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Pickled habanero peppers keep the bright, fruity fire of a late-summer harvest on the pantry shelf all year. It’s a simple vinegar pickle with a handful of ingredients, and you end up with whole peppers ready to chop into salsa, stir into chili, or slice over tacos whenever you want some heat.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Choosing Habaneros for Pickling
- Ingredients for Pickled Habanero Peppers
- Brine Strength and Substitutions
- How to Pickle Habanero Peppers
- Canning Pickled Habanero Peppers
- Altitude Adjustments
- Tips for Crisp Pickled Habaneros
- Ways to Use Pickled Habaneros
- Storage and Shelf Life
- Yield Notes
- Pickled Habanero Peppers FAQs
- Pepper Pickling Recipes
- Pickled Habaneros Recipe
- Vegetable Pickling Recipes
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Habaneros are small, lantern-shaped peppers with a floral, fruity flavor under a whole lot of heat. They’re much hotter than jalapeños, so a little goes a long way, and that’s exactly why a jar of them is so handy.
Pickling takes the edge off the heat just a bit, but they’re still hot. These aren’t a snacking pickle the way pickled jalapeños can be. They’re a pantry ingredient you cook with, one or two peppers at a time.
I pickle mine whole, with the tops cut off and the seeds scraped out, so I can pull out exactly the number of peppers a recipe calls for. Rings work too, and they’re easier to use straight from the jar as a topping.
If you want less heat, try pickled serrano peppers, or mild pickled cherry peppers and pickled banana peppers. There are dozens more ideas in my pepper canning recipes, and the full list of pickle recipes runs from pickled corn to pickled peaches.
Notes from My Kitchen
We had an incredible bumper crop of habaneros one year, so I put them up a quart at a time instead of a pint. That’s a lot of heat in one jar!
I set some aside for salsa canning recipes like roasted pineapple habanero salsa and mango salsa, and saved the rest for batches of homemade hot sauce once I had more time in the winter. I wrote this recipe as a more reasonable single pint, though, and it scales up by the jar.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Pickled Habanero Peppers
- Recipe Type: Pickle Canning Recipe
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning
- Prep Time: About 15 minutes
- Cook Time: About 5 minutes for the brine
- Canning Time: 10 minutes for half pints and pints, 15 minutes for quarts
- Yield: 1 pint, and it scales up by the jar
- Jar Sizes: Half pints, pints or quarts
- Headspace: 1/2 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Habanero peppers, garlic, white vinegar, water, pickling salt, sugar and optional Pickle Crisp
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: Based on Colorado State University Extension’s Making Pickled Peppers (fact sheet 9.314), with a stronger 4 to 1 brine, and altitude times from the NCHFP’s Pickled Hot Peppers
- Difficulty: Easy
- Similar Recipes: For less heat, pickled serrano peppers and pickled jalapeños. For sweet peppers, pickled bell peppers.
Choosing Habaneros for Pickling
Look for firm, glossy peppers with smooth, tight skin. Skip any that are soft, wrinkled or dull, since they won’t hold up in the jar. Save those for hot sauce instead.
Grocery store habaneros work fine, as long as they’re firm and glossy. If you grow your own, wait until they’ve fully colored, since that’s when they taste fruitiest.
Ripe habaneros are usually orange, but red, yellow, white and chocolate-brown varieties all pickle the same way. A mix of colors makes a really pretty jar.
Scotch bonnets are close cousins of habaneros, and they pickle the same way. You can swap them in for some or all of the habaneros.
Ingredients for Pickled Habanero Peppers
It’s a short ingredient list. The brine is the one part you can’t change, so don’t cut the vinegar or add more water.
I always add the salt and sugar, even though they’re optional. A straight vinegar pickle tastes flat to me.
- Habanero peppers: Firm and ripe, any color. Scraping out the seeds and membranes takes away some of the heat.
- Garlic: Optional. Thin slices add a little savory flavor to the brine.
- White vinegar: Look for 5% acidity on the label. White vinegar keeps the brine clear, and cider vinegar works too.
- Water: Softens the vinegar a little. Never add more, but less water and more vinegar is fine.
- Pickling salt: Pickling salt has no anti-caking agents, so the brine stays clear. Kosher salt is lighter by the spoonful, so check the pickling salt substitutions if you swap.
- Sugar: Just a little, to round out the vinegar. Without it, the peppers taste washed out.
- Pickle Crisp: Optional. Pickle Crisp granules are calcium chloride, and a little in each jar keeps the peppers firmer.
