Easy Pickled Banana Peppers

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 – you want to look for distilled white vinegar
• apple cider vinegar – you could use all white vinegar but I think the apple cider vinegar adds an elevated layer of flavor that you don’t get with most recipes
• white sugar – this keeps the vinegar taste from being too overwhelming
• mustard seeds – to me this is a must, ground mustard just isn’t the same and will make your brine very cloudy so go for this extra flavor and buy the mustard seeds
• celery seeds – I think this is what really sets this recipe apart from others, you don’t taste a celery taste really but it adds that little something extra that creates beautiful flavor
• banana peppers – perfect to use straight from your garden!

HOW TO MAKE EASY PICKLED BANANA PEPPERS:

1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed and celery seed to a rolling boil.
2. Pour brine over peppers to within ½” of the top.
3. Wipe off the rim and put lid and ring on.
4. Store in the fridge. This makes 2 pints.
5. 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.

RECIPES YOU CAN USE YOUR BANANA PEPPERS:

• Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches
• Cornbread Chicken Casserole
• Muffaletta Sandwich
• Italian Melt