50+ Pepper Canning Recipes

Pepper canning recipes are one of the best ways to make the most of a big pepper harvest. Whether you’re working with sweet bell peppers, jalapeños, banana peppers, or a basket of mixed hot peppers, there are so many ways to turn them into something delicious for the pantry.

From tangy pickles and old-fashioned relishes to spicy sauces, sweet pepper jellies, and rich pepper spreads, canning lets you keep that harvest going long after the garden season is over.

Peppers are one of the most versatile things you can put in jars. Sweet peppers, hot peppers, roasting peppers, and everything in between all bring something a little different to the pantry, whether you want crisp pickles, spicy relishes, pourable sauces, or ready-to-use peppers for cooking.

This collection brings together the many different ways to preserve peppers with tested canning recipes. Some are bright and tangy, some are sweet and savory, and some bring serious heat, but they all make good use of a pepper harvest and help stretch the season well beyond summer.

Plain Peppers for Cooking

Not every pepper recipe has to be pickled or turned into sauce. Plain peppers canned for cooking are especially handy if you use them often in soups, stews, casseroles, chili, or skillet meals. This type of preserve is more about convenience than flair, but sometimes that’s exactly what makes it valuable.

My husband dumps a quarter pint jar of hatch chilis into scrambled eggs, and I love roasted bell peppers in my sandwiches. They add flavor and make an ordinary meal a little bit more special.

These recipes require a pressure canner since you’re not adding acidity, so skip on to pickled peppers if you’re not ready to tackle pressure canning.

• Canning Roasted Red Peppers
• Canning Hatch Chilis (New Mexico Green Chili Peppers)
• Canning Plain Jalapeños

Pickled Peppers

Pickled peppers are usually the first place people start, and for good reason. They’re easy to use, easy to love, and they work with just about any type of pepper, from banana peppers and jalapeños to mixed sweet peppers and hot cherry peppers. They’re also tested for waterbath canning, so they’re perfect for beginners.

Some recipes stay simple with vinegar, salt, and garlic, while others lean sweet or add pickling spice for more depth.

These are the jars I reach for constantly because they fit into everyday meals without much effort. A few rings of pickled pepper can wake up sandwiches, burgers, tacos, salads, and snack boards, and once you have a few styles on the shelf, it’s hard not to want more than one version.

• Pickled Jalapeño Rings – Classic pickled jalapeños for nachos and sandwiches
• Pickled Banana Peppers – Mild, tangy pickled banana peppers
• Pickled Habanero Peppers – For those who like serious heat
• Mixed Pickled Hot Peppers – Versatile recipe for any pepper variety
• Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapeños) – Sweet and spicy candied jalapeño slices
• Pickled Bell Peppers – Basic pickled bell pepper recipe

Pepper Relish Recipes

Pepper relishes are one of those old-fashioned preserves, and there are so many ways to go about it. They’re a great way to use a mix of peppers in different colors and heat levels, and it turns even a small batch of garden produce into something really useful. Some versions are sweet and tangy, some are sharp and savory, and some are fiery enough that a spoonful goes a long way.

I have an entire list of tested relish canning recipes, and honestly, most of them include peppers in some way. I’m not going to list them all out here again, and I’ll just stick to the recipes that have the most peppers. First as all pepper relishes, then as mixed vegetable relishes with a lot of peppers.

Straight Pepper Relishes

• Pepper Onion Relish – Classic sweet pepper and onion relish
• Sweet Pepper Relish – Classic sweet pepper relish
• Hot Pepper Relish – Spicy relish with jalapeños

Mixed Vegetable Relishes with Lots of Peppers

• Corn and Pepper Relish – Colorful corn relish with sweet peppers
• Zucchini Pepper Relish – Garden relish with zucchini and peppers
• Fall Garden Relish – End-of-season mixed vegetable relish with peppers
• Rummage Relish– Mixed vegetable relish with peppers and cabbage
• Tangy Tomatillo Relish – Tomatillo-based relish with peppers
• Corn Relish (Ball) – Traditional corn relish with bell peppers
• Dixie Relish – Southern-style cabbage and pepper relish
• Chow Chow with Peppers – Traditional end-of-garden relish
• Spicy Pickled Corn Relish – Corn relish with added heat from hot peppers
• Spicy Pickled Pineapple Relish – Tropical pineapple relish with hot peppers

Pepper Spreads

Pepper spreads are a nice middle ground between relish and sauce. They’re smoother and more spreadable than a chunky pickle relish, but still thick enough to pile onto crackers, sandwiches, or cheese boards without running all over the place. They also tend to have a richer, more concentrated pepper flavor, especially when the peppers are cooked down with sugar, vinegar, and spices.

