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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…

Garden Fresh Easy Pickled Banana Peppers in a ball mason pint jar.

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.)

Banana Peppers growing on the vine in a vegetable garden.

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.

fresh vegetable garden haul of banana peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.

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.

Easy Pickled Banana Peppers recipe from The Country Cook.

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.)
EASY PICKLED BANANA PEPPERS IN A PINT-SIZED CANNING JAR.

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:

Pickled Banana Peppers

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!
4.95 from 292 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12

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.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Sodium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g

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.

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Recipe Rating




203 Comments

  1. Delicious!
    Just wondering……after the pickled peppers are eaten, is it okay to add fresh sliced peppers to the previously used marinade in the jar?

  2. Finally found some mustard seed! Making these tomorrow. I was also thinking about freezing some peppers then making a few batches as Christmas gifts in December . Do you think that would work once peppers are thawed?

    1. Peppers that are frozen will be mushy when thawed and would not make good peppers for this recipe.

  3. 5 stars
    Hello,
    I know this is probably the silliest question and I have been making this receipe for a few years now – but do you weight the banana peppers for the 1 pound before you slice them? I made a batch tonight – weighed 1 pound before slicing and it only filled up one jar (12 ounces). I have plenty of brine left. Am I putting too many peppers in one jar?

    Thank you!

  4. 5 stars
    I’ve been using this recipe for two seasons now and we love it! My husband eats them out of the jar! I’ve done it as a quick pickle in fridge and I’ve processed them, both with great success! Thank you!!

  5. I can’t wait to try! I didn’t plant banana peppers this year, but I have a ton of Marconi peppers I’m dying to try this with!

  6. 5 stars
    Made this this afternoon and it is great. Plan to use it all summer long for all this banana peppers that are popping up. I have a friend that wants to try it with cucumbers. Not sure it will work but worth a try!
    Thanks so much for a great recipe! I followed your instructions exactly. I hate when people make a bunch of substitutions then blames the recipe creator that it didn’t turn out good – ha!

  7. I just picked some really nice banana peppers. Stopped & bought the vinegar. I’ve always loved them in my beans & black eyed peas, or any peas..crowder, field, purple hull…. Excited to make these, but the hard part is the waiting that week long wait

  8. 5 stars
    Excellent and so easy! I used sweet banana peppers and then I tried jalapeño peppers. They are both delicious!

  9. 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.

  10. 5 stars
    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.

  11. 5 stars
    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!

  12. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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. 🙂