How to Make Homemade Hot Pepper Rings – Pickled Peppers

Homemade hot pepper rings for the win!

Also Read: Quick Pickled Onions, Canned Dilly Beans, Dill Pickles, Pickled Red Cabbagge, Hot Sauce

One of our favorite homemade pizza toppings are hot banana pepper rings. Ridiculously good with proscuitto, pineapple and feta cheese. Of course hot pepper rings are also great on burgers, smokies, subs and sandwiches.

What Kind of Peppers to Use for Hot Pepper Rings

Here are the most common peppers used for pickled pepper rings in order of their Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Use one variety and one colour or mix and match as you’d like. You can even add sweet bell peppers!

Banana Peppers: 0–500 SHU
Mild and tangy, with just a slight hint of heat.

Jalapeño Peppers: 2,500–8,000 SHU
Moderate heat, one of the most popular peppers for pickling. My favourites!

Hungarian Wax Peppers: 5,000–15,000 SHU
Hotter than jalapeños, with a bright flavor and more noticeable heat.

Serrano Peppers: 10,000–23,000 SHU
Hotter than jalapeños, with a sharp, intense spice.

Cayenne Peppers: 30,000–50,000 SHU
Quite hot, providing a strong, lingering spice in pickling.

How hot do you like it?

Did you know, you can increase or decrease the heat level by keeping or removing the inner membranes or ribs that hold the seeds. The highest concentration of capsaicin (the compound that makes hot peppers hot) is in the membranes – you decide whether or not to keep them in.

Check the Scoville Chart to find where your hot peppers are on the scale of mild to hot.

And while I know your a tough cookie, when you’re slicing a mountain of hot peppers, wearing gloves is not a bad idea. It prevents a tingling burning sensation on your finger tips and later when your rubbing your eyes or touching any other part of your body you won’t need to worry about any discomfort.

With that said, here is a recipe for homemade hot pepper rings.

Pickled Hot Pepper Rings Recipe

Print Recipe

4.09 from 35 votes

Hot Pepper Rings

Make your own hot pepper rings to top pizza, burgers or sandwiches. To increase the heat of your peppers, do not remove the inner membranes from the peppers. Choose your favourite variety of peppers – mix and match or use one variety. Canning is optional, you can store these in the fridge.

Prep : 30 minutes mins

Cook : 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8 1/2 pint (250mL) jars

Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

• 6 cups sliced any variety
• 3 1/2 cups vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp pickling or sea salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic quartered

Instructions

Quick Pickle Hot Peppers

• Wash and stem hot peppers.
• Remove seeds and inner membranes if you’d like to take some of the heat out of the peppers, otherwise leave them in.
• Slice peppers into even 1/4 inch thick slices. Wear gloves to keep your fingers from stinging.
• Mix vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan.
• Boil for 1 minute.
• Place 1/4 clove of garlic in each jar and pack with pepper rings.
• Pour hot vinegar brine over peppers.
• Remove air bubbles and push peppers underneath pickling liquid as much as possible, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace.
• Let cool on counter then seal with lid and store in fridge for 1-2 months.

To Hot Water Bath Jars (read through before filling jars)

• Fill large pot or canner with water so that jars are covered by 1″ of water.
• Check jars for cracks, wash with warm soapy water, rinse well and place in canner.
• Heat jars in canner (no need to sterilize).
• Fill hot jars as indicated above leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
• Wipe rim with clean cloth, seal with hot sealing lid, tighten screw band on top finger tight and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Notes

Makes 8 half pint (250 ml) jars – nutrition information is per jar.

Make more or less by doubling or halving the brine recipe.

Keep them in the fridge for ~1-2 months or heat process in a hot water bath as indicated – source: National Center for Home Food Preservation.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1986mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Iron: 1mg

Course: preserves

Cuisine: American

Keyword: condiments, hot peppers, hot sauce, quick pickles

Pickling hot peppers is one of several ways to preserve hot peppers. I also like using hot peppers in Hot Pepper Jelly and in Homemade Cayenne Pepper with dried peppers strung up in ristras.

MORE PICKLE RECIPES

Here are my favourite pickle recipes. Get these plus more in my Quick Pickle eBook! Printable and no ads!

• Quick Refrigerator Pickles – for fridge only, not suitable for canning
• Pickled Red Cabbage – use as refrigerator pickles only
• Pickled Beets – use as refrigerator pickles or make shelf stable with Hot Water Bath
• Classic Dill Pickles – use as refrigerator pickles or make shelf stable with Hot Water Bath
• Dilly Beans – use as refrigerator pickles or make shelf stable with Hot Water Bath
• Pickled Red Onions – use as refrigerator pickles only

Now back to spicy things – how hot do you like your peppers? Do you have a favourite hot pepper?

Fresh pickles without the hard work of canning.

Easy (no canning!) Alternative for Homemade Pickles

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10 quick pickle recipes PLUS

Practical tips on:

• the simple pickle process
• basic brine ratios for diy pickles
• using fresh herbs, spices and aromatics in your pickles
• how to prep veggies for the best crunch and flavour

Available in ebook and paperback formats.

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Sign up to get articles by Getty delivered to your inbox. You’ll get recipes, practical tips and great food information like this. Getty is a Professional Home Economist,  speaker and writer putting good food on tables and agendas.  She is the author of Manitoba’s best-selling Prairie Fruit Cookbook, Founder of Fruit Share, a mom and veggie gardener.