These are the recipes I pick to preserve peppers when I want something a little more special than an everyday condiment, and they make really nice hostess gifts too. They’re especially good alongside cream cheese, on grilled meats, or spread onto sandwiches where you want both sweetness and a little bite.

• Roasted Red Pepper Spread – Excellent on sandwiches
• Ajvar (Eggplant and Pepper Spread) – Smoky Balkan roasted pepper spread
• Habanero Carrot Butter – Spicy carrot and habanero spread for sandwiches or as a hot sauce

Pepper Jelly

Pepper jelly is always a little surprising the first time you try it. It sounds unusual if you haven’t had it before, but the combination of sugar, vinegar, and peppers makes a glossy preserve that’s sweet, tangy, and just spicy enough to keep things interesting. It’s one of the easiest ways to preserve hot peppers, especially if you only want a little heat at a time.

These are the kinds of jars that disappear quickly once people know they’re in the pantry. Pepper jelly is wonderful over cream cheese, but it’s also good with roasted meats, biscuits, crackers, and cheese boards. Sweet peppers can make a milder jelly, while jalapeños and hotter peppers give you that classic sweet heat.

• Jalapeño Jelly – Classic sweet-hot jalapeño jelly
• Pepper Jelly (Ball) – Mild pepper jelly with bell and jalapeño peppers
• Cranberry Red Pepper Jelly – A sweet fruity jelly that works well as a low sugar recipe

Pepper Sauces and Hot Sauces

If your pepper harvest leans hot, sauces are one of the best ways to preserve it. Canned pepper sauces range from smooth and simple to thick and deeply seasoned, and they’re a good fit for everything from jalapeños and serranos to cayennes, habaneros, and mixed garden peppers. Some are pure hot sauces, while others land closer to cooking sauces or finishing sauces.

A little goes such a long way, and a shelf full of pepper sauces means you can add heat to soups, eggs, tacos, marinades, beans, and roasted vegetables without pulling out fresh peppers every time. They make great gifts too, especially if you like putting up small jars.

Homemade hot sauces let you control the heat level and customize flavors to your taste.

Hot Sauce

• Easy Hot Sauce (NCHFP) – Simple pourable hot sauce
• Cayenne Pepper Sauce (NCHFP) – Fiery cayenne-based hot sauce
• Apple Hot Sauce – Hot sauce with apple sweetness
• Red Hot Sauce – Spoonable tomato-based hot sauce
• Jalapeño Hot Sauce – Green hot sauce with tomatillos and jalapeños
• Easy Hot Sauce – Medium-hot pourable sauce

Chili Sauce, Enchilada Sauce and Taco Sauce

• Enchilada Sauce – Classic canned enchilada sauce recipe
• Mexican Tomato Sauce (NCHFP) – Tomato sauce with chile peppers
• Taco Sauce (NCHFP) – USDA-tested tomato and pepper taco sauce
• Grandma’s Chili Sauce (Ball) – Classic tomato-pepper chili sauce

Asian Style Pepper Sauces

• Asian-Style Hot Sauce – Hot sauce with Asian flavors
• Hot and Sweet Chili Sauce – Balanced sweet-heat sauce
• Singapore Chili Sauce – Southeast Asian-inspired sauce

Pasta and Simmer Sauces

Pepper canning recipes are not just about pickles and relishes. Some of the most useful jars on the shelf are the ones that help get dinner started, especially when peppers are cooked into tomato-based pasta sauces and simmer sauces. These recipes tend to be richer and more savory than salsa, with enough body and seasoning to work as the base for a full meal instead of just a condiment.

This is the kind of canning I rely on most during busy seasons because it turns a jar into a real head start on supper. A good peppery simmer sauce can become pasta, braised chicken, skillet meals, or something spooned over meatballs with hardly any extra work. If you grow both tomatoes and peppers, this is one of the best ways to preserve them together in a form you’ll actually use all the time.

• Arrabbiata Sauce – Fiery Italian pasta sauce with pepperoncini and red pepper flakes (Coming Soon!)
• Cacciatore Simmer Sauce – Roasted tomato sauce with mushrooms and red peppers
• Minnesota Mix – Rotel style tomato cooking sauce with peppers, onion, and celery
• Creole Sauce with Green Peppers – Spicy tomato sauce with green peppers and Worcestershire
• Creole Sauce (Pressure Canning) – Less acidic creole sauce for pressure canning

Salsa Canning Recipes

A lot of the best pepper canning recipes show up alongside tomatoes. Peppers bring sweetness, heat, and body to salsa, taco-style sauces, and cooked tomato mixtures, and they’re a huge part of what gives these recipes their character. Whether you like mild salsa with bell peppers or something with plenty of jalapeños and serranos, this is one of the biggest and most useful pepper canning categories.

