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:
- 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. This makes 2 pints.
- 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:
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 my notes below about the seeds)
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. Allow to cool then put in the refrigerator.
- 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
- Please refer to my post and ingredient list above to answers for the most commonly asked questions.
- 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 if you absolutely must but it is not recommended at all. 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 – it really makes a difference.
- Keeping the banana pepper 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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Can I successfully use all Apple Cider vinegar and no white vinegar?
Hi Jill – good question. I tend to find apple cider vinegar a bit too overpowering when you use ALL apple cider vinegar.
I just started canning this year. I started with pickled red onions. Your banana peppers. I have made them 4 times this summer. This last time I made 4 pints and hopefully I can ration them through the winter. Thanks so much for sharing.
I tried this recipe because my little 6 year old loves banana peppers. She hasn’t warmed up to them yet but my husband and I think they are the bomb.
I just bought a peck from the Dutchy and I’m ready to make some more!!
This makes my day – thank you Kimberly!!
Amazing! I am on my second jar in just a month and they taste better every day! Thank you very much 🙂
They have boiling hot liquid in them, I’d let them cool first. You can hear the seals pop (form a vacuum) as they cool on the counter. This is half the fun of canning…
Do these jars go straight into the fridge while hot? Or should I let them cool down first?
5 stars hands down
These were amazing, had lots of banana peppers in my greenhouse and no idea what to do with them. This was definitely the right answer, so much so I bought ten more pounds at the market and pickled them all. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe definitely will never store buy them again.
Thank you so, so much Michelle! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!!
They should be sweet hot but not overpowering. If they are gift them to a spicy friend. Doug
Last year I made spicy bread and butter pickles and they came out great! This is my first year pickling banana peppers. I picked the 6 largest and there must be another dozen still on my one plant. The kitchen smells wonderful and hopefully the pickling will tone them down because i just found out that I bought a HOT banana pepper plant this spring…
I did that myself buying them at the grocery store. Ok didn’t know there were hot banana peppers so I didn’t pAy attention to the sign. I toned them down with some brown sugar and lemon juice. I loved the recipe the recipe the first time so this time I had doubled it. I was disappointed when. I realised they were hot. When they were done they just the right heat. I was really pleased…
Made a quart jar used half the recipe and put it in the fridge. Hope it lasts the week to get full taste.
Hope you love it Dave!
Great recipe and flavor,you are right about the fridge version,let them marinate. Also with this brine recipe they couldn’t go bad if they were in a crock sitting in the closet,Make em,put in the fridge for months with no problem and cruncy
Super Easy. Super Flavoricious
Thank you so very much Sherry! I really appreciate you coming back and taking the time to review!
How many jars of peppers does this recipe make?
Hi Ronda – 2 jars.
I just realized that there is no salt in the ingredients list…..is this correct?
That is correct! 🙂
silly question, but what size jar are you using in this recipe? Thanks 🙂
Hi Andrea! Not a silly question at all. These are pint-sized jars 🙂
I was searching for a way to use banana peppers and tried this recipe. We can’t stop eating them on sandwiches. They are ‘the bomb!’
If you put them in the refrigerator, how long will they last?
Evan, since they’re pickled, they should last 6 months in the fridge. 🙂
I’m new at this and am wondering if the “white vinegar “ you are using is distilled?
Omg! Absolutely delicious. I tried these, and fell madly in love. They are so good. I did the canning option, with amazing results. They are still crunchy, and taste like a little piece of heaven. So much better than store bought.
How long did you leave them in the canning bath?? Thank you!
If you’d like them to be crunchy … do not process them.
They go right to the fridge and will keep a long time (months)
These were perfect! Definitely let them marinate for at least a week before eating (as it states in the directions.) It makes ALL the difference 🙂
These look great! Excuse my ignorance but I don’t can… even though I would love to. So when you say to put these in a jar I can put them in a mason jar and put them in the fridge, I don’t have to go through the whole canning procedure?? Thanks !
Yes, a mason jar would work just as well if they are going straight to the fridge!
You mantioned that you use these banana peppers in other recipes that would be at the bottom of the article. I don’t see them. Can you provide those ideas?
New to this but if you wanted to make bunch of jars do you keep doubling the recipe ?
Has anyone substituted Splenda for the sugar?
My hubby is a diabetic, and I substituted Splenda in my zucchini relish last year. I reduced the amount as I find Splenda is sweeter than regular sugar ie: 1 cup sugar =2/3 cup of Splenda.
Hi, Janette! Both my husband and I are pre-diabetics. The ONLY relish I like is zucchini and I would LOVE to make my own. Would you be willing to share the recipe you used with me, please? I thank you in advance. Sincerely, Nancy Gibson