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Easy Homemade Quick-Pickled Jalapeños
By Alexandra Stafford
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Last Updated: 05/14/2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This quick-pickled jalapeños recipe is ready in 5 minutes! The homemade pickle brine uses 4 pantry ingredients and creates the perfect crunchy, tangy topping for everything from pizza to tacos.
I use one and only one pickle recipe, a David Lebovitz recipe, one I’ve pared down over the years by omitting the garlic, peppercorns, and any additional seasonings. It’s now a four-ingredient brine — equal parts water and vinegar plus a little salt and sugar — and can be used on many a vegetable, from cauliflower and carrots to onions and ramps to turnips and radishes. But my favorite use for it is jalapeños.
The process is simple: combine all of the brine ingredients in a pot, heat until the sugar and salt dissolve, then pour it over sliced jalapeños. That’s it. It doubles, triples, and halves well, so you can easily adjust the recipe to whatever number of peppers (or other vegetables) you have on hand.
Tuck these pickled jalapeños into sandwiches, scatter them over tacos or pizza, or eat them straight from the jar.
How to Make Pickled Jalapeños, Step by Step
Slice up 3 to 4 jalapeños (or as many as you wish). There is no need to remove the seeds! Simply slice straight down to create spheres.
Transfer them to a glass jar. Then combine: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan, and bring it to a simmer.
Pour the hot brine over the sliced jalapeños. Let the peppers cool completely in the brine.
Store in the fridge for months.
Sprinkle the pickled jalapeños over tacos or bake them atop pizza:
Easy Homemade Quick-Pickled Jalapeños
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This quick-pickled jalapeños recipe is ready in 5 minutes! The homemade pickle brine uses 4 pantry ingredients and creates the perfect crunchy, tangy topping for everything from pizza to tacos. Once prepared, store in the fridge for best results.
Adapted from a David Lebovitz recipe, which I’ve written about previously, this pickle recipe is the only one I use.
Salt: I always use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, but any kind of salt will work just fine in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vinegar, such as distilled white, rice, white balsamic, or apple cider
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, see notes above
- 3–4 jalapeños, sliced thinly, no need to remove the seeds
Instructions
- Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir to ensure the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Place the jalapeños into a glass jar, such as a 2-cup Mason jar. Pour the hot pickle brine over top. Use a spoon to push the peppers down to ensure they are submerged. Let cool completely; then cover and stash in the fridge for many months.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Pickle
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
87 Comments on “Easy Homemade Quick-Pickled Jalapeños”
Best Jalapeño pickle recipe I know! And the only one I use. Also I actually use a canning bottle with a seal and by putting the lid on immediately it seals and is shelf stable!
How long do they need to be refrigerated before they are ready to eat?
I would say just long enough to be chilled, if you are eager. They do develop a deeper and more pickled flavour the longer they sit.
It doesn’t take long! I’d say no more than an hour, but you can get away with less.
I love pickled jalapenos and this recipe takes them to new heights. They are slightly crunchy and taste much better and fresher than store-bought ones which is all I’ve ever used before. The bonus is the recipe is almost TOO easy! Took less than 10 minutes start to finish. What a delightful find.
Great to hear, Janning! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this 🙂 🙂 🙂
Perfect simple and quick. My go to pickled jalapeño recipe.
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
I just planted jalapeño plants this week so I look forward to using this recipe in about 70 days. Thank you!
Fun! I am planting a garden this year and am so looking forward to watching it grow — I’m starting small, with herbs only. Fingers crossed I keep them alive 🙂
Hello – I don’t like foods with a sweet profile. Is the sugar included for a reason other than sweetness, such as needing to balance the vinegar? Could I eliminate it entirely without making it inedible? Thank you.
Hi! These don’t taste sweet at all. I do think it helps balance out the sharpness of the vinegar and the heat of the peppers. You can of course omit the sugar, however, and the method will still work.
Just returned from Scottsdale, AZ where we had a charcuterie board that included giardiniera comprised of carrots, celery, purple broccoli, onion, and a few jalapeno slices It was sooooo good! All the veggies had a little heat to them from the peppers! Really a new and different treat.
I can’t wait to try this recipe and easy technique.
Yum! I love a good giardiniera 🙂 Hope you love the recipe.
Can you omit the sugar or is it needed?
Hi! You can omit it and the recipe will work. However, the sugar is included to balance the salt and the sharpness of the vinegar.
Great recipe! Is it necessary to store in refrigerator?
It is a good idea to store in the fridge especially in these warmer months. Despite all the vinegar, the brine can still get moldy with time and warmer temperatures.
Hi.
Can you add pickling spice to recipe and if so how much?
Hi! I have never used pickling spice here, but it’s worth a shot. I would use no more than 1/2 teaspoon. One thing that is nice about this recipe is that bc it is so simple, it allows the flavor of the jalapenos to shine. That said, I think if you use a small amount, it will not overwhelm the flavors.
These are SO easy to make, I’ve made them twice as im 40 weeks pregnant and don’t feel like starting big projects. It’s that quick and easy. I have an abundance of jalapeños in the garden and this is a fantastic recipe to use them up. I’ve also used the same brine for quick pickles (cucumber slices, dill, garlic and bay leaves). Just as delicious! Will be keeping this recipe for next summer too!
Great to read this, Rebecca! Thanks so much for writing. And good luck these next few weeks… it’s so hard at the end but so worth it 💕
Thank you. My SIL used a variation of your recipe adding peppercorns & garlic clove slices+ Dill seeds to the mix. It was so good on our Tacos the next day for my nephew’s birthday. I’m doing this next, thanks!
Great to hear, Pam! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. Sounds delicious!
The easiest, and best recipe for pickled jalapeños out there, and the only one I ever use. Sometimes I throw in some extra ingredients just for variety, but it is super as-is! Other ingredients may be thinly sliced carrots, sliced garlic, some peppercorns, a bay leaf, or simply a bit of some other, hotter chili. I grow my own chili, so always have an abundance. It’s also great as a gift to friends & family. Thanks Alexandra!
Great to read all of this, Truls! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes. I’m jealous of your home-grown bounty!
My go-to quick pickling recipe! Do you have a vinegar preference b/w distilled white / apple cider , etc?
Hi! I most often use white balsamic because I always have it on hand; after that, I probably use rice vinegar most. I do love it with apple cider vinegar, too, and when I first started making it, I always used distilled vinegar — in sum, they all work!