I have an entire article devoted to safe, tested salsa canning recipes and it includes more than fifty choices. I’m not going to list them all again here, but these are some of my favorite pepper heavy salsas.

• Spicy Jalapeño Salsa – Hot salsa with plenty of jalapeños
• Southwestern Corn Salsa – Tex-Mex style corn salsa
• Restaurant Style House Salsa – Smooth restaurant-style salsa
• Salsa Ranchera – A roasted jalapeño salsa
• Chile Salsa – USDA hot salsa recipe with pounds of peppers
• Choice Salsa (NCHFP) – Customizable tested salsa recipe with a lot of peppers
• Spanish Red Pepper Salsa – Red pepper-forward salsa
• Annie’s Salsa (Pace Copycat) – Extension-tested copycat of Pace salsa

Roasted, Marinated, and Antipasto-Style Pepper Recipes

Roasted peppers have a completely different character than fresh-packed peppers. They’re softer, sweeter, and a little smoky, which makes them especially nice in antipasto-style preserves and richly flavored pepper spreads. Some recipes combine peppers with onions, garlic, or herbs, while others preserve them in vinegar-based marinades for a ready-to-serve jar.

These all feel pantry-luxurious to me. These aren’t just practical jars for using up produce, they’re the kind of preserves that instantly make a simple meal feel more finished. Add them to sandwiches, pasta salads, charcuterie boards, or antipasto platters, and they bring a lot of flavor without much work.

• Marinated Peppers – Italian-style marinated peppers in oil and vinegar
• Vegetable Antipasto – Italian-style mixed vegetable antipasto with peppers, carrots, and celery
• Antipasto Relish – Sweet and savory tomato-pepper relish in Italian style
• Giardiniera – Italian pickled vegetables with peppers, cauliflower, and carrots
• Bruschetta in a Jar – Chunky tomato and herb topping for bruschetta and pasta
• Caponata – Sicilian eggplant relish with peppers is one of the best eggplant canning recipes

Soup & Chili Canning Recipes with Peppers

Peppers also have an important place in soup pressure canning recipes and chilis, where they add flavor, sweetness, and just enough heat to make a jar feel like a real meal instead of just a pantry ingredient. In these recipes, peppers are not just a background seasoning. They help define the whole dish, whether that means the mellow richness of roasted red peppers or the bold bite of green chiles in a hearty chili.

This is one of the most practical ways to preserve peppers because the jars are already most of the way to dinner. A pressure canned soup or chili can be heated and served as is, or dressed up with toppings, bread, rice, or a side salad for an easy meal. If you like the idea of canning full meals instead of just components, pepper-based soups and chilis are some of the most satisfying jars to keep on the shelf.

• Roasted Red Pepper Soup – Creamy soup featuring roasted red peppers
• Canning Chicken Chili Verde – Green chile chicken soup
• Canning White Chicken Chili – Creamy white chili with green chiles
• Canning Chili Con Carne – Classic beef chili with peppers
• Chicken Chili Verde – Pressure canned chicken chili

Pepper Chutney and Sweet-Savory Preserves

Pepper chutneys sit somewhere between relish, sauce, and jam, which is part of what makes them so interesting. They usually combine peppers with vinegar, sugar, onions, and sometimes fruit, giving you something that’s sweet, tangy, savory, and just a little complex. They’re especially good when you want a preserve that pairs well with meats and cheeses.

I think this is one of the most underrated pepper canning categories. A good pepper chutney can do the work of both a condiment and a side, and it brings a lot of flavor to simple meals. It’s the kind of jar you open when dinner needs something extra but you don’t want to make another full dish.

• Banana and Hot Pepper Chutney – Unique tropical chutney with heat
• Apple and Sweet Pepper Chutney – Fall harvest chutney
• Apple Chutney (with hot peppers) – USDA apple chutney with chile
• Tomato-Apple Chutney (NCHFP) – Classic tomato chutney with peppers

Peppers really do have a little bit of everything when it comes to canning. They can be sweet, fiery, tangy, savory, or somewhere right in the middle, and that makes them one of the easiest crops to turn into a varied pantry.

Whether you’re working with a basket of bell peppers or a garden full of hot peppers, there’s no shortage of ways to turn them into something worth putting on the shelf.

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