week and a half. I did leave the mustard and celery seed in there so maybe it’s just residue from that? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also the jars that still have banana peppers in them seem to be fine? Although can’t be 100% sure.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
My guess is that your mustard and celery seed broke down and settled on the bottom of the jar. With the vinegar in the recipe, you wouldn't see mold that early on - especially with keeping it in the fridge too. 🙂