Brine Strength and Substitutions
This brine is 4 parts vinegar, at 5% acidity, to 1 part water. That’s a little more acidic than the 3 to 1 brine in Colorado State University Extension’s pickled pepper recipe, and more vinegar is always fine.
White and cider vinegar both work at 5% acidity, and you can change or skip the salt, sugar and garlic. For anything else, start with my guide to safe canning recipe changes.
Just don’t reduce the vinegar!
Wear gloves for every step that touches the peppers, and keep your hands away from your face. The oils in hot peppers don’t rinse off easily, so gloves are worth it.
Super easy, this is my first attempt and it went very smooth!
How to Pickle Habanero Peppers
Get the water bath canner heating before you touch the peppers. It takes the longest of anything here, and you want the jar to go in as soon as you fill it.
The peppers go into the jar raw, and the hot brine poured over them is all the cooking they get before the canner.
Prep the Peppers
Put on gloves, then wash the peppers and cut off the tops. Scrape out the seeds and membranes with a small spoon or the tip of a paring knife.
If you’d rather keep the tops on, cut two small slits in each pepper instead, so the brine can get inside. You can also slice them into rings.
Pack the Jar
Drop one sliced garlic clove into the bottom of a clean, hot pint jar, if you’re using it.
Pack the peppers in snugly, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Press them down gently to fit a few more, since they shrink a little in the canner.
If you’re using Pickle Crisp, add it now, before the brine goes in. The recipe card has the amount for each jar size.
Make the Brine
Combine the vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a small saucepan, and bring it to a boil.
Turn the heat down, and let it simmer for a minute or two, until the salt and sugar dissolve.
Fill the Jar
Pour the hot brine over the peppers to cover them, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. A canning funnel keeps the brine off the rim.
Run a clean chopstick around the inside of the jar to release trapped air, and add more brine if the level drops. Wipe the rim, and put on the lid and band fingertip tight.
Canning Pickled Habanero Peppers
Canning is optional. If you’d rather keep the jar in the fridge, let it cool, put the lid on, and skip the canner.
Since the peppers go in raw, set the jar in a water bath canner of hot water, about 140 degrees F, so the glass doesn’t crack from the sudden heat. Add more hot water to cover the jar by at least 1 inch, and put the lid on the canner.
Once the water comes to a full rolling boil, process half pints and pints for 10 minutes or quarts for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude with the chart below.
Altitude Adjustments
These processing times are for water bath canning, and they go up at higher elevations.
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 10 minutes for half pints and pints and 15 minutes for quarts
- 1,001 to 6,000 feet: 15 minutes for half pints and pints and 20 minutes for quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 20 minutes for half pints and pints and 25 minutes for quarts
When the time is up, turn off the heat, take the lid off the canner, and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes before lifting them out with a jar lifter. That rest cuts down on liquid loss from siphoning.
Let the jars cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. The flavor is better if you wait at least 2 to 3 weeks before opening one.
Tips for Crisp Pickled Habaneros
Pickle them fresh. Peppers that sat in a bowl on the counter for a week turn soft in the jar. Can them the day you pick or buy them if you can, and keep them in the fridge, unwashed, until then.
Add Pickle Crisp. Habaneros have thin walls, and a little calcium chloride in each jar helps them stay firm. If you haven’t used it before, start with my guide to using calcium chloride in canning.
Pull the jars on time. Leaving them in the boiling canner past the processing time softens the peppers and doesn’t make them any safer.
Ways to Use Pickled Habaneros
Chop one into salsa, stir one into a pot of chili, or slice them thin over tacos and burrito bowls. One pepper goes a long way, so start small.
Since they’re whole, I use them the same way I’d use fresh peppers. Fish one out of the jar, pat it dry, and chop it like a fresh habanero.
They’re good in fruit salsas like pineapple mango salsa, where the fruity side of a habanero fits right in. You can also blend a few with a splash of the brine for a quick hot sauce.
Don’t waste the brine when the peppers are gone. A few tablespoons add heat to soups, stews, salad dressings and marinades without any chunks of pepper.
Storage and Shelf Life
Check the seals once the jars have cooled. Press the center of each lid, and if it pops back, that jar didn’t seal, so put it in the fridge and use it first.
Take the bands off the sealed jars, and store them in a cool, dark place. They keep their quality for 12 to 18 months.
Once a jar is open, keep it in the fridge with the peppers under the brine, and use a clean fork every time. That way they’ll keep for several weeks to a few months.
If you skipped the canner, the jar is a refrigerator pickle. Keep it in the fridge, and the peppers will keep for several months as long as they stay under the brine.
Yield Notes
This recipe makes 1 pint, which holds about 15 to 20 medium whole habaneros, depending on their size, and about 1 1/4 cups of brine.
To make more, scale up by the jar. A quart takes about twice as many peppers and twice the brine.
Pickled Habanero Peppers FAQs
Readers ask me about cutting the vinegar, pressure canning these, pickling them whole, how long an open jar lasts and why there’s brine at the bottom of the jar.
No. The vinegar is what makes these safe on the shelf, so don’t cut it or add more water. You can go the other way, with less water and more vinegar for a sharper pickle.
No. There are no tested pressure canning times for pickles. They’re acidic enough for a water bath, and the higher heat would only cook them soft, so stick with the water bath times in this recipe.
Yes, that’s how I pickle mine. Cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds and membranes so the brine gets inside, or leave the tops on and cut two small slits in each pepper.
Keep an open jar in the fridge with the peppers under the brine, and use a clean fork every time. They’ll keep for several weeks to a few months that way.
That’s normal, and it isn’t a safety problem. Peppers shrink a little in the canner, so jars often look underfilled once they cool. As long as there’s plenty of brine in the jar, they’re fine.
Pepper Pickling Recipes
More hot and sweet peppers to put up in vinegar.
If you tried this Pickled Habanero Peppers recipe, or any other recipe on Creative Canning, leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know what you think in the 📝 comments below!
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Pickled Habanero Peppers
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
- Rubber or Nitrile Gloves
Ingredients
- 15 to 20 medium habanero peppers, seeded, or slit if you keep the tops on
- 1 clove garlic, optional, sliced thin
- 1 cup white vinegar, 5% acidity
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp pickling salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp Pickle Crisp, optional, per pint; 1/4 tsp per quart
Instructions
- Wear gloves to wash the peppers. Cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds and membranes, then leave the peppers whole or slice them. To keep the tops on, cut two small slits in each pepper instead.
- Put the garlic, if using, in the bottom of a clean, hot pint jar. Pack in the peppers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add the Pickle Crisp, if using.
- Combine the vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer a minute or two until the salt and sugar dissolve.
- Pour the hot brine over the peppers to cover them, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace if needed.
- Wipe the rim and apply the lid and band fingertip tight. Set the jar in a water bath canner of hot water, about 140 degrees F, add water to cover it by at least 1 inch, and put on the canner lid. Once the water boils, process half pints and pints for 10 minutes or quarts for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- Turn off the heat, take the lid off the canner, and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes before lifting them out.
- Cool the jar undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seal and store it in a cool, dark place. Wait 2 to 3 weeks before opening so the brine can soak in.
Notes
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 10 minutes for half pints and pints and 15 minutes for quarts
- 1,001 to 6,000 feet: 15 minutes for half pints and pints and 20 minutes for quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 20 minutes for half pints and pints and 25 minutes for quarts
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Vegetable Pickling Recipes
Other garden vegetables that pickle just as easily.
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Can you pickle the peppers whole?
Yes, I pickle them whole. Cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds and membranes so the brine can get inside, or cut two slits in each pepper if you leave them intact. Leave 1/2 inch headspace when you pour in the brine.
How long do they keep after opening?
In the refrigerator, they should keep quite a while after opening provided you don’t contaminate the jar and you keep them under the liquid line. Use a clean utensil each time and that’ll really extend the shelf life. Depending on how diligent you are, they can last several weeks to a few months in the fridge.
Could you pressure can this recipe? If so, do you know the pressure and time for each size jar?
The NCHFP hasn’t developed pressure canning times for pickling recipes because of quality issues. It softens the produce too much. If you’re bound and determined to pressure can a pickle, use 5 pounds pressure and process it for the same amount of time you’d waterbath it. That’s the best way to get an equivalent while making sure you don’t under process. Still, I don’t recommend it. Best of luck!
Oooh, that makes sense! Obviously I’m new to canning. Haha. Thank you for your response!
Super easy, this is my first attempt and it went very smooth!
Glad to hear it!
Thank you, I am starting my canning task now. Again. Thank you.
Joel
I underfilled a couple of my jars – did not pack the peppers tight enough – and I have a space with about an inch of brine at the bottom if the jars. They are not as pretty, but is this a problem in terms of canning?
Nope, that’s perfectly fine. Underfilling jars with solids isn’t a problem, provided you have plenty of the acidic brine in there. And actually, that’s really common in pickling to have jars come out looking underfilled. The thing is, most veggies shrink when they are canned, fruits too, so even if you do really load up the jars they’ll often have empty brine at the bottom. Not a safety thing, just slightly less pretty on the shelf. Still just as tasty though. Enjoy!